Power Reimagined
My Mission to Get It, Grow It, and Give It Away
From growing up in 1980s Harlem to working at entertainment giants such as BET, MTV, Nickelodeon, and ABC News, Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard has spent her life redefining what real power looks like.
In Power Reimagined, she dismantles the myths we’ve been taught about power. Through raw, behind-the-scenes stories from her childhood and trailblazing career, she reveals that real power isn’t handed to you—it’s forged through strategy, courage, and an unshakable belief in your own worth. She takes readers inside high-stakes situations where she refused to settle for less and pivotal moments where audacity became her greatest asset. From her earliest dreams of success to the executive offices where she made those dreams real, Sharif-Drinkard reveals the moments that shaped her and the strategies that helped her lead with impact and integrity.
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Part fearless memoir, part inspirational guide, Power Reimagined is for anyone who’s ever been overlooked, undervalued, or told they didn’t belong. This book will inspire you to own your power and use it without apology.
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Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard is a deal maker, change agent, and champion of truth. Her debut book Power Reimagined: My Mission to Get It, Grow It and Give It Way (Harvard Business Review Press) will be released in May, 2026. She has more than thirty years of experience in the media and entertainment industry and serves as Senior Vice President, Business Affairs at ABC News. Previously, Sharif-Drinkard served as Senior Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs at ViacomCBS (Paramount Global), where she was integral to bringing high-profile, ratings-shattering projects to the screen that highlighted Black stories, including The New Edition Story, The Bobby Brown Story, and the Black Girls Rock! franchise. Prior to her ground-breaking work at BET Networks, she served as Vice President, Senior Counsel at Nickelodeon where she helped to launch such hits as Dora the Explorer, Diego, and The Backyardigans.
Sharif-Drinkard earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University and her juris doctor from Fordham University School of Law. She is a 2024 graduate of Harvard-CTAM (Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program for high-performing media, entertainment, and tech executives), a graduate of Class XXII of the Women in Cable Telecommunications’ (WICT) Betsy Magness Leadership Institute (a premier leadership program for women in the media industry), and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Sharif-Drinkard uses her spare time to work in the fields of philanthropy and human development. She has traveled and served on delegations to South Africa (where Nelson Mandela was the first to greet her on African soil), Rome, Russia, China, and the United Kingdom.
She is a former Board Chair of the Black Entertainment & Sports Lawyers Association, Chair Emerita for the Board of Columbia College Women and won a NAACP Image Award for her work on the children’s animated program “Kasha and the Zulu King”.
Sharif-Drinkard has been featured in The New York Times among other publications and is a contributing author to the book Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak (Beacon Press). She is the proud mother of two amazing daughters and has been married for nearly thirty years.
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Praise for Power Reimagined
“Every young person should read Power Reimagined as a guide to life. Those of us who are older should read it to learn how we can help transform the lives of others.”
“At once heartrending and heroic, Power Reimagined is a raw look at what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean in real life. I am a white woman from another world. I learned a ton. Bonus: Sharif-Drinkard sneaks actionable self-empowerment tips into the riveting anecdotes of her roller-coaster life.”
“Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard draws on her own story, weaving together personal observations and professional experience, to offer an insightful meditation on the meaning(s) of power and purpose in the twenty-first century. Power Reimagined is both educational and inspiring!”
“Power Reimagined captures exactly who Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard is: principled, grounded and fearless. It’s both a testimony and toolkit, showing readers how to rise without losing themselves. This is Khadijah at her most honest and generous.”
“Power Reimagined would benefit anyone who thinks they are a leader or aspires to be one. What if people in ‘leadership’ knew that power is not something you grasp and hold onto for dear life, but power comes from giving it away. Imagine a world where leaders had this wisdom.”
“In Power Reimagined, Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard bravely confronts some of society’s most pervasive sociopolitical and life challenges to offer a blueprint for recognizing, interrogating, negotiating, and redefining power to transform not just our own lives but society as a whole.”
“Bold, intimate, and deeply empowering, Power Reimagined reminds us that greatness can rise from anywhere.”
“Harlem has given us another rose to celebrate. Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard is one of one. Cherish her journey in Power Reimagined and grab the power of her wisdom. Then pass it on to a new reader who needs to hear it.”
“At once heartrending and heroic, Power Reimagined is a raw look at what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean in real life. I am a white woman from another world. I learned a ton. Bonus: Sharif-Drinkard sneaks actionable self-empowerment tips into the riveting anecdotes of her roller-coaster life.”
“Every young person should read Power Reimagined as a guide to life. Those of us who are older should read it to learn how we can help transform the lives of others.”
“Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard draws on her own story, weaving together personal observations and professional experience, to offer an insightful meditation on the meaning(s) of power and purpose in the twenty-first century. Power Reimagined is both educational and inspiring!”
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Memberships & Associations
Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA)
Member and former chairwoman
NAACP Image Award
For my work on Kasha and the Zulu King
Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak (Beacon Press)
Contributing Author
