You know how they say “life gets greater later?”

Well, hand her a champagne flute and multi hyphenate entrepreneur and the woman some might call the “modern-day Harriet Tubman” of the Black travel movement would certainly toast to that! “Accidentally” launching her millions-generating, bonafide global crusade Black in Tulum in her early 40s, Nubia Younge — a single mom from the ‘hood’ in Boston who didn’t get her passport stamp until she was 32 — says she was probably the last person to see her success helping usher in now tens of thousands Black American travelers, weary of microaggressions in the workplace for one, to Mexico, coming.

“Despite having like, zero, professional background in travel, I’ve always had a passion for hospitality and bringing people together,” says the former administrative assistant and corporate meeting planner who, over the last five years, has watched “Black In Tulum” blow up so big it literally spawned unrelated “Black In” movements in dozens of countries worldwide – from Thailand to Portugal – causing her to eventually trademark it.

“Quarantined in Tulum during the Pandemic,” she explains,” I noticed a small group of other Black travelers and decided to host a brunch on the beach for us. At that time, there weren’t many Black folks living there, let alone any kind of real Black social network, so the brunch, which I organized for free, was a hit, and word spread quickly. That day I created a Facebook group called “Black in Tulum,” and the community grew from 25 to 28,000 in just four” years.

“By my third event,” continues the unintentional entrepreneur, who now owns Black In Tulum, Black in Travel and Black Card Elite Concierge Services,“ a travel agent suggested I charge for tickets, so I did, starting small.”

What began as a simple idea to connect people quickly grew into her first full-fledged business. From 2020 to 2023, Black in Tulum became a major hub for Black American travelers from Tulum to Playa del Carmen, now one of the world’s top destinations for Black American expats, offering everything from beach brunches to yacht parties. Some of the events she put on, says Younge, generated enough revenue in just one night for Younge to pay her rent for years.Leveling up to partner with venues and negotiating commissions to host events there — literally helping COVID-strapped businesses survive — Younge soon realized she wasn’t just providing a social service for clients and an economic boost to local businesses, she was facilitating a major economic boost for herself and her family.

Taking note of the literal flood of predominantly Black travelers continually flocking to her for advice on where to stay, which restaurants to go to and what else to do during their travels, Younge’s budding brand really took off when she launched what would later become “Black Card Elite,” a concierge service to help meet their demands, which brings in $30 to $50K a year.

Within four years she had made close to $2 million. “I didn’t have anyone guiding me—this success was built from the ground up, says the former welfare recipient, community college graduate and English tutor who has gone on to employ her adult son along with 12 contractors – along with 8 regularly spinning DJS – to work across her businesses. The next hurdle, though? Much like a lottery winner, figuring out, and quickly, how to accommodate all this newfound success. “When I worked in Corporate, I don’t think I ever made more than $60,000 a year, like ever. So here I am, making close to 2 million bucks in just a couple of years, and I’m like, ‘Oh My God. Now I have to really learn business. I have to hire a lawyer. I have to hire a CPA. I’m holding on for dear life, like Nubia, we can’t go into this with a scarcity mindset. I had to self-talk myself through this whole process because in addition to all of this success happening organically – I never paid for ads or marketing, it was all word of mouth – I didn’t have a mentor. I didn’t have anybody telling me the best direction to go in.”

These days, Nubia knows exactly where she’s headed. With Black in Tulum now a globally-recognized cultural vehicle for Black travelers, with well over 100,000 followers across all social media platforms, her focus is now serving as an enthusiastic ambassador for Black women of a certain age across all backgrounds who wish to the “soft life” in this politically tumultuous era.

“I plan to provide specially curated retreats globally where all women need to do is kick up their feet, and prepare to be wined and dined like the queens they are,” she says of her newest brand, Ori Table. Ori is a word from the Yoruba tradition that basically means divine alignment, while it also means “the head.” “These retreats are going to be very intimate, like, eight people total, in luxurious places around the world where you’re investing in yourself, you’re investing in rest, you’re investing in the environment” – she explains of her intent around sustainability –“ but we’re also doing maybe a workshop or two within the retreat centered around giving your life even ‘more.’ If your ‘more’ is wanting to be an entrepreneur, scale your business or whatever,” she explains,“ then we’ll discuss those things, because as women who have often given the best of themselves to others, it is actually we who are most deserving.”

Nubia’s travel avatar for Ori Table looks a lot like her because it is – the woman who has spent many years feeling like she wasn’t enough but decided, once and for all, to bust out of society’s prison. “Everything I’ve built stems from me evolving into my true authentic self – I’ve gone through the coals, through the fire, and now I’m showing up organically for myself and others,” she says. “I’m excited to continue to offer global-scale events, experiences and slices of cultural joy to those who wish to revel in them.”

Accomplished composer, arranger and pianist Paul McDonald’s music reflects the experience and influences gained in a career that has taken him all over the world. This thirty five-year international professional career began in his homeland of England. After studying jazz piano and arranging, composition, music education in Billingham, UK, Paul worked in London for over ten years as a session pianist and arranger. During that time Paul’s arrangements and compositions were featured regularly on BBC Radio where he worked with the BBC Radio Big band and Orchestra for six years.

In 1989 Paul became musical director for some of the world’s premier cruise lines including Star Cruises in Singapore and Holland America Line. Paul moved to Los Angeles in 2000 and has worked successfully there as a composer, arranger and pianist. His arrangements and compositions can be heard on TV and radio having written and arranged music for Warner Bros, Fox TV and a host of Independent movies. He continues to write music for the cruise ship industry and his music is featured regularly on Holland America line, Celebrity Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and Crystal Cruise Line.

Over the last 20 years Paul has worked as a composer and pianist in Southern California with his own big band, sextet, quartet, and as a studio musician and accompanist. The Paul McDonald 17-piece big band performs regularly around Southern California and Las Vegas to mostly sold-out audiences. Showcasing the virtuosity and versatility of some the finest musicians in Los Angeles, Paul’s explosive arrangements and compositions aim to bring the classic sound of big band jazz into the 21st century while simultaneously honoring the great tradition of this uniquely American sound.

The Paul McDonald jazz quartet album “West View” was released in the spring of 2010. Paul is also a guest conductor and arranger for the Palm Desert Symphony Orchestra. Paul continues to be in demand as arranger and composer for numerous singers, performers, tv shows, radio and movies.