10 The Truth No One Tells Black Women About Leadership: How Black Women Break Barriers with Ann McNeill

What Black Women Need to Know About Leadership and Growth

Hello beautiful, let’s talk about what it really means to grow when you’re a Black woman navigating rooms that were never designed with you in mind. Black women build, carry and change the workplace for the better. Which means we can do the same as we build a life, career, or business that feels aligned, peaceful, and purposeful.

That’s why this episode with Ann McNeill is exactly what Black women need! 

Ann is “The Master Builder”, the first Black woman general contractor in Florida and the founder of the National Association of Black Women in Construction. For 45 years, she’s been breaking barriers, uplifting communities, raising up leaders, and showing us what’s possible when a Black woman decides her dreams matter enough to build them.

In our conversation, we talked about what it means to be “the only,” how to find purpose in unexpected places, how to trust your brilliance, and why every Black woman needs a blueprint for her own legacy.

It’s a reminder that everything you’re seeking is already seeking you.

From “The Only” to The First: Ann’s Groundbreaking Journey

When Ann entered the construction industry, she didn’t have a community, a blueprint, or a roadmap. What she did have was curiosity, discipline, faith, and a willingness to grow where she was planted.

Most Black women know what it feels like to be “the only”: the only Black woman in the meeting, on the team, in the department, or in the entire company all while dealing with the unique challenges that Black women face with discrimination and lack of advancement opportunities. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to stay grounded in your Black Woman Brilliance while navigating male-dominated industries.
• Why your purpose and passion are already within reach and how to align your career with both.
• How to leverage your existing skills instead of waiting for permission to pivot.
• The power of “growing where you’re planted” and why it’s the foundation for elevation.
• How to build confidence at work as a reflection of self, not validation.
• What The McNeill Factor is and how it helps Black women elevate personally, professionally, and spiritually.
• The power of accountability and masterminding with your friends and family.

Connect With Ann McNeill to Start Building Your Legacy

As Ann shares in this episode, you have the power to bring your dreams to life! Connect with Ann and learn more about her transformational programs and resources:

• Explore The McNeill Factor: https://annmcneill.com/store 

• Work With Ann / Speaking: https://annmcneill.com 

• Follow Ann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmcneillmasterbuilder/ 

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/annmcneill 

Step Into Your Black Woman Bliss

You deserve to create a life and career that feels like freedom, alignment, and fulfillment. If you’re ready to quit that toxic job, launch your business, or finally step into your purpose with confidence join Mercedes for the Black Woman Bliss Blueprint Webinar. If you’re ready to rewrite your story and finally tap into your Black Woman Brilliance:

👉🏾 Join the Black Woman Bliss Blueprint Webinar
https://www.mercedesswan.com/bliss 

In this free training, you'll learn how to:

• Get clear on your Black Woman Brilliance
• Build a career or business rooted in your values and gifts
• Create an exit plan that lets you walk away from burnout and step into your Bliss Era 

Ready to Keep Building?

Join the conversation and connect with other powerful Black women creating aligned careers, businesses, and lives inside the Career Love Community: https://www.mercedesswan.com/join

FAQs About Black Women and Leadership Growth

Q1: What challenges do Black women face in male-dominated industries?

Black women often enter male-dominated spaces as “the only,” which means we’re navigating bias, invisibility, and assumptions before we even open our mouths. In the episode, Ann described how isolating it can feel to constantly prove your competence and advocate for yourself while managing microaggressions and underestimation.

But she also shared that these environments reveal your power. Being “the only” requires you to cultivate resilience, clarity, and self-advocacy. Ann’s journey shows that when Black women own their brilliance and refuse to shrink, we shift from being overlooked to becoming undeniable and eventually opening the door for others.

Q2: How can Black women build confidence at work?

Ann made it clear that confidence isn’t something that happens to Black women it’s something we build from the inside out. Her turning point came when she decided to trust her own decisions and embody the identity she was growing into, not the one others expected her to stay in. That moment she drove away in her white Corvette was symbolic of reclaiming her worth.

Her lesson was simple but powerful: confidence grows when you detach your value from corporate validation. When Black women anchor their identity in self-trust, alignment, and purpose, they move differently and our career shifts reflect it.

Q3: What personal growth tools help Black women elevate?

Ann emphasized that Black women need more than motivation, we need structure, self-mastery, and community. In the episode, she shared elements of her McNeill Factor framework: discipline, accountability, purpose, and clear vision. These practices help Black women move from complacency into intentional growth.

She reminded us that personal growth isn’t about doing more; it’s about aligning your choices with the woman you’re becoming. With the right tools and support, Black women can elevate spiritually, professionally, and financially without burning out.

Q4: How can Black women align their careers with their purpose?

Purpose isn’t something you search for — it’s something you activate. Ann shared how her purpose became clear when she stopped waiting for permission to grow and started leveraging the skills she already had. Purpose showed up the moment her decisions aligned with her brilliance, not her fears.

