I have a confession. I’ve always wanted to go on some sort of Eat, Pray, Love journey. You know, the kind where you ignore life’s responsibilities, quit everything, including living in the U.S., and get to know yourself through creative exploration from a world away.
But hey, I’ve got real bills. So instead, I decided that what I really wanted was a way to tap back into my creative genius that had become dormant under the pressures of life. No matter how often I attempted to resuscitate the writing that once fueled my dreams, I found myself struggling to consistently put pen to paper.
I felt frustrated and fruitless, and knew that if I wanted to change the outcome of my life, I was going to have to do something different.
It was on a crisp fall day, working from my balcony, that the idea of a “creative sabbatical” came to mind. I desired to return to the place I had once called home during my time as a full-time entertainment journalist — Los Angeles. There was only one catch: financially, I still needed to work my 9-to-5 job, which at the time was forcing us back into a hybrid schedule three days a week. I also needed to cover my mortgage back home while maintaining a comfortable living situation in LA. Oh, and did I mention that I didn’t have savings, sponsors, or sugar daddies?
In short, I had to be strategic about doing this seemingly crazy move with little to no budget, without leaving the job that was sustaining me.
It took a lot of planning and a little pushing back of fear, but after completing a three-month stay, I can say I’m glad I took the leap of faith. It became the catalyst for my clarity. While I understand that not everyone is in my situation and we each have our own obstacles, I believe that quieting doubt and asking the what-ifs enabled me to see the possibilities that made this much-needed getaway possible without breaking the bank.
Here are the five key steps I took to bring what started as a crazy idea to fruition.
I Got Clear On My Why
Like anything in life, what you want to accomplish first starts with being clear on why you want to accomplish it. My sabbatical wasn’t about a fun getaway; I was seeking confirmation as to whether LA should once again be my place of residence as I pursue my creative calling. And I wanted to test it out while still having the cushion of a 9-to-5 job and the ability to easily return home before spending thousands of dollars moving across the country.
This not only anchored my strategy moving forward but also made it easier to answer with confidence when curious (and concerned) minds wanted to know why I was leaving Atlanta for the summer.
In naming my why, I also acknowledged that my creativity deserved the same planning and seriousness I gave my corporate deadlines.
Maybe for you it’s not creative clarity. Maybe it’s having the opportunity to be still and dream again in a place you’ve always wanted to go. Or maybe it’s enjoying a quiet recharge away from the noise of your everyday life. Whatever your reason, your why is what will carry you through to the finish line when challenges try to stop you in your tracks.
I Identified Opportunities to Work Remotely
Once my why was clear, I had to figure out the how.
The idea for my 90-day creative sabbatical came after seeing a coworker spend a month overseas shooting a TV show while still working remotely in her downtime. I reached out to my manager to ask how she was able to do it, and I discovered that while PTO was limited, company policy allowed 90 days of domestic remote work. With my manager’s support, I secured approval.
It made me realize that we often don’t know all the benefits our companies offer, and many of us are afraid to ask. While a typical sabbatical includes pay without working, my situation required me to keep money flowing in, which meant shifting my language from “can I?” to “how can I?”
If you’re looking to do something similar, I’d encourage reaching out to your manager or HR team to see what opportunities they may have available.
I Created A Strategy for Cutting My Costs
Once I locked in my sabbatical start date, things started to feel real. I had a steady stream of income I could count on, but there was still one blocker: how was I going to pay my housing costs back home and in one of the most expensive cities in the country?
My original plan was to let a friend rent out my guest room, ideally close to the same cost I’d be paying for housing in LA. When that fell through, I was left with one option— rent my guest room to a stranger.
This may not be a big deal for some, but as someone particular about the people and energy I bring into my home, I hesitated. I had to remind myself that my home was only an asset if I chose to use it as such. With experience as a landlord, I listed my home on Furnished Finder— a mid-term rentals site for traveling professionals. In a short time, I found a tenant who was the perfect fit for a three-month stay.
I also came across home exchange platforms like HomeExchange and Kindred, where you make your home available to travelers from around the world in exchange for points or credits you can then use for your own stays. After completing two exchanges, I had enough points to book 11 days of free housing in a Downtown LA high-rise, saving me almost $1,000 in my first month.
This experience forced me to see my home not just as a place where I lived, but as an asset that could fund my dreams.
I Secured My Dream Home
Once I locked in my renter, I started looking to secure my own housing. I narrowed down walkable areas and turned to Furnished Finder to find the perfect fit.
I discovered a guest house in the Larchmont area of Los Angeles, which was not only great for getting around the city by foot or rideshare but also a peaceful space for a writer to thrive. On weekdays, I walked through beautiful neighborhoods that made me dream. On weekends, I worked in Larchmont Village cafés, planting the seeds of what I wanted next.
I Designed My Ideal Life
With housing secured both at home and in LA, I could finally focus on how I would spend my time. No longer was I succumbing to the hustle of adulthood. This was my opportunity to dream again without limitations, and I gave myself permission to create the life I truly wanted.
Excited, I pulled up my Milanote app and brainstormed what my days would look like — co-working with friends at coffee shops, dining at restaurants with mouth-watering menus, exploring overlooked corners of the city. I also identified opportunities to reconnect with people I hadn’t seen in years, planting seeds of community in case I made a permanent return.
Even before leaving for LA I could feel my creative wells flowing again. I came up with a blog series titled "Summer In LA," a slow-unfolding, real-time diary chronicling what happens when a woman steps away from the familiar and gives herself permission to feel again.
In reality, things didn’t always go according to plan— my job became more demanding than I’d expected. But having a vision made me feel intentional and purposeful, even when I had to pivot.
It was on the patio of Bricks and Scones, sipping a brown sugar oat milk latte, that the vision for my creative future began to unfold. It was while attending the festivities of the BET Awards and other exclusive events that I realized that the rooms I was in no longer aligned with the woman that I was becoming. It was a scenic train ride to Santa Barbara that reminded me that the life that I crave doesn’t come with soulless work and strict deadlines, it was freedom that I desired.
And it was why, by the end of the sabbatical, I bravely walked away from a job that no longer served me.
I left my time in LA with a quiet knowing that my life was about to change, and all I needed was the courage to embrace it. Perhaps your own sabbatical isn’t 90 days; even a one-week getaway can be the catalyst to your calling. What matters most isn’t the destination or the timeline, but the decision to create space for yourself and trusting that the life you imagine is worth pursuing.
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Featured image by Kiah McBride
RELATED
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