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.
Maryland-bred success coach Nathalie Nicole Smith is no stranger to being successful. In 2013, Nathalie Nicole was recognized as one of Forbes' "Top 30 Under 30" for her work in development of her Plush brand and now she is a multi-millionaire at the age of 32. The young mogul is also the author of best-selling book Becoming a Brand and founder of Women Who Boss, a 501c3 organization that helps women walk into their real purpose amidst their pain.
Nathalie is truly educating the next group of Black female leaders through financial and spiritual means and showing no signs of slowing up. With the development of an international podcast, an apparel line, a second book, and a million-dollar coaching program, it's clear that for her, elevating is a habit.
When it comes to her money, Nathalie shared a secret with us that a mentor once bestowed upon her. "I live by my money mantra, 'what to do with a dollar' that my mentor shared with me years ago," she said. She continued to break it down that for her money gets split up in seven ways: 15 percent to self, 20 percent money going up, 10 percent to tithes and offering, 25 percent to taxes, 20-25 percent household expenses, reinvesting 10-15 percent and saving 10 percent.
In this installment of "Money Talks", xoNecole spoke with the beauty and wellness CEO about treating herself to a 2020 Lambourghini, the bigger picture of wealth and success, and her unhealthiest money habits.
On her definitions of wealth and success:
"Wealth means freedom to me. Being able to do what you love without having to think about money. It's not about the actual items you can attain, it's about the stress that is taken off of you when you don't have to worry how something will get paid. Success is being able to achieve your highest level of goals and being able to create massive impact. What good is success if you can't help people? If you can't impact lives? That's the bigger picture."
EPI Media Group/Nathalie Nicole Smith
"Success is being able to achieve your highest level of goals and being able to create massive impact. What good is success if you can't help people? If you can't impact lives? That's the bigger picture."
On the lowest she’s ever felt when it came to her finances and how she overcame it:
"Running my salon and not being able to really function 100 percent due to lack of stable liquid income [is the lowest I've ever felt]. At the time I was a recent college graduate and wanted to be an entrepreneur. I did not want to join the corporate world, so I hustled to make ends meet. I sold hair, did bottle service, etc. to make it work. I joined direct sales to be able to have liquid income to invest back into my businesses. I was actually not a fan of the direct sales industry, but when I met Coach Stormy Wellington and was introduced to Total Life Changes, I just knew this was what I needed. This was the vehicle I was looking for to change my future."
On her biggest splurge to date:
"[My] 2020 Lamborghini. And it was such a crazy experience. In one breath, I was so excited because it was definitely something I wanted, but in the next breath I had a few feelings of, 'It's too much, I don't need it, etc.' But I am extremely thankful for my circle that kept reminding me that I worked hard for it and I deserved it."
On whether she’s a spender or a saver:
"[I'm] a saver but I reward myself when I hit goals. You have to enjoy yourself and treat yourself sometimes. It keeps you hungry and makes you keep pushing yourself and working hard. Remembering the days I didn't have any [money] helped me learn how to save. It was a process though. I had to continue to grow and mature with my spending habits as well. There were definitely those times where if I made $5,000 a month I was spending $5,005!"
On the importance of investing:
"Investing is important. I just recently got into real estate. I also believe in investing in yourself and your team that helps you make money. I'm currently looking into acquiring two more properties by the end of 2020. Real estate is the game at the next level."
On her savings goals and what retirement looks like to her:
"My savings goal is $35 million minimum by 35 years old. Retirement is going to be amazing! Of course everything I have will already be paid off so expenses will be minimal. My family will be secure and I will be able to save the majority of the residual income that would come in from my business."
On her budgeting must-haves:
"Basic necessities - I need a nice environment to live in that allows me to create. My peace is essential to my ability to work and lead my team effectively. I enjoy my freedom and moving around as I desire. My budget must be able to cover those basics."
