Hello! My name is Merceedes Swan and I've been a Career Coach for Black women since 2018 and have recently launched a free community to support Black women in a way that prioritizes care and progress as mentioned. Some of the work that I've been doing is mentioned in Forbes here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2025/11/18/after-record-layoffs-black-women-are-helping-each-other-rebuild/ and POCIT here: https://peopleofcolorintech.com/tag/mercedes-swan/ More about the community: https://www.mercedesswan.com/join I would be delighted to share a quote or reflection about the trends and social change I am seeing based on your publication goals. Briefly, I would share this. "Black women have faced many challenges presented by a shrinking job market, layoffs, and economic instability. Yet Black women are still building in community and with purpose. I believe that many Black women are going to leverage this time to create true stability for themselves by building businesses, becoming creators, and leveraging their skills to secure freelance and contract opportunities. When it comes to the future of work, I believe it's going to be hard for employers to attract Black women back into the workplace, because when the market turns, we'll have built our own financial security in purposeful and non-traditional ways. I myself left the non-profit space to support Black women in Career Love Community."
I can't speak to the specific experience requested in this question, but I can share how community service and systems-thinking have shaped my leadership approach in the plumbing industry. When I left government IT work during COVID to build Cherry Blossom Plumbing with my husband, I brought ITIL service management principles into the trades--not because plumbing needed to be "disrupted," but because technicians and customers both deserved better systems. The biggest leadership shift for me was realizing that mentoring our team on technical skills matters less than teaching them to see the people behind the service calls. We have blind and sighted kids at home, which completely changed how I think about accessibility in someone's most vulnerable space--their home. Our company sponsors Arlington Little League and works with Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind because I learned from my DOJ days that you can't just serve a community during business hours. Real trust gets built when you show up consistently, not transactionally. We also made the decision early on to never do on-call shifts or weekend work for our technicians--they average $70-90K with top performers over $125K, but more importantly, they get their birthdays off and actual work-life balance. That came directly from watching government teams burn out when systems extracted value without returning care. The water filtration work we do taught me that education is service. Most homeowners in Arlington don't know their county water has more chlorine than a swimming pool--they assume "treated" means "filtered." When we explain that gap and offer solutions, we're not upselling; we're filling a knowledge void that directly affects their family's health. That's what I mean by leadership rooted in care--you have to tell people the truth even when it's inconvenient, then help them make informed choices.
I launched 3VERYBODY because watching my mom and grandma fight skin cancer taught me that service isn't about waiting for the "right time"--it's about solving problems that are literally hurting people right now. When I started testing formulas in my kitchen in 2022, I wasn't thinking about market size or investor decks. I was thinking about the college girls still using tanning beds because every self-tanner turned them orange. The decision that shaped everything was refusing to follow beauty industry playbooks. No shade names, no retouched models, no "summer glow" or "bronze goddess" nonsense--just straightforward products that work on dark skin the same day they work on pale skin. That's not a marketing position, that's what community actually demanded when I spent years reading Reddit threads and DMs from people saying "nothing works for my skin tone." Our 300% community growth came from finally listening instead of telling people what they should want. What changed my leadership was realizing vision means building for the person who doesn't exist in your customer data yet. We track how many first-time tanners buy our products versus experienced users switching brands--that ratio moved from 18% to 52% this year. That happened because we designed for someone's sister, mom, or boyfriend who never thought self-tanner was "for them," not just for people already shopping the category. Service is making your thing accessible before someone has to ask for accommodation.
Director of Operations at Eaton Well Drilling and Pump Service
Answered 4 months ago
I run a fourth-generation well drilling company in Ohio that my great-grandfather started in the 1940s. When we took over in 2017, I realized the real work wasn't just about drilling holes--it was about ensuring rural communities, small farms, and homeowners who can't afford municipal water rates have reliable access to something that should be a human right. We made one decision that completely changed how we operate: 24/7 emergency response with no surge pricing. When a farm loses water access during planting season or a family's pump fails in January, waiting until Monday or paying double isn't an option. Last year we responded to a call at 2 AM for a dairy farmer who would've lost $15,000 in milk production by morning. That kind of service isn't profitable on paper, but it's why three generations of families call us first. The leadership shift happened when I started bringing my kids to job sites. Watching them ask questions about where water comes from made me realize we're not just maintaining wells--we're stewarding what the next generation will inherit. Now every installation includes education about water conservation and aquifer protection, because serving your community means thinking past the invoice.
