Change is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it’s always embraced with openness and courage. It pulls at the seams of who you once believed yourself to be, and asks questions you don’t quite have the answers to yet: Who am I in this season of my life? What do I do with the parts of me I’ve outgrown?
As 2026 asks me to steady my sights on new endeavours, there’s one journey that has officially come to a close.
I find it almost poetic that as most of our recent stories or grid posts have been an homage to the wonders of 2016, I also find myself in deep reflection about where I was in that period of my life.
Young and bright eyed, and with my laptop forever by my side, I was already a decade into solidifying my career in journalism, with my words gracing every major newspaper across the country. I knew I was destined to be a storyteller, but I suddenly had an itch for something more. Through the recommendation of a friend, I decided to lend my pen to ForbesWomen, and within six months, I was a senior contributor.
Most of you know I didn’t follow the traditional route here so simply seeing my name in bylines each month offered constant comfort to the young girl in me who first decided to take a risk on herself and her passions. That is, of course, until the realities of the industry came knocking.
Within my first few months, I recognized that what was required of me was, to be frank, completely unsustainable. I’d wanted to use my platform to offer careful and insightful visibility to Black and POC women who were making waves throughout varying industries or whom Natalie Warned likes to call, the anonymous extraordinaries. But what my editor wanted was for my immediate focus to be zeroed in on A-listers who needed little to no mention and quick turnarounds which worked for others, especially when you’re getting paid per article.
Almost immediately, I felt the pressure of an invisible ceiling being placed above me, from the kind of care I could put into my stories to the amount of money I could make. So, by 2017, WritersBlok, my celebrity ghostwriting agency was born. There, I would be able to use my skills (as a storyteller, strategist, and researcher) to amplify the stories of those I admired, as well as those seeking assistance to better and broaden their brands.
While I continued to lay the foundation for my company, my time at ForbesWomen, from the people I interviewed to the lessons they imparted on me, became the perfect master class and laid the foundation to how I became a successful businesswoman myself. As I slowly worked to remove that proverbial ceiling, I was getting a front row seat into how life as a business owner worked, and I couldn’t have been more grateful for it.
Though the demands of the journalism industry caused me to slightly pivot, I knew that it was necessary as I began to see the start of obstructions to craft and content that were soon to plague the field I’d once loved so much. Despite this, even as my output at ForbesWomen slowed, the quality of my features never wavered. I held true to my initial goal and ensured that I was paving a way for other Black women to talk about the people and things that were shaping industries and culture. When I started, I was only 1 of 50 senior contributors at ForbesWomen, across over 2000 contributors spread across the entire Forbes ecosystem.
But, despite the love I had for my work as a journalist, nearly 10 years into my freelance career at this publication, I also knew the sun was beginning to set on that chapter of my life. It’s probably why I wasn’t all too shocked when, at the end of last year, I was singled out for the quota I’d seemingly missed in 2025. What did shock me, however, was how impersonal the entire discussion felt. My editor didn’t even bother to inquire about why my momentum slowed down.
The short answer: I became a mother.
Yes, you read that right. And some of you may be learning this news for the first time because I chose to keep such a precious milestone off the internet. I gave birth to my first son in October 2024 and my second son in January of this year. Back to back pregnancies, just over one year apart. As one chapter of my life started, another ended without any empathy or intention. Nearly a decade as a senior contributor at Forbes.com and hundreds of women featured, all wrapped up in a coldly written email.
Sadly, the team and I were simply unable to agree on contractual terms (mainly the number of articles I’d produce per month), and so, we mutually agreed to part ways.
My role as a journalist is officially over.
I’ve hesitated sharing this news, but felt it appropriate to mention it publicly as I know so many of you continue to reach out about the possibility of being featured. I also wonder how many of those relationships will fall flat or flourish now that I’m no longer there.
But while I may be exiting the rigorous grind of being a journalist, I’m excited for the extra time to pour into offering my expertise in a more educational capacity. I’ll still be available for those seeking advice and support on how to pitch to publications, navigate industry shifts as founders and brand builders, and of course, media literacy.
So, I guess I’m not completely bidding adieu to journalism, but ensuring that with my departure, the door remains open and the lane feels widened for new women-led voices to define the future of what’s to come.
My north star is my ghostwriting agency. I will continue to lead my brilliant all-women team as I have done for several years. Accepting that you’re in a season of transition is messy, but on the other side of that is usually something magical. There’s a deep and often vulnerable shedding that takes place just before the battle is won.
A BIT ABOUT ME: Hi! My name is Pauleanna Reid. I’m the founder and chief storyteller at WritersBlok where I lead an all-women of color team of celebrity ghostwriters. As a collective, we help industry leaders and doers who are shaping the future turn their personal stories into brand assets so they can stay relevant in a noisy world, communicate to their audience at scale, and turn any conversation into a meaningful and profitable lead. Clients truly trust me with their reputations and their legacies. In fact, when they want to speak up on a hot topic and shake the room, I’m the woman they call. Many of them have me on speed dial, why don’t you?