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 — it’s 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