The Underground Black Barter Network: How Skills Build Wealth Without Cash

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
They told us we needed capital to create wealth.
But what if I told you we'vebeen sitting on the real
currency this whole time.
Your skills, your time, yourknowledge, your healing hands,
your kitchen magic, your techsavviness that is your wealth
and in communities across thecountry, we're cashing in
without cash.
This isn't a trend.
It's a movement, a revolution,an underground economy that's

(00:24):
keeping us afloat when systemsfail us.
This is the Black BarterNetwork and it's alive, growing
and building legacies, one tradeat a time.
If you're ready to explorealternative economies and
reclaim your financial power,don't forget to subscribe to
Life Points with Rhonda whereveryou listen to podcasts.
Don't forget to subscribe toLife Points with Rhonda wherever

(00:46):
you listen to podcasts.
Visit lifepointswithrhondacomand follow us on YouTube,
facebook, Instagram and TikTokunder Life Points with Rhonda
For coaching, consulting andcommunity building.
Life Points with Rhonda atgmailcom.
Click the link in thedescription to claim your free
relationship episode, healingaffirmation and one-on-one

(01:07):
consultation your first steps towealth redefined.
Welcome to Life Points withRhonda, where we dive deep.
Entrepreneur and lifelongstudent of spiritual and

(01:29):
ancestral wisdom.
Today's episode is a specialone.
We're peeling back the layersof a quiet yet powerful economic
revolution happening rightunder our noses, the Black
Barter Network, right under ournoses.
The Black Barter Network.
It's more than just an exchange.
It's a return to our roots, aliberation from toxic capitalism
and a bold step towardsself-sustaining community

(01:51):
economics.
A legacy of exchange withoutcurrency.
Long before paper money, beforePayPal and credit cards, our
ancestors understood the valueof people power.
In West Africa.
Marketplaces weren't just forbuying goods, they were for
building relationships.
Trade was more than atransaction.
It was a testimony of trust.

(02:12):
You knew the woman who soldyour yams.
You exchanged fabric for herherbs, your labor for his
craftsmanship.
Wealth wasn't measured by howmuch you hoarded.
It was about how much you couldshare and circulate.
When our ancestors were broughtto this country under the
violent legacy of enslavement,that barter mentality didn't die
.
It adapted On plantations insecret.

(02:33):
Enslaved people exchangedrecipes, healing knowledge,
spiritual protection, sewingskills and even time helping
each other raise children.
After emancipation, when freedBlack families were locked out
of banking systems and fairwages, bartering kept them alive
.
A neighbor might build yourporch in exchange for help
during harvest.
A midwife might accept freshvegetables or firewood as

(02:56):
payment for delivering a baby.
This was our original creditunion.
This was our economy, beforethey even let us have one.
So when people say Black WallStreet, what they don't realize
is it wasn't just aboutbusinesses booming.
It was about circulating skills, supporting your kin and
creating abundance throughcollective care.

(03:18):
The Underground Black BarterNetwork is not new.
It's ancestral and now it'sevolving.
How the Modern Barter Networkworks?
In today's world of inflation,layoffs and rising rent, people
are starting to ask a differentquestion what can I give instead
of what can I spend?
And that question is activatingthe spirit of community in new,

(03:40):
powerful ways.
Across the US, quietly butsteadily, black Barter networks
are forming.
There's the mama in Atlanta whooffers braided hairstyles in
exchange for rides to work.
The brother in Chicago whotrades social media marketing
skills to get his taxes done.
The herbalist in St Louis whocreates custom tea blends in

(04:02):
exchange for a massage.
No cash exchanged, just valuefor value.
Online communities have become ahub for this underground
economy.
Private Facebook groups,instagram stories, telegram
channels and even shared GoogleDocs are used to list skills and
coordinate trades.
These aren't just favors.
These are formal, intentionalexchanges.

