What does it really take to plan 2026 as a Black woman who wants more in her career and business?

In this solo episode, Mercedes gets real about what it means to plan a new year after a hard one, especially when you know you’re meant for more but you’re tired, over it, and done with grind culture.

She walks you through how she’s planning her own 2026 using reflection, the 12 Week Year, and soft, supportive systems so she can build a business and life she actually loves.

Together, we're exploring what it looks like to redesign your goals around who you’re becoming, not just what you think you “should” be doing.

Through honesty, storytelling, and practical strategy, Mercedes reminds you that your Black Woman Bliss Era isn’t about doing more it’s about doing what’s aligned, sustainable, and worthy of the woman you are right now.

🤚🏾 FREE 7-Day Clarity Challenge: Come plan your 2026 with Mercedes and her mama in community starting January 11th. For seven days, you’ll be guided through reflection, vision, and aligned action so you can step into this year with purpose!
Join the challenge: ⁠https://www.mercedesswan.com/clarity-challenge⁠

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

9 to 5 Exit Blueprint (Pay-What-You-Want): ⁠https://www.mercedesswan.com/offers/CNrFmiHw/checkout⁠

Curious About My Systems? My Tech Stack: https://mercedesswan.notion.site/Mercedes-Swan-s-Tech-Stack-21b0ae166516808897caec2fbd1f1b2e?source=copy_link

The 12 Week Year: ⁠https://amzn.to/4pzpN0B⁠

Work 1:1 with Mercedes: ⁠https://www.mercedesswan.com/connect⁠

Blog Guide and Transcript: https://www.mercedesswan.com/blog/2026-planning-for-black-women-goal-setting-12-week-year

What does it really take to build a 45-year legacy in a space not made for you?

In this powerful episode, Mercedes sits down with Ann McNeill, “The Master Builder”, the first Black woman general contractor in Florida and founder of the National Association of Black Women in Construction.

Together, they explore how Black women can find purpose in unexpected places, build confidence that reflects true self-worth, and grow where they’re planted even when we're the only.

Ann shares stories that will inspire and challenge you, from standing up to her boss and unapologetically embodying her newfound confidence by driving off in her white Corvette, to founding five successful businesses and leading a national network of women changing the face of construction.

Through laughter, truth-telling, and legacy-building wisdom, Ann reminds us that everything you’re seeking is seeking you.

During this Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How to stay grounded in your Black Woman Brilliance while navigating male-dominated industries.
• Why your purpose and passion are already within reach and how to align your career with both.
• How to leverage your existing skills instead of waiting for permission to pivot.
• The power of “growing where you’re planted” and why it’s the foundation for elevation.
• How to build confidence at work as a reflection of self, not validation.
• What The McNeill Factor is and how it helps Black women elevate personally, professionally, and spiritually.
• The power of accountability and masterminding with your friends and family.

Build with Ann McNeill: As Ann shares in this episode, you have the power to bring your dreams to life! Connect with Ann and learn more about her transformational programs and resources:

• Discover “The McNeill Factor” — her framework for elevating your mindset, money, and mission: https://annmcneill.com/store
• Work with Ann & Speaking https://annmcneill.com
• Follow Ann on LinkedIn: Ann McNeill, The Master Builder
• Connect with Ann: https://linktr.ee/annmcneill

Step Into Your Black Woman Bliss

You deserve to create a life and career that feels like freedom, alignment, and fulfillment. If you’re ready to quit that toxic job, launch your business, or finally step into your purpose with confidence, join Mercedes for the Black Woman Bliss Blueprint Webinar.

✨ You’ll learn how to:

• Get clear on your Black Woman Brilliance
• Build a career or business rooted in your values and gifts
• Create an exit plan that lets you walk away from burnout and step into your Bliss Era

👉🏾 Register for the free Black Woman Bliss Blueprint Webinar here: https://www.mercedesswan.com/bliss

Ready to Keep Building? Join the conversation and connect with other powerful Black women creating aligned careers, businesses, and lives inside the Career Love Community: https://www.mercedesswan.com/join