For Black women, alignment happens in the small daily choices: choosing work that reflects your values, honoring your gifts, and trusting that what you want already lives within you. Your purpose becomes clearer the moment you decide to walk toward it.

Q5: What does it mean to be “the only” in a workplace, and how can Black women navigate it?

Being “the only” can feel heavy like you’re carrying your identity, your community, and the future of representation all at once. Ann talked about how she faced doubt, bias, and resistance, yet chose to show up in her brilliance rather than internalize perceived limitations.

She showed us that being “the only” is often the first step to becoming “the first.” Learn the room, stay grounded in your brilliance, grow where you’re planted, and bring other Black women with you as you rise. 

Show Transcripts: 

Mercedes Swan (00:00)
Hey fam, it's Mercedes and welcome back to the CareerLove Podcast. You already know this space is my love letter to black women for all things career, business and life. Now listen, today's episode is special. I'm joined by the master builder herself, Anne McNeil. Anne has over 45 years of experience in construction and trust me, she's been building way more than buildings. She's been building legacy, community and confidence.

I love this episode because Anne shares her real life journey from standing up to her boss in a male-dominated field to building five successful businesses. Anne has done the work to create opportunity for countless black women, and now she's sharing those lessons that helped her go from the only to the first. So in this episode, we're diving deep into what it really means to grow where you're planted. This one is for the black woman who knows she is built for more. All right, love, let's get into it. This is

From the only to the first, Breaking Barriers with Ann McNeil.

Just so excited for this conversation. Reading and knowing about you has just been just honestly delightful. And I love how you are called the master builder. Like I absolutely love that. And so of course we've got, you know, I did my little introduction, but I want to hear a little bit more about you from yourself. Like tell the Career Love community a little bit more about you.

Ann McNeill (01:25)
Yeah.

Wow. Well, thank you so very much for this opportunity, Shere. I just believe that, you know, every woman, yes, we are Black and we are women and we are in careers and or entrepreneurship. I just believe that every single one of us must have a dream to have a dream come true. And so for me, that was the beginning of my journey. I have five businesses, know, MCO construction.

First Black Female Contract in the state of Florida. I help women elevate to the next level. So whether they're in careers or whether they're in entrepreneurship, I also own a consulting company that helped Fortune 500 companies that work on public sector land to provide consulting services, outreach, monitoring and compliance to the community of small businesses. But also Constructively Speaking, where I speak to share nationally and now internationally.

as a part of my framework for helping individuals learn how to niche to be richer. And then of course, the National Association for Black Women in Construction, which I founded and we're in right now at about 20 different cities across the US. And then the Think and Grow Rich International Mastermind Association from the book Think and Grow Rich. And that is how I ended up here. And I'm just very excited to share.

Mercedes Swan (02:46)
my gosh, yes, I was just reading and just so like so much impact in so many different ways. ⁓ I was, you know, originally we connected, I was just excited because the representation that we need and these spaces where we are traditionally underrepresented in construction and just to see you doing so much in so many different ways to give Black women what we need. ⁓ And also in a space where I have a little mastermind of Black women who are in my space, and it's so important. So it just resonated the more I kept reading.

of all the different ways you're seeing the need for impact and like really doing the thing. So I'm just so excited and honored for this and thank you for sharing that overview. So of course we have kind of two segments. I love to go into the career pieces as well as the business pieces. Cause I think we have both of those types of women in this community. So we're gonna start off with the career elements and that's like 45 years. Oh my gosh, like 45 years of.

just doing your thing and being the representation that we need in an industry and field where Black women are severely underrepresented. And you've created such an amazing space and community for that with the National Association of Black Women in Construction. So my question to you is now that you've done this for all this time, okay, do you think like more Black women need to be in this field and why or why not?

Ann McNeill (04:08)
believe that we're all already in the field and we just don't know it. Take for a moment, think about this. When you think about construction, I want you to take a moment and just scan the room, just look around. And for all of your listeners that's listening to you and this podcast, just scan the room. And when you, every single thing you look at, including

a glass of water, your makeup, your hair, your health. We oftentimes we don't think about the fact that construction touches everything. Think about that for a second. The chairs that we sit on, somebody had to buy those chairs after the construction was done. The lights we're looking at, whether we have a lamp or overhead, the plants,

Mercedes Swan (04:40)
Hmm.

Ann McNeill (05:08)
every single thing you see around you impacts construction. And oftentimes we don't think about it like that. And so to ask you a question, absolutely. And when you look at the fact that women, I've hired women in construction laborers that make more money as a laborer than they do oftentimes with a college degree.

So the answer is a resounding yes. There's something here for everyone.

Mercedes Swan (05:39)
Yes, I love that you called that out because I think that, you know, with this, you know, I think that's an experience of many Black women is that our families are like, go get that degree. You need to go get that degree. And we leave out a lot of these more what we call trade or blue collar jobs that we minimize and look in many ways like frown upon.

as not a way to build the life that we love or the financial security that we want. And so I love that you call that not only just that it is all around us, that it is accessible to us and that also, yeah, we can make the money that we need to make to do that and not to look away from it if it's yeah, passion.

