Brandi Coleman

Brandi Coleman is the proud founder and CEO of The Lemonade Circle.  The Lemonade Circle is dedicated to empowering young Black girls to use life’s lemons to make LEMONADE. The Lemonade Circle has identified five “lemons” where there is either a lack of resources or a lack of representation for Black women in: STEM, Identity and Wellness, College and Career Readiness, Literacy and the Arts, and Civic Engagement. Mrs.Coleman is a native of San Antonio and founded the organization in 2017 with five girls, and now the Lemonade Circle currently serves over 100 young women all over San Antonio and the surrounding areas.

Mrs. Coleman uses a lemon as a symbol of inspiration. A lemon starts as something tangy and sharp, representing some of the various challenges and difficulties she often faces as a Black woman. Yet, through The Lemonade Circle, she demonstrates how these challenges can be transformed into something positive, refreshing, and energizing—like lemonade. One of Mrs. Coleman’s guiding principles leans into the importance of educating and empowering Black girls to take what life hands them and, with a blend of support, empowerment, and guidance, help them turn it into something resilient, hopeful, and uplifting. Just as lemonade requires balance—sweetness to offset the tanginess—she strives to create a balanced approach to empowerment, offering both support and encouragement to guide young women toward growth, healing, and opportunity.

With the right mindset and resources, even the sour moments can be transformed into something powerful and refreshing. This is why she does what she does! This is why she #makesLEMONADE!