The Melanin Unicorn Podcast

Black Women Thriving in 2025 and Beyond

• Kerry • Season 2 • Episode 2

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The entrepreneurial landscape is shifting dramatically as Black women take their rightful place at the forefront of business innovation and wealth creation. This transformative episode of the Melanin Unicorn podcast explores how Black women are "minding our business"—both literally through entrepreneurship and figuratively by protecting our peace and prioritizing wellbeing.

Did you know Black women represent the fastest-growing demographic of entrepreneurs in America? Beyond impressive statistics, this movement signifies a profound shift in how we're building legacies rather than simply creating businesses. Following pioneers like The Honeypot and Slutty Vegan, a new wave of Black women entrepreneurs is leveraging technology, embracing collaboration, and redefining success on their own terms. The message is clear: there's more than enough room for all of us to win.

Yet true success demands we address our mental and emotional wellbeing. "You cannot pour from an empty cup" isn't just a catchy phrase—it's the foundation of sustainable achievement. After centuries of caring for everyone else, Black women are embracing therapy, mindfulness practices, and revolutionary rest. Financial independence stands as another critical pillar, with more Black women investing in stocks, real estate, and cryptocurrency. Resources like Baddies and Budgets are democratizing financial education, proving that consistent saving—even starting with just $5—creates pathways to generational wealth. Meanwhile, intentional community-building provides the support network essential for navigating today's challenges.

Ready to start building your empire? Turn off the noise, focus on what truly matters, and join the movement of Black women creating financial independence in 2025 and beyond. Subscribe now and share with a sister who needs this message—because the world better keep watching. We're just getting started.

Kerry:

Hey, hey, hey, tribe, and welcome back to the Melanin Unicorn podcast, the podcast where we are celebrating the resilience, brilliance and power of Black women as we navigate life, success and everything in between. I'm your host, Kerry, and today we're diving into a topic that's not only close to my heart but vital to our collective future, and that is how Black women are minding our businesses, literally and figuratively, in 2025 and beyond, and we are concentrating on building and broadening our horizons. And in a world that's constantly evolving, black women are leading the charge in entrepreneurship, mental health and financial literacy. Well, we are also community building as well, so we're also creating spaces to honor our unique voices and redefining what it means to thrive. So grab your tea, water, coffee, green juice, whatever Get your notepad or your journal and let's get into this episode. Let's begin by talking about the rise of Black women entrepreneurs. Did you know that Black women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the US? That's just not a stat, it's a movement. In 2025, we're seeing Black women-owned businesses thrive in industries like tech, beauty, health and wellness. Platforms like the Honeypot, slutty Vegan, the Tabitha Brown brand and Baddies and Budgets have paved the way, but the new wave is bringing even more innovation. Black women are doing great and mighty things, and we are also leveraging technology like never before. Social media, e-commerce platforms and AI tools are helping us scale businesses globally. And let's not forget about the importance of collaboration. Black women are partnering with each other, whether it's co-hosting events, cross-promoting products or launching joint ventures together, because we know there's more than enough room for all of us to win. But here's the thing we're not just building businesses, we are building legacy. And that brings me to our next point the need for prioritizing our mental and emotional well-being.

Kerry:

You can't pour from an empty cup. I don't know how many times I say this daily. I've said it to friends, colleagues, relatives you cannot pour from an empty cup, and Ayanla Vanzant said it best what's in the cup is for you, the overflow of that cup is for everyone else. So if your cup is empty, that means there's no overflow. And we must keep our own cups full and overflowing, because if people are constantly drinking from our cup but there's no overflow, then guess what? We have nothing, we are depleted, and we are not in a time, an era or a space where we can afford to be depleted, so please make sure that your cup is not only full, but it's overflowing all the time.

