The women in my Happy Black Woman® community all have one thing in common:

The desire to have the life and business of their dreams.

However as Black women, so many of us have what I call “secret desires.”

Secret desires are those longings of your heart that can seem so crazy, so unrealistic and so “out of the box” that you fear saying them out loud, let alone telling anyone else about them.

Do you have any “secret desires” for your life?

I’m proud to say that over the years, I’ve been able to help hundreds of women reignite desires that they’ve had for YEARS.

The desire to experience more fun and excitement in their lives.

The desire to do something meaningful with their gifts, skills and talents.

The desire to have financial abundance and freedom.

The desire to experience a supportive romantic relationship or marriage.

The desire to be fit, healthy and full of energy at any age.

The desire to travel to all the incredible destinations on their vision board.

But maybe you’re like many women and you buried those dreams a long time ago because it’s too painful to face the fact that you’re nowhere close to reaching them.

Or maybe you have goals you’ve forgotten about, given up on or abandoned because “life happened.”

If so, it’s time to get reacquainted with the part of you that knows you’re meant for MORE in life.

To get started with this process, I invite you to do the simple journaling exercise below. It only takes 5 minutes to reignite your dreams and tap into the powerful creative energy that’s necessary for achieving your goals!

Journaling Prompt to Reignite Your Dreams

Get out your journal and write for 5 minutes on what it would look like for you to live the life you really want. Feel free to use the journaling prompt below.

If you could be, do and have ANYTHING you wanted…

• Who would you be? (Example: I would be a confident woman, an amazing wife and a successful business owner!)
• What would you do? (Example: I would travel to Paris, South Africa and Bali, publish my book and quit my job!)
• What would you have? (Example: I would have a dream home near the beach, supportive friends, romantic husband and $100K in the bank!)

Write it all down, no matter how crazy or unrealistic it seems.

Go deep, get honest and give yourself permission to dream.

Then read it OUT LOUD.

Notice where you feel excited, lit up or hopeful.

Those feelings are all the confirmation you need to know that YES, your dreams are real and they are part of you.

They are meant to be fully expressed in THIS lifetime, not to be buried in the graveyard of someday.

Here’s the good news – when you focus on what you WANT (instead of what you don’t want or all your depressing reasons why you think you can’t have it)…it’s only a matter of time before you actually get it!

Choose to live in the energy of abundance.

Decide to believe that your dreams are possible.

And you WILL see your goals manifest into reality.

The post Reignite Your Dreams in 5 Minutes with This Powerful Journaling Prompt appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

If you’ve been showing up on social media but you’re not really seeing results, chances are you might be making one or more of these mistakes!

Mistake #1: Your bio is vague or unclear.

On each social media platform you’re on, your profile and link in bio should instantly tell people who you are, what you do, and how you can help them. Why? Because those keywords in your bio are searchable by your ideal clients! Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs have a bio that doesn’t even mention their business or worse, there’s nothing in their bio at all.

Mistake #2: You post random content.

You’ve been posting content like a regular person, instead of a business owner who wants to get clients. While motivational quotes, viral videos and funny memes are cute, they don’t build a profitable business. If you want more sales from social media, you have to post things that your ideal clients actually want to see!

Mistake #3: You don’t post often enough.

Posting once a week just doesn’t cut it anymore. Social media has changed. Now, it’s about quality AND quantity. People need to hear about your business and your offers over and over again before they buy from you. Not to mention, the social media algorithms actually punish you for not posting frequently!

Inside my Social Media Sales Makeover 30-Day Challenge, I show you exactly how to post with a purpose. Not to win a popularity contest, but to get sales for your business!

This is a 30-day implementation program that will show you exactly how to revamp your online presence, grow your followers, increase your leads and create content that actually converts to clients and sales, not just “likes.

By the end of the challenge, you’ll have clarity on your messaging, a polished social media presence, a clear content plan, and a lead generation system that keeps working for you month after month.