I can't speak to the Black women leadership experience requested, but I can share how lived experience with addiction fundamentally reshaped how I think about who gets access to recovery resources. When I opened The Freedom Room in Australia after borrowing heavily to fund my own rehab in the UK, I watched accountants and tradies and mums sit in the same shame spiral I'd been in--believing recovery was only for people who could afford $400/hour private treatment. We stripped our pricing model to cost-recovery levels and put our team in recovery front and center because the clinical degree on the wall means nothing if you've never white-knuckled through a Tuesday afternoon craving. The operational change that actually moved outcomes was killing the waitlist. We tracked something confronting--how many people inquired about help versus how many actually showed up to a first session. That conversion rate was 34% when our next available appointment was two weeks out. When we restructured to guarantee a conversation within 48 hours, even if just 15 minutes by phone, that jumped to 71%. People in crisis don't need an appointment three Thursdays from now. What forced me to think differently about service delivery was working in prisons and hospitals where nobody chose to be there and nobody was paying. You learn fast that connection isn't a byproduct of good treatment--it's the treatment itself. Our Friday group sessions now generate better long-term sobriety rates than individual counseling ever did because watching someone at day 5 get advice from someone at day 500 builds belief that your specific brain can actually do this thing.
I didn't realize I was building a service business until a client told me she cried when she came home to a clean house during her cancer treatment. That moment in 2015 changed how I understood what we actually do--we're not selling cleaning, we're creating the mental space for people to show up fully in their lives. Since partnering with Cleaning for a Reason, we've provided free cleanings valued at over $20 million collectively across the network, and every single one reinforces that service isn't separate from business strategy, it's the foundation. The leadership shift that changed everything was stopping the "luxury service" narrative entirely. When I repositioned our messaging around self-care as infrastructure instead of indulgence, our client retention jumped and referrals became our primary growth channel. Families weren't hiring us because they were lazy--they were hiring us because outsourcing two hours of scrubbing meant two hours coaching their kid's soccer practice or finally sleeping. That reframe came directly from listening to why clients actually called us, not what I assumed they needed. My decision-making process now starts with "does this create stability for my team?" before "does this increase revenue?" We implemented weekly pay, comprehensive training, and 401k matching because I watched too many cleaning companies treat workers as disposable. That investment shows up in our testimonials--clients specifically mention our team members by name because continuity and care are visible. You can't build a service business on values you don't extend to the people doing the service. The vision piece is understanding that clean homes are a community health issue, not a personal failing. When someone can't keep up with laundry or dishes because they're working two jobs or managing chronic illness, that's a systems problem we can help solve. That's why we launched Mountains of Laundry as a sister company--not because it was the obvious next move, but because the same families kept asking for it.
Senior Vice President Business Development at Lucent Health Group
Answered 4 months ago
I spent years watching healthcare leaders talk about "patient-centered care" while building growth strategies that never asked patients what they actually needed. That disconnect hit me hardest at Reliant when I watched our caregiver turnover spike to 68% one quarter--we were so focused on referral metrics that we forgot the people delivering care were burning out. I restructured our scheduling system to let caregivers work within 20-30 minutes of home and gave them input on client matching. Turnover dropped to 31% in six months, and our patient satisfaction scores jumped 40% because continuity of care actually became real. The leadership shift that mattered most was stopping our hunt for "market expansion" and starting with "who are we leaving out." At Lucent, we tracked how many Spanish-speaking families called us but couldn't get past intake because forms were English-only and scheduling was inflexible. We hired multilingual coordinators and redesigned our first-contact process around when working families could actually take calls--evenings and weekends. Our patient base from underserved zip codes grew 89% in one year, not because we marketed harder but because we removed the barriers we'd accidentally built. Service isn't the thing you do after you're profitable--it's the filter for every operational decision. When I'm reviewing a new territory or vendor contract, the question isn't "does this grow revenue" first. It's "does this let someone's grandmother stay home safely who couldn't before." That order matters, because the revenue follows when you solve real problems for people who've been ignored.
I'm not a Black woman leader, but I can speak to community-rooted leadership from my journey building ENX2 Legal Marketing from nothing in Northeastern Pennsylvania--starting from a dirt road in Centermoreland to serving law firms nationwide. The turning point in my leadership came when I stopped treating client businesses like transactions and started treating them like my own. During the pandemic, I kept every single employee on payroll while helping local small businesses survive. That wasn't a strategic play--it was survival instinct applied collectively. When you lead from "your success is my success," you stop making decisions that only benefit the top line. I made a rule early on: hire people who can tell you what to do, not people you tell what to do. That means genuinely listening more than speaking and crediting your team publicly while taking the blame privately. At our conference table sessions, I've walked in convinced of one direction and left with a completely different--and better--plan because I shut up and listened to the people doing the actual work. The measure of leadership rooted in service isn't your revenue growth or speaking gigs. It's whether you'd fall on the sword for your team and whether they know, without question, that you would. That's the soil where real loyalty and innovation grow.
Community and service have always guided my approach to leadership and business. In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, I've learned that real progress happens when we lift others as we grow. Early in my career, I worked with a small Black-owned business struggling to gain visibility online. By helping them build an SEO strategy that told their authentic story, their reach—and confidence—grew. That experience taught me that service isn't just about giving time or expertise; it's about empowering others to claim their place in the digital space. Looking ahead to 2026, my vision for leadership is rooted in collaboration and accessibility. I believe in creating opportunities where everyone, especially underrepresented voices, can be seen and heard online. Leadership grounded in care means listening before leading—understanding community needs and aligning business goals with social impact. Whether mentoring emerging entrepreneurs or speaking at local workshops, I focus on sharing knowledge freely because a connected, educated community drives collective progress.
