Money Talks is an xoNecole series where we talk candidly to real women about how they spend money, their relationship with money, and how they spend it.
Name another 24-year-old who is the owner of multiple businesses, sells products including a 24k gold silverware set, and is preparing to release a new book and apparel line? Don't worry, I'll wait. Though she originally got her start in entrepreneurship during her time at Georgia State University, the Georgia peach wasted zero time getting acquainted with the idea of being her own boss by hosting her own eyelash seminars shortly after graduation in 2016.
With the success of her first course racking up $50,000 in a single day, BiggJazz took her class on the road around the country, garnering tons of fans in the process––currently amassing nearly 400K Instagram followers in the process.
Jazmine Ameerah Cheaves, more popularly known as "Lookin Ameerah" or "BiggJazz" by her social followers, is a viral social media influencer, serial entrepreneur, and young visionary millennial who has successfully generated millions in just a few short years. Her businesses include her cosmetics products, touring lash classes, cookware, and The Glam Trap, her full-service beauty studio located in Atlanta, Georgia. Her book, Entrepreneurship Talk With A Real Ass Boss by BiggJazz gives readers the inside scoop into her hustle mentality and inability to patiently wait for opportunities to come her way.
Courtesy of Jazmine Ameerah Cheaves
Though her studio took a bit of a hit in the spring due to COVID-19, she successfully bounced back by launching her own line of cookware called Lookin Ameerah Cookware, which consists of colorful and uniquely styled cooking products and accessories. As someone who loves to cook, BiggJazz also took it upon herself to write a book titled Lookin A Cookbook with some of her favorite recipes and is releasing her own line of seasonings and sauces. "Investing is extremely important to me. Financially, mentally, spiritually, and physically. Right now, I am exploring investment opportunities that can help me to build wealth," Cheaves shared.
In this installment of "Money Talks", xoNecole spoke with the Atlanta-based millennial beauty mogul and business owner about taking questionable financial risks in college, her love for cooking and benefits of saving and flipping money to sustain revenue.
On her definitions of wealth and success:
"For me, I define wealth as being able to live comfortably, knowing that I don't have to worry about where my next meal is coming from or if I can pay my bills. It is about freedom to do what I want to do and to have others around me happy. In my eyes, I won't be fully wealthy until I am a multi-millionaire. Success equals knowing that nobody can take credit for, or destroy what I've built. Success is being happy, free, financially secure, and healthy in mind, body, and spirit."
On the lowest she’s ever felt when it came to her finances and how she overcame it:
"The lowest I've ever felt financially was during my time in college. I couldn't pay my rent and I didn't know where I was getting my next meal from. I decided I never wanted to live like that again. I got off my ass and hustled. I knew nothing would come to me––I had to go out and get it for myself. I've always been creative, so I put that creativity and vision to use."
"I got off my ass and hustled. I knew nothing would come to me––I had to go out and get it for myself. I've always been creative, so I put that creativity and vision to use."
On whether she’s a spender or a saver:
"I consider myself a saver, even though I do spend a good amount of money. I experienced having to go without, so when I started making money it felt good to watch that bank account fill up. I learned to save money by doing my research about how successful people save."
On her savings goals and what retirement looks like to her:
"My goal is to be a multi-millionaire. Most millionaires have seven revenue streams and I am already halfway there. When I retire, I want to be making money in my sleep so I can just enjoy life and do what I want."
On her budgeting must-haves:
"I like to eat, so we definitely have to put dining out on the budget, and buy quality food because I like to cook... I like to invest in my wardrobe, going to the spa to relax and unwind, and I love to travel. Anything that has to do with beauty and self-care is my priority. I don't cut corners there."
On her intentions behind multiple streams of revenue:
"My streams of revenue are my businesses–The Glam Trap, Lookin' (by Lookin Ameerah), Lookin Ameerah Cookware, and of course my books. My intention behind multiple ways to make money is that I never want to go without ever again. I've grown accustomed to a luxury lifestyle and it takes work to maintain it. In the beginning, I used all of my money from lash seminars, flipped it, and invested in other product lines to create more revenue."
"My intention behind multiple ways to make money is that I never want to go without ever again. I've grown accustomed to a luxury lifestyle and it takes work to maintain it. In the beginning, I used all of my money from lash seminars, flipped it, and invested in other product lines to create more revenue."
On unhealthy money habits and mindsets:
"I make fast money, so the mindset: 'I'll make it back tomorrow,' set me back for some years. I was young and immature about money. Now, I have learned to be more responsible and plan for the future. The change I saw was that my money started to add up and everything made more sense. Before, I would make $10,000 and have only shoes and clothes to show for it. I started to invest more in my business and my brand so that I could get a return on my investment."
On her money mantra:
"My mantra is 'make it make sense,' and, 'no one is going to give you anything, you have to get up and get it yourself.'"
