NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2025 ISSUE PREVIEW
TECHNOLOGY
Can AI really replace your team? The truth about AI agents for small business
by John Lawson
Here’s the thing nobody’s talking about: AI agents aren’t coming for your employees’ jobs. They’re coming for the boring, repetitive crap that’s keeping your team from doing what they do best.
BUSINESS & CAREER
Ignite your sales momentum though the holidays: The high-touch conversion strategies
by Laura Wagenknecht
The secret to converting clients from interested prospects to committed buyers this holiday season lies in embracing a High-Touch Conversion Strategy that hinges on three powerful, personal actions.
MONEY & FINANCE
The invisible cost of year-end planning: Healing financial trauma before 2026
by D. Cherelle Cohens, MBA
How we end the year often mirrors how we have been conditioned to measure our worth, our risk, and our success. That hidden pattern is what I call financial trauma, the unspoken emotional history that shapes how we relate to money, opportunity, and even ourselves.
BUSINESS & CAREER
The Catalyst Program: Welcoming a new director and the next cohort of businesses with big opportunities
A key component of the program is the Catalyst Cohort, an entrepreneurship program to provide ongoing business and leadership skills development. Now in its sixth year, more than 60 business owners have moved through the program.
sponsored by
BUSINESS & CAREER
Unseen, unsupported, and unstoppable
by Dr. Leslye Kornegay
Research confirms what many of us already know: Black women are the least likely group to have sponsors in the workplace. According to a McKinsey & Company report, while 59% of white men report having strong sponsors, only 19% of Black women say the same. That gap translates into lost promotions, stagnant pay, missed visibility, and fewer strategic roles.
EMPOWERING YOUR LIFE
Becoming "Her" through movement: My journey into pilates and purpose
by Patricia Waters
What started as a way to relieve back pain quickly became so much more. Pilates helped me physically; my back grew stronger, my posture improved, and the pain that once held me back began to fade. But it also helped me emotionally and mentally.
health & wellness
Wake up refreshed: Simple ways to begin your morning
Instead of waking with dread to face another hectic morning, consider these tips for a healthier way to ease into your daily rituals.
BUSINESS & CAREER
3 tips to strengthen your networking relationships
by Chi Chi Okezie
Building quality and meaningful relationships takes time, energy, and resources, as well as developing a viable network through strong relationships. Relationships make all the difference in networking.
HOME & FAMILY
Anticipating grief
by Tina Tursi Holmes, CFSP
Living my dream life, I was suddenly pushed onto an unfamiliar path. After more than 30 years as a funeral service professional and patient advocate, guiding families through end-of-life choices, communicating with healthcare teams, and planning meaningful services, I became the person who needed guidance.
BUSINESS & CAREER
The courage to come back: Overcoming the fears of returning to school
by Daryl D. Green and Tristan Jones
There are countless opportunities for adults to go back to school but fear often stands in the way. This column explores how adult learners can overcome their fears for returning to school. Fear is at home in the hearts of many adult learners. Yet, once identified, fear can be faced and overcome.
EMPOWERING YOUR LIFE
Freedom on paper, control in practice: The reality of being a woman in North Carolina
by Whitley English
On paper, women in North Carolina are free. The laws say we’re equal. The courts say we’re protected. But when you live it day to day, freedom often feels conditional — like it’s offered with one hand and taken back with the other. Behind the words “justice” and “rights,” too many women are still fighting to simply exist without fear, exhaustion, or control.
EMPOWERING YOUR LIFE
The Release & Renew Action Plan: 2025 strong, beginning 2026 stronger
by Dwayne Meeks
Before you rush into resolutions or next year’s plans, pause and breathe. You made it through another year of lessons, losses, love, and learning. This is your moment to slow down, reflect, and reset to close 2025 not with burnout or regret, but with gratitude, awareness, and purpose.
ARTS & CULTURE
Living between worlds
by Punam Medina
Migration has given us opportunity, education, and safety. But it has also scattered us. The spaces that once bound us together, such as temple gatherings, weddings that lasted for days, community pujas, and shared kitchens, are harder to come by here. The fabric of belonging has loosened, thread by thread, in the name of progress and mobility.
EMPOWERING YOUR LIFE
Becoming your own advocate: Building inner confidence for a new season
by Tymeka Y. Whiteside, MA, BCC
In a world where expectations often drown out authenticity, learning to become your own advocate is an act of healing. Many people understand imposter syndrome — the persistent belief that they are undeserving of their accomplishments. Those feelings often spark self-doubt, anxiety, and burnout, particularly among high-performing professionals.
ARTS & CULTURE
The uncharted parallels: The power of environment, community, and culture
by Niconda Garcia
Community is more than a group of people — it’s the heartbeat of shared understanding, of how we move collectively with purpose while embracing individual differences. It thrives on trust, compassion, and empathy, guiding how we connect and grow together. The environments in which we live and work equally shape our capacity to evolve.
EMPOWERING YOUR LIFE
Living out loud and taking up space: A holiday guide for Black women
by Dr. Ravin Gore-Overby
Leadership at its core isn’t about being followed. It’s about helping others rise. It is about unleashing the magic in other people.
You make steps towards becoming a respected leader when you are able to focus on how to empowers others. How do you make them better? One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is believing their title automatically grants them respect. But what qualifies as respect?
Respect is inclusion. Respect is communication. Respect is emphatic. And respect is earned, not given. Following are some ways you gain respect as a leader through showing others how to operate as their highest selves.
Feature Spotlights
ARTIST
MATEO LAMITOLA
Teo Lami Art
Founder & Owner
Asheville, NC
"I like to make art that gives you the warm fuzzies for just enough of a moment of your day to make you smile."
BUSINESS
RAYNETTA AND COMPANY ENTERPRISE, LLC
Raynetta Waters
Founder, Owner, & President
Asheville, NC
"I like working with my employees, getting to know them, and being able to challenge them to think about their next move; and letting them know that they can be a successful business owner also."
sponsored by
COMMUNITY MEMBER
DANIELLE LEWIS
HBCU STEM Education Run LLC
Founder, Owner, & CEO
Pell City, AL
"There is a lack of comprehensive resources tailored specifically for HBCU students, plus the dynamics of being a minority in the STEM fields, often leaves them to navigate these challenges largely on their own. Through HBCU STEM Education Run, I aim to fill this gap by providing targeted support through scholarships and workshops designed to empower these students."
COMMUNITY MEMBER
NICONDA GARCIA
Change the Rubric Ltd
Founder & Owner
Asheville, NC
"At Change the Rubric Ltd., we push beyond traditional models and create new pathways for self-discovery, leadership development, and navigating complex environments. We design experiences that encourage people to explore who they are and how they lead in spaces where authenticity, purpose, and joy intersect."
