For most of my adult life, I have been a fan of Ayurveda. The main reason why I appreciate it so much is because it’s an Indian-based holistic approach to medicine that focuses on the fact that keeping one’s system in balance is the key to optimal health and overall well-being. In fact, the word “Ayurveda” actually means “the science [or knowledge] of life” in Sanskrit.
Because Ayurveda is big on properly harnessing and utilizing one’s energy as well, it’s important to know that it’s a science that focuses on three main energy principles: Kapha which all about your body’s bones, muscles and tendons; Pitta (it incorporates fire and water) which is all about your metabolic system, and Vata (it centers around space and air) which is all about better understanding how your energy associates with your movements.
As life would have it, fall is the time of year when Vata kicks up into high gear. And so, in the spirit and goodness of Ayurveda, I thought it would be — pardon the weather pun — cool to share with you 10 things surrounding the practice that can help you to feel especially awesome this entire fall (and winter) season.
1. Dress for the Season. NOT the Weather.
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I don’t know about y’all, but something that one of my great-grandmothers used to say all of the time is “Dress for the season, not the weather;” this meant that, even if it’s a 70-degree day in October, I don’t need to act like it’s spring…because it’s not. She was Black; however, this is a pearl of wisdom that Ayurveda believes in too.
In Ayurveda, dressing in layers is a big deal — so is being intentional about covering up your head, neck and ears because, when cold weather or infections irritate these areas, that can directly impact your Vata in a negative way. So, if you need an excuse to get more hats and scarves this year — now you’ve got a really good one.
2. Focus on Your Ears
Speaking of your ears, because they are considered to be the gateway to your mind, Ayurveda encourages people to be hypervigilant about protecting them. Wearing ear plugs (to decrease loud noises); NOT using Q-tips (they can push wax further into your ear and/or potentially damage your eardrum); keeping your ears clean and dry; reducing stress levels, and exercising (so that blood can circulate to your ears in order to keep them healthy) are some of the ways to protect your ears.
Know what else you should consider doing? Massaging your ears. It’s another way to bring blood to them and decrease any anxiety that you might be feeling. You can read more about Ayurvedic ear massages here.
3. Consider Doing a Fall Cleanse
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Although doing a detox is a good idea no matter what time of year it may be, Ayurveda is all about cleansing one’s system in the spring and then again in the fall. The belief is that both times of the year are ideal for strengthening your immunity in order to deal with allergies (spring) and peak cold and flu season (fall). If you’re curious about what many fall-themed Ayurvedic cleanses consist of, you can check them out here.
For now, some of the tips include avoiding juice cleanses (the coldness of them in cold weather can affect your circulation), ramping up your herbal tea consumption and cooking with oils that will lubricate your system, add more antioxidants to your body and help to remove toxins like sesame oil.
4. Breathe. A Bit Differently.
Remember how I stated that both Ayurveda and Vata are about energy? Well, in Ayurvedic medicine, there is a breathing practice called nadi shodhana which is also known as alternative nostril breathing. The thought process here is by breathing through one nostril at a time, you can easily remove blockages both literally and symbolically. You can learn more about how to properly do it here.
5. Do (More) Yoga
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You might be surprised to hear this but another interesting thing about the Vata season is it’s actually recommended that you scale down (the potential stress and strain of) your exercise routine. Now, this doesn’t mean that you stop altogether — it’s just that since your strength and energy levels tend to be lower during this time of the year, it’s advised to participate in workouts that are sensitive like this — like yoga.
Yoga is something that you can do indoors. Yoga is low impact. Yoga directly addresses stress and depression-related symptoms. Yoga strengthens immunity. Yoga also helps you to feel less burned out — just in time for the holiday season.
6. Consume Herbal Teas That Focus on Proper Digestion
Something that is of peak importance in the practice of Ayurveda is making sure that your digestive system is working properly. And since fall and winter are when the consumption of hot herbal teas is at an all-time high, make sure to get the kind that are specifically made to benefit you as far as your digestion is concerned.