On her intentions behind multiple streams of revenue:
"My business structure is under a C Corp holding company. I have three main legs of business: direct sales, the Women Who Boss Network nonprofit, and the Plush rx Maryland location and online [division]. I always make sure I am doing income-producing activity to ensure productivity. Every move, every decision must be intentional and influential. Even things that may seem like 'fun' or 'relaxing' still has the underlying purpose of motivating my team. If they see me in a position they want to emulate, guess what? They are going to work hard to get it themselves, generating their own income-producing activity and keeping the ball moving.
"You never want to be in a predicament that you are stuck. You want to focus on one stream until you win big. After you win big, diversify so you can make that money work for you. For example, once I was really able to win in TLC, I was able to put focus back into Plush Rx and Women Who Boss. Now all wheels are generating income and adding to the bottom line."
EPI Media Group/Nathalie Nicole Smith
"I have three main legs of business: direct sales, the Women Who Boss Network nonprofit, and the Plush rx Maryland location and online [division]. I always make sure I am doing income-producing activity to ensure productivity. Every move, every decision must be intentional and influential. Even things that may seem like 'fun' or 'relaxing' still has the underlying purpose of motivating my team. If they see me in a position they want to emulate, guess what? They are going to work hard to get it themselves, generating their own income-producing activity and keeping the ball moving."
On unhealthy money habits and mindsets:
"Savings was a big thing I had to learn. Every dollar is not supposed to be spent. I had to also learn how to pay myself a set percentage to ensure that I was able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I started to see my savings accumulate. I started to do some of the things I had always desired because money wasn't an issue. I also began to see my team grow and their personal income skyrocket. That is the major key. Helping others win too."
On the craziest thing she’s ever done for money:
"I was in the bottle service industry for 10 years. Clubs, late nights, fast life and faster money. It was a great learning experience and I met some powerful business associates along the way. I made a lot of money, but ultimately it was in a very toxic environment that I needed to break away from."
On the worst money-related decision she’s ever made:
"I opened myself up to a partnership with a friend that wasn't in alignment or equally yoked with my goals. I believe it's a mistake we are all destined to take as we grow and learn how to make better business and financial decisions. You're so excited about your success and you want other people to be successful also. However, everyone is not meant for you to work with."
On her budget breakdown:
How much do you spend on rent? "$3,600."
Eating out/ordering in? "$2,000."
Gas/car note? "$3,000."
Personal expenses? "I am very low maintenance. After I pay my bills, 15-20% goes to me to spend as I please. I treat myself sometimes, but I am very mindful of the amount I have allocated and I govern myself accordingly. It is extremely helpful and I teach my team how to manage their finances in the same manner. It ensures you are able to not only make and save money, but also enjoy some of it too."
For more information on Nathalie Nicole Smith, follow her on Instagram or visit her official website.
Featured image courtesy of Nathalie Nicole Smith
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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
Then there were those who gave up their zip code altogether and found a permanent home in the skies. After years spent recruiting students for a university, Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare became a full-time travel influencer and founded her travel company, Shakespeare Agency. And she's not alone.
These stories mirror the experiences of women across the world. For millions, the pandemic induced a seismic shift in priorities and desires. Corporate careers that were once hailed as the ultimate “I made it” moment in one's career were pushed to the back burner as women quit their jobs in search of a more self-fulfilling purpose.
xoNecole spoke to these three Black women who used the pandemic as a springboard to make their wildest dreams a reality, the lessons they learned, and posed the question of whether they’ll ever return to cubicle life.
Answers have been edited for context and length.
xoNecole: How did the pandemic lead to you leaving the cubicle?
Randi: I was becoming stagnant. I was working in mortgage and banking but I felt like my personality was too big for that job! From there, I transitioned to radio but was laid off during the pandemic. That’s what made me go full throttle with entrepreneurship.
Gabrielle: I moved around a lot for work. Five times over a span of seven years. I knew I needed a break because I had experienced so much. So, I just quit one day. Effective immediately. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I just knew I needed a break and to just regroup.
Lisa-Gaye: I was working in recruiting at a university and my dream job just kind of fell into my lap! But, I never got to fully enjoy it before the world shut down in March [2020] and I was laid off. On top of that, I was stuck in Miami because Jamaica had closed its borders due to the pandemic before I was able to return.
