Blog
Visiting Singapore via the Liberty Fellowship and Aspen Institute
In 2021, the Liberty Fellowship selected me for its Class of 2023 after a rigorous nomination and interview process. The fellowship is a community of leaders who've committed to creating a better future for all people in South Carolina. While being specific to South...
Landing a Unique Fulbright Specialist Project in Uzbekistan
I never thought the Fulbright program or the country of Uzbekistan would be part of my life's journey. However, this changed in 2022 when I spent about a month in Tashkent, Uzbekistan completing a Fulbright Specialist project. Me in November 2022, introducing myself...
Lose weight and treat yourself better with this formula
In the summer of 2021, I celebrated a milestone birthday in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains with my husband. I'd told him I wanted a low-key birthday with plenty of quiet, and he delivered. One of my surprises was an incredible picnic curated by the Asheville...
Underrepresented Inventors Need Fair Access to the Patent System
Around 2015, I excitedly downloaded iDiversicons on my iphone 5. The $0.99 app, invented by a Black woman named Katrina Parrott, let me choose emojis with diverse skin tones for the first time ever. While it seems like a no-brainer today, it was IMPOSSIBLE to find...
Starting A Side Hustle While Working Full Time
Ever had an idea at work and thought, "now that would make a good side hustle"? That idea could be the start of your business, even if you don't see yourself as an entrepreneur. You're on your way to Oprah-status, hun. Today on Handle Your Business, leadership expert...
3 Signs You Need a Mental Health Break (and why I took one)
Think creating a new business, project, or revenue stream requires non-stop hustling, grinding and putting your mental health on the backseat? It certainly feels that way in a world filled with *influencers* and hustle-culture peddlers. Of course, pursuing any...
10 Ways to Repurpose Content like Nicki Minaj
Think you have to have to create new content each and every time you post on social media? To quote Nicki Minaj in Seeing Green, "who could ever supply it?" In short, this is nearly impossible (at least not without a serious lack of sleep). You should consider...
How to avoid mistakes when searching for a patent lawyer
9 times out of 10, if I mention that I'm a registered patent lawyer to someone, three things happen: First, they get a huge smile on their face. Second, they immediately tell me that they have an idea that needs to be patented. Third, the heavens open up and spirited...
Increase the odds of getting what you want with goal setting
https://youtu.be/FXYLov9F29s Earlier this year, I was desperate to learn how to increase the odds of getting what you want with goal setting. This started because I randomly clicked on my old, mostly-unrealized list of goals on my laptop. In 2016 and 2017, I set the...
Starting a Thriving Side Hustle in a Pandemic with Anne T. Griffin
Anne T. Griffin, a product professional in tech and founder of Pivot Grow Hustle, shares her experience starting a business during the COVID-19 pandemic while working full time. This conversation was AWESOME! Anne is very open about how she got started, what helped...
#42: How the Founder of Til Death Do You Tweet is Creating Her Own Path to Her Purpose
Stephanie Humphrey, also known as Tech Life Steph, visited the Shontavia Show to discuss navigating her career path, finding her God-given purpose, and knowing when it's time to stay or pivot. Stephanie is currently a technology contributor for ABC News where she...
#41: How women of color can survive and thrive in 2020
Well, it's been a minute. Between the anti-racism protests, COVID, the 2020 election, #ENDSARS, and everything else, life has been one huge, unpredictable roller coaster. Your girl has been watching, waiting, and taking some downtime. Some of it has felt like...
+30 Business and Entrepreneurship Podcasts by Black Women
Black women are starting businesses at a higher rate than any other group in the United States. In a world that won't pay us equitably or treat us fairly in the workplace, this makes a whooooole lotta sense to ME. We are unapologetically changing the entrepreneurship...
Just Get Started With Your Business Idea
Once you have your business idea, how long should you sit on it? What should you do? In this video, I explain why, no matter how unprepared you are or uncomfortable you feel, you should just. get. started.
#40: Building A Million Dollar Startup as a Woman of Color with Denise Woodard, CEO of Partake Foods
In a country where Black women receive 0.0006% of all venture capital funding, Denise Woodard is shattering fundraising records and attracting lots of attention in the process. The first Black woman entrepreneur to raise $1 million for a food startup, Denise started...
How to Ask for What You Want as an Entrepreneur
As an entrepreneur, how do you answer the question, "what can I do to help you?" I flubbed on my answer recently on an episode of Hear to Slay with Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom, and I've spent some time thinking about what I...
3 Business Marketing Lessons from Cardi B
Listen, standing out in a crowded market is H.A.R.D., even if you already have a big platform. Especially right now, when COVID-19, protests, and presidential elections have all of our attention. Cardi B put on a masterclass for...
How to Answer the Question “What Do You Do?”
Every working professional has heard the question, "so what do you do?" In this video, I give you a simple two-step formula for answering this question. Don't just throw out your job title. Instead, quickly tell someone: Who you help, and...
#38: Building your personal brand and getting a major book deal while working full-time, with Kanika Tolver
The concept of being an "entrepreneur" is glorified in the media when in reality, entrepreneurship ain't for everybody. While I don't believe everybody has to be an entrepreneur, I do believe everybody should be entrepreneurial. Kanika Tolver, the CEO & Author of...
How to Start a Business for Under $500
Starting a business for less than $500 is possible. Here's what I would do with a $500 budget: Register a business with the secretary of state's office of my choice. Open a business bank account. Buy some NOLO books (but also find a lawyer...
Lessons for Creators from Issa Rae
"Just get started" is pretty common advice, but sometimes it can be hard to take it seriously when the person saying it has been on the top of their industry or field for so long. The struggle years seem long behind them and it's reeeeeal...