Join the challenge here: https://happyblackwoman.com/smsm-challenge

The post 3 Social Media Mistakes That Keep You From Making Sales appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

But it never made me feel any better.

It actually made me feel worse!

I realized that by writing it down (thinking I was just “venting”), I was reinforcing all those negative emotions, which only made them stronger.

Then, one day I began to use my journal in a different way…

I typically journal in the mornings when I wake up.

I do NOT journal about anything negative.

I only journal about the goals, desires and dreams that I have for my life.

I write only in the affirmative present tense as if what I want is already happening NOW.

Now after I journal, I feel so lit up about my life and what’s possible for me!

Journaling in this way allows me to stay positive and in a high vibration.

I call it “Manifestation Journaling” and it has definitely contributed to my personal and professional transformation over the years.

Of course, there are many other kinds of journaling that are more therapeutic and geared toward getting all of your feelings and emotions out on the page.

This is not that.

Manifestation journaling is the process of connecting to the energy of your vision and affirming your goals every day.

This journaling process has been a valuable tool to help me to stay focused on what I want, instead of giving energy to what I don’t want.

Having this kind of focus has led to me achieving some of my biggest goals, including: quitting my job, building a successful coaching business, generating over $6 million dollars in sales, working with amazing clients, becoming location-independent, traveling to “bucket list” destinations around the world, self-publishing 2 books, paying off my student loans, attracting love into my life and of course, making a difference in the lives of women all over the world!

If you’d like to practice manifestation journaling, I recommend that you begin with some of my favorite prompts to guide you as you transform your mindset and do the work to turn your dreams into reality.

Introducing…The Happy Black Woman® Manifestation Journal

Inside my 104-page digital Happy Black Woman® Manifestation Journal, I’m giving you my exact journaling strategy and 50 of my favorite journaling prompts that will help you master your mindset and create the life of your dreams!

What’s Inside:

• Journal prompts to help you rediscover what you really want
• Journal prompts to help you think bigger about what’s possible for your life
• Journal prompts to help you manifest more money
• Journal prompts to help you cultivate more joy and fun in your life
• Journal prompts help you get into alignment with your purpose
• Journal prompts to help you uplevel your career

The post The Magic of Manifestation Journaling appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

Our very first cohort of Certified Happy Black Woman® Coaches!

These incredible women spent 6 months with me – learning and embodying the Happy Black Woman® Method, my personal transformation process to help women get unstuck and start creating the lives they really want.

They walked through the process for themselves, strengthened their coaching skills, and prepared to guide other women with clarity, confidence and purpose.

And now, they are officially certified!

It was an honor to present each of them with their physical certificates of completion on stage at Happy Black Woman® Weekend in January 2026.

What this means is that they are now trained and equipped to:

• Coach people to achieve their goals using the Happy Black Woman® Method
• Support their clients with the tools, frameworks and process I’ve developed through years of experience, coaching, teaching and transformation work
• Take their coaching businesses to the next level with a proven methodology and a meaningful mission

They said yes to their calling.

They did the work.

And now they are ready to coach you!

Want to work with a coach trained in the Happy Black Woman® Method?

All of our certified coaches have their own niche and expertise, while using a proven coaching framework that gets real results.

Each coach has completed our 6-month coach training, equipping them to help clients evaluate their lives, ignite their purpose, create their vision, transform their mindset and take inspired action to achieve their goals.

If you’d love to explore working with one of our certified coaches, click here to visit our directory and book a free call: https://happyblackwoman.com/coach-directory

P.S. And if you’re interested in becoming a Certified Happy Black Woman® Coach yourself, click here to learn more about the program and apply: https://happyblackwoman.com/certification/

The post Meet Our First Certified Happy Black Woman® Coaches! appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” – Henri Nouwen

Have you ever looked up and realized you’ve been so busy taking care of everything and everyone else that you haven’t really taken care of YOU?

So many of us do this without even noticing. We pour into our work, family, friends, community, etc and somewhere along the way, our own happiness starts slipping further down the list.

