The Power Of Sisterhood And Black Women Masterminds

Nika White • January 23, 2023


After running my business for nearly six years, I was in a place where I needed community. I often speak about the role community plays in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), but I don’t often speak about the ways to find it.  In 2022, I had the joy and privilege of joining a Black women-centric business mastermind called Sistas Driving Impact. The group was started on LinkedIn by the founder of Holistic Inclusion Consulting & Author of The Inclusive Organization, Netta Jenkins. Netta describes the group as “a movement of Black women” with the purpose of “growing with each other as sisters, celebrating wins, learning from losses together, and acquiring financial freedom through collaboration”.

Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the nation with the number of Black women-owned businesses growing by 50% between 2014-2019. Yet, how many of us had to build our businesses alone? The truth is, for years, I did many things on my own, too. I learned how to find clients, negotiate contracts, get book deals, and the list goes on. I did it alone and although I don’t regret those challenging yet rewarding accomplishments, I wish I had sought a group of like-minded people to support me earlier on in my business.

Sistas Driving Impact is full of brilliant Black women who have taught me the power of sisterhood and all the ways we are anything but each other’s competition. In fact, we are each other’s sounding boards, cheerleaders, friends, mentors, and allies.

Today, I’ll share the experiences and insights from amazing Black women in my group and their take on the benefits of having masterminds dedicated to Black women.


Trade Secrets, Negotiation, And Selling “The Right Way”


When I asked the ladies, “What are you getting from this group that more Black women founders and entrepreneurs could benefit from?” Many said psychological safety, trade tips, and advancement knowledge.

This group is “affirmation that I am approaching my business the right way, and thinking about ways to scale it,” said Dr. Tana M. Session, strategist, speaker, and fellow consultant. Many Black women in business don’t have that affirmation. Oftentimes, they don’t have anyone to look to that’s on their level. For Tana and myself, sisterhood looks like affirming that yes you are on the right path and sowing encouragement to keep going.

What we also need are practical tools. Fellow mastermind colleague and co-founder of Mission Equality, Sharon Hurley Hall said, “On a practical level, guidance on templates, pricing, negotiation, sales, and more adds to the store of knowledge I bring to my own business.” When in these groups, how are we building each other’s knowledge? How are we sharing the mistakes in business that another woman can learn from? How are we providing valuable information so we all can succeed?

The mentality of giving our best secrets away to women who are on our level may seem like we’re giving in to the competition. But in a world where Black women entrepreneurs often don’t receive this knowledge, we’re stepping in as aunties, mentors, friends, and allies to share the vital information that will lift another woman’s brand and ultimately support her success. It’s a privilege and joy to be of service to each other and, therefore, to ourselves.
 
Being Cheerleaders, Promoting Each Other’s Books, And Lifting Ourselves Up


Women, in general, have not always been each other’s support systems. We as women are taught to fight and tear each other down for the sake of making it in the competitive “man’s world.” But, what about the opposite? What happens when a group of Black women becomes the loudest supporters of each other’s work? What impact does that have on these women, their businesses, and our community?

When asked, “How has another woman in this group helped you grow and get the word out about your work?” DEI consultant Kim Crowder begins by saying, “I could go on for days about this. How the women in this group have helped me grow has been exponential.” She says, “We have bought each other's books, posted about them on social media, and frequently comment on one another's posts. We actively look for ways to support the other members, which is priceless.”

There’s no price on sisterhood, camaraderie, or giving. Lifting each other up is a way to affirm and add value to the experience of another Black woman entrepreneur and, essentially, put wind under her wings. Sharon Hurley Halls agrees and remarks, “Bonding with Black women founders is both about sisterhood and possibility: knowing that others like me are doing it and are lifting as they climb.”

In a world often about competition amongst each other and within white supremacy, how can we develop ourselves, our businesses, and our goals and then share those learnings with other women? What happens to us? The answer is we lift as we climb. We all grow stronger, bolder, and more successful. 


Being Each Other’s Mentors, Opening Doors, And Finding “Inspiration Beyond Measure”


Although most of the women in my mastermind are at similar levels, there is still so much to learn from each other. Some women have taken on the role of mentor and guide. Janelle Benjamin, the founder of consulting firm All Things Equitable, is “getting camaraderie, sisterhood, protection, joy, and so much professional wisdom.”

