I Smell Like The Color Nine Tastes

“Our being is being beings.” You can’t un-human but you can un-being. There is no safe neutral in the urgency of today. The moment needs what is already within you. Take inventory of your affirmed networks, natural gifts, confirmed talents, and earned expertise - in service of action. In a time that is encouraging some and enraging others, demonstrate how beings be. For tucked within an ironic truth is the reality that victory for either, will come by way of how each one demonstrates the act of being, beings. Union of the State…of #BEING “I wish you power that equals your intelligence and your strength. I wish you success that equals your talent and determination. And I wish you faith. Most people can’t deal with reality, but [instead they] indulge heavily in fantasy and fear.” - #DrBettyShabazz 🎶: “Soul” - #Mayyadda Occasion: Commemoration of the 60th Annual Anniversary for The Life & Times of #MalcolmX - #2025 Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Vanguard Award(s) [Recipient]. #NoStylist Hat: @rose.collins.millinery Face: @starr_ceska Blazer and Shorts: #DollHouseFashion Body Necklace: #Akira Earrings: #BySister via #Etsy Shoes: #Balenciaga #HistoryHasItsEyesOnYou #ThoseBeforeYouDidMoreWithLessSoDoMoreWithMore

Carolina Wanga (CEO & President, Essence Ventures) accepts the National Action Network 2024 Keepers of the Dream Cultural Award. #NANCONV2024

Standing as Sistas. 🫂 Sustained by Sisterhood. 🫶🏿 Serving ALL Society. 🙏🏿 Alongside Indeed, Madam. 🫡 #KamalaHarris #107Days #CarolineWanga #ImHighlyPercentSure

Sometimes breaking the pattern requires breaking the protocol. Today wasn’t traditional. It wasn’t scripted. And it definitely wasn’t expected. But it was felt. Deeply. And that’s what matters. Caroline A. Wanga (@wangawoman ) delivered the commencement address for the Talladega College (@thetalladegacollege ) Class of Spring 2026, directly from the Billy C. Hawkins Student Activity Center Arena. What happened today was unforgettable. The kind of moment that stays with you long after the caps come off. Congratulations to the Class of 2026. You didn’t just get a speech… you got a shift. The Alpha Lyrae Vega of Them All! 📺 You can watch it now on YouTube: 🔗 /live/-EDDIYqmu48?si=bJskwKJTUQNF8LIZ #TakeNotesDoItBetter #ClassOf2026 #HBCUGrad #TalladegaCollege #WangaWoman

Your WHY Helps Others FLY 🦋 Armor: “Black Butta, [Why] Fly?” Hair: @nicole_njames via @nuwave_kk Face: @brebeautified Eyewear: #AnnaKarinKarlsson via @eyechicllc Dress: @imadeduso_ Shoes: #GianniBini Jewelry: ION ‘member 🤷🏿‍♀️ #NoStylist 🖼️: #DemocratizeAuthenticity by @huck.jpg for @wearewangawoman 📸: @thereal.teona Operations: Team #WangaWoman & Team @thetalladegacollege Occasion: Talladega College 151st Commencement Address

Join us Sunday, May 3 at 9:00 AM at the Billy C. Hawkins Student Activity Center Arena as we celebrate the scholarship, perseverance, and achievements of the Class of 2026. Caroline A. Wanga (@wangawoman ) is a prominent multi-hyphenate award winning cultural alchemist, CEO/C-Suite executive, equity strategist, and current Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of WangaWoman LLC — a platform built on one radical idea: purpose anchors power and propels authenticity. As the former President & CEO of ESSENCE — the world’s leading media and commerce company for Black women — she is widely credited with leading a “cultural resurgence” at ESSENCE Ventures LLC (EV), where she served at the helm from 2020 until late 2025. Her leadership focused on revitalizing ESSENCE as a premier cultural artifact for Black women in their roles as the CEOs of home, culture and community. Prior to EV, Caroline spent 15 transformational years at the Target Corporation, rising from intern to Chief Culture, Diversity, & Inclusion Officer, following nearly a decade in youth and community development across several nonprofit organizations. In May 2025 she released her memoir I’m Highly Percent Sure to scale her life journey to and the reality of how imperfect the pursuit of purpose can be. She often states, “Who you are is who you are. If you cannot be who you are where you are, you change where you are, not who you are,” but all who know her know those aren’t just words they are the cornerstone of a life lived, loved, and learned from that fuel her purpose to “Democratize Authenticity,” that she hopes encourages all to #TakeNotesDoItBetter. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas College, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and has received honorary doctorate degrees from both her alma mater and Dillard University. She also previously served on the Board of Trustees for Talladega College Let’s honor this moment and send our graduates into their next chapter in true Tornado fashion. The Alpha Lyrae Vega of Them All!

