We've all heard the common phrase "Jane of All Trades" thrown around, but it's always a bonus to be able to put a face with the concept that we, as Black women, can both aspire to and relate with. Angela Yee is one such person.
Many of us know her as the lone female voice (of smart-witted reason) who has held it down proper for all of us as a host on The Breakfast Club, offering a dose of powerful femininity and intelligence that keeps her co-hosts, out-of-pocket callers, and famous guests in line when need-be. She's done this while juggling duties as the co-founder of Juices for Life, a juice bar launched in Brooklyn, N.Y., managing director of Drink Fresh Juice, a juice and wellness drink brand, founder of Private Label Detroit, a boutique line of hair extensions and wigs, and her latest venture Coffee Uplifts People (CUP), a coffee brand that puts inclusivity at the forefront.
Oh, and let's not forget the podcast, Lip Service, which she hosts with two other unapologetically boss and bold women, Stephanie Santiago and Gigi Maguire, where they talk sex and relationships with hip-hop and pop culture elite.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
So you might have read all that and said, "Well, sis, that ain't all trades." Let's go back a bit: Yee got her start in entertainment interning for MTV and, later, for the legendary powerhouse that is the WuTang Clan. She transitioned into a management role with the group, handling payroll, attending label meetings, and organizing events. Before that, she was a teacher of 6th- and 7th-graders, and she'd eventually go on to work in satellite radio, hosting and co-hosting popular shows before becoming part of the award-winning trio at The Breakfast Club.
And she does it all with the kind of coy smile and effortless style that brings to mind Bey's "I Woke Up Like This" mantra.
Image via TeamYee/Facebook
We caught up with Yee for this exclusive xoNecole interview, right before her appearance at this year's Célébrez en Rosé, a two-day VIP experience taking place in Washington, D.C. on Labor Day weekend.
The event, which centers on culture, Rosé and entertainment, is set to feature headliners including Lupe Fiasco and Estelle. "I am really just deliberate about supporting other Black entrepreneurs," Yee said. "We've had such a rough past year-a-half, and it's not even over yet. The fact that they're doing it in two days this year so that it can be a socially distanced event is something that shows that we need some time and space to be together, but we need to do that as cautiously as possible. We need it."
Yee talked further about why women need to stick together and rely on their tribes, what's really behind her more than 15 years in entertainment, and why she chooses to keep pushing boundaries in business.
xoNecole: You've been in the media business for many years and have remained relevant, fresh, and successful. What do you think has helped in your longevity?
Angela Yee: Networking has been one of the main things, especially early on, but to continue doing that is one of the most important. Also, it's about being able to work really hard and having the ability and skill to accomplish the things you want to. Another thing [that's key is] supporting people and treating people well, along with that networking. Whether it is the receptionist or the president of the company, you should treat everybody with respect.
"Once I start feeling comfortable in a position, I know it's time for me to figure out what my next move is. I never want to become complacent or feel like, 'OK I got this down pat' because I feel like I'm not challenging myself. So it's always important to challenge myself."
Along with that is to always learn. I'm always taking classes on different things or even just looking online to find out ways I can improve myself. With starting a business and being an entrepreneur, I still take classes with the Small Business Administration in New York. I'm getting my real estate license as well, so I believe that you should always be challenged to advance and learn even more.
And last, it's really hard work. Nothing beats hard work, and you can't just coast by. I still go the extra mile. If you listen to the show, I'm the one who most likely has done the research. I'm the one looking up the story and making sure I get to work before everyone else. Hard work is just a fundamental thing. Nobody wants to work with somebody who doesn't pull their own weight, and I go above and beyond.
Image via TeamYee/Facebook
And that's even clear in the multiple businesses you've launched, from your juice bar to your line of juices and wellness drinks, to the extensions line, and now with CUP. Why get into coffee?
We were looking for a space during the pandemic to store the juices. So we met with the owner of Brooklyn Roasting Co. [Jim Munson] about their place at the Brooklyn Navy Yard because they had this huge refrigerator we could use. Our guy LaRon [Batchelor], who's one of my partners for the company, had worked with him already, doing sales and distribution. So after our meeting, we all just had a synergy, and he told us, "You guys should think about starting a coffee company." We were already like, "Hmmm, maybe we could actually do that."
Partnering up with a company like Brooklyn Roasting that already knows the ins and outs of the business, we knew they'd be able to support us if they were on board. They own 25 percent of CUP and they're helping us a lot, even with opening the space, with the equipment, and with training. They are also able to roast our beans. It was just kind of a no-brainer at the time.