In this solo episode, I’m unpacking the hot take that “career coaches are unethical” and talking honestly about what’s really happening in this wild 2025 job market. We dig into the difference between systemic injustice and individual coaches, how manipulative marketing preys on vulnerable job seekers, and what ethical career support can and should look like for Black women. I also share more about the Career Love Mission, career liberation, and how I’m re-building community care through free and accessible support.
If you’ve ever side-eyed the coaching industry (or me 👀 lol), that's okay! This one will help you think more critically and more compassionately about where you invest your time, money, and energy.
🤎 Join the Career Love Community
If you’re a Black woman navigating layoffs, toxic workplaces, underemployment, or you’re just tired of doing this alone, the Career Love Community was built for you. Inside, you’ll find a free tier and a paid membership option with access to:
✓ Job search chats and live support
✓ Peer resume reviews & mock interviews
✓ Accountability pods, networking, and wellness chats
Training resources to help you step into your Black Woman Bliss Era
Learn more and join us here: https://www.mercedesswan.com/join
Start your free trial to the full community experience here: https://www.mercedesswan.com/offers/eJeeU6Va/checkout
🌱 Attend the Black Woman Bliss Blueprint Webinar
Want a deeper dive into the framework I mention in this episode? The Black Woman Bliss Blueprint Webinar walks you through how to:
✓ Get clear on your Black Woman Brilliance
✓ Create an exit plan from a toxic or misaligned job
✓ Start building a career or business that actually feels like freedom
Save your spot for the next session here: https://www.mercedesswan.com/bliss
📅 Book a Free 15-Minute Clarity Chat
If you’re wondering whether coaching, community, or another path is right for you in this season, you can grab a free 15-minute Clarity Chat with me. This is a no-pressure space to talk through where you are, what you’re struggling with in your career or business, and what aligned next steps could look like.
Schedule your clarity chat here: https://calendly.com/mercedesswan/infoShow notes and additional information about choosing a Career Coach: https://www.mercedesswan.com/blog/how-to-choose-an-ethical-career-coach-should-i-work-with-a-career-coach

Energy Leadership for Black Women

Sis, it’s time to talk about the power of energy leadership. As Black women, our journey to success and liberation isn’t about pushing through with another cup of coffee. It’s about intentionally building a career by centering our relationship with energy. In this episode of The Career Love Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Lynise Green, founder of Well with L, wellness strategist, naturopath, and leadership expert to talk about the power of energy leadership and holistic wellness. From engineering to naturopathy, Dr. Green shares her incredible journey of burnout, balance, and building a career rooted in holistic wellness. 

Together we explore:

✨ Why burnout is not your fault (and what’s really causing it)

✨ The four buckets of energy every Black woman must protect

✨ How energy and leadership are deeply connected to success

✨ What it looks like to reclaim joy, rest, and alignment in your career

✨ Real career paths in wellness and how to turn your passion into a profession

 About Dr. Lynise Green

Dr. Lynise Green is an Integrated Leadership Development Consultant, wellness strategist, and award-winning expert who helps high-achieving women shift from burnout to balance by leading with greater clarity, energy, and impact. With 25+ years of experience in engineering, strategic planning, and organizational transformation, and more than 14 years as a traditional naturopath, certified nutritional consultant, and master herbalist, she brings a rare blend of analytical precision and holistic insight to her work.

Named WELCOA’s Top Wellness Professional in America, Dr. Green empowers individuals and organizations to optimize personal energy, enhance well-being, and create environments where people thrive. A Doctor of Naturopathy and certified corporate trainer, she guides women to pause with intention, lead with purpose, and create sustainable success from the inside out.

Work with Dr. Green:

Explore her one-on-one consulting, online courses, and digital resources for women ready to live well and lead well: https://wellwithl.thinkific.com/collections 

Use code CareerLove20 for 20% off select courses

Learn more about her work at wellwithl.com

📖 Keep an eye out for her upcoming book The Energy to Thrive releasing later this year on her website! 

Start your Journey to Black Woman Bliss

If this episode resonated with you, the Career Love Community is your next step to Black Woman Bliss. It’s where high-performing, purpose-driven Black women come together to create careers, businesses, and lifestyles filled with clarity, confidence and ease.

As a member, you’ll get:

✅ Live group coaching sessions every month

✅ Business and career strategy trainings

✅ Monthly work groups to learn and grow

✅ Access to a supportive sisterhood of Black women who understand your journey

Start free or upgrade for deeper access and walk boldly into your Black Woman Bliss Era.

👉🏾 Join the Career Love Community Today: https://www.mercedesswan.com/join

Follow me on TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn for more career and business gems:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mercedes.swan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdswan

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFeD9kqBQ53Lg17SaTh1bSQ

💌 Email: [email protected]

If this episode spoke, I would so appreciate it if you subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps The Career Love Podcast reach and empower more Black women.