We tell ourselves we’ll rest later. We’ll make time for ourselves later. We’ll get back to the things we love later. But later doesn’t usually come on its own.

Happiness is not something that just shows up in the middle of a packed schedule and an overwhelmed mind.

The truth is, we have to constantly make space for what we really want.

We have to choose joy, little by little, in the midst of real life.

So if you’ve been feeling stretched thin or like you’ve been putting yourself last for way too long, here are 4 simple ways to start making room for more happiness in your life.

1. Make a list of all the things that make you happy.

Often, we can get so caught up in work, never-ending responsibilities and taking care of day-to-day adulting that we forget what we’re even living for. That’s why one of my favorite exercises that I use with my clients is the assignment to make a list of “100 things that make you happy.” It’s a great way to remind yourself of what you really enjoy doing, especially if you’ve been living under someone else’s agenda for so long that you feel like you’ve forgotten. What truly makes YOU happy? What kinds of things, people, activities, music, memories, places, foods, smells, make you feel alive? By verbalizing what you want to see more of in your life, you will consciously (or subconsciously) seek it out more often.

2. Carve out a few hours of “me time” every week.

I call this “taking yourself out on a date.” Every week, mark off a few hours on your calendar to spend all by yourself – no work, no kids, no chores, no girlfriends, no Facebook. Use that time to do something that makes YOU happy, regardless of what other people might think. For instance, if you love art museums or foreign films or long walks in the park listening to the birds, go out there and have fun doing it! Stop waiting for “someone to go with” because you’re afraid to go to the movies or to dinner at that new restaurant by yourself. Or, just run a bubble bath or take a long drive into the country to have some peaceful time alone to think.

3. Say “no” to activities you no longer enjoy.

Are you overwhelmed with responsibilities at home, at work, or in your personal relationships? Maybe you find it hard to say “no” when people ask you for favors, even if you barely have enough time for yourself as it is. A great way to change this pattern is to start saying “I would love to help if I could, but I can’t” to things you really and truly don’t want to do. Stop working late. Delegate more. Get rid of all current commitments that no longer bring you joy and start limiting any new commitments to people other than yourself. When you do this, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much happier you’ll be with the commitments in your life that you actually DO care about.

4. Let go of unfulfilling relationships.

Maybe there’s a romantic relationship that you’ve allowed yourself to stay in, only out of fear that you won’t find anyone else. Perhaps you’ve grown far apart from your best friend from high school but you feel guilty about not wanting to hang out with her anymore. Or it could be that it’s time to ditch your Negative Nellie co-worker who’s always bringing you down with her constant problems. Even though it can be tough to let go of these kinds of relationships, it’s better for both parties in the long run. Release unfulfilling relationships with truth and love. Because once you get rid of that baggage, you will have more mental and emotional space to cultivate better relationships in the future.

How can you make room for more happiness in your life? What do you need to let go of so you can have more time to devote to the life you really want?

The post 4 Ways to Make Room for More Happiness in Your Life appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

If you’re feeling confused about why your revenue isn’t stacking up quite yet, don’t sweat it.

In this post, I spill the tea on 3 common reasons why your cash flow might be playing hard to get!

Reason #1: You don’t have a revenue goal that makes sense.

It’s really hard to reach your revenue goal when you haven’t actually defined what it is. I teach my clients to get crystal clear on how much money they want to make for the year and then break it down month by month. In addition, your revenue goal should be based on your past performance, your future projections and what feels “doable” for you vs. impossible to achieve. Successful entrepreneurs have specific revenue goals and then reverse-engineer their marketing and sales strategy to make sure they achieve them!

Reason #2: You don’t have a plan that is aligned with your revenue goal.

When many of my clients first come to me, they have a false belief they are going to be able to make 10K per month by selling low-end offers to a small audience. But the reality is that if you want to earn that kind of money, you have to craft a detailed annual, monthly and weekly plan to ensure that you’re selling the right offers at the right price to the right audience with the right marketing strategy and the right sales process.

Reason #3: You don’t have accountability to help you execute your plan.

