
Mary J. Blige Shares How She Got Her Power Back After Almost Losing Everything In Her Divorce

Actress and singer Mary J. Blige opened up about how she reclaimed her power after almost losing everything following her grueling divorce from her ex-husband, music producer Kendu Isaacs.
Blige and Isaacs were married for thirteen years, from 2003 to 2016, before the "Good Morning Gorgeous" songstress filed for divorce.
At the time, Blige cited the reason behind the couple's split as "irreconcilable differences." Despite the previous claims, it would ultimately be revealed that toxicity within their relationship and alleged infidelity on Isaacs' part played a major role in their demise.
ENews! reports that during the divorce proceedings, Blige --who had a prenuptial agreement that "waived any spousal support"--was ordered to pay her ex about $30,000 a month in alimony, significantly less than the original $129,319 a month Isaacs asked to maintain his lifestyle and the additional legal fees. Blige and Isaacs' divorce was officially finalized in June 2018.
Since then, the 52-year-old has shared details about her financial struggles while trying to keep up with the payments. Blige was allegedly millions of dollars in debt and claimed that because of the monthly alimony to Isaacs, there were times that she couldn't afford her rent.
In a recent interview with Afrotech, Blige recalled those challenging moments in her life, how she got through them, and the lessons she learned over the years.
Mary J. Blige On The Hard Times Following Her Divorce
In the May discussion, the "Real Love" vocalist disclosed that she was forced to return to work after her divorce was finalized because she "had nothing" left.
Blige explained that because of her name and celebrity status, she sought various job opportunities, such as music, films, television shows, paid partnerships, and touring, to make some income.
"That moment was when I got a divorce and got hit with all of that alimony. I was like, 'OK.' I never realized that this could happen to me in that way, and I was like at the bottom," she said. "I had nothing when I left out of that marriage and I had to work. I had my name, you know, so I had to work and so I did. I went on tour, I had to do everything to make that money to pay out the alimony."
To date, Blige's most recent work includes becoming an author, portraying the role of Monet Tejada in Starz Power Book II: Ghost, executive producing two Lifetime projects that are based on her song "Real Love" and the album "Strength of a Woman," and releasing her fourteenth studio album "Good Morning Gorgeous."
Mary On The Lessons She's Learned After Divorce
As the topic shifted to what Blige has learned throughout the entire ordeal, the "Take Me as I Am" singer explained that during her journey, she realized how important it is to not put her life "in someone else's hands" and to stay on top of everything, including finances.
Blige would add that with the pain she endured in her divorce and feeling helpless following the verdict, she would "never want to feel like that again," so she is taking the appropriate steps to prevent it.
"I realized that I put my life in someone else's hands that wouldn't take care of me. Now, I'm all over my business. I'm all over my finances. I'm all over my life because that was a painful feeling. I felt so weak and helpless, and I never want to feel like that again. So that's my aha moment… my divorce," she stated.
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Feature image by Derek White/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit
'Sistas' Star Skyh Black On The Power Of Hypnotherapy & Emotional Vulnerability For Men
In this insightful episode of the xoMAN podcast, host Kiara Walker talked with Sistas star Skyh Black, as he opened up about his journey of emotional growth, resilience, and self-discovery. The episode touches on emotional availability, self-worth, masculinity, and the importance of therapy in overcoming personal struggles.
Skyh Black on Emotional Availability & Love
On Emotional Availability & Vulnerability
“My wife and I wouldn't be where we are today if both of us weren't emotionally available,” he shared about his wife and Sistas co-star KJ Smith, highlighting the value of vulnerability and emotional openness in a relationship. His approach to masculinity stands in contrast to the traditional, stoic ideals. Skyh is not afraid to embrace softness as part of his emotional expression.
On Overcoming Self-Doubt & Worthiness Issues
Skyh reflected on the self-doubt and worthiness issues that he struggled with, especially early in his career. He opens up about his time in Los Angeles, living what he calls the “LA struggle story”—in a one-bedroom with three roommates—and being homeless three times over the span of 16 years. “I always had this self-sabotaging thought process,” Skyh said. “For me, I feel therapy is essential, period. I have a regular therapist and I go to a hypnotherapist.”
