Allow her to reintroduce herself! As a self-proclaimed “queen of career pivots,” Necole Kane is the epitome of persistence personified. Her initial claim to becoming widely recognized on the worldwide web began during her late 20s. Before today’s blogs like The Shade Room took over our timelines, Kane was behind the popular celebrity news and gossip blog Necole Bitchie. While the former blogger had great success with the platform — raking in 20 million visitors every month — a shift began of what she wanted for herself. There was an apparent sense of emptiness in both her personal life and in the media. Therefore, after a seven-year run, she shut down the site. The end of that chapter cleared the way for Kane’s ultimate rebrand. “I’m learning that as I create companies to always have them represent my personal growth and where I am in life,” she told AfroTech. “When I crossed over into my thirties, that’s when I started looking for more purpose and intention. I started looking...

Will Smith ’s fitness journey on Instagram has been inspirational to watch as he puts health first. Now, fans can join in and get in shape with him and his trainers. The actor , rapper and producer recently became the newest ambassador for Fitbit — a fitness and activity tracker. According to a blog post, Fitbit Premium members will have access to exclusive content of Smith’s video series for not only focusing on physical wellness but also fitting mental wellness into one’s daily routine. The first session will be available on Sept. 27. Smith has been sporting the Fitbit Charge 4 and an upgrade of the Charge 5, Fitbit’s latest device, is on its way. Along with the news of Smith’s partnership, the fitness company revealed the new Charge 5 in its press release and it’s set to take health and fitness tracking to the next level. Fitbit describes its wellness benefits as “helping you keep a pulse on your stress, exercise readiness, heart health and overall well-being all in a thinner...

When franchisor Hakika Wise — founder of Kika Stretch Studios — set out to establish her many stretching studios across the country, she had a mindset of being a boss who also helps build others up to achieve boss status too. As one of the first Black women franchisors in the world, Wise knew she had stumbled across something historic in growing her business. However, she knew the work didn’t stop there. With very few Black and brown franchisors, Wise took it upon herself to use her business as a vessel to encourage others to join her on the path to becoming self-made business-owners. As AfroTech previously reported, Wise’s idea to start her own franchise of stretch studios was fueled by her desire to stand out in the business world with a concept not many others were invested in. Through her unique stretching technique and chain of studios, Wise has been able to prove just how lucrative the fitness and wellness industry is. Not only has she helped thousands of people improve their...

PepsiCo is partnering with NBA player and philanthropist LeBron James to launch a new kind of energy drink, according to a press release. MTN DEW RISE ENERGY has no sugar but it’s packed with nutrients to provide a mental boost and some immune support. The new drink was created to help people kickstart their mornings and conquer the day, a press release states. The launch of MTN DEW RISE ENERGY is the first installment in PepsiCo’s multiyear partnership with James as the company plans to expand on the icon’s wide range of work. “It’s important to me that I believe in the brands and products where I invest my time. When I first learned about the message behind the drink – the fact that every day is a chance to rise for all of us – that really resonated with me,” James said in a statement. “The ability to rise and find motivation to do more and be more every single morning is powerful. I’m excited about the opportunity to bring that to life through this partnership with PepsiCo.”...

Chadwick Boseman ‘s passing on Friday, Aug. 28 rocked the world. His fans and colleagues not only mourned his untimely death at age 43 but were also shocked by the news of his silent battle with colorectal cancer. Boseman was diagnosed with the disease in stage three in 2016 but remained tight-lipped about his health as he brought massive characters to the silver screen, including Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and most notably, Marvel’s Black Panther. And while Boseman’s transition has been an unfortunate addition to the list of lives lost this year, it has also highlighted the need for more Black people to get regular screenings for the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, Black men and women get colon cancer at higher rates —24 and 19 percent, respectively—compared to other races. Additionally, INOVA says that Black people have the highest incidence of colorectal cancer and have the shortest survival rate of most cancers. In honor of Boseman’s life and legacy,...

Augustine Diji is no stranger to real estate. He grew up the son of a proud psychiatrist who practiced in Buffalo, New York. Early on, his father planted the seeds of ownership and strategic action. The memory cemented his understanding of property acquisition as a tool for wealth building that would change his own life trajectory. While Diji became an adult and went on to practice law, his understanding of real estate and related issues enabled him to easily acquire several properties to build wealth. However, the economic downturn of the late 2000s found him in danger of losing his very foundation. Over a two-year period, Diji fought desperately to retain all that he had worked so hard to acquire. The battle to maintain his property represented a personal and professional tug of war in other areas of his life. Diji emerged, but not unscathed. Grateful for having overcome his situation, he turned his experience into opportunities to give back. He began coaching friends and...

If you look through social media, grind culture is romanticized across platforms. This idea of always working, always creating, and doing so without giving yourself a break has become the “key” to success — just ask some of tech’s biggest names. “There are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week,” Elon Musk tweeted, back in November of 2018. But if you love what you do, it (mostly) doesn’t feel like work — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2018 Here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter how much you love your job — it’s still work, which means you still need to take breaks from it. I have been writing since I was ten years old but I clock at least eight hours a day on my computer between my day job and freelancing. I’m not going to spend another eight hours working on different side projects. People often bring up celebrities or members of the one percent to guilt working-class people into throwing themselves in daily jobs or extra side hustles....