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Bold Women. Big Moves™. Why This Is Our Moment to Lead Without Shrinking
- Rhonda Glynn
- 6 minutes ago
- 4 min read
“I didn’t reinvent myself - I remembered who I was before the world told me to shrink.”
In 2022, in the thick of a pandemic that forced the world to slow down and pay attention, I had what I now call my “Come-to-Jesus” moment.
📌Not with fear.
📌Not with shame.
📌But with clarity.
I was no longer willing to keep performing a version of myself that was acceptable, polished, "safe" - but completely detached from who I really am.
Like so many Black and Caribbean women in leadership, I'd spent years mastering the art of success through suppression.
Dress just right.
Speak the part.
Be brilliant, but never “too loud.”
Fit in, but don’t make folks uncomfortable.
And here’s the thing: it worked.
Until it didn’t.
Unbecoming to Become
First?
I chopped off my chemically straightened, blonde hair. Gone.
I let the grey in-those silver threads I had been hiding for years - and welcomed them like the wise elders they are.
Then?
I grew out my nails and painted them in colors that made me feel alive.
Not muted tones to blend into corporate spaces, but colors that made a statement without saying a word.
And most recently?
I pierced my septum.
Not for rebellion, but for release.
Every single one of these choices was more than aesthetics.
They were about sovereignty.
“Too many of us are building beautiful prisons and calling them businesses. It’s time to break free.”
Why This Moment Belongs to Black and Caribbean Women Entrepreneurs
We’ve been conditioned to contort ourselves into what makes others comfortable.
📌 We carry it into how we speak,
📌 How we pitch,
📌 How we price, and
📌 How we play small and call it strategy.
As Black women entrepreneurs and Caribbean female founders, we’ve been taught to "succeed through suppression":
Lead with your résumé, not your roots
Tone down your culture to be “professional”
Don’t be too proud. Don’t be too loud. Just be… acceptable.
But here’s the radical truth:
“Shrinkage is for hair, not for dreams.”
Your boldness is not a branding liability.
It’s your business advantage.
The Problem with Playing It Safe in Business
Let’s be honest: too many Black women in entrepreneurship are still working from an outdated playbook.
📌 We’re checking boxes,
📌 Building brands that don’t reflect us, and
📌 Packaging our genius in ways that feel hollow. And it’s burning us out.
That’s not strategy - that’s survival mode.
And what we call “quiet strength”?
That’s unspoken trauma passed down like inheritance.
We show up strong because we had to.
We work twice as hard because we were told we must.
But the truth is, your culture, your voice, your roots - they’re the very things that set your brand apart.
But your culture is not a compromise. It’s your "competitive edge"
Introducing: Bold Women. Big Moves™ - The Free Webinar
This is why I created Bold Women. Big Moves™ - a virtual experience for women who are ready to build businesses without betraying themselves.
Event Details:
"Bold Women. Big Moves™ - A Free Webinar on Unleashing Your Inner Entrepreneur"
📅 Saturday, November 22 | 10AM EST
💸 Free to attend
This is for the woman who:
🖤 Is tired of shrinking herself to fit into rooms she’s outgrown
❤️ Wants to scale with soul, not strategy stolen from white bro-marketers
🖤 Is ready to stop editing herself and start leading from her full self
We’re going to talk about:
Authentic branding rooted in culture and clarity
Leading out loud without apology
Burning down the box instead of trying to fit inside it
Building a business that feels like home, not another performance
Stop building from your résumé. Start building from your roots.
Real Talk: You Don’t Need More Proof. You Need Permission.
If you’re still waiting for someone to tell you:
“You’re allowed to be ALL of who you are and still build a successful, scalable business.”
Let this blog be your permission slip.
You don’t need to code-switch to land the client.
You don’t need to water down your message to fit into someone else’s market.
You don’t need to hide your story behind credentials.
Your story is the strategy.
📚 Want to Go Deeper?
Here are some books every unapologetic Black woman entrepreneur should have on her shelf:
“The Memo” by Minda Harts - For navigating corporate power as a woman of color
“Professional Troublemaker” by Luvvie Ajayi Jones - To crush fear and show up BIG
“Slay In Your Lane” by Yomi Adegoke & Elizabeth Uviebinené -A Black girl’s business bible
“Black Girl Finance” by Selina Flavius - Because money clarity is freedom
“More Than Enough” by Elaine Welteroth - For the woman rewriting her narrative
“You Are Your Best Thing” by Tarana Burke & Brené Brown - For healing, wholeness, and showing up fully
Bottom Line?
“This isn’t your soft launch. This is your sovereign season.”
You don’t need more productivity hacks. You need freedom.
You don’t need another strategy that erases your identity. You need one that amplifies it.
Your boldness is not a risk.
It’s your blueprint.
Ready to "Build Like You Mean It"?
Join me live for "Bold Women. Big Moves™- A Free Webinar on Unleashing Your Inner Entrepreneur"
🗓️ Saturday, November 22 | 10AM EST
📍 Live on Streamyard
🎟️ Register here:
“This isn't your "practice life". This is the moment you build what they said you couldn’t.”
Want the full story?
Read the expanded 2,000-word version of this article on Substack:
👉🏾 Read the Full Article Here
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