(04:23):
You show up, you deliver andyou keep it moving.
Some folks even create barterbanks where members earn points
for their services that they canlater redeem with other members
, and in many of these networks,trust is built through
reputation.
You do what you say.
Your name carries weight.
Just like in the old days, thisisn't just surviving, it's

(04:45):
thriving together, and that's arevolutionary act in a system
that wants us divided anddependent.
The benefits of skill-basedbartering.
Let's talk about what thismovement is doing for us, not
just financially, butemotionally and spiritually.
One it restores dignity.
You're not begging, you're notbeing exploited.
You're being valued for yourgifts, your talents, your time,

(05:08):
your experience.
That's currency.
Two it builds real community.
Barter networks requirerelationship.
You can't ghost someone whenthey're expecting you to paint
their kitchen or design theirlogo.
It requires conversation,collaboration, communication,
things that money can't replace.
Three it disrupts gatekeeping.

(05:30):
No degree, no LLC, yet noproblem.
If you're good at what you do,people will trade with you.
Barter breaks the chains ofbureaucracy and gives power back
to the people.
Four it helps during hard times.
When money is tight, you stillneed help.
Instead of falling into despairor debt, you can lean on your
network and still get your needsmet on systems that weren't

(06:01):
built for us in the first place.
Bartering is not broke behavior.
It's brilliant behavior, rootedin survival, blossoming in
strategy how to start a bartercircle.
So how do you start your ownbarter network?
Let me show you how simple itcan be.
Make a skill inventory.
Write down everything you knowhow to do, from professional
services like resume writing,web design, sewing, baking,

(06:25):
tutoring, child care, elder care, herbal medicine, cooking,
construction, coaching, even dogwalking.
Don't minimize your value.
Identify your needs.
What could you use help withright now?
What are your short-term goals?
Maybe it's help fixing yourcredit, painting a room or
making a flyer for your smallbusiness?

(06:47):
Form a trusted circle.
Start with five to 10 peopleyou trust Friends, family, local
entrepreneurs, healers,creatives.
Share your skills and needsopenly.
Establish exchange rules.
Set boundaries and timelines.
Agree on the terms in writing,even in text.
Honor each other's time andeffort.

(07:07):
Expand gradually Once yourcircle builds trust.
Open the network to others.
Create a private group online.
Use a spreadsheet or app totrack offers and exchanges.

(07:32):
Celebrate every trade, sharetestimonials, show appreciation.
This keeps the energy high andbuilds accountability.
This is how we reclaim ourThank you and why it matters now
more than ever.
In a world that tells Blackpeople they must work twice as
hard to get half as much,bartering, flips the script.
It says you are enough, yourskills matter, your knowledge
has value and you don't have towait for validation from a job

(07:56):
title or a corporation to beginbuilding wealth.
The Black Barter Network is notjust about trading services.
It's about restoring ourcultural confidence.
When we circulate our giftswithin our own community, we
create an internal economy thatcannot be sanctioned, silenced
or seized.
Bartering creates economicresilience in the face of rising

(08:18):
costs and systemic exclusion.
Skill elevation by encouragingpeople to invest in their
talents.
Community visibility byhighlighting local brilliance.
Interdependence that breaksisolation and heals generational
distrust.
In bartering, we don't justexchange, we uplift, and that
beloved is revolutionary.

(08:38):
Whether you're trading healingsessions, helping someone clean
their home or designing flyersin exchange for baked goods,
every trade is a quiet act ofresistance.
It's a stand againstcapitalism's chokehold and a
step toward something moresacred collective freedom,
relationship, lessons fromcommunal economics.
Let's pause and talk aboutsomething that runs even deeper

(09:00):
than dollars our relationships,because the way we exchange with
each other, whether it's goods,services, time or love reveals
the condition of our collectivesoul.
Bartering teaches us a powerfullesson that most people miss
True wealth is built in how werelate, not just how we earn.
In the Underground Black BarterNetwork.