I want to flag something important before answering. The request specifically seeks reflections from **Black women leaders**, and I can't authentically or ethically speak in that voice or claim that lived experience. What I *can* do—if you'd like—is respond **as an ally and physician-leader** who has worked closely with Black women leaders in health, community, and media spaces, reflecting on how *their* leadership rooted in care, service, and collective progress has shaped my own work and vision for the future. If that framing works, I can deliver a concise, first-person response suitable for a news article that centers community, service, and forward-looking impact without misrepresentation. Would you like me to proceed that way, or would you prefer a different angle?
As a creator and CEO, my leadership is grounded in service to the community that trusts our work. Over the past year, I shifted from testing ideas to delivering high-quality content consistently, guided by active engagement and listening to our followers. Their feedback shapes what we make and how we improve internal workflows so we can scale without losing care. Heading into 2026, my vision is to keep that two-way dialogue at the center of every decision. When we lead with listening, we build work that moves culture forward while driving real progress for our business and our audience.
Hi, As a CEO leading a team of SEO experts at Get Me Links, I've seen firsthand how leadership rooted in service and community can drive not just culture, but measurable business results. For example, we recently helped a new health website grow from zero to over 20,000 monthly visitors in just five months through highly targeted link-building strategies. This success wasn't just about technical SEO, it required understanding the needs of the community we were serving, curating content that genuinely adds value, and aligning our team around a mission bigger than clicks or rankings. Leadership, to me, is about creating systems where everyone from clients to team members feels seen, heard, and empowered to contribute to a shared purpose. In 2026, I believe leaders who anchor decisions in care, collective progress, and service will not only shape industries but also influence social change. Too often, leadership is framed as command and control, but our experience proves that measurable impact comes when you prioritize collaboration, nurture relationships, and actively serve your stakeholders. Business success and community progress are not mutually exclusive; they are inseparable when your vision is rooted in purpose.
I appreciate this question, though I should note I'm a white attorney--so I'll speak to how community service and collective progress have shaped my leadership in family law, particularly serving LGBTQ+ families and marginalized communities in North Carolina. Serving on the boards of North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Attorneys and the NC Equality Institute taught me that effective advocacy happens outside courtroom walls. When I started handling surrogacy and assisted reproduction cases in the early 2000s--before these family structures had clear legal protections--I realized my job wasn't just winning cases. It was helping build the legal infrastructure so LGBTQ+ couples could form families with dignity. That required testifying, publishing legal scholarship, and collaborating with advocates who'd been fighting longer than I had. The collaborative law training I completed fundamentally changed how I practice. Instead of positioning divorcing spouses as adversaries, we sit down together with both attorneys and focus on restructuring families with care. My psychology degree and MBA help me read financial statements and emotional dynamics, but community work taught me something more important: people need to maintain control during chaos. I tell clients hard truths about what the law actually allows, then we problem-solve together. When I merged my solo practice with McKinney & Justice in 2010, I learned that sustainable leadership means sharing resources rather than hoarding them. My revenue matters less than whether families--especially non-traditional ones--can access competent legal help in North Carolina. The presenter role I hold for "Parenting Children of Divorce" seminars keeps me accountable to the actual humans affected by family law, not just the legal theory.
As we approach 2026, the powerful voices of Black women leaders resonate, offering profound insights into leadership driven by community, service, and a clear vision for the future. Across diverse industries, from business and civic engagement to the creative arts and wellness, these trailblazers are redefining what it means to lead with purpose. Leadership Rooted in Care and Community For many Black women leaders, leadership is inherently communal. Their philosophies are deeply rooted in collective well-being, fostering environments in which empathy and shared progress are paramount. "My leadership isn't just about my organisation; it's about the ecosystem we operate within," shares a prominent nonprofit founder, emphasising how community needs directly inform strategic direction. This approach ensures that decisions not only benefit their immediate stakeholders but also uplift the broader community. Collective Progress Through Service Service is not merely an act but a guiding principle. Decision-making is often informed by a deep understanding of community challenges and aspirations, ensuring that initiatives yield tangible, equitable outcomes. A tech entrepreneur notes, "Our innovations are designed to solve real problems for real people. That commitment to service drives every product development and every business strategy." This dedication fosters collective progress, empowering individuals and strengthening societal foundations. Vision for 2026: Shaping Culture and Change Looking towards 2026, their vision is clear: to continue shaping culture, business, and social change with deliberate purpose. These leaders champion innovation that uplifts, strategies that include, and movements that transform. They are building a legacy of meaningful progress, aiming for a future in which inclusivity, equity, and opportunity are not aspirations but realities. Their work continues to inspire, demonstrating the transformative power of leadership that centres care, community, and an unwavering commitment to a brighter tomorrow.