From beauty to music, slang to style, Black culture especially the voice of Black women has long been the blueprint for advertising and marketing. Yet when I walk into boardrooms or brainstorms, the people shaping those narratives rarely reflect the communities they’re selling to.

As a strategist and creative, I’m constantly asked to speak to what’s “trending,” to help brands connect with culture in ways that feel fresh, authentic, and now. But here’s the truth: we’ve always been the culture. What’s trending is us.

Now that I am moving through this industry as a Black woman, I believe it is my duty to help reconstruct a space we were never given a seat at. To reimagine who gets to tell the story, who it’s for, and how we shift from being used by media to owning our role in shaping it.

You may ask, how can we do such a thing?

It starts with you, knowing your worth and knowing who you are. Working in these corporate spaces can take up the majority of your day, but it’s important to know when and where to contribute your thoughts and ideas.

Crave Your Own Lane

Here’s something I had to learn early on: your 9–5 doesn’t define you. Especially in media, where creativity, passion, and cultural fluency live beyond job titles and office hours. But you should also feel fulfilled from the work you do! It’s okay to pivot, start over, or even leave if the work your doing doesn’t align with your purpose/passion.

It’s also important to find joy and purpose outside of the brand decks and brainstorms. Whether it’s curating a playlist, designing mood boards, documenting your city through photography, or writing your own stories, do the thing that lights you up, even when no one’s paying for it…

(yet lol).

That’s where your voice sharpens. That’s where you remember why you started.

Because the truth is media isn’t linear. There isn’t one right way to enter, to grow, or to lead in this industry. So carve your own lane. Build what you wish existed. Create like your community is watching because they are.

And don’t let them make you feel like you’re unqualified just because you don’t speak in marketing jargon or don’t have a deck-ready “insight.” Strategy isn’t just about buzzwords it’s about perspective. It’s about understanding people. And nobody does that better than us.

Now Take People With You

The most powerful thing that I’ve learned? I don’t have to navigate this alone. Find other Black creatives, spaces, and curators that have the same values as you and collaborate! I’m currently in a state of building for longevity in this industry, and I believe the only way to achieve that is through collaboration and community.

One of the biggest advice I took from our homegirl ISSA DEE (lol), is to network across and not ahead.

If you want to start a business, reach out to other creatives grinding in your space, people who are building alongside you, not just those at the “top.”

If you want to create a podcast, connect with other creators who are figuring it out in real time.

If you want to start a label, link up with artists and producers who are actively creating, making moves day by day.

If you want to create a festival, reach out to local event organizers and creatives who already know how to bring people together.

Networking across means building your circle with people who get it because they’re living it too.

Now Actually Do The Thing That Scares You

I know sometimes it can be scary to start over, pivot, or just take a risk. But I remember someone once told me, “The dream you’re most scared of pursuing is the one you’re supposed to be chasing for the rest of your life.” I’ve been living by that motto ever since. It’s so true when you think about it, right?!

So if you're feeling nervous or unsure right now, that might actually be a sign you're on the right track. Fear doesn’t mean stop it just means it matters. Chase the dream anyway.

Or maybe you're in a place where you don’t know exactly what your dream is yet but you do know something needs to shift. That’s totally okay. I truly believe your talents and gifts are tied to your purpose, and your purpose is deeply connected to your dreams.

So start small. What’s something you’re naturally good at? What’s something you lose track of time doing? What’s something people always come to you for? That’s usually where the clues are hiding.

And Here’s the Bigger Picture

When you do the thing that scares you, when you choose purpose over comfort, you’re not just changing your own path you’re changing the media industry from the inside out.

Because every time a Black woman steps into her voice, her vision, and her power, she disrupts the systems that were never built with her in mind. Every risk you take to be seen, every pivot you make toward alignment, is part of the reconstruction.

We’ve spent so long being positioned as the “target audience.” It’s time we shift the narrative from being marketed to, to being the ones shaping the message. From being the culture, to owning the table where culture is defined, distributed, and valued. Reconstruction starts when we stop shrinking. When we show up fully. When we write, direct, produce, strategize, design, and build media that actually reflects the communities it claims to serve.

So, yeah, do the thing that scares you.

Because it might just be the thing that frees somebody else, too.

This Industry Wasn’t Made For Us. But It Was Made About Us.