On the craziest thing she’s ever done for money:
"The craziest thing I did was sell my Adderall prescription in college instead of taking them."
On the worst money-related decision she’s ever made:
"The worst decisions were carrying cash and not keeping money in the bank. Also, trusting others with my money. I learned that you have to be involved in every aspect of your business to know what is going on."
On her budget breakdown:
How much do you spend on rent?
"I stay in a luxury condo in Atlanta, so it costs a couple thousand. $2,850."
Eating out/ordering in?
"I like to cook a lot, so if I am not making a meal myself, I eat out and it has to be great food. I spend at least $60."
Gas/car note?
"I drive a 2020 Mercedes AMG and my car note is $860. It uses premium gas, so it costs me about $50 to fill up, so I spend between $100-$150 a week on gas depending on what I have to do and where I need to go during the week."
Personal expenses?
"My personal expenses include daily self-care, such as makeup, hair, shopping and going to the spa. I definitely invest a great deal in myself. That is where most of the money is spent so it can run me at least $2,500."
For more Jazmine, follow her on Instagram!
Featured image courtesy of Jazmine Cheaves.
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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
Kayla Nicole says she wore a dress that was once worn by Braxton herself for the Halloween costume. “It’s not a secret Toni is more on the petite side. I’m obsessed with all 5’2” of her,” she tells xoNecole via email. “But I’m 5’10'' and not missing any meals, honey, so to my surprise, when I got the dress and it actually fit, I knew it was destiny.”
The episode was the perfect way for the multihyphenate to take control of her own narrative. By addressing the viral moment on her own platform, she was able to stir the conversation and keep the focus on her adoration for Braxton, an artist she says she grew up listening to and who still makes her most-played playlist every year. Elsewhere, she likely would’ve received questions about whether or not the costume was a subliminal aimed at her ex-boyfriend and his pop star fiancée. “I think that people will try to project their own narratives, right?” she said, hinting at this in the episode. “But, for me personally – I think it’s very important to say this in this moment – I’m not in the business of tearing other women down. I’m in the business of celebrating them.”
Kayla Nicole is among xoNecole’s It Girl 100 Class of 2025, powered by SheaMoisture, recognized in the Viral Voices category for her work in media and the trends she sets on our timelines, all while prioritizing her own mental and physical health. As she puts it: “Yes, I’m curating conversations on my podcast The Pre-Game, and cultivating community with my wellness brand Tribe Therepē.”
Despite being the frequent topic of conversation online, Kayla Nicole says she’s learning to take advantage of her growing social media platform without becoming consumed by it. “I refuse to let the internet consume me. It’s supposed to be a resource and tool for connection, so if it becomes anything beyond that I will log out,” she says.
On The Pre-Game, which launched earlier this year, she has positioned herself as listeners “homegirl.” “There’s definitely a delicate dance between being genuine and oversharing, and I’ve had to learn that the hard way. Now I share from a place of reflection, not reaction,” she says. “If it can help someone feel seen or less alone, I’ll talk about it within reason. But I’ve certainly learned to protect parts of my life that I cherish most. I share what serves connection but doesn’t cost me peace.
"I refuse to let the internet consume me. It’s supposed to be a resource and tool for connection, so if it becomes anything beyond that I will log out."
Credit: Malcolm Roberson
Throughout each episode, she sips a cocktail and addresses trending topics (even when they involve herself). It’s a platform the Pepperdine University alumnus has been preparing to have since she graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism, with a concentration in political science.
“I just knew I was going to end up on a local news network at the head anchor table, breaking high speed chases, and tossing it to the weather girl,” she says. Instead, she ended up working as an assistant at TMZ before covering sports as a freelance reporter. (She’s said she didn’t work for ESPN, despite previous reports saying otherwise.) The Pre-Game combines her love for pop culture and sports in a way that once felt inaccessible to her in traditional media.
She’s not just a podcaster, though. When she’s not behind the mic, taking acting classes or making her New York Fashion Week debut, Kayla Nicole is also busy elevating her wellness brand Tribe Therepē, where she shares her workouts and the workout equipment that helps her look chic while staying fit. She says the brand will add apparel to its line up in early 2026.
“Tribe Therepē has evolved into exactly what I have always envisioned. A community of women who care about being fit not just for the aesthetic, but for their mental and emotional well-being too. It’s grounded. It’s feminine. It’s strong,” she says. “And honestly, it's a reflection of where I am in my life right now. I feel so damn good - mentally, emotionally, and physically. And I am grateful to be in a space where I can pour that love and light back into the community that continues to pour into me.”
Tap into the full It Girl 100 Class of 2025 and meet all the women changing game this year and beyond. See the full list here.
Featured image by Malcolm Roberson