Ann McNeill (06:20)
Can I take you back to my career? Listen, we are talking about passion and purpose and careers, right?

Mercedes Swan (06:23)
Yes!

Ann McNeill (06:34)
Like, like many of us, I had a wonderful job in the seventies and yes, the seventies, uh-huh. Undergraduate degree in accounting from Florida Memorial University in Miami, ⁓ working on a master's degree at the time. had a really good corporate job and my husband and I, bought our first home ⁓ in West Palm beach and each

day we would leave home, we would see a sign in the neighborhood that said, for sale by owner. And we'd call the person and we'd say, listen, we just moved into the neighborhood. We're young. We don't have any credit. Can we buy your house? And the person normally, a very elderly older person would say yes. And we say, could make payments. never, listen Mercedes, we never filled out an application. I'm going way back, right?

And we just make arrangements and it was a, your word is your bond. And about three houses in of doing this, of course, we had no idea what was happening. We just know people were moving. I came home from work one day and my husband who calls me baby said, baby, if I had it to do all over again, I would not go to college. And my husband Mercedes, I married up. ⁓

He was the SGA president, I was the college queen, and the rest is our history, right? But he graduated valedictorian from our university and I graduated. Thank you, Lordy. And so he said, I wouldn't go to college. And I was shocked. I said, what do you mean? You wouldn't go to college? That's what we're trained to do, going to your point. He said, think about this. He said, these guys that come in here and they give us these estimates because I did the math.

And I keep thinking about it. He I did the math. He said, what they make in an hour is more than you make in a day on that corporate job. Now, mind you, we both worked at the same company. He said, what you make in a day, these guys make more than that in an hour. I could not process that math. I just could not. And so...

I continue, I'm standing in the doorway and I said to him, so what would you do then if you wouldn't go to college? He said, I would start, he said, I'd get a trade and I started construction company. I said, well, what would you do? You know, I just kept asking these questions. said, I go to a trade school. So I said, I'm going to go to a trade school. And that was the beginning of my journey into construction. I share that because again, going to your point, we're, you know, we're taught to go to school, get a good education and get a good corporate job.

Now I'm old enough to when you couldn't have a corporate job, you see. ⁓ So that was a thing to do back in the day. And I oftentimes think about that because if I had not been willing to make the sacrifice in my corporate job, so let's talk about careers here. My undergraduate degree in accounting allowed me to be in a corporate job.

in a department that allowed me to interface and interact with vice presidents preparing proposals because of my, my career, my background and my career. But Mercedes, I was the only black person in the entire department of 2000 people. And there were only two women, a white person, woman and myself. And I share that because again, when we think about where we have been planted, are to grow where we're planted.

And I'd encourage anybody who's listening to this, find your passion and your purpose where you are. Become an entrepreneur on that job before you make the leap. So for me, when this happened, of course, I began to study, show myself approved. I went to trade school. I continued to work on my degree and kept my corporate job and you know, still doing all the other things. But I coming back to this idea of a career.

It allowed me to be exposed to the people who were around me who were in real estate and they were buying and selling. And so that's what opened my eyes to the opportunities of how I could make extra money. And so I would just encourage all of you listeners, look to grow where you're planted because when you go inside first, your view and insight becomes clearer outside.

Mercedes Swan (11:20)
Yeah, I agree. There's been lots of conversations lately with the market and all. And so I know we're going to talk about entering the field too as a potential option for listeners. I don't know what it's been, but it's like a discounting of existing skills and experiences. So I really love that you called that out of saying, you know, it wasn't for naught that I wouldn't got this degree and was the only and navigated all of this. Actually, that was part of my journey and like

what got me here. And so I love that you, that you, that I think that will resonate. I love that you talked about it, because I think it's just something that we have, that we don't, that we don't honor ourselves and our journeys enough and ⁓ leverage that experience as it should be. So thank you for sharing all of the stories that you just have. ⁓ So for the black women that are listening that you're like, they're like,

this sounds a little good. I might have to get into the construction industry really, really. ⁓ What would be your advice of how they could enter the field today in this market or with our challenges? What would you say?

Ann McNeill (12:22)
Well, I would again go back to my journey in this industry started with right where we were, which was our home and learning to make those repairs and buying, you know, a rental property and then learning to make those repairs. I would start right where you are because it does not mean you need to learn how to build a house. If you have a passion, it might be for painting. It might be.

something that you seldom think about. have a friend during the holidays, she helps string lights. One thing led to something else that led to something else that led to something else. I have another friend and she's a client, coaching client, and she asked a question, she's a beautician, and she asked the same question. said, well, I really want to make some extra money. How can I make some extra money doing in construction? I say, consider this.

start with something that is very, very simple and easy to do in addition to what you're doing. And she said, what was that? And I suggested that she start with offering a service where she would go and clean trailers. Now.

She started out cleaning trailers and I coached her to listen.