Teas that top the list include dandelion (it helps your body to better process carbs and fats); ginger (it helps with indigestion and bloating); fennel (it helps with constipation); marshmallow root (it helps to reduce gut inflammation), and peppermint (it helps to treat gas).
7. Get (More) Ashwagandha into Your System
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Ashwagandha is an herb that Ayurveda is extremely fond of. It’s with good reason too because this one does everything from decrease stress (and inflammation) and reduce depression-related symptoms to improve your brain function and sleep and improve the quality of sperm in men.
In fact, if you’re looking to spend a bit more time cuddled up this fall and wintertime, ashwagandha has been known to give libidos in both men and women a boost as well. You can take it in tea or supplement form.
8. Massage Your Body (with “Warming” Scents)
Whether it’s your scalp, your hands, your feet — or any other part of your body that tickles your fancy, make a point to massage yourself during the fall and winter seasons. It’s a surefire way to reduce stress; muscle strain; headache tension; make your feet feel more comfortable, and help you to get a sound night’s rest.
Make sure that when you do it that you incorporate a “warm” essential oil like cinnamon, juniper, clove, myrrh and vanilla. All are rich and inviting. All provide a comforting feeling to your mind, body and spirit too. For tips on how to give yourself a proper massage to various parts of your body, click here.
9. Bathe in Sandalwood (or Magnesium Flakes)
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In the Ayurvedic world, a bath is known as a snana and it’s all about treating bathing as a ritual so that you can — detoxify your system; reduce fatigue; increase blood circulation; beautify your skin; intensify your sex drive; improve your digestion, and give yourself more energy (which again, is what Vata focuses a lot on). To get the most out of this type of bath, do it in the morning time (yep) and with warm water.
Oh, and try either adding some sandalwood essential oil or magnesium flakes to the water. Sandalwood helps to reduce inflammation and anxiety. Magnesium flakes decrease fatigue while restoring energy levels.
10. Eat More Protein and (Healthy) Fats
And finally, as I was doing research for this article, I found it interesting that many articles say that, during Vata, you should “avoid cold, frozen or raw foods.” What should you consume instead? Warm, comforting dishes — ones that are loaded with protein and healthy fats including meats, eggs, almond and ghee oil, spices and root vegetables (like carrots, potatoes and garlic). Homemade stew, anyone?
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Remember, at the end of the day, Ayurveda is about finding the healthiest way to live your best life — and here are 10 easy and fulfilling ways to do just that. Happy Fall, y’all!
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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
Then there were those who gave up their zip code altogether and found a permanent home in the skies. After years spent recruiting students for a university, Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare became a full-time travel influencer and founded her travel company, Shakespeare Agency. And she's not alone.
These stories mirror the experiences of women across the world. For millions, the pandemic induced a seismic shift in priorities and desires. Corporate careers that were once hailed as the ultimate “I made it” moment in one's career were pushed to the back burner as women quit their jobs in search of a more self-fulfilling purpose.
xoNecole spoke to these three Black women who used the pandemic as a springboard to make their wildest dreams a reality, the lessons they learned, and posed the question of whether they’ll ever return to cubicle life.
Answers have been edited for context and length.
xoNecole: How did the pandemic lead to you leaving the cubicle?
Randi: I was becoming stagnant. I was working in mortgage and banking but I felt like my personality was too big for that job! From there, I transitioned to radio but was laid off during the pandemic. That’s what made me go full throttle with entrepreneurship.
Gabrielle: I moved around a lot for work. Five times over a span of seven years. I knew I needed a break because I had experienced so much. So, I just quit one day. Effective immediately. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I just knew I needed a break and to just regroup.
Lisa-Gaye: I was working in recruiting at a university and my dream job just kind of fell into my lap! But, I never got to fully enjoy it before the world shut down in March [2020] and I was laid off. On top of that, I was stuck in Miami because Jamaica had closed its borders due to the pandemic before I was able to return.
Randi O
xoN: Tell us about your journey after leaving Corporate America.