"There are several reasons that coffee might not be healthy [such as] when you add a lot of cream and sugar, but the coffee beans themselves are really good for you. I know it's helped me so much as far as my mind being sharp and the caffeine helping me stay awake for the day. It also has great benefits for your digestive system. I only add almond milk. That is my trick to make sure I get those benefits."
I also love the fact that the history of coffee [began] in Ethiopia. Most of the population there drinks coffee and so it really is something we should be involved in from start to finish in all different aspects. I want to make sure we're always educating ourselves and encouraging people to be on board with that. Sometimes, I think when we think of coffee, we think middle-aged white man. We have to change that thinking.
In wearing many hats, sometimes you've also been the only woman in the room holding your position. What's your advice for other women to take up space?
We always must show and prove. And get your tribe together. Make sure you have other supportive women around you, and support other women as well, because we have so many things in common when it comes to being in these spaces not always feeling welcome, comfortable or valued.
"We should be intentional about learning from other women so that we can have people we can lean on. That's helped me a lot. It's great when you have a rough day at work or something happens and you have someone you can speak to—who you can vent to and come up with a plan of action."
Also, don't let people make you feel defeated. You have to go hard. That really drives me because I know what my skills and abilities are and I'm not going to give anybody the pleasure of ever seeing me fail.
For more on Angela Yee and her ventures, follow her on Instagram @AngelaYee. And to check out more information on headliners and tickets for the Célébrez en Rosé festival, visit their website.
Featured image via Angela Yee
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So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
It’s not like it has to be a bad thing. In fact, studies say that somewhere around 15 percent of engaged couples actually met through a friend. All I’m saying is, before you entertain someone’s “I’ve got someone I want you to meet” invitation, it would benefit you to interview them first — for the sake of all parties involved.
The questions that I recommend asking? The following six are what I think can get everyone on the same page, so that there is more pleasure than regret from the hook-up attempt.
1. Why Are They So Invested?
GiphyTwo things that I recently watched over again are the series Survivor’s Remorse (the writing is so damn good) and a movie called Trapped in Temptation (both are currently on Tubi). Something that both of them made me think about is the fact that motive reveals a lot when it comes to why people say and do the things that they do.
When it comes to the movie, specifically, without giving the film away — let me just say that, if you are in a relationship, be really careful about listening to individuals who try to talk you out of maintaining it. More times than not, the motive is shady as hell. And honestly, sometimes people who are close to obsessed with you being in one deserve a bit of side-eye too.
Now, if it’s someone who loves all things love, they are in love and they want you to experience something similar — that’s sweet. Just make sure that they are approaching the set up from a healthy space. What I mean by that is they don’t see singleness as some sort of relational handicap or they aren’t trying to override what you want for your life as if they somehow know better (there are so many ways to be a control freak, y’all).
Hmph. Now that I think about it — make sure that the set-up crew isn’t trying to use you to “save” some male friend or relative of theirs. I say that because I once knew a mother whose son had — count ‘em — 10 kids and she was FOREVER trying to get me to date him. Girl, that wasn’t for me. She was looking for a Holy Ghost Jr. for that child of hers. I’ll pass. HARD PASS.
Bottom line with this one — if someone wants to set you up with someone else, the first thing to ask is why? Make sure to really listen to what their answer is. Then pay attention to if your mind, body and spirit are at peace with their answer(s).
2. Do They Know What You Want?
GiphyI don’t know about y’all, but the people (and let’s be honest, by far, it’s usually women) who have tried to set me up with someone? They didn’t even know what my preferences or type was. Hell, they didn’t even know my thoughts or timeline as it relates to being in a serious relationship were either. And what that boils down to is they were trying to hook me up based on their agenda, not mine — and that usually meant that the guys who they came up with? Yeah…I was good on them. LOL.
Yeah, if someone wants to hook you up, you definitely should ask them if they know what you are looking for in a guy when it comes to his looks, personality, passions, spirituality, relational desires and goals, location, etc. Because, indeed, what is the point in going out with someone who is fine as hell and yet, you want kids and he doesn’t (or vice versa) or who has a great personality yet he isn’t even in the same ballpark of your spiritual beliefs?
If your friend really wants to help you out, valuing your time should come with that — and that means bringing someone into your life who complements your lifestyle. No wiggle room here.
