When it comes to balance, we often think about work, love, and family; but what about what we like to do to let loose? As a single mother, I'm totes guilty of putting "fun" on the back burner. Between pushing upwards of 50 hours a week at work and mommin' it around the clock, I found the things that once piqued my interest quickly fade into nothingness. It wasn't until I began volunteering with my daughters weekly at local initiatives, that I crawled out of the rut that is better known as a stick in the mud.
So, if you're anything like me -- searching high and low for fresh ways to spice up your life, check out 10 cool and low-cost hobbies for the multifaceted woman below.
1.Learn A New Language
You heard it from Drake. "I could teach you how to speak my language, Rosetta Stone." In other words, what better way to enhance your living experience than learning a new language? Maybe French -- the language of love? Or Spanish, the official language of Mexico, Argentina, Chile, the majority of Central and South America. Not to mention, you'll join nearly 67 million Americans who speak a foreign language at home. Impressive!
How to get started:
Begin with the ever popular subscription service Rosetta Stone, the industry-leading way for individuals looking to learn a new language. Not to mention, there are countless apps geared towards both serious learners and beginners. That said, Duolingo, LinguaLift, Babbel and MindSnacks are all awesome options for the learner on-the-go.
2.Take A Dance Class
Great for the mind, body and soul, taking a dance class is a surefire way to add a pinch of spice to your life! The options are endless: ballet, hip hop, swing dancing, salsa, contemporary dance, etc. The best part? You're never too old to start!
How to get started:
YouTube isn't just for influencers! In fact, the internet's leading social network is chock full of tutorials from leading dance groups to individuals simply dancing for shits and giggles.
3.Try Your Hand At Acting
The benefits are physical, emotional, and social! You'll learn how to think outside-of-the-box, improve your verbal and nonverbal communication skills and gain a new sense of self-confidence!
How to get started:
Discover local acting classes on meetup.com. Complete a Google search for "acting classes in my area," or explore adult activities at a local community college or theater.
4.Spice Things Up With A Cooking Class
Sure, cooking is a basic survival skill. But, it's also a lot of fun. Whether it's tacos, classic Italian cuisine, or sushi -- food can sometimes act as the heartbeat of conversation and connection. So why wouldn't preparing it be any different?
How to get started:
Invest in a unique cooking class -- Sur la Table is located nationwide and offers classes ranging from a Homemade Ravioli Workshop to Knife Skills 101. Or, cook with family and friends by way of a meal subscription box. Airbnb just recently launched Airbnb Cooking Experiences due to bookings for food and drinks being so in-demand. Currently, the platform offers over 3,000 cooking classes in over 75 countries worldwide. So get in where you fit in.
5.Spinning Class
By now, you've heard of "spin class" or "indoor cycling". The atmosphere oozes teamwork and the playlist is pretty sick too (especially if you opt for a fun class like Vibe Ride's Trap It & Twerk It Ride)! With classes ranging from 45 minutes to an hour, you'll burn anywhere from 600-1000 calories and strut out feeling like you're ready to take on the world!
How to get started:
Begin with visiting some of the more popular studios like CYCLEBAR, which offer a complimentary first class. Happen to fall in love and the studio isn't your thing? There's a variety of cycling bikes you can buy for home use.
6.Improv Comedy
Connect with like-hearted lovers of comedy by trying your hand at live theater. You'll be forced to come out of your shell and, much like work and life, channel your inner teamplayer when tasked to create challenging scenes on stage.
How to get started:
If you're considering getting into improv, the best way to know for sure is to take a class. Joining a class will teach you more about the genre itself as well as equip you with all the tools necessary to fine-tune your craft. There are different levels, including a beginner's class, so you'll feel welcomed and supported as you enter the unknown.
7.Learn An Instrument
Learning an instrument doesn't only reduce stress and cultivate creativity, it increases discipline, emotional perception and confidence. Can you say win-win?!
How to get started:
Currently on my bucket list, getting started is as simple as checking out local used instrument options. For example, OfferUp, and good ole Craigslist all have awesome options on a budget. The best part? Should you discover you're not very musically inclined, it's a modest hit to your wallet.
8.Paint-and-Sip
Group activities aren't just for team-building. They're a great way to express yourself, meet new people and enjoy one of the most ancient forms of human communication; art. Fortunately for paint-and-sip classes, if you're not quite Picasso, you'll have a glass of bubbly to wash it down.
How to get started easily:
Check out Groupon, LivingSocial, and Localflavor "things to do", and you're bound to land on a variety of local paint-and-sip options.
9.Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
Fancy yourself a pioneer kind of woman? Level up your craft game by exploring the world of do-it-yourself.
How to get started:
Grab a book on DIY and begin by fixing something around your house, add some flair to your wardrobe or give your family and friends homemade gifts for the holidays. You'll learn a new skill while enjoying a favorite pastime!
10.Pay It Forward
Looking for added fulfilment or purpose in your life? What better way to pay-it-forward than by volunteering for a cause you're passionate about. You could help people in underserved communities, fight for the environment or take care of homeless animals.
How to get started:
Begin in your local community. There are countless ways to volunteer at local soup kitchens, shelters for women and children, the Salvation Army, Goodwill, your church and more.
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6 Ways To Escape When Your Dream Job Becomes A Nightmare
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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
Luckily, there are some things that you can do to either speed up the healing process of a cold or make having one more bearable than usual. Things that are affordable, all-natural, and easy to incorporate into your daily routine.
Are you ready to know how to nip a damn cold in the bud…before you even get one?
Here ya go.
