I believe that you can do anything you want with your life and no one can stop you…but YOU.
In 2010, I created Happy Black Woman as a personal blog to document my journey to transform my life.
Since then, it has grown into a supportive community of women who are committed to pursuing their big goals. This is my story…
From humble beginnings…
Originally from the Midwest, I grew up in the public housing projects near Cleveland, Ohio, where I was raised by a single mom and a very protective grandmother.
My father was a drug dealer who died before he had the chance to teach me how to ride a bike.
My family was so poor that every year, a woman from a local nonprofit would come and take me shopping for school clothes because my mother could not afford to.
To a career in the nonprofit world…
I was fortunate in that I was able to attend good schools and benefit from many kind teachers, special enrichment programs, and the Girl Scouts (I was a Brownie!).
As a result, I became the first person in my family to graduate from college. Yet, I always knew that I needed to do something to help people who weren’t so lucky. Otherwise, what the hell was I here for?
That feeling is what led me to volunteer at local afterschool programs as a reading tutor for kids living in poor neighborhoods during all four years of college.
It was philanthropy that had provided me an enhanced education as a child. It was the community that had come to our aid when we couldn’t make ends meet.
Somebody did it for me, and I wanted to help someone else. That’s how I got introduced to the nonprofit world and I’ve wanted to commit my life to helping people ever since.
Fueled by my passion for social change, I worked in the nonprofit sector for eight years as a fundraising professional and leadership development practitioner before making a major turning point in my life.
To quitting my job to work for myself full-time…
After years of working for nonprofit organizations and raising money for good causes, I realized that my true purpose was in leadership development – helping others figure out their own personal mission and create real impact in their careers.
So, in 2010, I quit my job to take my consulting business full-time. Thurman Consulting was an education company that provided personal and professional development to empower a new generation of leaders to change the world.
That’s right, I left my well-paying 9 to 5 nonprofit job (along with my expensive PhD program) all in one fell swoop to work for myself. My grandmother thought I was crazy. To be honest, I thought I was crazy!
But guess what? In my first year of working for myself, I earned the same amount of money I was making in my previous full-time job. And that’s when I knew that I could build a successful business doing what I love.
To my current business that empowers women all over the world…
As I began to blog about my experiences from going natural to dating in DC to quitting my job and starting my own business to traveling, I connected with many other women who were on the same path.
Through the stories and lessons I shared, I discovered that lots of women wanted to live a similar lifestyle of happiness and freedom. Slowly, the site evolved into a supportive community of women with big goals and beautiful dreams for their lives.
I became so passionate about empowering the women in my community that in 2013, I decided to focus solely on growing Happy Black Woman to be the #1 personal development company for women around the world.
Today, Happy Black Woman reaches thousands of women every single month through weekly articles, books, courses, workshops, social events, retreats and coaching programs. I am so honored and humbled to be able to inspire and motivate women all over the world to create the lives they really want!
10 Facts About Me:
- I was an English major in college where I studied creative nonfiction and poetry. I consider myself to be a writer first, above anything else. One of my greatest gifts is being able to use words to help people understand themselves better.
- I love to eat and I love to cook. I enjoy being creative in the kitchen and trying new recipes. I can spend hours in the grocery store!
- I was a vegetarian for 2 years. But one day I just started craving meat again and I’ve been grubbin’ on ribs and chicken wings ever since LOL.
- I love old school music. Most of the time, I prefer to listen to the Isley Brothers instead of anything that plays on the radio nowadays.
- I’m a deeply spiritual person, but I don’t belong to any particular religious denomination. I believe in God and the God that lives within all of us. I like to say that “love is my religion” because I strive to put love at the forefront of my life.
- I don’t watch TV. If I’m at someone’s house, I might catch part of a show here and there, but I have no idea what the Housewives are doing or what’s going on with Scandal right now. And I really, really like it that way.
- I love a good movie. My favorite kind of films are dramas that teach you something about yourself, show you a new perspective on life or inspire you to become a better person. On my top 10 list: Magnolia, Vanilla Sky, Unfaithful, Up In the Air, 500 Days of Summer, Boomerang, Love Jones and Ratatouille. Yes, Ratatouille.
- I was born in Ohio, but I became a military brat at the age of 10 when my mom married a man in the Navy. We were stationed in Guam and Hawaii for most of my young adult life. I think that was when I fell in love with living on an island!
- I’m an extreme introvert. I enjoy being around people, but I do need a lot of time to myself to rest, reflect and recharge. Most people don’t believe that when I tell them because I’ve had a successful career as a professional speaker. But as soon I step off the stage, all I want to do is run back to my hotel room, order room service and listen to some jazz.
- I believe that I was put here on earth to touch thousands of people’s lives in a positive way. Although I have a lot of fun doing it, I take my purpose very seriously. If I died today, I’d want my legacy to be at least one person who could stand up at my funeral and say that I helped them change their life. Life is so short and I want to make a difference while I’m still alive!
Rosetta Thurman’s Long Biography
Rosetta’s lifelong desire to help others was born out of humble beginnings. She grew up in the public housing projects of Painesville, Ohio, where she was raised by a single teenage mom and a very protective grandmother. Her father committed suicide when she was 6 years old, before he had the chance to teach her how to ride a bike. Despite these challenges, Rosetta became the first person in her family to graduate from college.
Rosetta’s childhood experiences fueled a passion for social change, leading Rosetta to work in the nonprofit sector for over 10 years as a fundraising professional and leadership development practitioner. After more than a decade of working in nonprofit organizations, Rosetta realized that her true passion was in personal development – helping others find their purpose and create their ideal lives.
So, in 2010, Rosetta quit her 9 to 5 job to work for herself full-time as an author, speaker, coach and consultant. That same year, she created HappyBlackWoman.com as a personal blog to document her own journey to transform her life.
Since then, the Happy Black Woman tribe has grown into a supportive community of women who are committed to pursuing their big goals. Today, HappyBlackWoman.com reaches thousands of women every day through articles, books, courses, workshops, retreats and coaching programs.
Rosetta is the author of Launch Your Business: The 5 Step Solution to Do What You Love, Quit Your Job and Have the Freedom to Travel and Live Life on Your Own Terms and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including JET Magazine, Dr. Oz’ The Good Life Magazine, Huffington Post, Essence.com, BBC London, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and BlackEnterprise.com. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management and has also taught leadership, business and marketing courses as an Adjunct Professor at Trinity Washington University.
Rosetta currently lives in beautiful San Diego, California and travels the world educating, inspiring and empowering black women to create their ideal lives.
Her motto is: “You can do anything you want with your life and no one can stop you…but YOU!”
Get a copy of Rosetta’s FREE Life Mapping Workbook at: lifemappingworkbook.com.
Rosetta Thurman is a nationally-recognized author, speaker, mentor and coach dedicated to helping women create their ideal lives.