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The work keeps changing, the tech keeps changing, and the expectations on leaders keep rising, but nobody tells you what to do with the human side of it. I’m joined by Laura E. Knights, LCSW, an executive coach and leadership strategist, to talk about what it really takes to lead and grow as a Black professional and as a Black entrepreneur when AI is moving fast and workplaces can feel intense, messy, and sometimes downright traumatic.

Laura shares how her early entrepreneurship started with tutoring, invoices, and family examples of relationship-driven sales, then expands into what it looks like to take your identity as an entrepreneur seriously. We also get practical about AI in the workplace: how tools like ChatGPT can create efficiency for a small team, and why “use it now” without AI governance, ethical guidance, and legal guardrails puts leaders and employees at risk.

We also go straight to the leadership tension so many Black women leaders face: moving from technical excellence to strategic leadership. We break down why being the one who always executes can block the next promotion, how “pet to threat” shows up through ageism and workplace dynamics, and why boundaries at work are not optional if you want long-term performance and well-being. The bigger takeaway is simple: headwork and heart work have to grow together if you want real influence.

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