We were lucky to catch up with Adrian White recently and have shared our conversation below.

Adrian, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of my current projects is leading Marketing and PR for the Inaugural Black in Business Awards, happening on November 20th in Gaithersburg, MD. This prestigious event will honor and celebrate trailblazing Black entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders who are making a powerful impact in their industries and communities. Guests will enjoy an elegant evening featuring a three-course plated dinner, open bar, and a vibrant atmosphere dedicated to recognizing and uplifting Black-owned businesses and leadership across Montgomery County, MD. Tickets go on sale August 20th and can be purchased at www.blackinbusinessawards.com.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an award-winning purpose coach, business strategist, branding and marketing expert, and speaker who has helped thousands of women gain the clarity, confidence, and strategy they need to align their work with their calling. After walking away from a successful but unfulfilling career in 2019, I built a purpose-driven business, AMW Marketing & Design, that honors my faith, supports my family, and helps others do the same. I am also the co-host of 2 Mics 2 Glasses, a podcast where my best friend and I discuss business ownership and life, available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

Throughout my career, I’ve received numerous accolades including being named one of the 2022 Top Email Marketers to Follow by Show by Animaker, the 2019 Sanaa Artistic Progression Award from Black Millennials for Flint, one of the 2018 Top Email Marketing Influencers to Follow by MailMunch, and 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Black MBA Association – DC Chapter.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I first started AMW Marketing & Design in 2013 as a side hustle. Since high school, I had loved web design, and after many years of doing it just for fun, I finally started charging for it; that’s how AMW was born. For the next six years, I navigated corporate America while building my branding and marketing business on the side, all while balancing a full-time job, family responsibilities, and social commitments. On the surface, it looked like I had it all together. Behind the scenes, though, I wrestled with self-doubt, fear, guilt, and the constant pressure to have everything perfectly in place before making a change.

Over time, I learned how to quiet those internal struggles and stop letting fear and perfectionism drive my decisions. I gave myself permission to step into the work I truly felt called to do. With clarity and confidence, I left my 9–5 in 2019 and stepped fully into my purpose. Today, I help others do the same. Through a blend of mindset coaching, faith-based guidance, and practical business strategies, I guide my clients to align with their purpose, create meaningful impact, and generate purpose-led income. My mission is to help you move from stuck to unstoppable so you can live and work in full alignment with who you were created to be.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As a marketer, AI has been a game-changer for our growth and efficiency over the past few years. Before adopting AI, nearly everything was done manually, social media post creation, email writing, press releases, video and reel editing, presentations, and more. Now, with the help of powerful tools like ChatGPT and OpusClips, we can generate social captions, marketing strategies, emails, press releases, and even fully edited reels with captions in just minutes. I only wish these tools had been available and that I had embraced them much earlier in my 16+ year career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brandwithamw.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrianmwhite/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianmwhite/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adrianmwhite

Image Credits
The headshot image of myself was taken by Cookie Captures