Invest Fest 2025: Power, Possibility, and the Push for Inclusion

Crystal Jordan
Aug 25
5 min read

By Crystal Jordan

Auesomely You Magazine

Published: 8/25/2025

Pillar Focus: Advocacy I Disability Awareness I Neurodiversity

I was overwhelmed and overstimulated walking into Invest Fest 2025. The crowds, the energy, the sheer volume of information,it was a lot to take in. But by Day 2 and Day 3, I found my rhythm. I created a schedule and a plan to stay grounded in my mission, and it changed everything. That’s my advice to anyone living with a disability or autism: prepare your strategy before entering spaces like this, so you can move with purpose instead of being consumed by the chaos.

**Image credit: Crystal Jordan / Auesomely You Magazine**

As the Founder of Auesomely You Magazine, I attended Invest Fest not just to listen, but to learn, connect, and advocate. I had the honor of sitting in rooms with Issa Rae, Steve Harvey, and Magic Johnson, giants in business, media, and culture. The event was groundbreaking in so many ways, yet something was missing: awareness and inclusion for people with disabilities and autism.

Too often, when you’re not directly affected, you don’t see the need. That absence was loud here. But I didn’t let it silence me. I recorded videos challenging attendees to tag Invest Fest so we can start a conversation about building inclusive spaces. My message was clear: I don’t want to take away from what Invest Fest is doing, I want to add value.

Despite not being official media, I moved how I always move: with impact. I interviewed entrepreneurs, captured stories, and documented wisdom because for me, media isn’t about a press pass, it’s about creating content that makes a difference.

Lessons From the Stage

The weekend was filled with gems, and I captured interviews even without being “official media.” My philosophy? Impactful content moves regardless of credentials.

Here are some standout takeaways from the sessions:

Lessons From the Stage: Monetizing Social Media

One of the standout sessions came from Sevyn Nichelle Buffin, a social media strategist who broke down the art of creating content that grows your business. She emphasized three key content types:

Growth Content: Using trends and audio within your niche to attract new audiences.
Storytelling Content: Sharing relatable experiences paired with solutions.
Value Content: Teaching what you know to establish authority and position yourself as more than a consumer.

Her message was clear: stop doom scrolling and start teaching. “If you’re not online teaching, Instagram says you’re a consumer,” Buffin reminded us. And if you want your content pushed out, you have to deliver value consistently.

AI and social media aren’t going anywhere—learn to master both. - Sevyn Nichelle Buffin

Issa Rae – Unscripted Fireside Chat

On creativity: “Every show is like a mini business. I know what I bring, but I also know what I don’t know.”
On partnerships: She stressed the importance of “dating” business partners the same way you would relationships testing alignment before fully committing.

That advice hit home for me. If I had dated my potential business partner years ago, truly testing if we were aligned and qualified to build together, I could have avoided the pain of betrayal and a hostile takeover. Baby, if I knew then what I know now, things would’ve been very different. But that’s the beauty of growth: I can take this lesson and move forward, choosing future partners not just because they’ve known me for years, but because they’re actually qualified to be a co-founder with me.

Listen, I can’t stress this enough—know exactly who you’re going into business with. I don’t wish the level of betrayal I experienced on anyone. – Crystal Jordan

On staying grounded: Rae’s empire of TV, radio, music, and coffee shops is built on organic collaborations and authenticity.

Image credit: Walil Archer / Downtown Hott Radio — **Image credit:** Walil Archer / Downtown Hott Radio

Steve Harvey & Charlamagne Tha God – Ownership & Media’s Future

Harvey emphasized impact over attention: “You need intention more than you want attention.”
The conversation highlighted the importance of building media platforms rooted in integrity, not gossip and negativity.
Both underscored the need for Black-owned media to shape culture responsibly and empower communities.

“The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”
―Malcolm X

Magic Johnson – The Billionaire Blueprint

On mistakes: At 19, he signed with Converse instead of Nike and missed out on stock worth billions today. “We can’t be afraid to learn about equity.”
On scaling: He built over 145 Starbucks locations before selling them back. His lesson? Build, reinvest, then scale with strategy.
On legacy: “Every decision I make isn’t just for me—it’s for my community and the next generation.”

Always have an exit strategy. - Magic Johnson

A Call for Accessibility in Wealth Spaces

While Invest Fest sparked transformation for thousands, as both a mother and advocate brought an urgent perspective: wealth-building spaces must also be inclusion-building spaces.

Entrepreneurship events often celebrate diversity in race, gender, and industry, but disability inclusion is frequently overlooked. For families navigating autism or sensory sensitivities, events like these can be overwhelming and exclusionary.

Auesomely You Magazine champions the idea that inclusion is innovation. By creating sensory-friendly zones, providing interpreters, and ensuring accessibility, events like Invest Fest could widen their impact exponentially.

“Invest Fest was powerful and inspiring, but I couldn’t help but see where inclusion was missing. For people with autism, disabilities, or sensory sensitivities, the environment was overwhelming—and there was no visible effort to accommodate us. Too often, if you’re not directly affected, you don’t think to include us in the conversation. But our voices matter here too,” she shared.

Invest Fest ended with a forward-looking panel that I attended: “AI Enhanced Writing: From Grants to Growth,” powered by Dream Machine. The panel featured Marlon Avery, Dominick Ar’dis, Nicky Saunders, Will Lucas, and the first AI grant innovator, Mr. Tucker T. T. Lee.

The session explored the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and creativity.

AI isn’t Google. It requires dialogue, refinement, and strategic prompting.
Data protection is critical. What you feed into AI has consequences.
Creativity wins. As Saunders reminded the crowd, faceless content won’t last; authentic voices matter most.

“We have the same access billion-dollar companies have. The difference is belief, creativity, and consistency. AI doesn’t replace us—it magnifies us.”

Invest Fest 2025 proved that Black excellence in business is not only thriving but rewriting history. From Issa Rae’s unapologetic creativity to Steve Harvey’s media empire mindset and Magic Johnson’s disciplined billion-dollar moves, the event was a reminder that ownership is the true revolution.

But as I already powerfully pointed out, the movement toward wealth must also be a movement toward acceptance, accessibility, and advocacy.

“I don’t want to take away from Invest Fest. I want to add value. Because when we all have a seat at the table, the room—and the culture—becomes even more powerful.”