3. Are They Aware of Your Deal-Breakers?
GiphyLast year, I wrote an article for the platform entitled, “Should Bad Sex Actually Be A Relationship Deal-Breaker?” The thing that I think needs to go on record about deal-breakers is they aren’t exactly standards that you have. No, a deal-breaker is something that can’t be worked out even after trying to negotiate or compromise. When it comes to relationships, a deal-breaker might be how long two people should date before becoming exclusive or getting engaged. Another deal-breaker might be if being religious is more important than being spiritual and how that manifests itself (church or no church, etc.). And yes, another deal-breaker may be what each other’s sexual needs and expectations are.
When someone is setting you up, it is imperative that they know about your standards. For instance, for me, I am not interested in dating a divorced person, pretty much ever (I Corinthians 7:10-11). I’ve had friends who have tried to hook me up with that demographic before and it has always been a moot effort. The fact that some of them have gotten frustrated with my convictions has absolutely nothing to do with me. Some have tried to get me to compromise my deal-breakers too — like a long-distance relationship. Is it a firm “naw”? No. However, it’s not really something that I am interested in, so why not just…recommend someone local?
Yeah, if someone thinks that they know you well enough to hook you up, they absolutely should be well-versed in what your deal-breakers are before they do. And if they’ve never asked, all they are doing is assuming — and we know what that typically means. LOL.
4. What Is Their Track Record?
GiphyIt’s kind of wild that we now live in a time when more couples meet online than they do through “old-fashioned ways” like via their friends (although some reports say that Gen Z is getting back to that) — and yet, here we are. Still, if you are willing to let someone play pseudo matchmaker in your life, you are well within your rights to inquire about their track record in that department. Have they hooked others up, successfully, before? Has any of their “Cupid work” caused both people to get exactly what they wanted out of the situation? If/when things went awry, why was that?
I know someone who is constantly trying to hook people up. Thing is, maybe 10-15 percent (no joke) of their efforts have proven to be positive and fruitful — and we’re talking about close to close to two decades of them doing it. Listen, time is too precious to be out here doing stuff ONLY to please other people. That said, if someone wants you to devote some time to one of their grand ideas, you are well within your rights to ask about their past and current success score when it comes to it.
5. Can They Keep Their Own Feelings Out of It?
GiphyWanna know if someone who is offering to do something for you is actually doing it more for themselves? If they try to make it be about them when things don’t go the way they would like, that is a dead ringer. An example? They post a message about you on social media and then question you about why you didn’t do the same thing in return. Another example? They do something for you and then throw it in your face during an argument. Still another example? They set you up with someone, it doesn’t work out, and suddenly you’ve put them in a weird spot. No dear — you put your own self in that position by trying to hook two people up in the first place.
I promise you, it will spare everyone unnecessary energy spent (or even drama experienced) if, before you agree to be hooked up, you get the matchmaker on record stating that they will keep their emotions out of it as much as possible. MEANING — they will do the introductions and then let the chips fall where they may. If they can’t do this, my two cents (save it or spend it) would be to decline the offer. Because all you need is someone texting you about why you haven’t called their cousin back or having an attitude with you when you break up with some guy at their church who they thought was the perfect catch (P.S. These aren’t hypothetical examples — LOL).
6. Will They Respect Your Boundaries? Start to Finish?
GiphyYeah, this final one is a biggie. Just because someone sets you up with another person, that doesn’t automatically or necessarily mean that they should have the right to the details of the dynamic. I don’t care if it’s the first date or the 10th date. I don’t care if you decide to just be sex buddies or to have a full-blown relationship. I don’t care if you stay together or break-up — it’s your relationship which makes it your business. Whatever you share is privileged data.
Yeah, I would say that probably the most challenging thing about being hooked up by someone you know is they have a tendency to think that they are a part of the relationship too — and that is a lie. If things go well beyond a couple of dates, you and the guy should discuss what you will both share with the person who introduced you and then agree to stick to that boundary, no matter what. It’s a great way to protect the dynamic, to keep “outside voices” from influencing the growth and to navigate how you want to move, moving forward.
Someone who hooked you up for the right reasons and knows how to honor limits? They will understand. Will they ask questions? Absolutely. Will they pry? Nah.
___
Should you sit and let someone hook you up? I mean, you never know how your blessing will come. Just make sure that they are prepared for you to do some digging into their mindset before they start sweetly meddling into your love life.
It’s only fair. Hell, and right. LOL.
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