Kerry:

Black women, we have been pouring into everyone else's cups for centuries into everyone else's cups for centuries. But 2025 is the year that we have all said enough is enough, and, if I'm really being transparent, it was November 2024. It's time that you and I, we pour into ourselves. We are seeing more and more Black women go to therapy, practice mindfulness and embrace holistic wellness, and I am all for therapy, I'm all for mindfulness and I'm all for holistic wellness. Apps like Shine are creating safe spaces for us to check in with ourselves, and let's not underestimate the power of rest. Yes, sis, rest is revolutionary, and one of the really great books about naps is by the good sis, Trisha Hershey, founder of the Nap Ministry. Okay, that is a game changer, and if you have not read it or listened to it on audio, I would definitely recommend doing so. So, 2025 and beyond, we're giving ourselves permission to slow down, to set boundaries and to say no without guilt, because, remember, no is a whole sentence. When we prioritize our own well-being, we show up as the best versions of ourselves For ourselves, for our families, our businesses and our communities, peace building, wealth and financial independence. Let's talk about that bag, sis, because Black women aren't securing it.

Kerry:

Financial literacy is no longer optional it's essential, it is a must, it is the key to surviving. There are too many resources available to us now where we can no longer offer the excuse like oh, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. And granted, many of us, myself included, did not grow up with our parents discussing money. You know, for many of us, money was like taboo Either you know, it wasn't enough or it was just enough, meaning they were breaking even, right. But now we are seeing a surge of black women investing in stocks, real estate and even cryptocurrency. So programs like Girl Track and initiatives from financial experts like Tanya Rapley are making sure we have the tools to build generational wealth. So let's learn better money habits for financial freedom.

Kerry:

So here's a tip you can automate your savings, right, whether it's $10 or $1,000 a month. One thing I have learned is consistency is key. And don't sleep on passive income streams either, right, because I know that you have great ideas to generate passive income. You are just not acting on it. It is time, sis, it's time for you to start acting on it. It is time, sis. It's time for you to start acting on it, whether it be affiliate marketing, digital products, rental properties, maybe writing for publications, whatever. Listen, the sky is the limit.

Kerry:

And if you need help in savings, I highly, highly, highly recommend the good sis Jasmine, who is the creator of baddies and budgets. You can look her up on Instagram under baddies and budgets, youtube baddies and budgets. When I found sis, it probably was in 2022 and I watched her story and I was just like wow, because I never could subscribe to the envelope method in savings, but watching her, watching that episode, it really opened my eyes. And then, all of a sudden, I couldn't find the video anymore, and so you know what they say out of sight, out of mind. Then Ms Jasmine showed up on my YouTube in 2024, the beginning of 2024. And sis got me all the way together when I watched her journey, from when she started, when she really didn't have anything, to where she is now.

Kerry:

I am telling you it is possible and go look up the good sis Jasmine, because she makes it so easy to understand and really help you with whatever amount of money that you are able to save, and I think what puts people off with saving is that they feel like, oh, but I can't save because I don't make that much money. Listen, listen, you can start saving $5 if that's what your budget allows for you. $5, $10, whatever it is. You have to start, because that's the key. The key is starting and then to continue is consistency, and I'm telling you, it's a game changer. And once you have saved your money right, and this is another tip Don't even count it. Don't even count it, just put the money away. Just put the money away, don't even count it. Come to the end of the year when you take the money out of the envelopes. That's when you can count it and you will be blown away with how much you have saved. Now, one of the things that they talk about is having an emergency savings of $1,000., and that's great. Again, you can save towards that. Right, if you live in an apartment, the $1,000 should be good, but if you own a house, that emergency should at least be six months to a year, because you never know, things pop up in your home. Yes, you have insurance and things like that, but for other things that you may just need to purchase. Just need to to purchase. You got that emergency fund and then you can go into that.