Benjamin continues by saying, “I’m ultimately getting executive coaching from folks who have been through it all and learned from their own mistakes, so now I don’t have to make the same ones.” As founders and business owners, how refreshing would it have been to have someone who’s been there before guide you at the beginning of your journey to avoid painful mistakes and pitfalls? Black women who have been there before are elevating each other without judgment or deceit, but instead with a genuine spirit of mentorship, guidance, and sisterhood. We truly embody what author, speaker, and consultant Yolanda Renee Collins says is “like talking to my sister who is also my business advisor.”

When asked to call out another woman in the group who had offered a hand, lifted a woman up, and opened doors for opportunities, Sharon Hurley Hall said, “I can’t let the opportunity pass to thank Janelle Benjamin for stepping in to support The Introvert Sisters podcast when we most needed it–that bought us another season.” Then, Janelle Benjamin passes it on to me and says, “Nika, you had me on your podcast, Intentional Conversations, and I was able to discuss the Abercrombie & Fitch documentary on Netflix.”

Even opportunities to speak on national TV helped one woman lift another. Dr. Tana M. Session said, “I noticed Natasha Bowman being featured on several morning news stations across the country in 2022. She graciously shared the name and contact information for her publicist, who I have been working with for the past three months.”

Doing the work of guiding, mentoring, and lifting is what Kim Crowder describes as “both encouraging and healing.” How can we continue to lift each other into the future? Black women's mastermind groups should become more pervasive and available to propel our professional and personal lives to unimaginable heights.

“Community Is About Legacy, Healing, And Holding”


While we rewrite the narrative that women, especially Black women, tear each other down in the name of white supremacy and patriarchy, we’re invited to rethink Black sisterhood as a way to heal, bond, and create a lasting legacy.

Aiko D. Bethea, the founder of Rare Coaching and Consulting, describes it well when she says “white supremacy is about white supremacy and not [about] me being less than” while “community is about legacy, healing, and holding. Without this, what is the point of walking this earth?” Allowing the dominant culture to dictate how we’re going to move in the world is a looming and unfortunate threat to the community and legacy of Black women founders.

But there’s hope that through sisterhood we will lift as we climb and grow together. Like Dr. Tana M. Session says, “Having a group of equally–or more so–successful Black women has been refreshing and just what I need at this point in my career”. Masterminds like this one have the potential to change the trajectory of Black woman-owned businesses and create lasting wealth, success, and prestige for all of us.

Final Thoughts


For me, this mastermind has affirmed the immense value of finding sisterhood amongst Black women founders. We knew we had each other, but perhaps we didn’t know how to channel our connection for the betterment of our businesses and each other. The word “ally” which is often used in DEI now has body, form, and teeth. The women in this mastermind are each other’s cheerleaders, guides, mentors, and true success partners. The relationships we’ve forged will be hard to break. The growth we encourage in one another will be hard to ignore. We are destined for greatness–together.





Read more from The Human Shift on Substack, where I share long-form essays on leadership, culture, and how we work and live.

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The Meeting After the Meeting - What Side Conversations Can Reveal About the Room You Just Left

By Nika White • October 26, 2026
You leave a meeting thinking the team is aligned. Then the real conversation starts in the hallway, on a private call, or in a message thread. People ask what a decision really means. Someone raises a concern they never mentioned in the room. Another person says what they wished they had said. Side conversations aren’t always evidence of dysfunction. People need time to process. But when the most honest discussion consistently happens elsewhere, the meeting may be missing something important. We’ve explored silence as a cultural signal in The Human Shift. Pay attention to where candor goes when it doesn’t feel possible in the formal room. A Reframe A meeting can end with agreement and still leave people uncertain or unheard. One Simple Practice Before closing your next meeting, ask: "What concern have we not given enough space to?’" Then wait long enough for a real answer. What This Looks Like In Practice A leadership team approves a new process with little discussion. Later, several managers privately question whether their teams can implement it. At the next meeting, the chair asks for practical objections before asking for agreement. The plan improves before rollout. Question to Consider Where do the most candid conversations in your organization actually happen? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Have you ever learned more in the conversation after a meeting than in the meeting itself?

