The Mama's Den

Stylist Bec Gross joins the Mamas to drop her favorite tips for feeling cute and confident in your clothes - especially for moms learning to love their postpartum bodies. From embracing your shape and dressing for your size, to building a wardrobe with key staples, Bec’s here to help you rediscover your personal style. If you’re trying to be outside this season, Bec’s got the fashion hacks to make...

Producer, Actor, Choreographer, and Momager - Brittany Perry-Russell is THAT GIRL! From dancing with icons like Ciara and Beyoncé to raising a successful kid actor (Isaiah Russell-Bailey), Brittany joins the Mamas to discuss managing her son’s career while still chasing her own dreams. There’s no blueprint for motherhood, but for Brittany, being spirit-led has always kept her aligned with a higher...

Kerry Washington is in the Den! The Emmy-winning actress, activist, and mom of three joins the Mamas to talk about her latest film, Shadow Force , and what it’s like to play a badass mom on-screen while navigating wife-and-mom life behind the scenes. Kerry gets real about everything from her parenting partnership with her husband, Nnamdi Asomugha, to the moment she learned her father isn’t her bio...

School’s almost out and summer’s almost here! In this episode, the Mamas share their summer break plans for the months ahead. From sports camps and play dates, to family vacations and lazy days at home - the Mamas break down how they balance keeping the kids busy and letting them chill. ====== We love getting Listener Letters! Send any thoughts or questions for the Mamas at podcasts@blacklove.com....

In this episode, we’re missing Felicia - one-fourth of our quartet. We miss you Fee! So Codie, Melanie, and Ashley get real about when they disagree with their husbands on parenting decisions - from routines and discipline to visions for their kids’ futures. The Mamas share the importance of self-awareness, how they compromise with their partners, and how sometimes, you just have to pick their bat...

The Mamas are joined by Blair Imani, creator of Smarter in Seconds, to talk about everything from working at Planned Parenthood to going viral in 2020 with her powerful, bite-sized videos. She also opens up about her experience with pregnancy loss and how she's currently trying to conceive (complete with a hot pregnancy tip from her auntie!). In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, Blair schools u...

The Mamas welcome Julian Saavedra, Assistant Principal and host of  The Opportunity Gap  podcast, to discuss learning differences in kids of color and how to support their unique needs. Julian highlights the importance of de-stigmatizing special education, having open conversations with your child about their school experience, and building relationships with administrators to advocate for your ch...

We got a Doctor in the Den! Psychiatrist, researcher, and author Dr. Judith Joseph joins the Mamas for a powerful convo about high-functioning depression, grief, and the struggle to find joy in daily life. Dr. Judith keeps it real about her own experience with depression and explains the high-functioning challenges faced by high-achieving women, particularly Black women. If you’ve ever felt the pr...

We got a Daddy in the Den! Actor and father of two, Michael Ealy, joins the Mamas to talk about raising a boy and a girl. Together, they highlight the value of fathers being involved in their kids’ lives (to all the dads at ballet class - we see you!), the importance of communication between parents, and the need to appreciate each parent’s role. Michael shares lessons learned, from recognizing do...

This episode kicks off with a round of We’re Not Really Strangers - a fun card game designed to spark meaningful conversations. What starts as a friendly Q&A turns XXX-rated (because Ashley….surprise, surprise...). Then, the Mamas dive into a show-and-tell of their favorite kids’ books, celebrating new releases from fellow Black mamas and authors: Tabitha Brown ( Hello There, Sunshine ), Tamron Ha...

In this episode, the Mamas relive their unforgettable girls trip to NYC — a trip that almost didn’t happen after Melanie hurt her back! From sisterhood sleepovers and Brooklyn meetups, to all the family and friends who showed up for them, the Mamas take a moment to soak it all in. What a journey going from a podcast born during the pandemic to representing Black motherhood on national TV. We love...

Melanie, Ashley, and Codie are back in the Den! Even though Felicia’s out this week, she still makes a stunning appearance—be sure to check out the YouTube channel for the visual! In this episode, the mamas break down a list of one-liners that make parenting a little easier, like “you gotta do what you need to do, before you get to do what you wanna do” (a Melanie Fiona original). They also discus...

