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