Every Black Woman Leader Needs To Hear Eva Marcille’s Candid Words About Loneliness
Eva Marcille reveals that loneliness is the hidden cost of Black women's success, emphasizing it's a necessary part of pursuing destiny beyond comfort.
Black News 
Hustling has become synonymous with Black women. At this point, it’s practically a chromosome in our DNA.
We’re business owners, professionals climbing the corporate ladder, first-generation college students, budding artists, fashion designers and singers. We all have a story to tell and a purpose behind it. Let’s not forget that we’re also mothers managing families and finances, besties, sisters and good girlfriends. No matter who we are or how we define it, Black women are always pushing toward the next level.
But hustle isn’t always as glamorous as we make it seem. The drive to keep building and showing up for everyone can come with a cost we don’t always name: loneliness.
Eva Marcille spoke this truth into a room full of leaders at the ninth annual Sistas in Sales Summit in New York City this September. The supermodel and entrepreneur was the closing keynote.
During the chat, Eva was asked, “What’s the biggest cost that you’ve had to pay to be where you are right now?”
She answered: “Loneliness.”
“Sometimes you’re scared to go there because you want your people with you, because that’s your comfort,” Eva said. “But your comfort isn’t necessarily your destiny.” She then added her commitment to leaning on faith and accepting that everyone she wants beside her may not be able to make the entire journey.
Inaudible claps, snaps, and hand gestures commenced. Eva was spitting gems.
“You Will Be Alone”: Eva Marcille Doesn’t Sugarcoat What Black Women Leaders Experience
Eva explained how loneliness has shown up throughout her career.
“As an actor, as a model, as an entertainer, since my late teens to now 41, when I say lonely is because I don’t have the validators in the room,” she said.
Eva is one of the most recognizable faces from “America’s Next Top Model.” She has since taken on runways and entertainment, including the shows “All the Queen’s Men” and “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” She’s also a mother, a sister and a friend. Today, she’s building Sunflower by Eva, her cannabis brand, while changing how people and communities see cannabis and its impact on society.
And we must note how evolution has been part of Eva’s journey. She still makes the girls gag. At the 2026 BET Awards, she debuted her signature blonde pixie cut, switching things up from her locs. She also spoke about the freedom of making that change.
Eva continues evolving in public and in business while remaining honest about what the climb can cost. That honesty makes her story even more relatable.
“There’s something about getting so clear with who you are that it’s necessary to be a leader,” Eva told the room. “You have your CEO, you have your COO, y’all CEOs, y’all the visionaries. The operating officer does what you say, but it’s because you have the vision.”
For Black women who keep getting it done, Eva’s viral moment names the part of hustle that polished success stories often leave out.
“You will be alone, and not alone in a bad way, and alone in a necessary way,” she said.