Right. So she go, I could sit, sit, make some, I made some recommendations on a large project, which she did. I suggested who she should go talk to, but she did. And they said, yes, you know, we can, we can just do one trailer. That's it. Before it was over, she had every trailer of all of, not just the prime contractor, but the subs, but then by listening, and this comes from coaching and mastermind, by listening.

She heard that the client was opening a new office. So she asked for the business to clean the office. Now she still had her beauty business.

She asked the client if she could clean the office. Now, by, again, all of this is from coaching, right? She gets into the office in addition to the trailer, and by being in the office and doing the cleaning in the office, she's listening. And then she hear about another project they're doing, and she asked if she could, she could do that, but now she still has her job.

Now she's starting her business. It's very small. So now she's able to hire and partner with other people who look like her that have cleaning companies. And now she started outsourcing some of those projects to them, keeping her job. She eventually ended up with a contract for the Super Bowl to clean, yes, the stadium.

When it was in Tampa, yes. I'm saying that to just share how small beginnings when you're focused and you have clarity, but you also have coaching and you're masterminding to just know what's the next step and then the next step. But along the way, she was also doing some inner work. But that's what I would suggest anybody does not have to be cleaning. That's not the point I'm making. Well, the point I am making is

start with something that's very small and it could be something simply by asking someone in construction what do you need.

And it may be something you have, or it may be something you can go out and procure or secure from somebody who has exactly what your client is looking for. And then you then begin a relationship with both, but it allows you still to be inside that project making money.

Mercedes Swan (16:25)
I'd love to ask this because I feel like we set up all of these barriers to ourselves if we get to the next step. I can see it on your face. You're like, But in this case, I would love to know, know, did she, what infrastructure, what planning did she have? Like, how did this whole thing kind of grow and scale? Because I think sometimes we allow that to be in a barrier. kind of.

I kind of got some guesses about what you might say, but I love it.

Ann McNeill (16:54)
Well,

Mercedes, one of the key areas for me, I always coach my clients on the inner work. And it starts with the book, Thinking Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. You know I was going to say that, right? And it is one of the, to this day, 100 years later, one of the number one bestsellers for personal growth and development. And I would encourage everybody, look inside first. Because whatever you're seeking is seeking you.

but are we really willing to do the inner work? And so that's where it started with her just reading the book and then doing the exercises. And then we formed a mastermind group and then we also provided coaching. And so over the years, this did not happen overnight. This was a two to five year journey and a plan. And now she has an international business. ⁓ that other business that she, yeah, is that other business that she had?

⁓ she's no longer in that business. But again, this is the personal growth and development right where you are in that career, but with a written documented plan of action of how you're going to go to the next step. And I always ask everybody this when I'm on a podcast or when I'm sharing or coaching and it's how much money do you want? Because that really is the first question that turned my life around.

with my journey of the book, Thinking We're Rich, when the author asked me, said, Anne McNeil, I made it personal. He said, how much money do you want? And nobody ever asked me that before. And so that's what I think it all starts, because if you want a small amount of money to augment your career, you don't need to do much. You don't need to grow much. You don't need to go much. But if you want a large amount of money, then you may need to have a larger plan to reach that larger vision of yourself.

Mercedes Swan (18:50)
Absolutely. We might need to run this back a couple of times if you're listening. Just rewind it and let's again hit the 10 second back because that's powerful.

Hey love, can we take a quick pause?

If you've been listening to this conversation and feel that calling that says, know I meant for more, this is your side. I want to personally invite you to join me for the Black Women Bliss Blueprint Webinar. It's a free webinar designed to help you get clear on your purpose, release limiting beliefs, and start building a career or business that actually feels like freedom. In this session, I'm breaking down how to identify your Black Women brilliance or your unique gifts, strengths, and value.

how to align your career or business with what truly lights you up, and how to create an exit plan from that job, situation, or season that no longer serves you. Contrary to what we've been told, you don't have to hustle your way to happiness. You can build success from a place of ease, clarity, and joy. So if you're ready to step into your Black woman bliss era, I'd love to see you there. Just head to the show notes or mercedeswann.com forward slash bliss to save your seat. All right, love, let's get back to the episode.

And I think we all we do and I even say I think that for myself too, it's always your different levels, know, different journeys and whatnot. But ⁓ yeah, we just need to see ourselves and take time to see ourselves where we are versus thinking of all of the different, you know, the scaling, the growing, the systems, whatever, right? Actually focus on yourself and mindset and it'll take you a long way. So thank you.

So my last question for our career segment, so to speak, is to talk about challenges in the field. ⁓ And just from your perspective, you talked about this journey of being the only, even myself, right, who started my career in 2017 in human resources. I was the only Black woman in the corporate office for a while, for years. ⁓ And so we've come so far, but yet we are still having the same experience in 2025.

And so whether you want to talk about that in the construction space or more generally, what are some of the challenges that you have faced and maybe what are some of the things that we can do in the field or in general that can allow us to make more space for Black women?

