Kelly Rowland knows a thing or two about "Rowland" with the punches.
Wife and mom of one precious and handsome baby boy, Titan Witherspoon, Kelly found newfound love and purpose in being a mom. In fact, her upcoming book "Whoa Baby" is all about the journey of motherhood.
Kelly's journey through motherhood had a rocky start. In November 2014, the singer gave birth to her son Titan, but just three weeks later, her world came crashing down when she suffered the lost of her mother.
"When Titan was born, there was so much love in the room. I was speechless. He
Kelly Rowland and Mom Doris
took my breath away. [But] It was a tough, emotional point for me. I remember not wanting to be sad for Titan. I wanted to keep myself together because I believe that all that stress and grief can be passed on to your baby. Knowing Titan needed me, and having that to focus on, helped me through."
Three years later, Kelly is not only strong enough for her and her little family, but also for other mothers across the world.
These are the lessons Ms. Witherspoon taught us about mommy-hood:
1. Patience Acquired from Parenting Can Work Wonders on your Perspective on Life
Every child brings joy, but parenting... now that can sometimes be a pain. However, as Kelly Rowland explains, there is a blessing in the burden of parenthood and it's disguised as "patience."
"Having Titan has taught me patience. I didn't know I was as patient as I am with him. I was nervous that I didn't have the patience to be a good mom, because before Titan I had zero. But now I am very patient. The Bible verse 'love is patient' is real! I don't make the little things into big issues like I once did. My OCD had to go out the window. My living room looks like a freaking daycare!"
[Tweet "Being a mom just makes me feel whole."]
2. Making Plans is as Sure of a Thing as Breaking Plans
No surprise is too BIG when you're dealing with your "mini me." Meaning, as much effort as you may have placed into making plans, you have to always brace yourself for the possibility of breaking them too. Fact of the matter is, babies are life's littlest magicians- and they are full of tricks.
"The thing that surprised me most about being a mom is how much of a mess they (kids) can make. My whole attempt at going out was cancelled because of a really bad diaper (laughs). I just remember [poop] shooting across the room and onto my shoe. Yeah, they can do magic tricks like that."
3. A Mommy Support System is Always Clutch
Someone please call 9-1-1.. or not. Sometimes the best advice regarding your tike is from one-mother-to-another. So you may want to reconfigure your speed dial!
"I feel like it can be really overwhelming, so surround yourself with really good people. All of my mom friends have stepped in with wonderful advice. I'm closer [now] with all of my girlfriends who are mothers and I call them all for advice."
4. It's Ok to Get Caught Up with the Baby, but Be sure to Play "Catch up" With Your Boo Too
Aka, don't forget the other half of your heart- your hubby! If you're fortunate to have an awesome partner in this parenting process who does his part, show him some love for both of your sakes. Ask Kelly, her best advice on parenting was to make time for the parents too! Per the advice of good pal Kim Kardashian:
"One great advice I got, and I'm so glad she told me this, is 'Don't forget about your husband.' Because you are just so into that baby, when they come home, if they are eating, what time they are eating, if they are happy and if their diaper is changed. But how did the kid get here? So that was really important for me to focus on. Thank you Kim!"
5. Breastfeeding isn't Everybody's Cup of Milk (Don't Beat Yourself Up Over It)
Although the 34-year-old mother of one was looking forward to bonding with her baby on all levels, she didn't have the "breast" of luck when it came to feeding. But rather than beat herself up over it, Kelly gave in to other alternatives. After all, baby's gotta eat!
"I had my heart set on breastfeeding, but I wasn't producing enough milk. I got down on myself, which I think was mentally limiting my supply," says Rowland. She eventually supplemented with formula.
6. A Napping Baby is a Happy Baby
A sleep schedule for your baby is key to catching Zzz's-- and that goes for both you and your husband. So be sure to figure out what works best when putting your baby to bed.
"Even when the baby was sleeping, Tim and I weren't! That first week, Tim would poke at Titan to make sure he was breathing. Also, I was lax with a sleep schedule in the beginning. But once I read about how babies thrive on a schedule, we implemented one and he woke up rested and happy."
7. It Takes a While to Get Your "Rhythm" Down Pact -- Don't Trip!
Remain humble between your stumbles and trust the process when it comes to this parenting thing. It can be stressful for first time parents that their baby can't communicate their feelings or needs, but it's all in the signs! It took Kelly until the four to five month mark to get her "rhythm":
"That's when I started seeing Titan smile, and so I thought, 'We must be doing something right if he's happy!' He was on the changing table [when he first grinned] and I was singing a silly song to him: 'Titan's so fly! Titan's so fly!' He just looked up at me and smiled and my heart melted.I have always had maternal instincts, but as a mom you figure things out. Now I trust myself and feel stronger, like I can do anything."
[Tweet "As a mom I feel stronger, like I can do anything. - @KellyRowland"]
8. Don't Stress the Shed- You're No Less Perfect for Gaining More Pounds
Need we say more? You created, carried and delivered new life into this world. That's hard, so be easy on yourself. According to Kelly, she advises new moms to celebrate their bodies, even during the "weight"-ing process.
"It takes about a year to get the weight off. Don't beat yourself up if it takes even longer. Write on your mirror in lipstick: 'I had a baby. I'm a superhero."
via Parents Magazine
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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
"They asked for body products and we wanted to make sure we listened. But also layering fragrance begins with the body routine." The body wash is $33, and the body lotion is $35. Keep reading below to hear more about Tabitha and Chance's new collection, their body rituals, and what makes their partnership successful.
Fridays with Tab and Chance body collection
Marcus Owens
xoNecole: How did you come up with the scents for the collection?
Tabitha Brown: We love warm scents that make you feel sexy and loved. [We’re] both fans of gourmand [scents], including bergamot, vanilla, tonka and chocolate.
xoN: If you could describe your working relationship in one word, what would it be and why?
Tabitha: It's our first time building a product line together and our first time working with fragrance. So having patience with the process and each other has been the best way to build.
xoN: What is your body care ritual?
Tabitha: Exfoliate with a scrub a few times a week, but using a moisturizing body wash daily. After a shower, I spray a body mist that compliments what scent I am choosing for the day. Most times vanilla mist wins because it’s a perfect base for layering. I then hydrate [my] skin with lotion. Then, once dressed, I layer my favorite fragrance, Her Business, first and then His Business on top.
Chance: [I’m] way more simple. Just body wash and lotion and then my cologne and I’m good to go.
xoN: We enjoy watching you two together online, whose idea was it to start 'Fridays with Tab & Chance'?
Tabitha: It actually happened by accident. Back in 2018, my fans had just been asking about how we met, so we did a video answering questions one Friday and people in the comments [asked], will y’all do it again next Friday? And so we did and the next thing you know Fridays with Tab & Chance was born.
xoN: In what other ways do you plan to expand Fridays? Restart the podcast? TV show?
Tabitha: We are working on a lifestyle content show vs the traditional Fridays podcast. More to come soon.
xoN: You do many things together, but what would you say is your favorite quality time activity and why?
Tabitha: We are really simple. We love watching movies or TV series together on the couch or in bed. It’s really one of our favorite things to do together.
xoN: What is your favorite thing about the other person?
Tabitha: I love that he makes me feel safe and how hard he works to be an amazing father.
Chance: I love that she is crazy enough to pursue her wildest dreams.
xoN: What is the key to a successful partnership in business and personal?
Tabitha: The key is knowing that you both are going to change, and giving each other grace, patience, and understanding during those changes.
See more on tabandchance.com.
Feature image Marcus Owens