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By Nika White • October 19, 2026
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By Nika White • October 12, 2026
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By Nika White • October 5, 2026
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The Pace People Borrow From You. Your Team Notices Your Rhythm More Than Your Schedule

By Nika White • September 28, 2026
Leaders often influence pace without realizing it. The speed of your responses. The urgency in your voice. How quickly you move from one meeting to the next. How often you say, "We need this right away." People notice. Then they adjust. Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored the tension between speed and clarity . Pace is different from productivity. Pace is the emotional rhythm people begin to adopt simply by working around you. If everything feels urgent to you, it eventually feels urgent to everyone else. A Reframe People don't just respond to your priorities. They respond to your pace. One Simple Practice Before beginning your next meeting, ask yourself, "What pace does this conversation actually need?" Not every discussion deserves urgency. Some deserve room to think. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader starts opening meetings with sixty seconds of quiet before diving into discussion. At first it feels unusual. Within a few weeks, people arrive more focused, interrupt each other less, and make decisions with greater confidence. The work isn't slower. It's steadier. Question to Consider If someone matched your pace every day, what would their work experience feel like? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What pace are you setting that others may be quietly adopting?

Repair Builds More Trust Than Perfection - People rarely expect flawless leaders. They do remember honest ones.

By Nika White • September 21, 2026
Every leader gets it wrong sometimes. A conversation comes across differently than intended. A decision has unintended consequences. Someone leaves feeling overlooked. The mistake itself isn't usually what determines trust. What happens next often does. Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored leadership aftermath and the emotional tone people carry after interactions. Repair is one of the most powerful ways to change that aftermath. It communicates something every healthy culture needs to hear. "We can acknowledge what happened without pretending it didn't." A Reframe Trust isn't built because mistakes never happen. It's built because people know they won't be ignored when they do. One Simple Practice Think about one recent interaction that doesn't sit quite right. Reach back out. A simple, "I've been thinking about our conversation, and I'd like to check in," can reopen trust. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader realizes she interrupted a team member several times during a meeting. The next morning she stops by his office. "I don't think I gave your perspective enough space yesterday. I'd like to hear the rest of your thoughts." The conversation lasts ten minutes. The impact lasts much longer. Question to Consider What conversation might be waiting for a repair instead of an explanation? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Has someone ever repaired a conversation with you in a way you'll never forget?

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By Nika White • September 8, 2026
Many leaders feel pressure to have answers. It's understandable. People look to leaders for direction, especially when things feel uncertain. But some of the most influential leaders I've worked with ask better questions instead of giving faster answers. Questions create space. Answers often close it. Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored how people respond to a leader's presence before they respond to their words . Curiosity creates a different kind of presence. It tells people their perspective matters before a solution is ever offered. A Reframe The goal isn't to have the smartest answer. The goal is to create the kind of conversation where better thinking becomes possible. One Simple Practice The next time someone brings you a challenge, resist solving it immediately. Instead ask, "What do you think is most important for us to understand before we decide what to do?" Then listen. What This Looks Like In Practice A manager walks into a meeting ready to solve a recurring team issue. Instead of offering her recommendation first, she invites the team to share what they're noticing. The conversation uncovers a pattern no one had previously connected. The solution becomes stronger because more people helped build it. Question to Consider Do people leave conversations with you feeling like they contributed or simply received direction? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. When was the last time a thoughtful question changed your perspective?

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By Nika White • August 31, 2026
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By Nika White • August 24, 2026
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The Emotional Tone You Leave Behind - Why people often remember the feeling more than the conversation

By Nika White • August 17, 2026
Most leaders spend a lot of time thinking about what they're going to say. They prepare for difficult conversations. They organize their thoughts. They choose their words carefully. All of that matters. But long after people forget the details of the conversation, they usually remember something else. They remember how they felt. Did they leave feeling encouraged? Did they leave feeling smaller? Did they leave feeling trusted? Did they leave feeling like they had to be careful? Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored the idea of leadership aftermath. What people carry after interacting with you shapes culture in ways that are easy to overlook because they happen quietly. Most leaders don't intentionally create emotional tone. They create it anyway. A Reframe Every interaction leaves something behind. The question isn't whether you're shaping the emotional climate. It's what you're leaving in it. One Simple Practice At the end of your next one-on-one meeting, don't evaluate what you said first. Instead ask yourself: "If I were on the other side of that conversation, how would I describe how it felt?" Notice what comes to mind before you analyze it. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader finishes a performance conversation feeling relieved because she finally addressed a difficult issue. Later that day she asks herself how the conversation may have felt for the employee. She realizes she spent most of the meeting explaining expectations and very little time asking questions. The next conversation feels different because she changes the experience, not just the message. Question to Consider When people leave a conversation with you, what do you hope they carry with them? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Think about a leader you've never forgotten. What do you remember most: what they said or how they consistently made you feel?