Marnesha is in the Den! If you've listened to The Mamas long enough, you have heard Fee rave about her kids' behavioral coach, Marnesha Hall. She joined the ladies of The Mama's Den to break down what a behavioral coach is and the benefits of having one for your kids. This episode explains the differences between behavioral coaching and therapy, how parenting dynamics impact your kids, and provide...

This week, the Mamas tackle Listener Letters on balancing romance, friendships, and managing meddling grandparents. They get real about the struggles of keeping their dating life alive — because for some, dating has left the chat! — and they share fun ideas for a cute date night (or a little afternoon delight!). The Mamas also dive into the importance of setting boundaries when grandparents are do...

If you’ve ever felt like you were stuck in the hard part of your story, Tabitha Brown is in The Mama's Den to remind you—it’s okay to put yourself first! Tab's journey is a masterclass in faith, being present, and trusting that your moment is coming—even when it feels impossible. This week, Tabitha gets real about the tough seasons in her marriage, the moments she and Chance weren’t sure they’d ma...

The Mamas reminisce about their journey to adding baby #2 (or babies #2 and #3 for Codie!), and share the ups and downs of managing the unique logistics and personalities that come with a growing family. From pregnancy stories to juggling schedules and sibling dynamics, this episode dives into the tools, challenges, and unforgettable memories that come with expanding your crew. ====== Send any tho...

2025 is already doing the most! From navigating the impacts of the LA wildfires while parenting, to facing the realities of a new president, and trying to survive sleep amidst the middle of the night needs of kids, the Mamas discuss how - and if - they can find JOY when the world feels heavy. ====== So Village, how do you find joy when your world is heavy? Let us know! Send any thoughts or questio...

Are you happy with all of your accomplishments? Far too often, we find ourselves reflecting on everything we have done and have the nerve to think we haven’t done enough. But let’s get real, Mama’s Den family, sometimes getting up in the morning IS the accomplishment. It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that we should be further than where we are right now OR that it's too late to accompl...

The holidays are behind us and some of us are thinking "New Year, New Me" and whatnot. But when you have had a baby or two....or four, there can be challenges beyond just hitting the gym. So, The Mamas are running back an episode where we talked about our pre and post baby bodies. Hear what we think about everything from snapping back to diastasis recti, cosmetic surgery and more. This episode was...

Ahhh, motherhood.....the new baby smell, the cuddles, the cute questions, sweet tiny voices saying I love you.....the 1000 questions at bedtime, dragging 3 carseats on vacation, paying thousands of dollars at an amusement park to stand in long lines at the bathroom more than actually ride rides.....What did you think motherhood was going to be??? Don’t worry, we will go first as we run it back to...

In this BRAND NEW episode, alongside Victoria Jenn Rodriguez of Banking on Cultura, the Mamas recorded live from Miami to share what tradition means to us in 2024. Baybeee.....it ain't what it used to be. We don't feel the need to make everything perfect year after year but we are sharing the big and small things that do matter to us when the holidays arrive. Mama's Den Village, what holiday tradi...

Want to know what we were like before we became moms? From the club - or stage - to jet setting, the Mamas of the Den are running it back to an early episode where we talked about our lives before becoming moms. It was a TIME!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are in that post-Thanksgiving, not-yet-Christmas period where many of us are playing supermom trying to do it all, so we figured you could use a reminder from one of our favorite episodes that this is a season....the holiday season AND a season in your and your family's life. Whether it's our kids growing and evolving or us as adults in all of our complexity, y'all know the saying....The only t...

It’s the holidays so we decided to go down memory lane to one of the first episodes we recorded introducing ourselves to our audience. We recorded this one before we decided on a name for our podcast - it’s so funny to play this one back. Ashley only had 3 kids and Melanie was a mom of 1! Melanie even shares the origin of her love story with Jared! We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much a...

The Mama's have a candid conversation with Dahn Ballard about her journey of raising her transgender child. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.