There’s a difference between working to survive — and working to build something that doesn’t yet exist. Will.i.am understands that difference intimately. Known around the world as a member of the Black Eyed Peas and a hit-making producer who has collaborated with artists like Nas, Ariana Grande, John Legend, The Game, Macy Gray, and Chris Brown, he is now also a tech entrepreneur with a traditional 9-to-5. But even with corporate structure in his life, his focus hasn’t changed. He is still building on his own terms — and encouraging other creators, builders, and founders to do the same. As he told Black Enterprise , “Work-life balance means that you’re working for somebody else’s dream.” He’s not dismissing self-care. He’s reframing the idea entirely. Because for people who are designing something new — leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, visionaries — balance looks different. Dream–Reality Balance vs. Work–Life Balance Will.i.am says the conversation shouldn’t always be about work-life balance. It should be about dream–reality balance . As he explained to Black Enterprise: “If you’re trying to build something that doesn’t exist, it’s about dream-reality balance. Work-life balance means that you’re working for somebody else’s dream… But if it’s dream-reality balance, then it’s not work. It’s a dream you’re trying to put into reality.” In other words: People who are building something new are not simply clocking in and clocking out. They are taking the vision they see in their mind — and pulling it into the world. And that requires a different level of focus, sacrifice, and persistence. Structure First — Creativity After There was a time when Will.i.am made music all day and tried to squeeze tech work into the margins at night. Now he has flipped that rhythm: ✔ structured work during the day ✔ creativity and dream-building from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. ✔ intentional discipline around both Not chaos. Not hustle culture. Not burnout. Structure in service of purpose. He encourages young people — especially those who want to create impact, launch businesses, build movements, or innovate — to think the same way: Build your future intentionally. Design your schedule around what you’re becoming — not only what you’re currently doing. Architects of the Future Think Differently Will.i.am is clear: people who are materializing visions cannot always think like people who simply maintain stability. As he said to Black Enterprise: “I’m not really paying attention to this reality.  I’m trying to bring that one here… and to do that you have to sacrifice. Work-life balance is not for the architects that are pulling visions into reality.” He isn’t glorifying exhaustion. He is naming a truth: Creators, founders, and visionaries live in both worlds — the world that exists now, and the world they are birthing. And there are seasons when that requires staying committed long after the clock says “stop.” Learnings / Takeaways 1️⃣ You must decide which reality you’re committed to. The current one — or the one you’re building. 2️⃣ Purpose requires structure — not chaos. Discipline, schedules, and boundaries actually protect the dream. 3️⃣ Sometimes “balance” isn’t the goal. Sometimes the goal is alignment: making sure your time reflects what you say matters. 4️⃣ Builders think long-term. Entrepreneurs and visionaries live partly in the future — and pull it forward piece by piece. 5️⃣ Sacrifice isn’t punishment. It’s investment. You’re trading comfort for creation.

Dr. Rachel Laryea grew up as the daughter of a Ghanaian immigrant single mother — shaped by resilience, education, and deep curiosity about how people survive, thrive, and build. Her path took her from Goldman Sachs into the heart of global finance, and then into academia at Yale University, where she earned a dual PhD in African American Studies and Sociocultural Anthropology. She walked into Wall Street as both insider and outsider. And that tension — belonging and questioning at the same time — became the catalyst for her new book, Black Capitalists: A Blueprint for What Is Possible. Laryea describes her early corporate experience as a kind of “culture shock.” Goldman Sachs exposed her to wealth, privilege, speed, and power — but also to contradictions. The environment raised more questions than answers and set her on a path of asking: How do Black people navigate an economic system that has often profited from our labor — while rarely inviting us to benefit fully from it? That curiosity didn’t push her away from capitalism. Instead, it pushed her deeper into understanding how it works — and how it could work differently. Challenging the Story: Are Black People Only Labor — Never Beneficiaries? Much of academic conversation about capitalism and race assumes one truth: that Black participation inevitably leads to exploitation. There is history to support that view — slavery, discriminatory banking systems, and a racial wealth gap that remains wide. But Laryea noticed something striking during her time on Wall Street: Black people — and people of color — were not only surviving inside the “belly of the beast.” They were navigating, negotiating, growing, and sometimes redirecting resources back into their communities. Their relationship with capitalism wasn’t simple. It was: complicated strategic layered sometimes contradictory That realization reframed her work. Instead of asking whether Black people “belong” in capitalism, she began asking: What happens when Black people learn to reposition themselves inside the system — intentionally, ethically, and purposefully — to create social good? What Does It Mean To Be a “Black Capitalist”? In Black Capitalists, Laryea distinguishes between two ideas. A Black capitalist is someone who identifies as Black and deliberately repositions themselves within the economy to benefit — and to create social good. This isn’t about greed. It isn’t about replicating harm. It is about strategy, power literacy, and responsibility. Meanwhile, Black capitalism itself, she argues, is race-agnostic. Anyone — individually or collectively — can practice it, if the intention is to use economic tools to build, heal, strengthen, and expand opportunity. This way of thinking disrupts the traditional narrative that capitalism is either villain or savior. Instead, it becomes a tool — one that can be shaped. When Access Becomes Agency Laryea highlights real people using capitalism differently. Like a Goldman Sachs employee and Ifa priest who sees himself as a “spy” — gaining access, gathering resources, and redistributing them into Black communities. Nigerian-born entrepreneur Wemimo Abbey , co-founder of Esusu, whose company allows renters to build credit through their rent payments while preventing evictions. Abbey calls it a “win-win-win” because renters build credit, landlords stay paid and society reduces homelessness. This is capitalism leveraged — not blindly accepted. Choosing to Tell Her Own Story Many women Laryea interviewed feared exposure, even anonymously. Their experiences in corporate spaces mirrored hers: ambition, isolation, ceilings, contradictions, and the emotional costs of navigating systems not built for them. So she chose to stand in the gap — and tell her own story. By naming her experience, she honored theirs. Because so many Black professionals know this tension. We are invited to participate — but not always welcomed to benefit. Not Dismantle vs. Endorse — But Transform Laryea is realistic. Capitalism isn’t disappearing tomorrow. And ignoring it will not shield anyone from its impact. Her question becomes deeply pragmatic: If the system exists — how do we learn it, navigate it, use it, and reshape it toward justice? She calls for collective clarity and alignment. Lock arms. Get on the same page. Use tools wisely. Build equity wherever possible. Choose agency instead of reaction. Not assimilation. Not blind participation. Learnings / Takeaways Here are the deeper lessons her work invites: Power is not evil — but unmanaged power harms. Understanding economic systems is part of community protection and advancement. Access without purpose is empty. It’s not enough to “get in the door.” What matters is how resources flow once you're inside. Capitalism is a tool — not an identity. Tools can build homes — or burn them down. The hands using the tool matter. Participation is not betrayal. Black participation inside systems does not equal complicity when the intent is repair, uplift, and reinvestment. Storytelling matters. Naming our journeys gives others courage to step into power thoughtfully and responsibly. The work is collective. Transformation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens when communities align — intentionally, strategically, bravely.