Today we’d like to introduce you to Shavonne Holman.
Hi Shavonne, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m from Brooklyn. That’s the first thing you need to know about me. Brooklyn didn’t raise me soft. It threw me in headfirst and said figure it out, baby. So I did. I learned how to walk into rooms where nobody looks like you, nobody expected you, and nobody was moving over and still command the space. I learned that struggle isn’t a setback, it’s a syllabus.
I took all of that to Howard University. Howard didn’t just educate me, it refined me. It gave me culture, community, and a sisterhood that still shows up for me today. Becoming a Delta woman locked that in even deeper. Set my standards, my grounding, and honestly, my expectations for every space I walk into.
From there I built a career in public service. I landed in Baltimore. What was supposed to be a stop on the journey became something so much more. I bought my first house there. Built real friendships there. Some of my closest people in this world are rooted in Baltimore. That city claimed me and I claimed it right back.
From there I built a career in public service. State government in Baltimore, and eventually the White House. And I don’t say that lightly. I was in rooms most people never see, doing work that actually mattered. I was proud. I was focused. I thought I knew exactly where I was going.
Then I got laid off.
And listen – that hurt. I’m not going to sit here and pretend I did some cute little vision board and bounced back by Monday. The White House to a layoff is a whole plot twist. But here’s what I know about myself: I don’t break. I get pissed, I get still, I get clear and then I get moving.
So I looked at DC, this city I had poured everything into, and I thought where is our space? Because there used to be this energy here. Grown. Polished. Black. Creative. Connected. Spaces where professionals and tastemakers and Howard alumni walked in and felt like the room was built for them. That energy had faded especially for women like me in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who have worked too hard and lived too well to settle for a mediocre night out.
So my partner BenG and I said fine. We’ll build it ourselves.
1942DC Lounge is our answer to that void. It is elevated, intentional, and unapologetically rooted in Black culture and excellence. It is for people with taste, presence, and discernment. People who know the difference between just going out and truly belonging somewhere.
Brooklyn gave me grit. Howard gave me refinement. Delta gave me grounding. The White House gave me perspective. Entrepreneurship gave me ownership.
It wasn’t the plan. But when I look back at every single step it was always building toward this.
And honestly? I wouldn’t change a d*** thing.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Smooth? No. Worth it? Absolutely.
Let me be honest with you. Nobody tells you what entrepreneurship actually feels like when you’re coming out of corporate America. In corporate, you have a structure. A budget. A team. A title that opens doors before you even speak. When you step out on your own, especially into hospitality, especially as a Black woman, you are starting from a very different place.
The learning curve was real. I went from navigating policy in one of the most powerful buildings in the world to negotiating vendor contracts, managing staff, understanding licensing, booking talent, and running marketing all at the same time. There is no handbook for that transition. You figure it out in real time, often in public.
The financial pressure is something people don’t talk about enough. When you’re used to a salary, a benefits package, a sense of security and you trade that for a vision that only you can fully see. It’s a constant test of your faith and character. There were moments that were heavy. Moments where I had to dig deep and remind myself of the blessing.
And then there’s the weight of being a Black woman business owner in this industry. You have to work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously. You walk into rooms and people underestimate you until they can’t anymore. I’ve had to prove myself in spaces that weren’t built for me. Again. That never fully goes away. You just get better at moving through it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Aside from being Co/Owner of 1942DC lounge, I am a trained Industrial-Organizational Psychologist with 12+ years advising executives at the highest levels of government. I held a Top Secret Security Clearance. I served as Deputy Director of Talent Management at the U.S. Digital Service inside the Office of Management and Budget advising Cabinet-level leadership on workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, and people operations for one of the most sophisticated digital organizations in the federal government. I managed million dollar leadership development portfolios. I built systems that shaped how the federal government selects, develops, and retains talent.
I understand people. Deeply. And Scientifically. That is not an accident.
So when I tell you that 1942DC Lounge is curated, I mean that in the most intentional way possible. Every detail of the experience, the atmosphere, the programming, the way people feel when they walk through those doors that is the work of someone who has spent her entire career studying human behavior and organizational culture.
What am I most proud of? Two things. The community we’ve built inside 1942DC. When I look out at a room full of people laughing, dancing, celebrating that’s everything. And co-founding Blacks in I/O Psychology, a national organization advancing Black practitioners in my field. I have always been committed to building tables, not just sitting at them.
What sets me apart? I have the corporate pedigree. The Howard degree. The Delta sisterhood. The Brooklyn backbone. The behavioral science expertise. And the hospitality heart. That combination does not exist anywhere else in this industry.
I went from designing talent systems for the White House to designing the most intentional nightlife experience in Washington DC. Different industry. Same discipline. Same standard.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
God first. Always. Every open door, every moment I didn’t fold, every idea that became something real that was His hand. Not mine alone.
My momma. She is Brooklyn personified. Grit and grace in the same breath. She raised me to believe that where you come from fuels you, it doesn’t limit you. I carry her into every room I walk into.
My partner BenG. Entrepreneurship will test everything. The late nights, the uncertainty, the moments where you’re building something nobody else can see yet, you need someone who believes in your vision as deeply as you do. BenG has been that person. Steady. Supportive. Present. I don’t take that lightly.
My Delta sisterhood. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is not just an organization it’s a lifelong army of women who show up. They have championed 1942DC from day one. When your sorority sisters become your loudest cheerleaders, that’s a blessing that goes beyond letters.
And everyone who has ever sent an encouraging word, shared a flyer, walked through our doors, or simply said I believe in you. This wouldn’t exist without them.
It takes a village to build anything worth having. I’m just grateful mine continue to show up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://1942loungedc.com
- Instagram: @1942loungedc
