Baby, Go get my pocketbook.

What are you carrying into the room, Reader?

Quick question before your coffee gets cold: when's the last time somebody sent you to fetch their pocketbook?

Because when I was a little girl, that was the honor. "Baby, go get my pocketbook" meant a grown woman trusted you with the most important bag in the building.

And those women, my mama, my grandmother, my aunties, the community leaders I grew up studying, carried pocketbooks. Not purses. Not clutches. Pocketbooks. They'd set them down on a podium and raise funds, run programs, and lead whole rooms. They were never caught off guard, because they'd decided what to carry before they left the house.

This week I wrote about the seven kinds of pocketbooks I've seen and the very different women attached to each one.

But here's what I really want you to hear: your bag is a choice.

And too many of us are still carrying the bag from the last job. Same strap. Same scuffs. Same receipts we should've tossed two years ago. Still sized for a role we've already outgrown.

Your homework: before you walk into your next important room (the meeting, the interview, the pitch, the conversation), ask yourself who's there, what's the occasion, how long you're staying, and what you actually need within reach. Then leave the rest at home.

And if the bag that carried you this far doesn't fit the room you're walking into next?

Sis, you're allowed to graduate.

Here's what's up this week:

I Don't Carry a Purse. I Carry a Pocketbook. 👉 Read the full letter on Substack ​ The whole story, including the flagship store, my husband's credit card, and a tote bag I will not repeat in a professional email. Read it here!

Join Me LIVE @ 11AM Today We're unpacking all seven bags, and what each one teaches about walking into your next room prepared. Bring your actual pocketbook. I'm serious. We might do a contents check. Click here to join at 11 AM. Join the room at 11AM

Catch Up on the Conversation:

• ​​Lock the pocketbook.​ All seven bags, one per slide. Find yours, then tag the auntie who always had a peppermint ready.
• ​"Baby, go get my pocketbook" Forty seconds of pure childhood credentials. You'll know.
• ​​What are you still carrying into rooms?​ I put on a blazer for conversations on Linkedin, Forward it to the colleague still hauling her last job around.

Now let me talk to you directly, because so many of you have shared a stage, a classroom, a brunch table, or a strategy session with me.

If you're packing for a new season and you're not sure what still belongs in the bag, book a call with me. Let's figure out what your next room requires.

And if you've got a project, a new adventure, or a partnership idea you want to talk through with somebody who'll take it seriously, grab a virtual coffee with me. I'll bring the peppermints.

See you on the Live at 11 today,

Chanda Certified Pocketbook Fetcher (retired), Pocketbook Carrier (active) | J9 Collective

P.S. Hit reply and tell me which of the seven bags you're carrying right now. I'm keeping a tally, and I already have a guess about most of you.

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