Meet Samella Watson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Samella Watson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Samella, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I didn’t find my purpose—it reintroduced itself to me.

It was always there, hiding in plain sight since childhood, but buried under the pressure to produce quick results and survive. It was masked by the cultural inheritances I never consented to but carried anyway. My purpose began to reveal itself the moment I stopped seeking permission and started listening to the inner me—while allowing that still, small voice to lead the way.

For me, purpose isn’t a job title or a perfect pitch—it’s found in divine alignment. It looks like building community while I’m still becoming my best self. It feels like healing in public so others understand they’re not alone. And it shows up every time I say yes to things that stretch my capacity—especially the uncomfortable and unfamiliar.

I found my purpose when I realized I don’t have to wait until I “arrive” to teach, share, or serve. I get to build the plane while flying it—and invite others to soar with me. My life is proof that purpose is less about perfection and more about permission—the kind you give yourself to walk in what God already placed within you.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m the founder of BLCK—a membership-based home exchange community that reimagines travel as a tool to live, work, and play on your own terms. We serve creative entrepreneurs who are culturally-rich travelers and value community, connection, and the circulation of resources. Think of BLCK as the travel society you didn’t know you needed, but are so glad you found.

But BLCK isn’t just about traveling—it’s about having people everywhere you go.

I also recently launched Travel Tuesday Club—an in-person event series that brings locals together for purpose-driven networking, hosted inside small Brooklyn-based businesses that were impacted by the drop in tourism due to NYC’s Local Law 18. These events are our way of circulating dollars, celebrating culture, and helping hospitality-based businesses scale in a tech-first world.

What makes what we’re building special is that we understand winning should be a collective effort. Across all of my endeavors, service to my community is the center. As we begin using AI to curate experiences, exchange resources, and build with trust and safety at the core, we’re bringing our community along every step of the way.

Right now, we’re gearing up for our private beta, and I’m actively partnering with existing communities in the social, professional, and spiritual spaces to welcome a select group of early neighbors. BLCK is leading a movement for a more inclusive and sustainable future. One that says you don’t have to choose between purpose and play. You can build your business, rest regularly, and experience something meaningful along the way.

What excites me most is I’m just getting started—and this gets to be colorful, cultural, and a collective win. This could become the blueprint for others to build communal wealth, spiritual alignment, and unforgettable experiences rooted in what the world needs more of: radical love for humanity. What an honor it is to lead this movement.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, three qualities have been essential to my journey: spiritual sensitivity, creative problem-solving, and the audacity to start before I’m ready.

Spiritual Sensitivity:
The more I quieted the world’s noise, the louder God’s instructions became. Learning to trust divine downloads, nudges, and no’s has been my true compass. My advice fpr others is spend less time asking for signs from others, and more time deepening their spirituality and stillness. Purpose isn’t just discovered—it’s discerned.✨

Creative Problem-Solving:
I’ve had to make magic with what I have as a Bootstrapped entrepreneur. My journey taught me to see opportunity in obstacles and build people-centered solutions. If you’re early in the game, start by asking better questions—not just looking for better answers. Innovation flows from reframing, not replicating.
✨I often remind myself “I don’t lack resources—I lack resourcefulness to leverage the resources I already have.”

The Audacity to Start Anyway:
I didn’t always feel qualified, but I was called—and that’s more than enough for me, now. In the past I have allowed too many visions die in the waiting room of perfectionism. I had to learn how to honor my “not yet” season by building with what I do know and trusting that the rest will be divinely provided.
✨I often say “Start now and get fancy later.”

These three qualities have shaped how I lead, love, and launch into anything new. And the best part is we don’t need permission to develop these L’s—we just need intention, humility, and a whole lot of faith.

As Jim Rohn once said, “Don’t wish it was easier; wish you were better.”
I say: “Don’t just wish—become better, so it becomes easier for you.”

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Absolutely—I’m looking to collaborate with vision-driven travelers, freedom-focused entrepreneurs, and community-minded creatives who are ready to experience more, spend less, and build while they rest.

If you’re an experienced traveler who’s ready to do it more frequently, affordably, and meaningfully, we want you as part of our beta test for BLCK’s community. You’ve seen the world. Now it’s time to share your world with others.
#SharedExperiences #SwapHorizons
Come explore what’s possible when you’re part of a community that values the same things you do!

I’m also looking to collaborate with entrepreneurs who are tired of buying into the myth that “it’s lonely at the top.” Because it’s not. When you build, climb, and belong to the right community—when you choose alignment over algorithms and impact over optics, everything changes.
If that’s you—pull up. We’re building something scalable and spiritually-rooted for us.

Whether you’re in tech, travel, wellness, real estate, AI, hospitality, or impact-based entrepreneurship—if you’re curious about joining our beta, collaborating with our Travel Tuesday Club IRL events, or co-creating in any way, let’s talk.

You can connect with me directly on Instagram @samellablck or reach out via BLCK’s website.
BLCK is not just a brand—it’s a movement. And we’re just getting started.
Come journey with us. 🖤

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