Visiting Singapore via the Liberty Fellowship and Aspen Institute
In 2021, the Liberty Fellowship selected me for its Class of 2023 after a rigorous nomination and interview process. The fellowship is a community of leaders who've committed to creating a better future for all people in South Carolina. While being specific to South...
Landing a Unique Fulbright Specialist Project in Uzbekistan
I never thought the Fulbright program or the country of Uzbekistan would be part of my life's journey. However, this changed in 2022 when I spent about a month in Tashkent, Uzbekistan completing a Fulbright Specialist project. Me in November 2022, introducing myself...
Lose weight and treat yourself better with this formula
In the summer of 2021, I celebrated a milestone birthday in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains with my husband. I'd told him I wanted a low-key birthday with plenty of quiet, and he delivered. One of my surprises was an incredible picnic curated by the Asheville...
Underrepresented Inventors Need Fair Access to the Patent System
Around 2015, I excitedly downloaded iDiversicons on my iphone 5. The $0.99 app, invented by a Black woman named Katrina Parrott, let me choose emojis with diverse skin tones for the first time ever. While it seems like a no-brainer today, it was IMPOSSIBLE to find...
Starting A Side Hustle While Working Full Time
Ever had an idea at work and thought, "now that would make a good side hustle"? That idea could be the start of your business, even if you don't see yourself as an entrepreneur. You're on your way to Oprah-status, hun. Today on Handle Your Business, leadership expert...
3 Signs You Need a Mental Health Break (and why I took one)
Think creating a new business, project, or revenue stream requires non-stop hustling, grinding and putting your mental health on the backseat? It certainly feels that way in a world filled with *influencers* and hustle-culture peddlers. Of course, pursuing any...
10 Ways to Repurpose Content like Nicki Minaj
Think you have to have to create new content each and every time you post on social media? To quote Nicki Minaj in Seeing Green, "who could ever supply it?" In short, this is nearly impossible (at least not without a serious lack of sleep). You should consider...
How to avoid mistakes when searching for a patent lawyer
9 times out of 10, if I mention that I'm a registered patent lawyer to someone, three things happen: First, they get a huge smile on their face. Second, they immediately tell me that they have an idea that needs to be patented. Third, the heavens open up and spirited...
Increase the odds of getting what you want with goal setting
https://youtu.be/FXYLov9F29s Earlier this year, I was desperate to learn how to increase the odds of getting what you want with goal setting. This started because I randomly clicked on my old, mostly-unrealized list of goals on my laptop. In 2016 and 2017, I set the...
Starting a Thriving Side Hustle in a Pandemic with Anne T. Griffin
Anne T. Griffin, a product professional in tech and founder of Pivot Grow Hustle, shares her experience starting a business during the COVID-19 pandemic while working full time. This conversation was AWESOME! Anne is very open about how she got started, what helped...
#42: How the Founder of Til Death Do You Tweet is Creating Her Own Path to Her Purpose
Stephanie Humphrey, also known as Tech Life Steph, visited the Shontavia Show to discuss navigating her career path, finding her God-given purpose, and knowing when it's time to stay or pivot. Stephanie is currently a technology contributor for ABC News where she...
#41: How women of color can survive and thrive in 2020
Well, it's been a minute. Between the anti-racism protests, COVID, the 2020 election, #ENDSARS, and everything else, life has been one huge, unpredictable roller coaster. Your girl has been watching, waiting, and taking some downtime. Some of it has felt like...
+30 Business and Entrepreneurship Podcasts by Black Women
Black women are starting businesses at a higher rate than any other group in the United States. In a world that won't pay us equitably or treat us fairly in the workplace, this makes a whooooole lotta sense to ME. We are unapologetically changing the entrepreneurship...
Just Get Started With Your Business Idea
Once you have your business idea, how long should you sit on it? What should you do? In this video, I explain why, no matter how unprepared you are or uncomfortable you feel, you should just. get. started.
#40: Building A Million Dollar Startup as a Woman of Color with Denise Woodard, CEO of Partake Foods
In a country where Black women receive 0.0006% of all venture capital funding, Denise Woodard is shattering fundraising records and attracting lots of attention in the process. The first Black woman entrepreneur to raise $1 million for a food startup, Denise started...
How to Ask for What You Want as an Entrepreneur
As an entrepreneur, how do you answer the question, "what can I do to help you?" I flubbed on my answer recently on an episode of Hear to Slay with Roxane Gay and Tressie McMillan Cottom, and I've spent some time thinking about what I...
3 Business Marketing Lessons from Cardi B
Listen, standing out in a crowded market is H.A.R.D., even if you already have a big platform. Especially right now, when COVID-19, protests, and presidential elections have all of our attention. Cardi B put on a masterclass for...
How to Answer the Question “What Do You Do?”
Every working professional has heard the question, "so what do you do?" In this video, I give you a simple two-step formula for answering this question. Don't just throw out your job title. Instead, quickly tell someone: Who you help, and...
#38: Building your personal brand and getting a major book deal while working full-time, with Kanika Tolver
The concept of being an "entrepreneur" is glorified in the media when in reality, entrepreneurship ain't for everybody. While I don't believe everybody has to be an entrepreneur, I do believe everybody should be entrepreneurial. Kanika Tolver, the CEO & Author of...
How to Start a Business for Under $500
Starting a business for less than $500 is possible. Here's what I would do with a $500 budget: Register a business with the secretary of state's office of my choice. Open a business bank account. Buy some NOLO books (but also find a lawyer...
Lessons for Creators from Issa Rae
"Just get started" is pretty common advice, but sometimes it can be hard to take it seriously when the person saying it has been on the top of their industry or field for so long. The struggle years seem long behind them and it's reeeeeal...