Coffee No Cream

About Coffee No Cream

A podcast celebrating Black women's unique journeys in business. Whether you're an entrepreneur, corporate climber, or finding your path, we share authentic "Coffee No Cream Moments" – those distinctly Black girl experiences that become catalysts for growth, bold action, and powerful career pivots. No complaints – just real stories and celebrations of resilience from those who truly understand the walk.

Publisher

Erin Braxton

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 May 2025

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

78 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   Coffee No Cream Ep. 70 - Black women, stop waiting on "They"

   Who is “they”? Who exactly is coming to train you, save you, or hand you the plan? A few years ago I bought a ticket to Italy for a romantic trip with a guy I was dating. The trip fell apart and so did we. Did I wait for the next man to take me? No. That same year I went to Milan, Portofino, Paris, Medellín, and Toronto. And after Beverly Dines came on the show and laid out where the opportunities are for Black women right now, the comments made me realize a lot of us are still waiting. On the man, the money, the training, the permission. In this episode I talk about why waiting on a rescue is a trap, how I took Beverly’s advice and applied it to my own business, how years of experience made me the right person for projects I’d never done before, and why I’m building my own kitchen cabinets and refinishing my own floors instead of waiting on someone else to do it. If you’ve been waiting on someone to show you the way, this one is for you.Listen to Beverly Dines episode (https://open.spotify.com/episode/5x34OEmBj7QpIcjDBGhWLQ?si=s_oTQzwRQrixVjGKpdSb9Q) Listen to Nicole Murphy episode (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hhXbeQbj2S7klgkUyvW2X?si=pm3ByCX3R7-cWBLK4juFuw) Leave me a comment and tell me what you’re done waiting on. I read every one. ☕ Join the Coffee No Cream Community We talk about career, confidence, workplace trauma, healing, and navigating life as Black women, without apology. ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the private Facebook group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/coffeenocream) ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Access 2,000+ free educational resources ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://coffeenocream.com/free) ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Motion Hour with Erin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://coffeenocream.com/motion/) to figure out your next step ⏰ TIMESTAMPS (0:00) The Italy trip that didn’t happen (3:58) Welcome to Coffee No Cream (4:58) Are we waiting on a rescue? (5:31) Traveling without waiting on anybody (7:29) The comments that stopped me (10:04) Who is “they”? (13:30) Your experience is the marketable skill (16:12) Building what I’d never built before (22:20) “Can you share your developer?” (24:38) Time, money, resources: fill the gap (25:08) Building my own kitchen and floors (31:00) Fear and procrastination (33:08) What are you done waiting on?

2. 

   14 Oct 2026

   Coffee No Cream Ep. 69 - Should Black Women Dress Down for an Insecure Boss?

   Should you dress down so your insecure boss feels comfortable? Or is that a hill worth dying on? Tai Robinson is back, and she’s not giving you the fairy tale version. After years as an HR director, she’s watched appearance keep people out of leadership, and she’s lived it too. Every time she went job hunting, she straightened her natural hair. Not because she wanted to, but because her goal was the offer, and she had no idea what the person across the table believed. We dig into your comments from Episode 66 with Beverly Dines: dressing better than your boss, the “conform or move on” reality, why her blue hair is “cool” and ours gets called something else, the CROWN Act, what to ask when someone pulls you aside about your attire, and why Tai tells employees please don’t bring your whole self to work. If you’ve ever been told you’re too much, too dressed, or too different at work, this one is for you.Connect with Tai Robinson LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tai-robinson-shrm-cp-a87a8923/) Book: Surviving Toxic Workplaces (https://survivingtoxicworkplaces.com/)Listen to Episode 66 with Beverly Dines (https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/zp1gKCG2e7b) ☕ Join the Coffee No Cream Community We talk about career, confidence, workplace trauma, healing, and navigating life as Black women, without apology. ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the private Facebook group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/coffeenocream) ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Access 2,000+ free educational resources ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://coffeenocream.com/free) ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Motion Hour with Erin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://coffeenocream.com/motion/) to figure out your next step ⏰ TIMESTAMPS (0:00) Preview (2:53) Tai Robinson returns (3:43) Can a Black woman be too well dressed at work? (7:38) Should you dress down to protect your boss’s ego? (8:33) Conform or move on (13:52) Appearance when you work remote (16:26) Hair, policies, and the CROWN Act (22:16) Her blue hair is “cool,” ours is “ghetto” (29:43) When someone says your appearance is a problem (32:52) Legit feedback or BS? Questions to ask (42:28) Please don’t bring your whole self to work (43:16) 3 things the HR handbook won’t tell you (45:00) Wrap up

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Coffee No Cream Ep. 68 - She Built an App So Black Entrepreneurs Can Hire Without Cash

   The budget ain't budgeting. So what do you do when your business needs a lawyer, a brand, or a marketing plan and the money just isn't there? Nicole Murphy had a short-term property management company that was doing really well. Then COVID hit and the business didn't survive. Instead of going back to a job, she filed for a trademark, found a developer, and built a tech company with no tech background. That company is Barter Black, a platform where Black entrepreneurs exchange products and services with each other using Barter Bucks instead of cash. We get into how the platform works and how Nicole actually makes money on it, why direct trades failed and Barter Bucks fixed it, and why launching with an app was a mistake. She also breaks down how she won over $30,000 in grants, pitch competitions, and accelerators to fund the build. Then we talk about being a beginner again, who to stop telling your ideas to, and what it takes to start when fear has you sitting on a good one. If you've been going without help in your business because you can't afford it, this one is for you.Connect with Nicole and Barter BlackWebsite (https://barterblack.io)Social Media @barterblack.ioBarterCon (https://buildatbartercon.com), February 19, 2027 in Maryland (only 50 seats): ☕ Join the Coffee No Cream Community We talk about career, confidence, workplace trauma, healing, and navigating life as Black women, without apology. ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the private Facebook group ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/coffeenocream) ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Access 2,000+ free educational resources ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://coffeenocream.com/free) ► ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book a Motion Hour with Erin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://coffeenocream.com/motion/) to figure out your next step ⏰ Timestamps (0:00) No tech background, built a tech company anyway (2:01) What Barter Black is and how Barter Bucks work (5:30) From idea to trademark to developer (8:48) How Barter Black makes money (10:02) Why direct trades didn't work (14:09) Launching with an app was a mistake (15:26) Funding it with grants and pitch competitions (20:09) Getting started when fear has you stuck (23:37) Being a beginner and failing (32:30) What to tell family and friends (38:14) BarterCon (40:53) The vision for Barter Black (46:46) Where to find Nicole

Who has been a guest on Coffee No Cream

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Michele Forbes
• Sheryl Davis
• Nadine Foster
• Shequana Hughes
• Erin Norman

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

94,010

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

12 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 68 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

89

Social presence

0

YouTube

85

Engagement

32

Contact Coffee No Cream

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about Coffee No Cream