Ann McNeill (21:15)
Well, first, I have a framework that I start with, and this is where the challenges come in. It's an inner battle. It's an inner battle. And oftentimes, when we have these jobs, when we're a first, a lot of what we see that we think other people see oftentimes is not what they see. First.

And what my point is surrounding that is this, have you ever met someone and it was just something about them that just didn't fit, didn't click? You don't know what it is, but your spirit, it was just saying and speaking to you saying, I don't know about this person. I can't really put my finger on it. Ever felt like that? Well, I think that's what happens sometimes when we have a struggle in a job and a career.

Oftentimes, and I'll just speak for myself, I didn't have a good self-image when I had my job. I really didn't. And I took a lot of things personal, like it was all about me. And it wasn't until I began to do the inner work and grow through the struggles, through the challenges, through the brokenness, if you will. And I even get chills now just going back there and reliving that. I did not know what I did not know.

to study to show myself approved. Now for those of you that know that, it's not just that, it is study yourself and be true to yourself about your personal growth and development. And a lot of times when you see people excelling and you say, well, what about me? They're the same color I am, you know, we're the same in a lot of different ways, but what is it about them?

But think about this Mercedes, have you ever met someone and you can't really put your finger on it, but it's just that energy they exude in your life.

to anybody like that.

Yes. And so when we have jobs and careers, I am finding for myself that when I was that unfulfilled, feeling unworthy, low self-confidence, low self-imaged person, I was that person who you didn't really, you didn't know why it didn't click. But as I began to study,

and have a date with myself literally every single day, and really work on my own self-confidence, my self-image, and deal with some drama things that were in my past. It had nothing to with my job. It had nothing to with my boss, but I was bringing it to work every day. I thought it was somebody else. But they weren't paying me enough. I love listening to Jim Rohn. I love reading. My desire is to read, you know, finish a book a month. I'm in four or five all month.

but let's finish at least one. And so, and I love listening to podcasts every day. do about an hour ⁓ between the two of those as a part of my daily date with myself, right? So when I began this process and this journey of self-discovery for myself, it was like the weight started falling off. It was like the spirit just started emanating and drawing like a magnet other people and resources to me.

And my self-confidence began to rise to the point to where other people on my job started seeing it and started asking for me to come to work in their department. I did not know that until I got incident with my boss. I don't know if we can talk about that here.

Mercedes Swan (25:06)
Is it safe space?

Ann McNeill (25:09)
So

you can go there. So I had a job.

at this major corporation and, um, and my boss was just very racist. Okay. And he was keeping notes on me that were not true. And he would say things so derogatory to me, like, you know, I should be barefoot and pregnant at home. Why am I, why did they hire all? I mean, it was every day and I started getting sick and I went to the doctor and the doctor prescribed, actually I brought this book.

This people would often ask me about this thinking or rich process. He prescribed some reading on Norma Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill and different authors because he said, you you're really not sick. You're just stressed. And instead of me giving you medication, I give you some things to read it. I read it, started reading everything. And all of a sudden my energy started, you know, rising and I started feeling good about myself and I started working harder and harder. And he, this guy, he was just writing me every day.

So one night I'm at work, was like two o'clock in the morning. I would literally work eight to 10 to 12, 14 hours a day, go home, change, come back to work. And it was just never enough. And this one night I had just had it. I just had it. Don't judge me, whoever you're listening, I'm here, don't judge me. So I went into his office, yes I did, and I opened his drawer and I...

pulled out his little red book and I started reading all these lies he had written about me. was just appalling. All of these things and dated. And so I decided to keep me a little black book. And every time he'd say something that was derogatory to me, I'd write the date, place and time and everybody who was around who heard it. And this went on for months. And I was leaving work one day and ⁓ the security guard said to me, I was driving this big yellow ugly car, Plymouth Fury yellow. This was my...

in the seventies and the was made in the fifties anyway. So security guard said, you know, ma'am, I watch every day and you're riding his beat up car. He said, are you married? I said, yes. He said, well, ask your husband, you know, tell him that the security guard, cause my husband worked there too. said, security guard at station 12, you know, is selling a ⁓ white Stingray Corvette.

My face did not move. The car was in the 70s and this was in the 70s. And the guy could tell he had no idea what that was. I was so clueless. I did not know. So I went home and my husband was getting ready to go to work the next day and I mentioned it to him. He said, Corvette. And I had no idea. I said, what is that? He said, boo, you don't know what a Corvette is? He said, get in the car. He took me to the car lot.

And when he rode up to the car lot and I saw those cars. Now this is how unworthy I thought I felt I was literally. Why would I look at a car like that? I can't afford it. So it was just not even in my mind. So I looked at the cars and my husband looked at me and we both started laughing. I said, you don't want to sell me that. He said, how much you want? said, $7,000. He said, $7,000? Do you know what? Needless to say, I bought the car. My husband bought the car for me.