This one feels different… There are moments that call for more than attendance; they call for presence, for courage, and for community. This is one of those moments. We are honored to officially announce that Caroline A. Wanga will take the stage at the Unbossed, But Bothered Conference 2026 for an unforgettable fireside chat: The Great Reset: Redefining Leadership, While Not Losing Yourself This is more than a conference. This is where women come to be seen, to be poured into, and to take up space—fully. Join us for Unbossed, But Bothered 2026 Ticket & Hotel link in bio. #unbossedbutbothered2026 #fortitudecollective #

#WomensHistoryMonth ‘26 “Call The Pose” Edition with @thecrownact #CrownAward Honorees Savannah (‘25) and Caroline (‘23.) 👑 #WearYourCrown #DemocratizeAuthenticity #WHM

♑️Capri-Born♑️ #Armor: “I Ain’t Mad, Hatter” Face: @keys_rebelle Hair: @redmystiqueart Dress: @s.u.k.e.i.n.a Hat: @eastvillagehats Shoes: @azaleawangofficial Eyewear: @annakarinkarlssonofficial via @eyechicllc Side-Eye Slayage: @wangawoman Jewelry: ION ‘member 🤷🏿‍♀️ #NoStylist Operations & Production: Team @wearewangawoman

🗣️If it’s ya BRRFDAY make some noise 🎉 We’re celebrating Caroline’s ( @wangawoman ) birthday — and that means giveaways. For Caroline’s BRRFDAY, we’re kicking off a week of giveaways, resources, merch, and purpose-driven tools designed to support growth, reflection, and alignment. Throughout the week, BRRFDAY gifts will drop daily — from digital resources to courses to merch and planning tools. 🎁 What to Know: • A giveaway is happening • New BRRFDAY gifts drop daily • Giveaways are available for a limited time • This week only How to redeem your gift : Click the link in bio & check Stories for daily updates. psst… check back here later for the first gift to drop 😉 Purpose, the gift that keeps on giving!

🎶”Standin' next to #JimCarrey, we traded stories then laughed, I said you not the only one I know got rich wearin' masks…we need more than what you have and then we need more than that.” 🎶 - “One Man Can Change the World” by #BigSean 🎭 We must refute the rhetoric that misrepresents those that are admired as some kind of immortal super human hero that we need to emulate by avoiding vulnerability; reinforcing a dire clandestine diminishment fueled by the fear of being “outed” as human. 🦸🏾‍♀️ It STARTS with the “admired heroes” courageously sharing that they are human too.🫀 It CONTINUES with the “admiring community” lovingly reinforcing that the potency of their admiration has not changed. 🫂 It’s SUSTAINED when none of the above are necessary because “being human” is no longer a threat to “living human.” 🖖🏿 I applaud and lovingly stand as an admirer of the courage and conquering represented by my dear Nigerian sister, #ChimamandaNgoziAdichie. 🫶🏿 ✨✨✨✨ [See “Flawless” by #Beyoncé]✨✨✨✨ #RestAsARebellion #YouAreNotBroken #DisDaWork #ImHighlyPercentSure #AHearseDoesntHaveALuggageRack #RadicalRespiteRevolution #DemocratizeAuthenticity #SomebodyStoodWatchForYouBooBoo #AintNoRestNeutrallnTheUrgencyOfToday #DisruptTheDiminishmentDefault “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation & that is an act of political warfare.” #AudreLourde “My PROTECTION is my RESPONSIBILITY, my PEACE is my PRIORITY.” - #WangaWoman #CarolineWanga’s codified #SelfCompassion journey is available if “where to start” is “where your head” is. 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿 @wearewangawoman Self-Compassion Course: https://lnkd.in/e5jDr9fr Breathe.🧘🏿‍♀️ Repost from #CNNAfrica • After nearly a decade of silence and battling depression, Chimamanda Adichie found her way back to the stories — with her latest novel “Dream Count” marking a powerful return #DreamCount #CNNAfricanVoices

I’m Highly Percent Sure that when you pursue your purpose authentically, you’ll find yourself in rooms that were waiting for you—because your spirit RSVP’d long before you arrived. 📍Hello, Chicago and Congrats @womeninmfg & @allisongrealis on 15 years!!! We’re right on time. 🖤 “My first career map was focused on experiences I wanted to have to help me determine what I wanted to be…” ~ From Bestselling Book I’m Highly Percent Sure by Caroline Wanga @wangawoman (page 36) Too many of us chase job titles instead of experiences. Roles instead of revelations… We forget that purpose isn’t found in a position—it’s found in the moments that stretch, shape, and prepare us for the version of ourselves we’ve been becoming all along. Want more map mojo? The “How Did You Get Here (In My Deborah Cox Voice)” chapter of #ImHighlyPercentSure lays out all the navigational details of a career that spanned 7 years in non-profit, 15 years in retail, and 5 years in media. “Equality is giving everyone a shoe. Equity is giving everyone the shoe that fits. Empowerment is evangelizing your size.” - Quote from Caroline Wanga’s Keynote at the Women in Manufacturing 15th Annual Summit 🎉 Do you know your career experience size?!?!? If not, pages 161-163 are a master class (with simple steps) in influencing what is within your “career experiences” control. So no, you’re not just looking for a job. You’re curating experiences that align with the you you’re meant to be. To grab the book that is launching people into purpose 👉🏽 click the link in bio ✨ #ImHighlyPercentSure #AncestryAsAnchor #InstigationAsInspiration #PurposeAsPropellant #AuthenticityAsAdvantage #DemocratizeAuthenticity #DisDaWork #TakeNotesDoItBetter #Page159Challenge #CarolineAWanga #WangaWoman