3.1 The Reinvention Economy: Why Black Women Are Leaving Work & Reshaping America

The Reinvention Economy: Why Black Women Are Leaving Work & Reshaping America

Guest: Katica Roy Award-Winning Gender Economist, CEO of Pipeline Equity, NYT Front Page Researcher, MSNBC/CNN Contributor

Season 3 kicks off with a seismic conversation. Shanel sits down with award-winning gender economist Katica Roy to unpack one of the most misunderstood economic shifts of our time: why 300,000 (and counting) Black women have left the workforce and why this is not an individual story, but a national economic alarm.

Katica breaks down the data behind forced labor exits, entrepreneurship born from necessity, and how AI + corporate systems are reproducing inequity at scale. She also offers a blueprint for how women especially Black women can build their personal economy beyond the headlines.

This episode is facts + fire + liberation. A must-listen for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone who cares about the future of work.

In This Episode We Cover:

• What a gender economist actually does and why it matters now more than ever

• The economic impact of 300,000 Black women pushed out of the labor force

• Why entrepreneurship for Black women is often not luxury but survival

• The rise of the reinvention era and what 2025 signals economically

• How inequity shows up in performance reviews, promotions, AI skilling, and procurement

• Why economic opportunity is not charity its a growth strategy

• The trillion-dollar impact of achieving gender equity

• How women can build their personal economy during economic instability

• The power of collective visibility and storytelling

KEY STATS MENTIONED (You'll LOVE these)

• 300,000 Black women were pushed out of the labor force (Roys research)

• Those exits cost the U.S. $37 billion in lost GDP

• During the same period:

  • Black women lost 319,000 jobs

  • White men gained 365,000 jobs

• Black women head 52% of households with children under 18

• AI threatens to automate 25% of the roles Black women hold

• Black women make up 6% of the labor force but only 0.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs

• Gender equity could add $3.1 trillion to the U.S. economy

• Using AI, companies could reach workforce equity in 10 years, not 135

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Shanel Evans on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shanelevans/
• Shanel in Essence

• Katica Roy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katicaroy

• Katicas articles (New York Times, MS NOW, Fortune)

If you were nodding your head, sharing this episode with your group chat, or texting YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS, go ahead and rate, review, and subscribe so Season 3 reaches the women who need this data the most.