1. Fire Cider
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Two drinks that I am gonna drink all the way down, each and every fall season, are hot chocolate and apple cider (that’s warmed up). So, when I read about something called “fire cider,” it absolutely caught my attention. If you’re not familiar with it, fire cider is a homemade drink that consists of things like apple cider vinegar, herbs and other ingredients that are specifically designed to boost your immune system.
I won’t lie to you — since some of the traditional recipes contain things like onion and garlic (sulfur has potent medicinal properties) and sometimes even hot peppers (which help to clear up congestion) — although fire cider might not be your favorite as far as your palate is concerned, the viruses (because there are reportedly somewhere around 200 of ‘em) that cause colds will lose a lot of their impact if you drink this; and that makes it worth a shot — well, swallow. Some fire cider recipes can be found here, here and here.
2. Probiotics
A few years ago, I wrote an article for the platform entitled, “80% Of Your Immunity Is In Your Gut. Take Care Of It Like This.” — and that alone should explain why and how a probiotic can help to prevent colds and make it easier to get over them. The reality is that a healthy gut is what helps to monitor how your immune system reacts and responds to harmful pathogens that may try and get into your system, including ones that cause the common cold.
And since probiotics feed your gut with “good bacteria,” this gives your gut the ability to be better (and quicker) at fighting off the bad. So yeah, take a probiotic — all of the time and definitely while you have a cold. It helps.
3. Peppermint (or Eucalyptus) Oil
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Although I rarely get sick (praise the Lord!), when I do catch a cold, I think what I hate the most is not being able to comfortably breathe. Well, something that is proven to help with that is peppermint essential oil. That’s because it contains properties that act as a natural decongestant as well as a fever reducer. Another essential oil that can hook you up in this department is eucalyptus oil. It’s bomb because it helps to soothe a nagging cough, it can clear up chest congestion and ultimately makes it easier to breathe.
So, before turning in at night, either mix a few drops of one (or both) of these oils with a carrier oil like grapeseed, avocado or jojoba, warm it up for 10 seconds in the microwave and apply it to the sides of your nose or on your best or back. Or put the oil in a diffuser. It can quickly ease cold-related symptoms while also making it so much easier for you to rest (which is something else your body needs to get over a cold; more on that in a sec).
4. Zinc Lozenges
Zinc is a mineral that helps to keep your immune system healthy and strong — and since a weakened immunity is directly connected to having more colds (2-4 a year is considered to be “normal,” by the way), it’s always a good idea to have some zinc in your body. As it relates to colds, specifically, aside from the fact that zinc can help you from catching one to begin with, there are also studies which say that sucking on zinc lozenges can help to shorten the timespan of a cold as well.
To be fair, some people have said that zinc lozenges make them feel nauseated; however, everything has its pros and cons and so, how would you know if you’re one of these folks unless you try it? Oh, and while we are on this topic, there are also zinc supplements and foods that are high in zinc (like red meat, lentils, hemp seeds, cashews and quinoa) if you want to try and get more zinc into your system that way (although lozenges are gonna be your best bet on the shortening tip; just sayin’).
5. Foods Rich in Vitamin C
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Speaking of foods that can fight a cold, out of all of what you’ve read here, probably what you are quite familiar with is the fact that vitamin C and colds are mortal enemies. In fact, one pretty significant study says that by taking one gram of vitamin C a day during a cold, you can reduce the severity of your symptoms by as much as 15 percent.
That’s because vitamin C is packed with antioxidants, it helps to reduce bodily inflammation and it helps to strengthen your immunity too. Foods that are full of vitamin C include chili and yellow peppers, kale, kiwi, papaya, broccoli, kale and citrus fruits.
6. Elderberry Tea
If you’re someone who likes to put preserves on your biscuits or toast, have you ever tried one that is made from elderberries (recipe here)? It’s actually pretty good — and good for you because elderberries are high in vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. And that is why they are great whenever you are trying to hurry up and get over a cold because they also contain properties that are literally antiviral — and since a cold is a virus…well, there you have it.
One of the best ways to get elderberries into your system? Elderberry tea. If you add honey to it, honey can help to shorten symptoms like a stuffy nose, sore throat and cough by 1-2 days. Very cool.
7. REST
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Did you know that even one day of not getting the sleep that you need to weaken your immune system and increase bodily inflammation at the same time too? That’s because one of the benefits of a good night’s rest is it rejuvenates and recharges your system, so that your immunity can work at its optimal level.
Not only that but, according to science, if you already have a cold, getting plenty of rest can benefit you on a few different levels as well. First, your cytokines (proteins that boost your immunity) are released when you sleep.
Second, your body temperature elevates enough to kill some of the bacteria and viruses that are making you sick. Finally, sleep provides you with the energy that you need in order to get through the day while you are healing from your sickness. So, if you want to get through your cold ASAP, be intentional about getting as much rest as you possibly can.
BONUS: A Humidifier
When you get a chance, please check out “10 Really Good Reasons To Get Yourself A Humidifier This Fall”. There really are all kinds of solid reasons to invest in a humidifier around this time of the year — and one of them is to make getting through the cold (and flu) season so much easier for you. Since humidifiers bring moisture into the air, that can help to loosen up congestion, soothe an irritated throat, decrease coughing, help with the healing process of respiratory infections and it can help you to sleep better — so that you can get past your cold sooner.
So, if you don’t already have a humidifier, cop one ASAP. Your future colds will absolutely hate that you did. LOL. For a list of some highly recommended humidifiers that are currently on the market, click here.
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