Randi O
xoN: Tell us about your journey after leaving Corporate America.
Randi: I do it all now! I have a podcast, I’m an on-air talent, I act, and I own a public relations company that focuses on social media engagement. It’s all from my network. When you go out and start a business, you can’t just say, “Okay I’m done with Corporate America,” and “Let me do my own thing.” If you don’t build community, if you don’t build a network it's going to be very hard to sustain.
Gabrielle: I realized in New York, there was not a lot to do for Black lesbians and queer folks. We don’t really have dedicated bars and spaces so I started doing events and it took off. I started focusing on my brand, Raw Honey. I opened a co-working space, and I was able to host an NYC Pride event in front of 100,000 people. I hit the ground running with Raw Honey. My events were all women coming to find community and come together with other lesbians and queer folks. I found my purpose in that.
Lisa-Gaye: After being laid off, I wrote out all of my passions and that’s how I came up with [my company] Shakespeare Agency. It was all of the things that I loved to do under one umbrella. The pandemic pulled that out of me. I had a very large social media following, so I pitched to hotels that I would feature them on my blog and social media. This reignited my passion for travel. I took the rest of the year to refocus my brand to focus solely on being a content creator within the travel space.
Gabrielle
xoN: What have you learned about yourself during your time as an entrepreneur?
Randi: [I learned] the importance of my network and community that I created. When I was laid off I was still keeping those relationships with people that I used to work with. So it was easy for me to transition into social media management and I didn’t have to start from scratch.
Gabrielle: The biggest thing I learned about myself was my own personal identity as a Black lesbian and how much I had assimilated into straight and corporate culture and not being myself. Now, I feel comfortable and confident being my authentic self. Now, I'm not sacrificing anything else for my career. I have a full life. I have friends. I have a social life. And when you are happy and have a full quality of life, I feel like [I] can have more longevity in my career.
Lisa-Gaye: [I'm doing] the best that I've ever done. The discipline that I’m building within myself. Nobody is saying, ‘Oh you have to be at work at this time.’ There’s no boss saying, ‘Why are you late?’ But, if I’m laying in bed at 10 a.m. then it's me saying [to myself], 'Okay, Lisa, get up, it's time for you to start working!’ That’s all on me.
xoNecole: What mistakes do you want to help people avoid when leaving Corporate America?
Randi: You have to learn about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. You have a fast season and a slow season and I started to learn that when you're self-employed the latter season hits hard. Don't get caught up on the lows, just keep going and don't stop. I’m glad I did.
Gabrielle: I think everyone should quit their job and just figure it out for a second. You will discover so much about yourself when you take a second to just focus on you. Your skill set will always be there. You can’t be afraid of what will happen when you bet on yourself.
Lisa-Gaye: When it comes to being an influencer the field is saturated and a lot of people suffer from imposter syndrome. There is nothing wrong with being an imposter but find out how to make it yours, how to make it better. If you go to the store, you see 10 million different brands of bread! But you are choosing the brand that you like because you like that particular flavor.
So be an imposter, but be the best imposter of yourself and add your own flair, your own flavor. Make the better bread. The bread that you want.
Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
xoNecole: Will you ever return to your 9 to 5?
Randi: I wouldn’t go back to Corporate America. But I don’t mind working under someone. A lot of people try to get into this business saying, “I can't work under anyone.” That’s not necessarily the reason to start a business because you're always going to answer to somebody. Clients, brands, there’s always someone else involved.
Gabrielle: I went back! I really needed a break and I gave myself that. But, I realized I’m a corporate girl, [and] I enjoy the work that I do. I’m good at it and I really missed that side of myself. I have different sides of me and my whole identity is not Raw Honey or my queerness. A big side of me is business and that’s why I love having my career. Now I feel like my best self.
Lisa-Gaye: I really don’t. For right now, I love working for myself. It's gratifying, it's challenging, it's exciting. It’s a big deal for me to say I own my own business. That I am my own boss, and I'm a Black woman doing it.
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Featured image courtesy of Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
Originally published on February 6, 2023