The next morning Mercedes, I'm driving into the office and my boss is walking across the crosswalk and I'm sitting in the car. Everybody knew I drove this big yellow thing. Look down into the car and he saw me. And you can see he turned red. He walked in the office by the time I parked and got in. going make quick this story real quick. And I got to my desk and

I was supposed to leave that week for vacation. My husband could not wait for me to leave so he could drive this car. And I walked in and everybody in my little department in the cubicles is standing up waiting for me to come in. And my boss says to me in front of everybody, Ms. McNeil, I'm sorry, you can't take your vacation because we need you to work.

Thank you to myself.

Mercedes Swan (29:20)
This story keeps getting progressively disturbing.

Ann McNeill (29:24)
Listen, I'm a fast forward this story. Everything that I read, my self confidence was already growing and I attracted that car Mercedes. That's what I'm saying about those who struggle. Do the inner work first and whatever you're desiring is desiring you and trust me, it will show up. I stood there, I put my handbag down, I went into my bag and I pulled out my little black book.

And my boss, when he said he went into his cubicle and everybody's looking back and forth at the two of us. And I said to him, I walked behind him and I said, excuse me, can I see you across the hall? Because it was a conference room across the hall. I said, can I see you across the hall? He said, sure.

Mercedes Swan (30:11)
you

Ann McNeill (30:13)
I walked in and I had been reading a lot. mean, body language books. mean, I was reading a lot, all kinds of things. So I waited for him to sit down first, close the conference room door. I took my chair.

right to him. And if you can just imagine one knee on the inside of his knees. Yes. Visualize this as you're listening to this podcast being audience. Other knee on the other side of his knee. And I leaned forward into his face. Don't try this at work, please. So I'm not suggesting.

Any of your listeners should do this. I'm just saying that I had just had it. And this is what I said to that man. We're not going to call his name, nor will we call the company name. It's a wonderful company.

was a long time ago. I said to him,

that I am just sick and tired of you treating me the way you have. So I have decided that I'm going to go to personnel because I want your job. Please don't do this. Don't do this. Don't do this. And I'm going to file a discrimination case against you. And

I had, and I showed him the little book and I said, I had, have been keeping notes and I started going through what he said on the dates. said it. He turned red. I finished my conversation. I went to my desk and I started working. He came to my desk and he suggested that I should leave early for my vacation.

Why don't you leave today with pay? When I came back after two weeks, I had a promotion, my desk was clean and it moved me to another department. Now I'm saying this because it was a blessing in disguise because when I moved to the other department, I now was dealing with presidents and vice presidents of all the divisions of this international company. And I learned so much about business and how to grow my own business.

And then I found out that other departments for months had been asking him to transform me to their department. Now that is my struggle challenge. And it's just really one of them. And I'm sharing again, when you do the inner work, I would not have been able to do that. I'm not suggesting anybody to do that. What I am saying is this, when you do the inner work and you grow your own self-confidence right where you are on your job and your career.

Be the best you can be right where you are. The other thing I started doing was I started associating with other people who were in my industry by going outside of my job and aligning myself with events and the chamber and different organizations where I would meet other people who were doing exactly what I was doing in accounting. The other thing I started doing was I looked at the industry that I was in, in this job, and I started going to industry conferences to grow my self-worth.

and my knowledge of what I was doing. And I became so valuable to people that I did not know were watching me. And so those are just some of the things that I would share to individuals who are going through a struggle. Look inside first before you blame other people outside of you or your situation outside of you. I just think that it's the inner trying to break through and it's called a struggle or a challenge.

Mercedes Swan (34:06)
Yes. I just thank you for telling that story because I think we need to hear it. I'm glad that you did. Yeah, we'd like to air them out over here. Not all the way, but you know, enough to resonate because I hear that so much. we were like, we give up our power to this system, to the boss, to the job. ⁓ And we can acknowledge that we have the discrimination, the harassment, the bias, all of those things.

But at the end of the day, like we are still in charge of ourselves and our destiny and still getting it together. And I think that's the important part of like, yes, but we get to do something different. So yeah.

Ann McNeill (34:47)
Yes, and yes, we're still responsible to be the very best at whatever it is that we set our hands to do.

Mercedes Swan (34:59)
Yes, that was a beautiful, powerful story. Yeah, so I don't know, I might co-sign to go tell your boss where to go. I might co-sign.

Ann McNeill (35:06)
knows all the blessing in disguise. He had to do that for me to grow, see, because otherwise I would have just been complacent where I was.

Mercedes Swan (35:14)
Yeah. And it grew you into this business and all that you've done multiple businesses. So we'll really switch gears to that. ⁓ And like I said at the beginning, ⁓ master builder. my gosh. Master builder of life. Like I just think that is just such an amazing way to talk about. And I think that the stories that you've already told are really connected to that deeply. And I of course know, and I talk about clarity a lot. You talk about clarity a lot.

Because it is that piece, right? You can't build anything without clarity of what you're building and it's so important to build that aligned life. And so from your perspective or your story, what would you say is the key to finding clarity, particularly for women who have, you know, really felt burnt out or tired or indecisive ⁓ and particularly what that, how that's connected to building that business?