Randi: I do it all now! I have a podcast, I’m an on-air talent, I act, and I own a public relations company that focuses on social media engagement. It’s all from my network. When you go out and start a business, you can’t just say, “Okay I’m done with Corporate America,” and “Let me do my own thing.” If you don’t build community, if you don’t build a network it's going to be very hard to sustain.
Gabrielle: I realized in New York, there was not a lot to do for Black lesbians and queer folks. We don’t really have dedicated bars and spaces so I started doing events and it took off. I started focusing on my brand, Raw Honey. I opened a co-working space, and I was able to host an NYC Pride event in front of 100,000 people. I hit the ground running with Raw Honey. My events were all women coming to find community and come together with other lesbians and queer folks. I found my purpose in that.
Lisa-Gaye: After being laid off, I wrote out all of my passions and that’s how I came up with [my company] Shakespeare Agency. It was all of the things that I loved to do under one umbrella. The pandemic pulled that out of me. I had a very large social media following, so I pitched to hotels that I would feature them on my blog and social media. This reignited my passion for travel. I took the rest of the year to refocus my brand to focus solely on being a content creator within the travel space.
Gabrielle
xoN: What have you learned about yourself during your time as an entrepreneur?
Randi: [I learned] the importance of my network and community that I created. When I was laid off I was still keeping those relationships with people that I used to work with. So it was easy for me to transition into social media management and I didn’t have to start from scratch.
Gabrielle: The biggest thing I learned about myself was my own personal identity as a Black lesbian and how much I had assimilated into straight and corporate culture and not being myself. Now, I feel comfortable and confident being my authentic self. Now, I'm not sacrificing anything else for my career. I have a full life. I have friends. I have a social life. And when you are happy and have a full quality of life, I feel like [I] can have more longevity in my career.
Lisa-Gaye: [I'm doing] the best that I've ever done. The discipline that I’m building within myself. Nobody is saying, ‘Oh you have to be at work at this time.’ There’s no boss saying, ‘Why are you late?’ But, if I’m laying in bed at 10 a.m. then it's me saying [to myself], 'Okay, Lisa, get up, it's time for you to start working!’ That’s all on me.
xoNecole: What mistakes do you want to help people avoid when leaving Corporate America?
Randi: You have to learn about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. You have a fast season and a slow season and I started to learn that when you're self-employed the latter season hits hard. Don't get caught up on the lows, just keep going and don't stop. I’m glad I did.
Gabrielle: I think everyone should quit their job and just figure it out for a second. You will discover so much about yourself when you take a second to just focus on you. Your skill set will always be there. You can’t be afraid of what will happen when you bet on yourself.
Lisa-Gaye: When it comes to being an influencer the field is saturated and a lot of people suffer from imposter syndrome. There is nothing wrong with being an imposter but find out how to make it yours, how to make it better. If you go to the store, you see 10 million different brands of bread! But you are choosing the brand that you like because you like that particular flavor.
So be an imposter, but be the best imposter of yourself and add your own flair, your own flavor. Make the better bread. The bread that you want.
Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
xoNecole: Will you ever return to your 9 to 5?
Randi: I wouldn’t go back to Corporate America. But I don’t mind working under someone. A lot of people try to get into this business saying, “I can't work under anyone.” That’s not necessarily the reason to start a business because you're always going to answer to somebody. Clients, brands, there’s always someone else involved.
Gabrielle: I went back! I really needed a break and I gave myself that. But, I realized I’m a corporate girl, [and] I enjoy the work that I do. I’m good at it and I really missed that side of myself. I have different sides of me and my whole identity is not Raw Honey or my queerness. A big side of me is business and that’s why I love having my career. Now I feel like my best self.
Lisa-Gaye: I really don’t. For right now, I love working for myself. It's gratifying, it's challenging, it's exciting. It’s a big deal for me to say I own my own business. That I am my own boss, and I'm a Black woman doing it.
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Featured image courtesy of Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
Originally published on February 6, 2023