A new year begins, as the stars remind us that their dance never ends. The Astrological forecast of 2025 is set to bring forth many changes regarding love, finances, personal growth, and more, and we have come up with the perfect guide to help you navigate the year ahead. Whether you are thinking of changing careers, looking for ways to develop health-wise, planning a wedding, or looking for a sign for love, this is your go-to guide for all of the above.
In numerology, 2025 is a 9 Universal Year—all about culmination, growth, humanity, dignity, and change.
The energy of the year is about wrapping things up, tying up loose ends, and completing one cycle or phase in your life. We close the door to one experience or way of being and enter a new one. A 9 Year pushes us to change and also invites us to nourish in the abundance that has come from such change and efforts.
Astrology’s Blueprint for 2025: Let Go, Level Up, and Thrive
There will be a lot of letting go this year, but these are necessary transitions as we focus on what is essential and a true priority for our lives right now. For those who are Life Path 9s, this will be a significant year for you, when life comes full circle and changes for the better. Next year is overall about letting go, culmination, growth, and being the master of your reality.
YOUR 2025 KEY ASTROLOGICAL INSIGHTS
THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR FOR LOVE
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January 2, 2025 - February 4, 2025: Venus In Pisces
Venus is exalted in Pisces, and magic comes through in love. This is the time to believe in miracles and to envision what your heart wants right now. Keeping an open mind and heart is key, as the possibilities of love unfold for you. Emotions are running high, and people are looking to connect and build new relationships right now.
June 6, 2025 - July 4, 2025: Venus in Taurus
When Venus is in Taurus, Venus is home. Venus is the planet of love, security, and romance, and is the planetary ruler of Taurus. During this transit, love matters take shape more strongly, and there is a sense of stability blooming now.
This is the perfect time to go on a date, put yourself out there, or treat someone special with something special.
Love is the vibe right now, and this is the time of the year when romance is high. This is also a great time of the year for wedding bells or engagements.
October 21, 2025: New Moon In Libra
A New Moon in Virgo signifies a new beginning in love. New doors open and new chapters begin, and not only is this a good time to experience love, but it’s also a great time to manifest it.
Love may surprise you right now, as the New Moon aligns with the Sun and Venus currently in Libra as well.
Partnerships matters are experiencing a breakthrough, and expect the good energy you’ve been putting out to be coming back to you right now. Write down lists of intentions for your new beginning in love right now, and let your blessings come to you.
November 6, 2025 - November 30, 2025: Venus In Scorpio
Venus in Scorpio brings passion and intimacy to love. During this time, you can see relationships take it to the next level, and more commitment being nurtured here. Venus in Scorpio doesn’t want superficial love- it wants the real thing, and that’s the energy you are getting right now. This is the perfect time of the year to cuddle up with your boo and plan a special night with just you two. Venus in Scorpio transforms love and makes it more concrete.
BEST TIME OF THE YEAR FOR TRAVEL
June 26, 2025 - July 18, 2025: Mercury In Leo
This is a good time of the year to travel, and do something that makes you happy. The focus right now is on your pleasure, your joy, and the excitement your heart is looking for right now. The vibes are high with Mercury in Leo, and this is a good time to put yourself first and have some fun.
This is a good time to take a trip before Mercury will be Retrograde in Leo from July 18 - Aug. 11, making travel plans more chaotic after this period.
September 13, 2025 - November 15, 2025: Vesta In Sagittarius
Vesta in Sagittarius helps us step outside our comfort zone. This is the time of year when people are more inspired to travel, as the energy is high for adventure.
This is the perfect time to embrace your inner free spirit and take a risk.
Dedicate yourself to your passions, and be prepared to learn something new in your explorations. This is a time to travel with good company, have fun, and gain a new perspective.
December 19, 2025: New Moon In Sagittarius
This New Moon in Sagittarius is a good time of the year for travel matters, and this is also a good time to set your intentions for travel matters you want to see through but haven’t gotten to yet. When the Moon is in Sagittarius, emotions are high and so are the possibilities. Surprise opportunities for travel may fall into your lap right now, and this is a good time to go after the things you want. If you have the opportunity to travel, this is the perfect time to go to a new place or explore a new location.
BEST TIME OF THE YEAR FOR CAREER
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February 4, 2025 - June 9, 2025: Jupiter In Gemini
This is Jupiter's final leg in Gemini for the next decade or so, and Jupiter in Gemini is great for making new business connections, coming up with new ideas, and getting projects done. Jupiter in Gemini things big and doesn’t doubt or judge the ideas it comes up with. This is the time to bring creative and exciting energy into your career and push forth your efforts, especially if you have a career revolving around communication, social media, travel, writing, or publication.