Ann McNeill (36:06)
building the business and also building the life. I think that the life comes before the business and oftentimes we want to put the business before the life. And so clarity is found in many different areas. at first I would like to start with clarity of whose you are.

You know, we talk about who you are, my name is this and then, but whose you are. Are you clear about who you are and are you clear about whose you are? And sometimes we don't know who we belong to in terms of the spirit. That's clarity because when that relationship here is clearer, these relationships, they fall in place. And so when you think about

this whole idea of everything, my story I just shared, I had to go through that to be able to sit here today. But what if I were not willing to go through it and I was going to sit in it? So I think first it becomes a matter of having clarity about who you are, but also whose you are. And then once you're able to do that, there is a purpose for each and every one of us, but we must

Seek the purpose. Ask the purpose. Yes and knock for the purpose to be, you know, revealed, if you will. And that comes from having a desire of some kind, Mercedes. And sometimes you may find somebody that says, you know, well, I had a challenge when I was young and I was homeless, so I want to help homeless people. But how are you going to pay for that? So clarity surrounding

the money that it requires to build the purpose. I tell my coaching clients, say, listen, yes, you want to be philanthropic. Yes, you want to give and yes, you want to serve, but make the money first and then go and fund your own not-for-profit. Make the money first. So when it becomes a matter and question of clarity, think clarity also comes about if you're selling a product or a service.

or if you have a job, either one of those.

Mercedes Swan (38:31)
Hoo.

Ann McNeill (38:32)
is your ideal client? Are you clear about who that is? And where do they congregate? And can they afford whatever it is you're So again, when we talk about the subject of clarity, it can go across every single area of our lives, every single area of our lives. So those are just some thoughts for me in terms of how I look at clarity. And of course, I have a clarity mastermind.

that helps individuals look at getting clarity in their spiritual life, family, financial, education, the health area. When you think about your personal growth and development, your business or your career, your profession, what about your recreation? I just came back from a six month world cruise all over the world. Well, not all over the world, but 72 ports. Yes, about two months ago.

And so we think about the recreational area of your life. What does that look like? Are you clear about that in terms of where do you want to go? What will it take? When are you going to go? And then the creative, my granddaughter just published her second book. She's eight years old. just published her autobiography. When you think about creativity, creativity. And what does that look for you? Are you clear? Do you have clarity surrounding?

what makes you ⁓ wake up earlier in the morning that pulls you into the day. And you are so excited. You just cannot wait to get to the next appointment or the next call. So for me, clarity covers everything. But I will say this about clarity and I'll wrap that up. It also starts for me with self-confidence.

Mercedes Swan (40:20)
Yeah, it's not possible to build the life that's authentically you if you don't live in that on a daily basis and you're building somebody else's life or their bliss and how I define that. So yes, love it. All right. So I have one last question, kind of this business space. And for context, I have so many co-working spaces, so many masterminds, and that has created the person that I am today. We are...

You know, we are ourselves, but we are also, you know, a connection to all who are in our circle and support us and their energies as well. And so I love that. And I'm a huge ⁓ fan of the mastermind. So tell me a little bit more about your mastermind programs and how you're helping Black women and other individuals who are building that dream life. And like the McNeil factor, cause I was like,

new factor and also um why this is you know why it's important because we a lot of people i did not know what mastermind was until i entered the business space and it was just everywhere and i was like i gotta learn more about this so because i think it's a it's a kept secret so let me let me know more about that

Ann McNeill (41:32)
Well,

I'm so glad you asked. talked about, it's December 31st, 1979, when I picked up a copy of this book and began to read it. And I started going through these questions. How much do you want Ann McNeil? What are you going to do in return for it? By what date the author asked me? And I didn't have answers for the questions. I just knew I wanted to save a thousand dollars a year, but I did not know how. And that started this journey for me masterminding because that night my husband and friends went out to celebrate the new year. I stayed home.

And as I began to look at my financial situation, the first time in my adult life, that night I acknowledged how broken broken I was as an adult. And so I just started crying as my husband and friends came in because I felt hopeless, if you will. Of course he thought I was crying over him, but that's another story for another day. But the following morning is when I first read about the mastermind.

group in Napoleon Hill's book here, Thinking Grow Rich, which I'm actually in this version. That's why I like this version. I'm actually in this one. And when I looked at what the author said, he said, two people must be a total agreement. And this is the mastermind concept. Two people must be in total agreement to work together, to support each other in achieving your goals.

In forming a mastermind group though, you cannot invite the third person unless the two people are in total agreement. Now this masterminding that I've created is for free family and friends. Can I say that again? Free family and friends. Right? This is going back to 1980 when masterminding was not as prevalent as it is. So I started the International Mastermind Association and I wrote two books. I actually wrote

three books. This is one called The McNeil Factor, Workbook and Manual, and How to Start and Run a Successful Mastermind Group. And I have an annual meeting that I host. A part of that process also is a manual and a daily journal that I encourage people to do as you mastermind. Now, why is that important? In this book, I give you all of the steps. First,

Come together with two people. You must be in agreement to add the third. The three of you must be in total agreement of like-minded, like-spirited to add the fourth. The four of you must be in total agreement to add the fifth and so on. Like-minded and like-spirited is not my group, it's our group. And that's what I teach. I give an agenda on what you do, the first meeting, the second meeting, third and so on. But why is this important? And I'll go back to my story.

