“Permission. Revoked”

Why you don't need permission to live boldly!

- By Michele Ghee

As women—and especially as Black women—we are too often conditioned to wait. Wait until we're ready. Wait until someone notices. Wait until a man chooses us. Wait until our boss finally says “You’re next.” I know that script, because I lived it. For too many years, I sat on my dreams, waiting for someone to hand me the validation I thought I needed.

But let me tell you the truth I had to learn the hard way: No one is coming to hand you a permission slip. And even if they did, you don’t need it.

Permission revoked.

My Journey

I spent decades climbing corporate ladders, sitting in boardrooms, negotiating contracts and building brands. I’ve been the “only one” in the room more times than I can count—the only Black woman; the only woman, period; the one expected to shrink herself just enough to be tolerated. And still, I delivered. I grew revenue. I built teams. I turned ideas into movements.

But behind the polished titles and the corner offices was a woman still battling doubt. Still asking herself: Am I enough? Still waiting for someone else to validate what I already knew deep down: that I was born for this.