Hey Reader, Black women are the canaries in America’s economic coal mine. When federal jobs are cut, we feel it first. When DEI programs vanish, mentorship pipelines shrink, and stability erodes, we feel it first. Gender economist Katica Roy reminded us in a recent NY Times Article: “It’s the signal of something dangerous in the air.” This isn’t just a news story. It’s a warning—and a wake-up call. 300,000 Black women have been pushed out of the workforce in just months. The ripple effects...
3 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Before you jump back into the workflow, let me point you to three areas to ponder: Your Career: Is it fulfilling, or just familiar? Your Friends: Do they pour into you or drain you? Your Relationship: Does it make you grow or shrink? These are uncomfortable questions, and most of us have learned to silence them. We stay busy, stay needed, stay distracted. But midlife won’t let us hide forever. At some point, the quiet voice gets louder: This isn’t working anymore. Something has to...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Reader, Labor Day is often about time off, barbecues, and long weekends—but let’s take a moment to audit your labor. Not just your 9-to-5 job that pays the bills… But the unpaid labor that keeps your life, your family, and your community running. For Black women in midlife, this labor is real: 💼 Career: leading teams, hitting deadlines, managing expectations 🏠 Home: cooking, cleaning, scheduling, paying bills 💛 Emotional labor: smoothing conflicts, remembering birthdays, supporting others’...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Reader, Let’s tell the truth: many of us are doing double duty. One role has a title, a paycheck, and maybe even a corner office. The other? It has no salary, no benefits, and no boundaries. I’m talking about caregiving. For Black women in midlife, caregiving isn’t an exception—it’s an expectation. We are the ones driving our parents to doctor’s visits, covering prescriptions, holding down households, paying the bills, and rearranging our calendars—all while leading teams, showing up for our...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, There’s an “F-word” that far too many high-achieving women have been taught to avoid. Not the one you’re thinking. I’m talking about FUN. Somewhere along the way, we got the message that fun is for people who aren’t serious about success. That fun is the opposite of productivity. So we push harder. We measure our worth in checklists and long hours. We carry the weight of everyone else’s needs. And we tell ourselves, “Fun is for children.” It's time to debunk that myth. Fun isn’t a...
10 days ago • 1 min read
Hey There Reader, When was the last time you laughed from the belly or lit up from the inside out? For many high-achieving women, fun gets pushed aside in the name of deadlines, responsibilities, and everyone else’s needs. But fun isn’t optional—it’s fuel. Without it, we run on empty. With it, we thrive. Here’s why it matters: Body. Laughter boosts immunity, joy lowers stress hormones, and play restores energy. Mind. Fun unlocks creativity, problem-solving, and fresh perspective that grind...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Hey There Reader, When was the last time you let yourself play? Not networking “fun.” Not the vacation you spent half-planning. I mean simple fun. The kind that once lit you up as a child. For me, it happened the other day with an ice cream cone.I thought—when did something this small stop feeling magical? As children, joy was found in the simple things: 🍦 Ice cream on a hot day 🛼 Roller skating until the streetlights came on 🎨 Coloring just to see bright pages fill with life Somewhere...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Listen, Reader, As a high-achieving Black woman, you’ve probably carried at least one of these stories. I know I have. So let's get into it: 1. “I have to be strong for everyone—always.” What it sounds like: “I’ll hold it together. I can’t fall apart.”The research: The Strong Black Woman / Superwoman Trope (obligation to be strong, suppress emotion, succeed despite limited resources) is linked to elevated stress and adverse health outcomes. We pay for “strength” with our bodies.Reframe:...
13 days ago • 1 min read
Reader, Alicia gave 20 years of her life to her corporate career.She was the one who never missed a deadline, the one who stayed late (even spent the night at the office), the one everyone counted on to deliver. So when the layoff came, it wasn’t just about losing a paycheck.It felt like she had lost herself. She woke up the next morning devastated.Her calendar was empty. Her inbox was silent. The recognition, the meetings, the hustle—all gone. And then came the whispers in her head: “If I’m...
15 days ago • 1 min read