For me, I wanted to make extra money. I did not know how. So as I began to pull together friends and we started asking each other these questions, how much do you want? What are you going to do? How can I help you? Every single week we would meet. That's what the book told us to do. And eventually we started holding an annual meeting for our life where we masterminded all of the areas. And this is why Mercedes is so important. Most people just mastermind focus on money. That's it.

They forget the other areas of your life to mastermind with your family, with a family mastermind group, with an affirmation for the family and so many other areas. That's what I teach people, how to create a free family and friends mastermind. If any of your listeners are interested, that's why I to change my name. You can text the word Anne at 59925. Just go to your phone, just pick up your phone.

and go to the text area regardless of what kind of phone you have and just text 59925 and put Anne in the chat. And we will send you back information on how to start and run a successful mastermind group. And I will tell you Mercedes, now 40 years later, we have helped over thousands of individuals. do a mastermind group for the National Speakers Association with

Black and SA million dollar mastermind. And I've helped over 1000 people in that group because I've been doing that now for 14 years as founder of that million dollar mastermind. And so again, that one is just about the money and you can Google any of this. You can get the details anywhere. But if you are interested in having a better quality of life in every area of your life, connect with me.

and become a part of our Think and Grow Rich International Mastermind Association where I am volunteering to help individuals create free family and friends masterminds. that is the information on the mastermind.

Mercedes Swan (46:39)
can't say this enough, like masterminding is is an amazing thing. And I've just seen like, you know, when I had started mine a little bit earlier, and like, my math, my mastermind are my people, okay, so this is not a sale. is not my sale for my mastermind. These are my people, okay. And I say that because I've just even in the last I started at the end of last year wanting to come into 2025 with this energy of, you know,

What's mine is mine. I'm growing. I'm working in my purpose and my passion. I just tell you these ladies, they're just doing just so much, but it is not just the business, right? It is how do I want to live my life? What do I want to experience? How do I want to live in this world? And so if this is a type of power of community, because I don't do the career love podcast just because, I mean, I love doing podcasts and talking to amazing people like Anne.

But I do the podcast because I think there's so much power in community and showing up for each other and inspiring each other. And I think that's what we need as black women. We truly need that community and whether that's generational wealth or breaking generational curses and building and bringing others as you rise, all of that here. And I think that is like at the essence of why masterminding is important for the black community.

You go run and get that book. I will, so Anne, thank you so much. I will make sure that all of these, all of the things that you've referenced are in the show notes. So if you would like to get it, it will be in the show notes. It will be on my website and things like that for you to get connected and get the awesome resources that.

and has. So as we're wrapping up this amazing conversation, and if you want to share anything else about Mastermind, please do. But also I'd love to know like what would be your parting, you know, piece of advice for the Career Love community based on our conversation today.

Ann McNeill (48:35)
Yeah, again, when you mastermind, just keep in mind that you must have a dream. I published a book the beginning of this year that I've been writing for a very long time because I realized I could not write about something I had not done. And so having a dream in every single area, think Mercedes is so critically important. And one of the ways to do that is having an accountability partner, but also having an accountability group.

I'm in a mastermind group right now for over 20 years with a group called Palm Beach Life Planners. I'm not the group leader. We meet every Monday at 6 a.m. Eastern and the people, some of the people travel all over the world. It's only six of us. And so again, we mastermind in every area of our life. And there's a proven process. It's called the McNeil factor mastermind. It is proven, it works, but only if you work it.

So if you'd like to connect with me, you can connect with me on LinkedIn by going to Ann McNeil on my website, annmcneil.com. And I want to thank you, Mercedes, for this opportunity share because I really believe that sharing the concept of masterminds, again, you can hire somebody that's coaching you in a mastermind for 1,000, 5, 10, $20,000. Yes, I do that too, but...

My heart right now is focused on helping individuals in the community create effective, successful mastermind groups for life, for family and friends.

Mercedes Swan (50:14)
Yes, thank you, Anne. This is amazing. Again, I will make sure all of your links and ways to get in touch and learn how to build your own community based mastermind will be below. And I just want to thank you so much for all of like this really truly amazing conversation. So thank you for being a guest and to our listeners. As always, I hope that this conversation with Anne will help you enter your Black Women Bliss era. That is what we are here for. OK. And of course, if you are enjoying this podcast,

Make sure you subscribe, okay, because you need more goodness after this podcast with Anne and go ahead and support the podcast with a review or participating in a poll ⁓ on Spotify. until next time, love, I hope that you are having the most success in however you choose to build this next step in your career, business or life. And I will see you next time. Bye.