How Therapy Helped Him Heal From Self-Doubt
On Hypnotherapy & Empowering Self-Acceptance
Skyh’s journey is a testament to the power of tapping into self-development despite life’s struggles and being open to growth. “I had to submit to the fact that God was doing good in my life, and that I'm worthy of it. I had a worthiness issue and I did not realize that. So, that’s what the hypnotherapy did. It brought me back to the core. What is wrong so that I can fix it?”
Watch the full podcast episode below:
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How A Group Chat Became A Game-Changer For Empowering Black Professionals In Sports
In 2016, Shaina Wiel started a simple group chat with friends and colleagues in the New York sports industry. What began as a space for professionals of color in sports to share resources and opportunities blossomed into the Minorities in Sports Business Network, a thriving community of more than 1,000 members and a full-fledged company shaping the future of sports business.
Shaina, who has held roles at companies including ESPN and the NBA and has taught strategic sports marketing at esteemed institutions like Georgetown University, officially launched the network as a business in 2019. Since then, it’s hosted high-impact events like the Toast to Black Sports luncheon during Super Bowl weekend and built student chapters at both HBCUs and PWIs to pipeline underrepresented talent into the industry.
She shared with xoNecole more on the early days of launch, the turning point that made her realize she had a platform with real influence, and what keeps her going. With 17 years of experience across agencies, teams, and networks, Shaina is proof that grassroots efforts can turn into transformative change—especially when backed by passion, vision, and community.
xoNecole: How did the Minorities In Sports Business Network come to life?
Shaina Wiel: So, I just started the group chat and added a few of my friends who work in the industry as well. We were all kind of in New York at the same time working in the sports space… Very quickly over the next few years, the chat grew to over 800 individuals within the chat. Then, we had over 1000 individuals.
xoN: What was your ‘aha’ moment to expand?
SW: I noticed a bunch of employees from the Big Four leagues— NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB— within my group chat had all started posting roles. And when I asked, 'What is going on? Why are there so many posting jobs within the group chat?' I was told that HR had sent a note to their Black Employee Resource Group and had told them they had heard about this group chat.
That's when I realized, ‘Okay, this is more than, you know, my little friend group chat. Let's see if we can turn this into an actual business. And then in summer, 2019 I decided to do this full time.
Brittany Dacoff
xoN: What was the transition like growing the group chat into a full platform offering membership perks like access to job listings, networking opportunities and more?
SW: I was working at an agency, and the agency had lost their account. It was the account that I was working on. So they were like, you know, we can try to find another or we can separate. I decided to leave. And then, as we know, COVID happened, which actually was a blessing in disguise.
I was able to really focus on building the vision with this group chat and turning it into an actual company, seeing what works, seeing things from an events and a relationship standpoint, in terms of like, how we were interacting with different partners from different companies, and actually turning that into something substantial that could last.
xoN: Speaking of events, talk more about what inspired the Toast to Black Sports event you held earlier this year during the Super Bowl. Why is it important?
SW: This was the second year. There are so many dope people of color, specifically Black people, who work in this industry who are just doing the work behind the scenes. They’re not getting their flowers. I took it upon myself to say, I want to celebrate you. We’ve honored Kimberly Fields, Esq. of the NFL, Kevin Warren, CEO of the Chicago Bears, sports executive Jason Wright, sports and entertainment vet Carmen Green-Wilson, and NFL coach Jennifer King—all of whom have made major contributions to the industry.
xoN: What do you enjoy most about your role today?
SW: I think the work that I enjoy the most, honestly, is with our college students. We have 12 chapters across different colleges and universities. We help eliminate some of the barriers a lot of us had coming out of college. What I love seeing is that we have students who are now looking at roles they never even thought of.
xoN: What’s a bit of career advice for women breaking into the sports industry?
SW: I would say, build relationships. That’s really it: Build authentic relationships. Make sure it's a give and take and that you're supporting other people because once you're building those relationships, then it's a lot easier to either get into a space or to have those conversations when you want to do something.
And always be willing and ready to do the work.
Featured image by Hosea Johnson