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Intentionality, Faith and Trusting My Dopeness: A Reflection From the Black Ambition Founders Forum

Author: Desiree Whitehead

On November 15, I attended the Black Ambition Fundable Founders Forum, and that day shifted me in a way I’m still processing. It was the first time, not just as a Black woman, but as a Black professional, that I stood in a room filled with people who genuinely wanted to see me win. Not in a performative “networking” way. In a real, grounded, human way.

And the moment that anchored the entire experience was my conversation with Shannon Allen.

A Five-Minute Moment That Stayed With Me

Shannon wasn’t a panelist that day, but she moderated the event with a presence that you could feel. Singer. Songwriter. Entrepreneur. Wife. Mother. A woman who seems to carry grace and strength in every lane she’s in.

I had followed her journey for a while, so when I approached her, it wasn’t for a quick photo. It was intentional. I wanted a real connection.

We ended up talking for a few minutes that felt longer in the best way. She held my hand, looked me in my eyes, and asked me something that reached my spirit: whether I had a spiritual or religious relationship grounding me.

She didn’t force the question. She felt it. And our conversation opened up from there, purpose, pressure, burnout, balance.

I asked her how she manages being a mother, a partner, a creative, an entrepreneur and a woman who pours into so many people, without burning out.

She told me something I needed to hear:

You cannot carry everything alone. You have to let the people who love you help.
You have to let them feel the joy of showing up for you the same way you show up for them.

She asked me if I had someone in my life who supports me, guides me and gives me space to be fully myself. I said yes. And her follow-up landed deeply:

If they don’t feel burdened by your needs, let them love you. Let them pour into you. Let them show up for you. That is part of the blessing.

It was intentional in real time.

A Lesson That Continued After the Event

Later that evening, the theme of the event, ask for what you need, kept replaying in my mind. So I followed up. I posted our photo. I thanked her for seeing me and grounding me.

And she responded with the same intentionality she gave me in person.

She shared that she once learned a powerful lesson: she loved being the helper, the one who wore the cape, the one who brought ease to everyone else’s life. But she hadn’t realized she was blocking the people who loved her from experiencing the same joy of helping her.

Her reminder was simple:
People want to reciprocate your good energy. Let them.

That message hit me in a place I didn’t know needed clarity.

Because I’ve said “I don’t want to burden anyone” so many times. But the truth is, the people who love you don’t feel burdened. They feel connected. They feel honored. They feel trusted.

Her words confirmed everything I felt earlier that day and deepened it.

Trusting My Dopeness in Rooms Built for Impact

As I walked around the event on the 15th, floating like the social butterfly that I naturally am, I felt aligned in a way I hadn’t in a long time. There was a sense of confirmation in the air.

Being there reminded me of something important:

Once you’re in the room, trust your dopeness.
Not quietly. Not timidly. Not halfway.
Fully.

On that day, I trusted my dopeness without shrinking — and the room reflected that energy back to me.

Intentionality Is a Strategy

What I experienced on November 15 aligns perfectly with how I approach marketing at Howl.
  • Connection before performance
  • Clarity before tactics
  • Community before isolation
  • Intentionality before execution
  • Faith before pressure
Marketing isn’t just strategy. It is presence. It is courage. It is storytelling rooted in truth. It is showing up in your fullness and trusting the impact of who you already are.

Leaving That Room Better Than I Entered

I’m grateful I met Shannon. I’m grateful for what she poured into me in those few minutes and again later when she followed up. I’m grateful I listened to the whispers of that moment and reached out with intention. And I’m grateful that the message I needed found me exactly when it did.

Intentionality led me into the room. Faith opened the conversation. Courage helped me follow through. But trusting my dopeness made the entire moment unfold in alignment.

That’s the blessing I’m carrying with me. That’s the reminder I needed. That’s the energy I’m bringing into everything I build next.

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