In the Cut Leadership Conversation with Lisha Bell

Moving through life as a living #goal of her ancestors, Lisha has a career best described as one that makes things happen and generates impact. A tech veteran, in recent years, Lisha dared funders to invest real money in real businesses created and run by Black and brown women. It is that life that brings her the most satisfaction, but not more than the one she lives as a Mother.

How do you identify?

I identify as Black woman, pronouns are she/her/Sis.

What’s the work that you do?

I work to decrease the capital gap around racial equity. I do this by investing in underrepresented founders and investors.

You are building a community around this, so why and what made you think about influencing other people to do the same thing?

If we want to change the world, we have to think about how we change it, and this is one way. It might be the power of our pocketbooks. It might be the power of our minds. These efforts help expand the pie for people who otherwise would not have the opportunity. If we want a more just society, we must be conscious about it.

“Aren’t we all freedom fighters?”

Where was the seed planted in you about leading this type of change?

I come from 2 different worlds. My mother’s family grew up in poverty in Watts, California. After the murder of my grandfather, my grandmother was left to raise 5 children. My paternal grandfather owned cotton on his farm which was a sign of success—owning land and producing his own crop. They moved to Los Angeles and came to own 3 Bell Shell gas stations. At that time (1977), they were one of a very few Black owners of gas stations. To put that into context, in 2025 there are only 29 Black-owned gas stations in the United States. It was dismal in 1977 and it’s obviously worse today.

My family’s business was thriving in the 80s and then in the 90s came the treatment of Rodney King and the resultant mass unrest. My family lost everything they had, not because the businesses were targeted, but because of the divestment. Once geographies get hit like this, companies extract their resources and money. Shell Oil and many others left which is why to this day there are no gas stations, grocery stores, banks and ATMS in that area. This is what divestment is, and it has and continues to happen in Black and brown zip codes across this country.

I understand what it means to have a Black-owned business in a Black community. I know what it means when communities lose those resources and the aftermath.

It’s fascinating to me that the lessons we learn as kids manifest in how we think about our lives—how we want our lives to be or where we will take our lives. It makes perfect sense that you find yourself in this place leading the movement to invest. It’s part of your soul. I don’t know if there could be you without that.

I didn’t always know that, but now I’m clear.

What made that clear?

OJ Simpson. When that trial happened, I realized I was Black. I didn’t feel the same as the overwhelming majority of white people. I felt different in the moment and couldn’t understand the “why”—why I didn’t have the same anger or rage—and that caused me to think a lot about my identity. While my school was generally diverse, I was the only Black kid in AP classes. I felt very isolated and that caused me to think.

And then the next big moment was Hurricane Katrina, and I was the only Black person in my workplace, and I felt different from everyone else. And those moments kept happening to me and I thought there was something wrong with me. No one shared the same emotion that I had. That feeling of isolation moved me into consciousness about my identity and oppressions and all the things that were showing up in these environments where it was only me.

I grew up in a Black neighborhood in Los Angeles and didn’t have feelings of isolation until I went into corporate America – into tech – where I realized I was different.

While you don’t know it, you actually have a choice in how you are going to show up in these moments.

You know, we are fresh off Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the Super Bowl and I think that the earlier you get to witness something like that, the better. I think that young today people recognize and understand what these situations are, far better than I did.

“Fear cannot live above my mental peace.”

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How does your identity inform your leadership style? 

I have developed my voice, and I use my voice in places of power. That’s my most powerful leadership skill. It’s not my technical training or know-how; it’s being able to effectively communicate in times of adversity. Point, blank, period. That’s what it is to stand in it, walk in it and deal with the persecution or success of it, whichever way it goes.   

How long did it take you to get to “whichever way it goes”?

About 10 years. It was MLK Day, and a colleague said, “those people don’t need that anymore.” I didn’t say anything because I was scared. It bothered me that I didn’t but once I realized who I was, I was no longer afraid. Fear cannot live above my mental peace.

Tell me more about that voice that shows up in places of power. What is it made of?

It’s been honed over time. It started as a voice of anger and evolved over time. As my career evolved, I was called on to write for executives and through that channel I was able to communicate what needed to be said in a voice that wasn’t mine.

What surprises you most about leadership?

In my naïve lens, I think leadership is about high EQ. A person who is relatable; who can dissect difficult things and make them simple; a person who is inspirational and influential. Now we have leaders who are bullies and have power. Society is now telling us that if you have money, you are a leader, no matter your qualifications. We look to people who are in “better” places that we are to lead.

What’s your leadership superpower?

I build communities wherever I go. I do that because I’m a communal person and because we work better when we are in relationships with people. It’s easier to create meaningful alliances when we know who they are, where they are from, how they think and what they care about.

Sheila: You are like a tidal wave. You have created big change. And sometimes it must feel like you’re not doing it and other times it must feel like you’re doing it all.

What quotes or songs fuel you when you must make big decisions?

During COVID, I needed to find joy in my own home, and I built a masterpiece bathroom with a steam sauna, and I use it A LOT! It’s a form of meditation for me. It clears and relieves me and allows me to reset.

What do you know your life’s purpose to be right now?

It’s about supporting marginalized women and moving them into power. Specifically, women of color. We are in crisis when we measure any aspect of our lives. I want us to thrive.

What talent are you not using?

I have been a creator, now I’m a maker. If I had time, I’d be using my hands to create beautiful things that are not toxic to our lives and bodies.

If this 5 year period is a chapter in your life, what’s the chapter about?

Free at last! I’ve been on a quest for self-liberation, and I know that none of us can sustain the heroics.

It’s a year from now, what are you celebrating?

That I made it this far. My daughter is happy and healthy. I’m able to care for myself and loved ones and have safe places and spaces to thrive in.

Sheila: What I know about you is that you have a really big brain, and your heart is bigger than your brain. Your heart drives you in your purpose. You don’t only think about things, you feel things. You make things matter. Now, go hit the sauna!

Learn more about Lisha Bell, check out her Sisters with Ventures podcast, subscribe to her e*newsletter and please leave a comment for her below!