Mamamia founder Mia Freedman makes dramatic announcement about her future with the business amid ‘burnout’

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Mia Freedman is temporarily leaving her podcast and her prominent position at Mamamia for a prolonged break due to exhaustion (burnout) and facing persistent online harassment (bullying).

Freedman made the shock announcement on her Mamamia Out Loud podcast last week.

I wanted to share some news with you all. After hosting this show for over a decade, I’ve decided to take a few months off. What started as a weekly program has evolved into a daily show, but even beyond that, my full-time job has been serving as the co-founder of Mamamia.

I haven’t had any extended breaks from work, but I did take a two-week leave to welcome my youngest child into the world, and I certainly have gone on vacations.

I won’t be disappearing, but I might take a short break. With 150 people in our team, I think I can temporarily relinquish some responsibilities. Truthfully, I have a strong desire for some quiet time to focus on personal projects.

The news arises following the appointment of Freedman’s 27-year-old son, Luca Lavigne, as the company’s COO, receiving a substantial remuneration package.

The unexpected news left the company’s staff feeling stunned, as it appeared they weren’t content with their current wage structures, causing a significant number of them to leave.

Meanwhile, Luca’s wife Jessie Stephens was also employed by the company as an editorial assistant. 

This resulted in a substantial amount of backlash on the internet directed towards Mamamia, a media organization that asserts it covers topics of interest to women.

According to reports, Freedman and her husband, who serves as the company’s executive chairman (Jason Lavigne), were giving Luca a substantial $300k compensation for his duties.

As a devoted follower, I’m just saying that while I believe Luca is fully capable and deserving of his position, the news about his salary has stirred unease within the Mamamia office. The Daily Mail isn’t questioning his qualifications or his right to earn $300,000; it’s more about the impact this information seems to have had on the team.

In 2016, I embarked on an exciting new journey when I joined Mamamia as a content producer – a role that initially seemed far removed from my previous experiences. Prior to this, I spent four months honing my mixology skills as a bartender at Merivale, following my graduation from Sydney Grammar School in 2015. However, these diverse experiences have proven to be a valuable foundation for the lifestyle expert I am today.

It’s quite normal that less experienced individuals might get hired for junior roles, and The Daily Mail doesn’t imply any favoritism or nepotism in this case.

In just a short span of time, Luca climbed the career ladder with remarkable speed. He started off as a regular writer, then moved on to creating podcasts, and was eventually promoted to the position of Business Development Manager in 2018.

By 2021, he was made Head of Product and last year was appointed COO.

Freedman faced a lot of criticism online, particularly concerning her appointment of her son as the COO. Now, she often limits comments on her social media accounts due to this controversy.

In her statement this week, Freedman expressed that she’s been experiencing the weight of responsibility ‘being the public figure of the company,’ and acknowledged that she’s ‘committed errors.’

Carrying the reputation of this company can be quite demanding. My likeness is on the entrance, and it’s a fact that when issues arise and we have exceptional individuals working for us – remember, they are human like myself – errors may occur, as I am also prone to making mistakes,” she expressed.

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2025-08-08 04:48