“I’m supposed to be serving. I’m supposed to be speaking life into people, just like she spoke life into me. She was always serving people. She taught me that I’m supposed to be open to everybody, and love everyone. Not just the people who are blood. We’re all supposed to serve and help each other.”

In this episode Mel Chanté shares her deep spiritual connection with her mother, and how her mother raised her to be thoughtful and intentional with her language.

Mel is a poet, author of Brown Butter and a multifaceted artist. Her soothing voice combines spoken word, storytelling and melody into a rhythmic experience. Originally from Boston, MA, Mel is currently living in Brooklyn. She’s the creator of self-talk platform, Vow to Self, and host of its podcast, and leads meditations on The Shine App. She's performed and toured in major cities across the U.S. and Europe, including NYC, Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, Copenhagen, Berlin and London. Last year, she released her debut EP, FLO, available on all music streaming services, and is currently working on a full-length album. For more on Mel, visit melchante.com

Our Mothers’ Gardens is a Honeybunch of Stinkweed Production and features music produced by Ptah. Our Mothers’ Gardens is made possible in part by the generous donations of patrons.