Hello Reader,

I hope you are well and thriving.

My love for the arts has taken me in many directions over the years. And looking back, I can see how every experience was preparing me for the work I do today.

I had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest musicians and artists in the world, both emerging and established. From The Isley Brothers and Marla Gibbs, to up-and-coming house music and hip-hop artists, I was immersed in a world fueled by creativity, talent, and the power of music.

I attended Jack the Rapper, the International Soul Music Summit, Winter Music Conference, and so many other events that brought artists and industry professionals together. Those experiences gave me a front-row seat to the business of music and the people shaping its culture.

But my love for the arts was never limited to music. I have always loved writing, publishing, and the process of building something from an idea.

I was part of the team that launched Today in Church magazine. As Director of Operations, I worked alongside the publisher to shape the publication and secure sponsorships. It was a dream come true to help bring a magazine to life.

And yet, I had another dream. I wanted to become a writer for Essence magazine.

I have always been drawn to platforms that give people a place to share their ideas, their experiences, and their perspectives. More than anything, I love the energy of building something that didn’t exist before.

At the magazine, I had the opportunity to secure interviews with musicians and legends. That was more than 20 years ago, but the experience stayed with me. My years in the music and beauty industries taught me how to recognize talent, cultivate relationships, and understand the importance of creating a platform that brings people and ideas together.

When I started Black Women Amplified, I brought that same energy and knowledge to my own work. I approached it as though I were my own client, using what I had learned about media, production, and storytelling to build a brand and create space for intimate conversations with remarkable Black women.

Podcasting gave me a powerful medium through which to do that.

And it reinforced something I have believed for a long time: visibility matters, and so does preserving our legacies.

Those two things are more important than ever.

As the world moves deeper into artificial intelligence, we have to be intentional about preserving our human experiences, our creativity, our knowledge, and the stories that might otherwise be lost. We cannot allow the rush toward the next technological breakthrough to diminish the value of human imagination and the wisdom we gain from living.

For Black women and women of color, this is especially important. Opportunities to be seen, heard, and represented are not always equally distributed. We cannot assume that our contributions will be documented, our expertise will be recognized, or our perspectives will be included in the conversations shaping our future.

We have to build our own tables. We have to create our own stages. And we have to make sure our voices are part of the record.

That is a large part of why I continue to talk about visibility and representation. It is not simply about being seen. It is about ensuring that our ideas, our expertise, and our experiences have a place in the world.

This is what led me to expand into Rethink Podcasting.

I want to help others take the knowledge and expertise they have spent years developing and turn them into platforms of their own. Because there are so many ways to contribute, influence, teach, and leave something meaningful behind. We should not have to wait for someone else to recognize the value of what we bring.

I have spent much of my career helping build platforms, and I believe there is still so much more to build.

Our voices matter. Our knowledge matters. And the work we do today can help shape what future generations know about us.

We don’t just need to be seen. We must be heard.

And I believe that is more imperative now than ever.

Monica