Melanie Fiona has had a life-changing few years.
The 40-year-old singer-songwriter welcomed her first child, son Cameron, in 2016, privately married husband Jared Cotter in December 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, welcomed her second child, daughter Kaia, in December 2021, and celebrated her third anniversary in December 2023 with a beautiful wedding ceremony in her backyard. Needless to say, Fiona has been busy.
The Toronto native’s journey to being a mother and wife was not without its challenges, however. Fiona, who appeared on season six of “Black Love,” now available to watch on Black Love’s Amazon Freevee channel, says that she initially felt isolated when she first became a mom in 2016. The singer did not have a community around her in Los Angeles to support her transition from unmarried, single woman to a married mother of one. That is, until she discovered “The Mama’s Den.”
“It was really enticing to have an outlet, to have connection, when we weren’t allowed to have connection [during COVID],” Fiona explains. “It became this ritual that I needed so desperately during that time, but I didn’t even realize it.”
Fiona joined Oliver, Ashley Chea and Felicia LaTour as a full-time host of “The Mama’s Den,” which is now available to watch on Black Love’s Amazon Freevee channel. The love and connection between the hosts continued to grow as the years went on, allowing Fiona to have much-needed “girl time” and safe space to be vulnerable.
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“I knew that it was going to work out really great because I felt like each person was chosen with intention, and I was excited about the role we could all play as a collective,” Fiona says. “It’s something that I genuinely look forward to doing every single week. It is my reprieve. I get to go and just be with my girls. It’s guaranteed girlfriend time, which I think that a lot of times moms and parents in general forget to prioritize. I know that the work we’re doing is not just for our benefit. What we’re creating and what we’re bringing to other people is why it’s so important.”
In addition to helping others, “The Mama’s Den” podcast has also allowed Fiona to “show up consistently with a voice and a wealth of experience, which has allowed me to understand my identity better.” The mother of two, who refers to herself as the “big sis” of “The Mama’s Den” crew, has leaned into self-exploration and love. On the podcast, she’s been able to expand her skills as a leader and process her feelings.
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“Being able to share wisdom and also learning from other women at the same time, it helps me evolve,” Fiona says. “I get to take little nuggets and from what I hear, what I experienced and what we’re asked on the podcast, and I get to apply that. I get to speak to fellow married women weekly about how I can better show up as a wife and a mother in these very hard times, where there’s obstacles or challenges or conflict. It’s been really wonderful to be around that. It helps me show up as a more grounded mother, woman and creative. It gives me a sense of consistency. It gives me a sense of support and safety. I’ve been able to just really step into the fullness of being a source of wisdom for myself and everyone in my life — my children, my husband and my girlfriends.”
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“The Mama’s Den” not only provided Fiona with a supportive environment, but it was also the catalyst for her to welcome her second child, daughter Kaia Love. The singer tells Black Love that she always felt that she was “one and done” when it came to children. For years, Fiona said that she was content with only one child and had no plans to become a mother of two, due to a lack of community support. But working on “The Mama’s Den” allowed her to “say yes” to having more children.
“When we started the podcast, Ashley got pregnant quickly into recording. Shortly after, I got pregnant,” Fiona explains. “Our daughters are literally a month apart. I truly believe that my willingness to say yes [allowed me to have my daughter]. Say yes is my mantra and the thing that I am leading with in 2024. Say yes to all the miracles and possibilities of what could be for yourself. We focus so much on saying no and setting boundaries. That is great for self-development, protection and healing. But to be able to be in a space of safety, to say yes, to receive whatever comes your way and know that it is for you. Saying yes to doing ‘The Mama’s Den’ podcast, I truly believe manifested my daughter. I finally felt like I had a community of support to go through this new season of motherhood.”
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That community of support and chemistry between the podcast hosts has been evident from the start, and their camaraderie has transferred into growing success for the show. “The Mama’s Den” has now released over 76 episodes, has thousands of faithful listeners, a popular Instagram page, and is gearing up for its highly anticipated 2024 return.
Fiona shares that the new episodes will reflect how the hosts are evolving as mothers, but also as women.
“We’ve collectively been creatively discussing how can we evolve ‘The Mama’s Den?’ How can we give more to our community? How can we expand what we’re building here for ourselves?” Fiona says. “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s already been so much fun. This season is going to reflect a lot more about us as women, not just mothers. We’ve all really been planting seeds. I think that it’s going to be exciting to share how these things are blooming in real time for each one of us and how we’re evolving.”
Now a happily married wife and mother of two, Fiona is saying “yes” in all aspects of her life, including her creativity and music. After suffering from creative blocks for years, Fiona now feels free to create art her way without worrying about public perception or naysayers. The singer credits her family and her girls for allowing her to let go and record new music.
“I’m really trying not to overthink it,” Fiona says. “I’m keeping my creative faucet on by getting back in the studio and writing new music, and seeing what comes out in this version of my life and this season of my life, and allowing it to be honest. Not having [the music] be driven by a metric of success or what other people are doing, more so it being true to who I am. I think that that’s the thing that I feel really excited about is that everything that I create in this season of my life, I don’t ever want it to be a disingenuous version of myself. That’s very liberating in itself and also very vulnerable. But I love vulnerability.”
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She continues, “Over these past couple of years, [my journey] has ignited a new desire to grow. I see my husband growing. I see our family growing. We now have two children. My daughter has been a huge catalyst for my refocus on personal development, growth, expression and success. It’s really been a blessing to have a partner that I can journey through life with, who is supportive, who understands what I do, who is in the same world. My son, who is a deep wise sage that has taught me so much about myself. My daughter, who is coming to teach me more about myself.”
The singer also credits her age — she celebrated her 40th birthday in 2023 — for allowing her to be open to new creative expression. Fiona refers to her 40s as her golden age, a “launch pad” for new creative endeavors and sense of purpose in life.
“We’re so hyper focused on beauty and preserving our youth and not getting older and not having fun. It’s like your life can evolve. Understand that aging and getting older is the gift. It is a gift because it is an opportunity to experience more life and create and continue to grow.”
“I have this reinvigorated feeling of what do I want my life to look like for the next 40 years, now that I’m 40?” Fiona explains. “It’s given me this purpose of what do you want your children’s lives to look like? What does that feel like? That, to me, feels like peace. It feels like freedom of choice. It feels like travel and good food and happiness and health. In this season of my life, I feel invigorated to work and create all the things that live within me so that I can go with my family and achieve all those things I just mentioned. I feel energized. I feel stronger and so much more optimistic.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
New episodes of “The Mama’s Den” are now available to listen to on various podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, and watch on the Black Love YouTube channel.
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