The Power of Self-Belief: Trusting the Vision When the Road Changes

If you told me during my early college years that one day I’d be leading a media and marketing agency, I probably would’ve laughed. When I first started school, I was laser-focused on becoming an A&R. I lived and breathed music. I studied artists, obsessed over talent scouting, and envisioned myself discovering the next big star. That was the dream.

But partway through my college career, I felt a shift. Something inside told me I was meant for something different—bigger, more impactful. I pivoted, changed my major, and enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to study marketing and advertising. That pivot was the start of everything.

After graduating in 2008, I began my professional career in marketing and advertising. I learned the ropes, mastered the strategy, and found my voice in the industry. I also started to notice the gaps. Where were the stories that looked like mine? Where were the opportunities for women who looked like me? Where was the cultural nuance in the campaigns?

I didn’t pivot because I failed. I pivoted because God whispered a new vision, one I couldn’t ignore.

So I made a decision. Not just to move forward—but to fully trust the vision God had given me.

In 2016, I launched Black Girl Digital—a creator media and marketing agency designed to empower, amplify, and connect Black female creators with the brands who needed them but didn’t know how to find them. I didn’t have all the answers. I didn’t have a blueprint. What I had was belief. Belief that I could build something meaningful. Belief that I could help shift an industry. Belief that if I stayed the course and stayed rooted in my purpose, I’d get to where I needed to be.

Fast forward nine years.

This past weekend, I had the honor of sitting on a panel at MKTRHUB 2025 hosted by Black Women Marketers. We spoke on "What’s Required to Win," and the conversation was powerful. But it also brought me full circle. I sat on that stage and shared a message that has carried me through every high and low:

"You have to trust that you have what it takes to see it through."

I said that with my whole chest. Because so many times along this journey, it would've been easier to quit. When the funding wasn’t there. When the deals fell through. When I was the only one who saw the vision. When I felt overlooked, overwhelmed, and under-resourced. But I didn't quit. I believed. And that belief carried me.

Self-belief isn’t just about confidence. It’s about commitment. It’s about showing up for yourself when it feels like no one else is. It’s about planting seeds even when you can’t see the harvest yet. And it’s about understanding that God doesn’t give you a vision without the strength to bring it to life—even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.

What I want people to take away from my story is this: Sometimes the pivot is the blessing. The path you didn’t expect may be the one that leads you to purpose. The vision may evolve, but the calling is constant. You were made for this. You just have to trust it.

There is power in believing when it's hard. There's power in staying the course when you're not seeing the results yet. And there's incredible power in trusting that your steps are ordered, even if the staircase isn't fully visible.

If you're in a season of uncertainty right now, if you feel like you're being called to pivot or make a leap, hear me when I say: Don’t give up. Your gift is real. Your purpose is valid. Your vision is divine. And your belief will be the bridge between where you are and where you’re meant to be.

Because I chose to believe, I built a business. I built community. I created impact. And the best part? I'm just getting started.

Keep going.

Believe anyway.

You have what it takes to see it through.

Your's truly,

LaToya Shambo

Founder & CEO