April 27, 2025: New Moon In Taurus
This New Moon is a great time of the year to set your intentions for your career and your financial world. A New Moon in Taurus aligns you with your desires and helps you see concrete steps you can take to get there right now.
Whatever you have been patient for in career matters is coming to fruition for you now, and this is also a good time for seeing past efforts manifest into success for you.
Write a list of the financial and professional accomplishments you want to see come true for you this year and remember that you are worth every bit of it.
December 15, 2025 - January 23, 2026: Mars In Capricorn
Mars in Capricorn helps us develop in our careers, and also be recognized for our skills and talents. This is a great time to go after a promotion, ask for a raise, or see a level up in your career. Professional matters come full circle around this time, and the things you are known for here are coming to the surface now. Mars in Capricorn brings the passion and the energy needed to succeed.
BEST TIME OF THE YEAR TO MOVE
February 23, 2025 - April 18, 2025: Mars Direct In Cancer
Mars will be direct in Cancer for a little over a month, after being retrogade here at the start of the year. With Mars now direct, any initiatives you have been looking to set in regards to the home, family, and your foundations, are more likely to succeed right now. This is a good time to gain some more stability in your life, revamp the home, or move into a safer, or more nourishing environment. Mars in Cancer understands the importance of personal needs and emotional well-being and helps us align with what you need to feel safe.
June 9, 2025 - November 11, 2025: Jupiter Direct In Cancer
Jupiter enters Cancer for the next year and will be direct for five months out of the year. During these five months, this is one of the best times in over a decade, to see blessings happening within matters of the home. Many people will be moving homes, locations, and cities, during this time, and with expansive Jupiter involved, a lot of these changes are creating something bigger and better for you. This is the time to figure out what home means to you and to see your blessings expand here.
BEST TIME OF THE YEAR FOR HEALTH
May 18, 2025: Jupiter Sextile Chiron
This is a significant time for healing, and seeing the blessings that come from it. Jupiter in Gemini Sextiles Chiron in Aries, and the insights you can gain now will help you see the bigger picture in health matters. This is a time for feeling more inspired to take care of yourself and heal, and seeing more immediate benefits for doing so. This is healing on a broad scale, and some powerful events in health matters can occur for you now.
June 17, 2025 - August 6, 2025: Mars In Virgo
Mars in Virgo marks a time of new development in health. Mars gets things done in Virgo, and a lot of these initiatives will be taking place when it comes to the body, daily routine, and lifestyle. This is a good time to commit to a new health regime or practice and to find new ways to take care of yourself. You have more energy and stamina to take care of your health, and the initiatives you take will benefit you overall right now.
THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR TO MAKE A CHANGE
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January 2, 2025 - March 21, 2025: Vesta In Scorpio
This energy embraces change. Vesta in Scorpio represents your commitment and responsibilities, and in Scorpio, helps us readdress and acknowledge ours. This is the time of the year to look at what you have planned for yourself, to rewrite or to recommit where needed, and a lot of this has to do with the inner work. The changes that benefit now, are coming internally, and where you want to devote more of your passions, time, and self.
August 11, 2025: Saturn Sextile Uranus
Saturn Retrograde in Aries forms a Sextile to Uranus in Gemini, and this is the time to shock people with the changes you are making right now.
Change is favored during this time, as there is more support for not only seeing your goals through but also making something out of them that helps you succeed in the long run.
With Saturn, the planet of long-term planning, forming a harmonious Sextile with Uranus, the planet of sudden changes, you are supported as you try something new right now.
August 23, 2025: New Moon In Virgo
A New Moon in Virgo encourages change and evolution. When the Moon is in Virgo we feel more inspired to make a positive change in our life, in also to experience “something better.” We are pushed to face where things have been out of place or disruptive, and Virgo helps us get things right. This is a great time of year to make a new plan or set a new initiative, and to do what is going to benefit you in the long run.
September 22 - November 4: Mars In Scorpio
Mars in Scorpio is all about transformation. During this time of the year, motivation is high to overcome a challenge or a fear, and we are more willing to do so now. Mars in Scorpio energy brings the courage we may need to make an important change in our lives and helps us feel confident enough to do so. Mars in Scorpio is driven to overcome and evolve and there is a lot of support to do so right now.
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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.
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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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