New Memoirs By Women Of Color That Inspire Leadership

Leadership isn’t always about titles. It’s also about truth, impact, and the paths we build behind the curtain.

There’s a powerful wave of memoirs by women of color entering the literary world with anecdotes that offer deep personal reflections and inspiration from women who’ve made history, broken barriers, and built legacies. These stories go beyond career wins. They’re about the silent battles, bold decisions, and intentional living that define what leadership truly means. Whether you’re climbing the corporate ladder or carving out an atypical career path, these memoirs offer guidance, inspiration, grit, and wisdom for the journey ahead.

Here are five memoirs to add to your reading list:

With a career ladder spanning from working with Janelle Monae’s label Wondaland to Roc Nation and Universal Music Group’s Interscope Records, music executive Joy Young has mastered the power of building from the ground up. Joy has helped shape careers of artists like Kendrick Lamar, Ella Mai, GloRilla, Summer Walker and more. Recently, she has transitioned to entrepreneurship with her independent label Playtime Music. 

And now, she’s sharing the game plan for prospering by building wealth, confidence, and legacy, while discovering your purpose in the process. Prosper on Purpose is part memoir, part guide, that blends mindset, money, and mission, by offering practical tools and spiritual insight for women ready to create a reality that feels like the dream. It’s a standout read for anyone ready to prosper out loud and on purpose.

Coming in as a #1 New York Times Bestseller, Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, Ketanji’s journey is both historic and deeply human, as she peels back layers of public perception to share personal truths behind her career ascendence. 

“I am reminded that no matter how charmed or arrow-straight my life might appear from the outside, delivering me to the loftiest pinnacle of my chosen career, behind the spotlight’s bright glare are the private moments marked by individual sacrifice, resilient striving, and abiding love,” she wrote in her memoir. “These, I would argue, are the truest measures of success on the path we humans travel.”

In Lovely One, Ketanji opens up about her family roots from segregation to her early ambition as a speaker, and balancing motherhood with a rising career in the legal system. This memoir is more than just a recollection of milestones accomplished, but a reminder that courageous ambition and principle must coexist. For women stepping into spaces where they’re often the only one, or the first to do a thing, this memoir is both a speculum and a guide.

Many correlate the success of network BET to Debra Lee, and often forget about Shelia Johnson. Sheila’s memoir is less about legacy and more about liberation. In Walk Through Fire, the co-founder of BET and America’s first black female billionaire shares the emotional battles behind her business achievements. Behind the scenes was loss, betrayal, sadness, and growing pains towards the long journey to happiness and healing. 

“And after many years of staying silent, I’m ready to reveal how it all went down, in hopes that my story might help other women who find themselves facing the fire too,” she wrote.

With fearless honesty, Shelia details the parts of her life she once tried to survive quietly, to offer a true glimpse into the cost of ambition for Black women in high positions. For any reader that might be starting over and rebuilding, whether its from personal or professional pain, Shelia’s story is a powerful reminder that ascending can be redemptive.

Dr. Uché Blackstock doesn’t just recount her climb to the top in medicine, but she confronts the industry’s refusal to evolve. In the book, Legacy, she exposes how racism shows up in hospitals, medical schools, and everyday patient care through her lived experiences. 

“As professional women, we put tremendous pressure on ourselves, as do our workplaces, loved ones, and society,” she wrote. “For the first few years after having my children, I felt like I was barely keeping my head above water at work and at home.”

Uché’s background is rooted in family, as her early influence was of her late mother, who was also a doctor. This memoir is both a personal reckoning and a strategic call to action for pushing healthcare toward equity. For any reader looking for non-performative leadership tactics to make urgent and necessary changes for the betterment of society, then this read is for you.

Monique Rodriguez is the CEO of the hair care brand, Mielle Organics. In her memoir The Glory in Your Story, she shares more than the framework to her business and leadership journey. The book has a huge emphasis on her belief system. Monique reveals how faith, and not just boldness, has carried her through setbacks, public scrutiny, and the growth of a multimillion-dollar beauty brand. 

“There will always be obstacles when starting a business, beginning a new job, or changing careers – or really, when starting any new season in life,” she wrote.

Resilience, strength and growth is rooted in spirituality for Monique. To her, leadership is more than KPI’s and success stories Through personal stories, theme takeaways and reflective questions, she challenges women to leave “society’s norms” alone and chase purpose. Although the path may feel uncertain at times, this memoir is a toolkit to help readers understand that faith is the strategy to your purpose.

These memoirs aren’t just for you to look at the book covers in adoration. All of these women being brave enough to accept the call and share their journeys, is a reminder that our experiences are valuable, our voices powerful, and our dreams possible. So as women of color continue to reshape and redefine what leadership means, learn from them. It does not matter what industry you’re in, if you’re leading a team, or in business for yourself.