(09:21):
Value is not defined by what youhave in your bank account, but
by what you're willing to giveand receive with intention, and
that's a profound reflection ofwhat healthy relationships
should look like.
Think about it when you enter abarter agreement, you're making
a mutual commitment.
I'll show up for you with whatI have.
I trust that you'll do the same.
There's a sacred energy in thatexchange.

(09:45):
It's not transactional, it'stransformational.
Now let's flip that intorelationships, romantic,
familial, even friendships.
How often do we expect valuefrom others without offering
value of our own?
How often do we let peoplewithdraw from our emotional bank
without ever making deposits,draw from our emotional bank
without ever making deposits?

(10:05):
In a barter relationship thatdoesn't fly.
You must give, you must honorthe other person's worth and you
must be clear about boundaries.
Barter forces us to be honest.
What am I good at?
What am I willing to offer?
What do I need help with?
How do I communicate thoseneeds respectfully?
Those same questions, whenasked in our intimate lives, can
heal broken patterns.

(10:26):
If you've ever felt drained in arelationship where you gave
everything and got crumbs inreturn, barter can teach you
something essential Love, liketrade, should be reciprocal.
You don't need someone who onlywants what you offer.
They must also value who youare.
Bartering also teaches us aboutconsent.
Nothing is taken.
Everything is agreed upon.

(10:46):
You don't assume someone willgive you, ask you, discuss, you
honor timelines, you check in.
Now tell me.
That's not the foundation of ahealthy connection.
And, most importantly, communaleconomics remind us that we are
not meant to do this life alone.
We are interdependent by design.
We are wired for collaboration,for synergy, for support.

(11:09):
When we return to that truth,we stop competing and we start
connecting.
So, whether you're building abusiness or building a bond, let
the lessons of barter guide you.
Make clear agreements, show upwith what you promised.
Don't take more than you give.
Value others the way you wantto be valued and always, always,

(11:32):
honor the exchange, because thecurrency of love, respect and
intention, that's what willtruly build wealth that lasts.
Closing Reflections Our power,our legacy, family.
If you take nothing else fromtoday's episode, please take
this we are our greatestresource.
When the economy shifts, whensystems fail us, when access is

(11:55):
denied, we still rise, becauseour value was never tied to
currency.
It's been rooted in ourcharacter, our community and our
connection to each other.
The Underground Black BarterNetwork is not just an economic
solution.
It's a form of resistance, aspiritual awakening, a return to
a value system that predatesoppression and transcends

(12:17):
inflation.
When we trade with one another,we are doing more than just
getting by.
We're saying I see you, Irespect what you bring, we don't
need permission to thrive, weare enough with or without the
dollar.
We are reclaiming the wealththat's in our hands, our heads
and our hearts.
We are redefining wealth not asownership but as offerings, not

(12:38):
as accumulation but asalignment, and not as isolation
but as interconnection.
Let this be the year you stopdoubting your worth because of
what you lack financially andstart standing in your power
because of what you givespiritually, emotionally and
creatively.
Your skills matter, your storymatters and in this movement you
matter.
Your skills matter, your storymatters and in this movement you

(13:00):
matter.
If this message spoke to yoursoul, I want to hear from you.
Subscribe now to Life Pointswith Rhonda on Apple Podcasts,
spotify or wherever you tune in.
Visit lifepointswithrhondacomto join our community and
download your free welcome gifta healing affirmation, a
relationship episode to shiftyour mindset and a free

(13:23):
consultation to help you getaligned.
Connect with me across allplatforms YouTube, instagram,
tiktok, facebook and Patreon allunder Life Points with Rhonda
and if you're ready to startyour own barter circle or need
help organizing your skills,email me at lifepointswithronda
at gmailcom.
This is your time.

(13:44):
This is our movement.
Let's build wealth that can'tbe taxed, repossessed or erased.
Thank you.