Access the Transcripts: https://www.mercedesswan.com/blog/energy-leadership-wellness-for-black-women

If you’ve been pushing through workplace burnout, ignoring your body’s signals, or believing that rest is something you have to “earn,” this episode is going to heal your soul! As Black women, we carry generational stories of overwork, perfectionism, and being “the strong one.” But what if the most revolutionary thing we could do for ourselves is to sit our ass down?In this powerful conversation with burnout coach and former teacher turned CEO, Keonna Knight, we explore the truth about rest, resilience, and why Black women deserve lives rooted in ease, joy, and abundance.In this episode, we discuss...✨ The top 4 burnout signs to look out for ✨ How generational trauma and identity shape our relationship with rest✨ Why saying your sacred no can be a radical act of self-love✨ The connection between self-worth, rest, and ease in our careers and businesses✨ How play, joy, and community are essential tools for healing burnout✨ Why rest is not just personal, it’s strategic, cultural, and transformational🍵 About Keonna Knight, Courage & Burnout CoachKeonna Knight, M.Ed., is a courage coach and burnout expert with 6+ years of experience creating unique wellness events for Black Women. This former East Oakland educator turned CEO has created transformative experiences for over 1,500 Black women and visionary leaders to stop over-functioning and start living lives rooted in rest and wellness. Her credentials: a trained therapist, yoga + mindfulness instructor, and successful business owner who gets 9 hours of sleep each night, anchors every offering in God, and loves sharing belly laughs and Thai food with people who feel like home.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healwithkeonna Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@healwithkeonna LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keonnaknight/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@healwithkeonna ✨ Explore More: The Come Home Rest RetreatKeonna is hosting Come Home: A Rest Retreat for Black Women in Richmond, VA (October 10–13, 2025). It’s a transformational Christ-centered experience designed to help you reset and reclaim your rest.💌 Learn more and secure your spot: https://goodbyeburnout.org/restretreat🤎Join the Career Love CommunityIf this episode resonated with you, the Career Love Community is your next step to Black Woman Bliss. It’s where high-performing, purpose-driven Black women come together to create careers, businesses, and lifestyles filled with clarity, confidence and ease. As a member, you’ll get:✅ Live group coaching sessions every month✅ Business and career strategy trainings✅ Monthly work groups to learn and grow✅ Access to a supportive sisterhood of Black women who understand your journeyStart free or upgrade for deeper access and walk boldly into your Black Woman Bliss Era.👉🏾 Join the Career Love Community Today: https://www.mercedesswan.com/join🤎 Stay ConnectedFollow me on TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn for more career and business gems:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mercedes.swan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdswanYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFeD9kqBQ53Lg17SaTh1bSQ💌 Email: [email protected] this episode spoke, I would so appreciate it if you subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps The Career Love Podcast reach and empower more Black women. Read the Transcripts: https://www.mercedesswan.com/blog/burnout-in-black-women-sis-sit-yo-ass-down

If you’ve been wondering how to stop playing small in your career or business, this episode of The Career Love Podcast is your personal invitation to take up space.I’m pulling up with real talk on the shifts I’ve been making in my own business — and the truth about how unworthiness can keep us chasing smaller dreams than the ones we’re actually called to. This IS a pep talk, sis but I’m also giving you real strategies, mindset shifts, and permission to stop shrinking your vision and start walking boldly in it.In this episode, we’ll cover:💖 Why ignoring your intuition is costing you big opportunities💖 How unworthiness hides in career decisions and business choices💖 The truth about staying in toxic jobs (and how to break the cycle)💖 My personal journey from playing small to embracing a bigger vision💖 Practical steps you can take today to walk fully in your worth