Kerry:

All right, community and advocacy let's talk about the power of community Black women. We have always been the backbone of social movements, and 2025 is no different. We are, more than ever, using our collective voices to advocate for change, whether it's pushing for policy reforms, fighting for pay equity or uplifting our sisters through mutual aid. We've also been building online and offline communities that nurture us, from book clubs to networking groups. These spaces remind us that we are not alone. We are stronger together, and that is a fact.

Kerry:

I find community in book groups, black women book groups on Facebook. I try not to be on Facebook that much anymore, but sometimes you know you need to be there and on not so much on Instagram. I haven't really seen that, but I have seen it on um TikTok, so I've watched um a number of the black book talk videos. So those are. Those are good Cause that's a community um there as well, and they have them not only where it's virtual, but it's in person also. Where I live, unfortunately, there's no in-person book club. I wish that it was person book club. I wish that it was, but maybe no, not even maybe, because I'm claiming it In my next move there will be a book club, even if I have to start it myself.

Kerry:

So so, make sure that you are surrounded by your sisters, right. Make sure that you are building community, joining communities, because in this time that we are in, it is imperative. This is not the time to want to be a lone wolf and I know sometimes it's very enticing but believe you me, this is not the time for that, because we need each other. We need each other, especially the way that we are choosing to move now. So that community is key. It is so key because we have to we literally have to lock arms and be together Because, again, you see what's going on.

Kerry:

You really have to be blind, deaf and mute to not know what's going on. But one thing I know about my fellow sisters is that, although we see what's going on, we have chosen and this is a choice we have chosen to lock in and build, because that's what the enemy wants. The enemy wants us to become so unfocused on what we should be focused on by throwing all of this stuff at the wall, that we see to see what sticks. And he wants us to just be staring at that. But I implore you, turn the TV off. As Kendrick said, turn the TV off. Turn the TV off. Go on social media breaks. Okay, take yourself out for walks, take yourself out to eat, take yourself to a play, to a movie, take yourself to the library, take yourself into places and spaces where you know that you will have peace and that it will be cultivated.

Kerry:

Because the problem is that doom scrolling, which many of us have fell victim to, and you scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll right, and then you go to sleep at night and then you're dreaming about all the mess that you've seen through scrolling. So, again, this is not the time, because in 2025, this is our time this is our time to build and to create and to dominate. We have no time to fall in to what is going on outside of your window, and I know it's hard to ignore, god knows. I know it's hard to ignore, right? But in order for you to do what you know you're supposed to be doing, to do what those hidden dreams that you have within you, those dreams need to come out, those dreams need to come into fruition and into your reality, and you cannot do that when you are so focused on what these demons are doing. So I am saying to you and I am imploring you and this is for me too, okay, don't think that I'm just, you know, speaking to my sisters and but I'm excluding myself. No, absolutely not.

Kerry:

This is for me as well, and I have shut it down. I've shut it down. If I do go on social media, it is for a short period of time, and then I am off and I can tell, because when I get my pop-up stats on my phone, I see how the hours have gone down right. So I know we all have it, whether you have an iPhone or you have an Android. You see it. You see it. You'll see your numbers go down, and when your numbers go down, that means that you are locking in to what you should be locking into, and that is taking care of business, because 2025 is the year for us if you are not already is to become financially independent.

Kerry:

I want to see even more, even more black women. I want those numbers to shoot up, and I am including myself in that. Where we are running our own businesses, we are creating our own empires. This is what I want for us and this is what I want for you. Okay, and there you have it.

Kerry:

Black women, we are minding our business in every sense of the word. We are building our empires, protecting our peace, stacking our coins and uplifting each other. And as we look to the future, one thing is very, very clear. It's very, very clear. The world better keep watching, because we are just getting started. Whoop, whoop, listen. Thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of the Melanin Unicorn Podcast, and if this episode has inspired you, please share with a friend, leave a review and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And until next time, keep thriving, keep shining and keep minding your business. And remember, have the most amazing, remarkable and magical day, because that is what you deserve. I love you and until next time, bye.

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Kerry

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