Welcome

I’ve been in a funk most of this week. Luckily, I got out of my funk while compiling this week’s newsletter. Seeing women of colour winning sparks joy!

If you’ve been feeling the same way this week, I hope this week’s newsletter works its magic on you too. The news round up and trailblazing woman feature are giving 🤌🏾 🤌🏾. Plus, community shoutouts are here. Hit me up if you want a shoutout!

Let's get glowing

-Shilpa

It's the representation for me 🥺

Business

Shine a light on inclusive mental health supports ✨ BIPOC women founded Shine app has just been acquired by Headspace Health. Shine tailors its content to marginalized communities including women and BIPOC. Marah Lidey and Naomi Hirabayashi, Shine co-founders and co-CEOs, will join the Headspace leadership team to keep it all inclusive and representative.

See also: Canva is going head to head with Microsoft and Google and making a move into the office software game. And: Fearless Fund has invested $1.34 million into Bitsy’s - Gabrielle Union’s clean food and beverage brand. ICYMI, Fearless Fund is the first VC fund built by and for women of colour.

Entertainment 

It’s About Damn Time! 👏🏾 ICYMI, Black women won big at the Emmys this week. Lizzo won an Emmy for her reality series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. Her acceptance speech will have you bawling your eyes out! Meanwhile, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Quinta Brunson and Zendaya made history with their wins. Grab the tissues, their acceptance speeches will also spark waterworks.

See also: Some (grown ass, racist) adults are mad that Halle Bailey is playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid remake 🙄. Parents of Black girls have responded with these blind reaction videos to the film trailer, and they are so wholesome 🥰

Extra Nuggets 👀

• Bharatanatyam 🤝 hip-hop at Vogue world 💃🏾 Usha Jey and her dance crew gave the most EPIC performance at the Vogue World celebrations.

• Finfluencers FTW 💰 These Māori finance influencers are making the finance world more accessible, and helping you be better with money.

• First Nations Fashion ✊🏾 New York Fashion Week just wrapped up and two Aboriginal brands showcased their designs: Gantharri clothing and Ihraa Swim. We love to see it!

Glowreel Recos

What we’re loving this week:

Listen - Couple Tings, the new EP by Heb. Available on all streaming platforms. Perfect for when you’re in the mood for short, quirky and relatable tunes. Like Pockets Pls!!! - ‘cause we all need pockets in our clothes.

Make - Warm tahini chocolate banana wrap by Pick Up Limes. For breakfast that also tastes like dessert 😋

Read - Recitatif by Toni Morrison - her only short story. The story is all about racial identity and relationships. Plot twist: Morrison tells us that her two main protagonists are black and white, but she never tells us which is which.

Support BIPOC Women Owned Businesses

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Trailblazing Woman

Candace Reels: On Building The Female Collective

Candace Reels is the bff we all need in our lives. The Los Angeles native is an intersectional feminist, culture curator, self-love adocate, fierce champion for women empowerment, and founder of Female Collective. 

Female Collective (FC) is a global community that empowers, uplifts, and celebrates the female perspective through daily affirmations and cultural conversations. 

We sat down with Candace to hear more about why she started FC, how it's going and Candace's top tips for how you can blaze your own trail. Let's go!

When and how did you first get the idea for FC and when did you launch?

When I was 26 I had a what-am-I-doing-with-my-life existential moment. Unhappy with my job at the time and lacking any kind of inspiration, I knew it was time to hit the refresh button. Enter Female Collective, a platform born out of my passion for activism, self-care and intersectional feminism. I would post motivational quotes, photos of women I looked up to, and memes that made me laugh. I didn’t tell anyone about it, but it started gaining traction. A million followers later, here we are!

What do you hope to achieve through FC?

I want FC to continue to be a safe space for women and non-binary folks to be vulnerable, share their unique stories, empower each other, and reminded everyday to be their most authentic self. I want people to think of Female Collective as their best friend. Someone who is here to listen and grow with you. We are all on this journey together and I don’t want anyone to ever feel alone.

What’s been the biggest highlight and challenge of starting FC?

The biggest highlight has been our collaboration with Real Techniques that sold in Ulta Stores. It was so surreal to see my quotes on physical products that people can buy in the store. And knowing that people will use our beauty tools and be reminded daily of how worthy they are is an actualization of the FC mission.

I wouldn’t say I had any challenges starting FC just because I wasn’t doing it for anyone but myself. I literally just started an IG account to figure out what next steps I needed to take in my life, so the pressure was off! I did start to face challenges when FC became more established and there were more eyes on what I was doing. I felt more pressure to say and do the right thing. It’s easy to lose sight of why I started FC and yearly, monthly, sometimes daily I have to realign with my mission to remind people every day that they are more than enough no matter what society tells them.

What are your top tip(s) for BIPOC women who are wanting to blaze their own trail and make a difference in the world?

My tips would be to be yourself, no matter what. People will try to change who you are, make you fit in a certain mold, and do things that others are doing. When in fact none of those things will help you be successful. Being your most authentic self whatever that may look like is how you will succeed in life. 

Follow Female Collective for your dose of feel-good and relatable content.

Lioness Thoughts

Nominate A Shoutout

Tell us about someone doing cool shit.

It can be you, your friends or family or someone else you know. Whether you’ve just started a book club, are creating artistic makeup looks for fun, or are doing some research and want to hear from women of colour. We want to share thing cool things you’re doing with a community shoutout!

Please send your nominations to [email protected] or DM us on our socials :)

This week's email was brought to you by Shilpa Bhim, founder of Glowreel. You can see more of her work at www.shilpabhim.com or follow her on Instagram @shilpa.bhim

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