ACCESS TRANSCRIPTS: https://www.mercedesswan.com/blog/how-to-stop-playing-small-and-start-feeling-worthy💖 JOIN THE CAREER LOVE COMMUNITYIf you loved this conversation, SIS, the true transformation is waiting for you inside the Career Love Community — my space for Black women ready to create aligned careers, businesses, and lifestyles. As a member, you’ll get access to live group coaching, powerful trainings, monthly work groups, and a network of women who get it. Whether you join free or as a paid member, you’ll walk away with the strategy, support, and sisterhood to stop playing small and step into your Black Woman Bliss Era.👉 Start your journey here: https://www.mercedesswan.com/join✨ RESERVE YOUR SEAT FOR THE BLACK WOMAN BLISS WEBINARThis episode ain't everything! In the upcoming Black Woman Bliss Webinar, we’ll go deeper into exactly how to stop playing small and instead build the career, business, and life you’ve been dreaming about. You’ll walk away with a clear vision, actionable steps, and the confidence to claim what’s already yours.💌 Seats are free, but space is limited. Save your spot now: https://www.mercedesswan.com/bliss

🤎 Stay Connected:

Follow me on TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn for more career and business gems

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mercedes.swan⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdswan ⁠

Schedule a Clarity Chat: https://calendly.com/mercedesswan/info

Subscribe & leave a review! If this episode resonated with you, let me know! Your support helps The Career Love Podcast reach and empower more Black women.

Share this with a sister who needs to hear it!

Ready to step into your Black Woman Bliss Era by building a career or business you love? Reach out at ⁠[email protected]

We’re on some HR level #@%$!

In this unfiltered episode, I’m joined by HR’s Agent of Chaos, Francis “Tank” Rhodes and the hot mess that is Human Resources is catching some strays.

From SHRM scandals and toxic leadership to performative DEI and overworked HR teams, we’re naming names (disrespectfully), spilling tea, and calling out the systems that keep workplaces unsafe and inequitable for Black folks.

BASICALLY, BABES, we’re talking about everything wrong with HR.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever been side-eyed by HR, wants in on finding solutions to HR’s biggest issues, or just needs to understand what the helly is actually going on behind the scenes.

Topics we cover:

• Why HR is not your friend”… and what you actually need
• The real reason DEI was set up to fail
• SHRM, HR elitism, and our villain origin stories
• How HR professionals can reclaim integrity and lead with empathy
• Why your work bestie might be your biggest opp (we said what we said!)

Tank is a real one, and this convo was hilarious and raw. So, go ahead, boo… hit the play button.

ACCESS TRANSCRIPTS:

https://www.mercedesswan.com/blog/hr-is-not-your-friend

🤎 Work with Tank as your HR Consultant

Tank is an HR Manager & consultant with seven years of experience in HR Ops, including Talent Acquisition, Performance Management, Employee Relations, Leadership, Benefits Administration, LOA, Compliance, & Inclusion.

Work with Tank: https://beacons.ai/hrsagentofchaos

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hrsagentofchaos/about

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hrsagentofchaos

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhodes19/

🤎 Ready to join the Career Love Community?

This safe, powerful space was created by and for Black women navigating big goals in career, life, and business. With coaching, training, and sisterhood built in, your about to achieve all your big goals. Learn more & join us now: ⁠https://www.mercedesswan.com

🤎 Stay Connected:

Follow me on TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn for more career and business gems

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mercedes.swan⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdswan ⁠

Schedule a Clarity Chat: https://calendly.com/mercedesswan/info

Subscribe & leave a review! If this episode resonated with you, let me know! Your support helps The Career Love Podcast reach and empower more Black women.

Share this with a sister who needs to hear it!

Ready to step into your Black Woman Bliss Era by building a career or business you love? Reach out at ⁠[email protected]

This episode of the Career Love Podcast is a love letter to the creative, so done with corporate, legacy-building Black woman in this community.

Today, I’m joined by the incredible Nicole Palmer—bestselling author, editor-in-chief, and co-founder of Delnic Media. We talk about what it means to navigate corporate America as a Black woman, how we’re building our digital empires to experience true freedom, and why it’s time to rethink what financial security, the stories we tell ourselves, and how we define success!

In this episode, Nicole leaves it ALL on the table (which we built ourselves) and we discuss...

• How positioning yourself as THE talent gives you career freedom
• How we can reclaim our creativity and stories by becoming a Black Woman in publishing and editing
• The difference between hustle culture and dream building
• What it really means to “play the game” in corporate space
• If you've ever questioned your path or considered if you can actually get PAID to be creative, this one’s for you.

📖 Get Nicole’s Book & Get Connected:

Loved Nicole’s insight? Go grab her book Playing the Game While Black: Womaning in Corporate America and follow her journey at delnicmedia.com. You can also subscribe to her podcast Black Womaning in Corporate America too!

Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolespalmer

Learn more about me: https://nicolespalmer.com

Work with me: https://calendly.com/delnicmedia

Buy my book: https://delnicmedia.com/playing-the-game-while-black-womaning-in-corporate-america/

Listen to my podcast: https://youtu.be/olZK-qm_yxg

Learn about my company Delnic Media: http://delnicmedia.com/

🤎Ready to join the Career Love Community?

Ready to find your way out of the corporate chaos and into your own Black Woman Bliss Era? Join the Career Love Community— a space for Black women to rediscover their brilliance, build careers and businesses they love, and support one another along the way. Learn more and join us at ⁠⁠https://www.mercedesswan.com/join⁠⁠

🤎 Stay Connected:

Follow me on TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn for more career gems

TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mercedes.swan⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdswan ⁠⁠

Subscribe & leave a review! If this episode resonated with you, let me know! Your support helps The Career Love Podcast reach and empowers more Black women to transform their lives.

Share this with a sister in professional love who needs to hear it!

💌 Ready to step into your Black Woman Bliss Era by building a career or business you love? Reach out at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

📃 Want the transcripts? Head to my website:

https://www.mercedesswan.com/blog/black-women-in-publishing-and-editing

Join me as I hang out with the fabulous Amanda Henry of Living In The Abundance, who is a Tech Queen, senior learning & development pro by day, and financial freedom advocate by night! We’re spilling the tea on all things career growth, financial independence, and owning your worth as a Black woman in tech.

We dive into Amanda’s inspiring journey from Verizon to tech sales enablement, how she’s using her 9-to-5 to build wealth, and the power of self-advocacy in corporate spaces.

And sis, we had some good laughs about navigating toxic work environments with Basic Bob AND creating your FAFO fund (we said what we said!)

📖Get Amanda’s Book & Get Connected:

The Financial Abundance Blueprint: A Black Woman's Guide to Achieve Financial Literacy, Build a Successful Career, and Break Boundaries

Set to release April 8th 2025 (Pre-Orders are Available)

Pre-Order Now

To learn more about Amanda, visit www.AmandaJHenry.com or follow @LivingInTheAbundance on social media: TikTok; Instagram; Threads, LinkedIn.

🤎Ready to join the Career Love Community?

This safe, powerful space was created by and for Black women navigating big goals in career, life, and business. With coaching, training, and sisterhood built in, you’ll never walk this journey alone. Learn more & join us now: ⁠https://www.mercedesswan.com/join⁠

🤎 Stay Connected:

Follow me on TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn for more career gems

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mercedes.swan⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdswan ⁠

Subscribe & leave a review! If this episode resonated with you, let me know! Your support helps The Career Love Podcast reach and empower more Black women.

Share this with a sis who needs to hear it!

Ready to step into your Black Woman Bliss Era by building a career or business you love? Reach out at ⁠[email protected]

Link to Transcripts: https://www.mercedesswan.com/blog/become-a-black-women-in-tech

Sis, you ever feel like your 9 to 5 just ain’t it? Well, you’re not alone. In this episode of The Career Love Podcast, I’m sharing my personal story of leaving my full-time job in Diversity Equity and Inclusion to become a solo entrepreneur.

From HR for Millennials to building my Career Love brand and entering my Black Woman Bliss Era, I'm walking you through the mindset shifts, planning, and purpose that led me to quit my job with purpose and clarity.

You’ll hear about:

• Why corporate America was never built for us (and what that means for Black women)
• How I planned my exit with intention and a financial strategy
• What it means to build a business that supports your lifestyle and legacy
• The power of flexibility, freedom, and flow (yes, I’m sleeping *and* thriving)
• My dreams of full-time RV travel with my fiancé and our furbabies
• Finding your Black Woman Brilliance and how it guides your next career or business move

I hope this episode inspires you to reclaim the vision you have for your life and build a life and business you truly love.

If you’ve been thinking, “Girl, I want out too,” then this episode was made for you.

Transcripts: https://www.mercedesswan.com/blog/i-quit-my-job-full-time-entreprenuer

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✨ Want to join the Career Love Community?

This safe, powerful space was created by and for Black women navigating big goals in career, life, and business. With coaching, training, and sisterhood built in, you’ll never walk this journey alone. Learn more & join us now: https://www.mercedesswan.com/join

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Connect with Me:

🎥 Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mercedes.swan

💼 ⁠Connect on LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdswan

💌 Email me: [email protected]