Even when you have a plan, it’s still not easy to reach your revenue goal. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, right? The plan needs to be executed consistently so you can see results month after month. Which is why it’s so important to have the right training, coaching and support structures in place. Since my first 6-figure year in 2014, I’ve had access to masterminds, events, mentors and coaching to help me take action every month and adjust my plan when things are not working.

Would you benefit from business coaching?

If you’d love support in launching, relaunching or growing your business, schedule a complimentary Business Breakthrough Session by clicking the button below.

The post 3 Reasons Why You’re Not Making Money in Your Business appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME.

Now, I get it. Everyone is busy.

However, it’s important to know when you’re using your time wisely vs wasting your precious time on things that don’t matter.

Because no matter what your situation is, it’s up to you how to spend the limited time that you DO have.

If you’re been frustrated with your progress in your business, it may be time to take a close look at your calendar and reevaluate your weekly schedule so that you can maximize your productivity.

Here are 6 simple ways to make time for your business, even if you have a demanding full-time job, kids or other responsibilities.

1. Use mornings before work.

I call this the “morning 5 to 9.” Block out a few hours between 5am and 9am to complete tasks for your business. Hint: set your alarm (or multiple alarms) to help you wake up earlier! This may also require you to go to bed earlier, as well.

2. Use evenings after work.

I call this the “evening 5-9.” After work, jump right into your to-do list for your own business. This could also be 7pm-11pm, or any other timeframe. Eat dinner, put the kids to bed, etc, then get to work!

3. Leave work on time.

Now would be a great time to set strict boundaries on how late you work at your day job. If you come in (or log on) at 9am, plan your day so you can end at 5pm so you can work on your business.

4. Use weekends and vacation days.

Reduce (but don’t eliminate!) social time. Take part of your vacation for actual R&R, then use the rest for working on your business. Schedule major projects around holidays, 3-day weekends and times that are clear for you to be out of the office.

5. Maximize your lunch hour and break time.

First of all, take your designated work breaks! Then use some of them to send emails, create content, follow up with potential clients, schedule meetings or simply jot down ideas.

6. Stop watching TV and scrolling social media.

You get a big chunk of “extra time” if you eliminate TV and mindless social media consumption. You should be working while everyone else is watching Netflix and scrolling Instagram!

If you were to implement just one of these time-management strategies, you would create the space for increased productivity and increased revenue.

Just imagine… what would be possible for you and your business if you let go of the limiting belief that you don’t have enough time?

The post 6 Simple Ways to Make Time for Your Business appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

I take them through specific exercises and invite them to answer 3 key questions as they begin the process of building their dream business.

Here are the 3 clarifying questions you can answer to flesh out your business vision.

1. What does success look like for you in your business?

Imagine what success would look like for you in your business if everything worked out the way you wanted.

Ideally, what accomplishments, outcomes or impact do you want to see in your life as a result of your business?

For most women I’ve coached, success includes being able to use their unique talents to do work they enjoy, make a difference, leave a legacy, provide for their families and upgrade their quality of life.

For me, success in my business involves fulfilling my purpose by using my gifts to make a positive impact on women’s lives and earning a great income, all while being able to travel the world!

2. What kind of work do you most want to be doing?

This is where I want you to close your eyes and feel into your passion for the work you truly LOVE to do. What part of your business really makes you come alive?

Do you prefer to focus on writing books, coaching women, consulting for organizations, tutoring college students, speaking at conferences, etc?

You want to make sure you truly enjoy what you’re doing, otherwise it becomes harder to show up and do the work every day, let alone attract clients and customers.

In my business, I want to be spending the majority of my time doing the 3 things that light me up the most:

• writing – email newsletters, Substack essays, books and resources
• teaching – speaking, courses, workshops and retreats
• coaching – 1-on-1 or small groups

These are also my primary “zones of genius” where I feel I can make the most impact for the most people!

3. How much money do you want to earn in your business per year?

Be honest…how much money do you want to earn from your business over the course of the year? Notice that I said WANT, not NEED. There’s a difference.

