Shirl Hubbard
Writing & Features
Writing from the places where Black women’s lives and support meet.
BEFORE THE BYLINES
She wanted to be a writer before she knew what that could look like.
Long before my name appeared beneath a published essay, I was a little Black girl sitting crisscross applesauce on the living-room floor watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show and dreaming about becoming a writer.
Mary wasn’t a writer. I know that now. But back then I was too little to understand job titles. I didn’t know the difference between a producer, a reporter, an editor, or a writer. What I recognized was a woman whose voice had a place in the world. Mary had opinions. She spoke up for herself. People listened to her. What she had to say mattered.
And there was just something about watching a woman whose life seemed to belong to her that made little Shirl believe maybe hers could too.
And now look at us.
PUBLISHED WRITING
Words that have made their way into the world.
Essays and commentary exploring Black women’s lives, the expectations placed on us, and what becomes possible when we tell the fuller story.
BLACK GIRL TIMES · THE LIGHTHOUSE
“But That’s Still Your Family”
“Trust, emotional safety, accountability and respect were negotiable, but family wasn’t.”
Growing up Black in Mississippi meant learning certain rules about family early: respect your elders, keep family business in the family, forgive, and stay connected. In this essay, Shirl examines what those rules can cost Black women when preserving kinship matters more than addressing the harm happening inside the relationship.
READ THE ESSAY →
SUCCESSFUL BLACK PARENTING
The Supportive Village We Assume Black Mothers Have
“People can love you and still not have what you need when you need it.”
Black mothers are often told to lean on their village, but having people around you does not always mean having access to the support you actually need. In this essay, Shirl examines the gap between the village we assume Black mothers have and the reality of what happens when the people who love you have limited capacity to help.
READ THE ESSAY →
HELPFUL LIVING MAGAZINE
Love Is Not the End All Be All
“Support is what makes love something you can actually live inside of instead of something you have to maintain.”
Love is often treated as proof that a relationship is healthy and supportive, but the two are not the same. In this essay, Shirl explores what happens when love is present but support is missing, and why being loved does not always mean being held.
READ THE ESSAY →
FEATURED ELSEWHERE
Shirl’s Work and Voice, Beyond Shades of Strong.
Features, interviews, and conversations from publications and platforms that have invited Shirl’s work and perspective into their spaces.
TEXAS METRO NEWS · SUPERB WOMAN
Selected as a “Superb Woman”
“Shirl Hubbard is just the type of woman
we all need in our lives!”
Texas Metro News selected Shirl for its Superb Woman series after independently discovering and researching her work. The feature recognized her as the founder of Shades of Strong®, creator of Support Languages™, writer, and podcast host.
VIEW THE FEATURE →
SWAGHER MAGAZINE
Redefining Strength: How Shirl Hubbard Is Shifting the Narrative for Black Women
“Strength isn’t something I have to keep proving. It’s something I get to define in a way that actually sustains me.”
Shirl talks with SwagHer Magazine about redefining strength for Black women, the evolution of Shades of Strong®, and the creation of Support Languages™. She also shares what she learned from the women featured in her 26 Black Women storytelling series and why moving from simply naming the cost of strength toward building lives that include real support matters.
VIEW THE FEATURE →
BE WELL SIS · THE PODCAST
The 5 Things Black Women Need
But Rarely Get
“Support is not something Black women need to learn. Support is something we were taught to forget.”
Shirl joins Be Well Sis to talk about what Black women need to feel genuinely supported, from understanding our Support Languages to asking for what we need and navigating relationships where those needs aren’t being met. The conversation also explores why self-care alone isn’t enough and what it means to build supportive community in adulthood.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE →
TAJI MAG
How Shirl Hubbard Is Rewriting the Narrative of Strength for Black Women
“This work is the door. And I’m holding it open for every Black woman who’s been waiting for someone to say, ‘You don’t have to do this by yourself.’”
Taji Mag profiles Shirl and the evolution of Shades of Strong®, from the lived experiences that led to Support Languages™ to the larger vision of creating a culture where Black women can receive support without guilt or apology. The feature also explores the role of storytelling, community, and generational change in the work.
VIEW THE FEATURE →
ON THE AIR
Shirl Hubbard on Sistahs Connect Radio
Shirl lends her voice to Sistahs Connect Radio as part of the station’s weekly rotation, sharing conversations and reflections centered on Black women, strength, and support. Through selected and repurposed audio from her body of work, her voice reaches another listening community and gives these conversations another place to be heard.
MONDAYS & THURSDAYS
8 AM · 1 PM · 7 PM EST