Many women struggle in their business because they only hustle to bring in the bare minimum revenue that they need to pay their bills, instead of making more than enough to live their ideal lifestyle.

But it’s time for more of us to begin thriving, not simply surviving.

Start by writing down your annual salary goal, being careful to make it big enough to motivate you to keep taking consistent action, but not too big where it feels impossible and therefore, overwhelming.

Then, multiply that number by 3 to get the amount of revenue you would need to bring into the business to be able to pay yourself that salary.

For instance, if you want to earn $100,000 in personal income from the business, focus on creating a plan to bring in $300,000 in revenue for the year. (NB: Your actual numbers will vary and you should use historical data if you have it. But if you’re just starting out, multiplying by 3 works well for goal-setting purposes.)

Over the last decade, I’ve paid myself a 6-figure annual salary, depending on my profit that year. For the next 10 years of my business, I would love to give myself a raise so that I can make biggest investments into my retirement!

What’s next?

Once you know the answers to these questions, your next step is to create what I call a Money M.A.P. (Monthly Action Plan) that will get you from where you are now to your revenue goal.

Then, you can start making intentional, strategic progress, one step at a time.

If you’d love support in creating a Money M.A.P. (Monthly Action Plan) for your business, schedule a complimentary Business Breakthrough Session by clicking the button below.

The post 3 Clarifying Questions to Manifest Your Dream Business appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

We stopped in Positano for a few hours and I absolutely fell in love with this little seaside town.

Charming shops and restaurants, pastel buildings stacked on the hillside, and the most narrow streets I’ve ever seen.

We wandered the beach, treated ourselves to lemon sorbet, and soaked it all in.

On the way back up the hill, we passed a small designer boutique.

In the window was a dress that called my name.

(Sidebar: My name is actually Italian and “Rosetta” means “little rose.” When I tell locals my name, they are fascinated by the fact that I have an Italian name, but I’m not Italian. And yes, I did the Ancestry DNA kit for whatever that’s worth lol. All I know is that I was named after my great-grandmother, but it may explain why I love Italy so much!)

Anyway, back to the dress.

It was gorgeous.

Elegant. Flowing. Feminine.

And when it literally stopped me in my tracks, I knew it wasn’t actually about the dress itself.

It was about what it represented:

The identity of the woman I want to be.

A woman who chooses beauty, softness and luxury.

A woman who doesn’t wait for a “special occasion” to do what makes her happy.

But the truth is, I almost let my “lizard brain” talk me out of it.

I mean, I didn’t “need” another dress – who does?

And no, it wasn’t cheap.

Yet, something in me said, “Girl, get the dress.”

So I did.

With just 10 minutes to spare before our tour bus left to take us back to Rome, I tried it on and bought the dress.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I immediately saw HER.

Not just a woman with a new outfit, but a woman with new beliefs, new thoughts and new actions.

I saw a future version of myself.

A worthy woman who knows that the “soft life” requires hard work.

But also – a determined woman who is willing to do the work that is required.

So, here’s what I want to say to you:

GIRL, GET THE DRESS!

Buy the outfit.

Book the trip.

Write the book.

Launch the business.

Say yes to HER.

The next-level version of yourself that you keep journaling about.

Because you don’t have to wait to become her.

You become her by making decisions like her.

You become her by taking action like her.

You become her by doing the work like her.

And sometimes…

It starts with a dress.

The post Girl, Get the Dress (Lessons From Positano) appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.

I joined hosts Auriane Itangishaka and Ginny Niwa in their local studio in Washington, DC to discuss strategies for how Black women around the world can begin their personal development journeys, transform their mindsets and manifest the lives they really want.

Watch below (my segment begins at minute 16:49):

Since the show aired, a lot of women have come into our community from all over Africa.

Welcome to all of our new Happy Black Woman sisters!

The post How to Cultivate a Mindset of Success: Happy Black Woman on Voice of America appeared first on Happy Black Woman with Rosetta Thurman.