Mar 10, 20214 min read

LadyPros Ana Rivera & Irum Jones Launch A Resource for High Stakes Women Professionals...

Award-winning business owners and Dallas Professional Women (DPW) members Ana Rivera, Chief Executive Officer of Orange County-based HVAC Guys, and Irum Jones, Chief Operating Officer of Dallas-based Electrician On Call first met in 2018. It was the technology that connected them, a community of LadyPros that brought them together, but their spirituality built a strong foundation of friendship.

Although they operated in two different parts of the nation, Ana and Irum continued to support each other as well as other LadyPros from different parts of the nation. Their optimism, kindness, positivity, and sound advice made them the "Go-To's" for women in the community of pros and small businesses they interacted with.

In 2020, during the pandemic and as the world shutdown, Ana and Irum launched Anchored In Christ; a podcast series, devotional and 4-week workshops throughout the year to help women. The online workshops are designed to help women entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, intrapreneurs, LadyPros, women in the trades, and any woman that wants to join to set sail on a four-week journey. Participants will be meeting virtually twice a week. Topics range from setting priorities to managing stress.

DPW sat down with both Ana and Irum to talk about why Anchored In Christ is a perfect 4-week journey for any woman to participate in with the next workshop starting in just a few weeks (April 5th, 2021)!

DPW: Why do you think it is important for women to support one another?

It's so important to support other women because only women know what it's like to be a woman - we're constantly solving problems and juggling priorities. Especially when you're married, when you have kids, and you're running a business! It can be lonely at times when you don't have a tribe of women that understand how to support you. Having a tribe of women who truly understand you, and that can help guide you makes life easier. That's why it's so important to go through Journeys with like-minded people. Supporting women is important because some women have never been supported in their entire life and this unique experience helps women see how true support looks like and feels like and how a positive environment of support can transform lives. We're so excited to experience the journey ahead with these women and see the results after 4 weeks of positive habits, healthy choices, and new ways to solve problems. We created intimate small group settings to help women find life-long friends that understand how to be a great friend through crises as well as women that will celebrate all achievements and the small wins of their newly found sisters!

DPW: What is your hope about women that are part of this Bible Journey?

It's so important to nurture relationships with people around you because life is so busy! So many of the moving parts of our daily lives intertwine and impact other areas. Sometimes it's hard to just stay focused on the priorities! It's important to pause and build positive relationships around you to support you whether it's in business or your personal life. My hope to the women that are part of the Bible Journey with us is to set sail together to learn, grow, discover and apply the lessons they learned to improve the situation and the very things about ourselves that maybe we had never had the opportunity to reflect on. Our prayer is for all of us to build a community of women who are Anchored In Christ. We can do it all, just not all at the same time and especially not alone.

DPW: Why do you think it's important for women in business to invest in themselves by taking this non-traditional route?

We hear often that in business, there isn't a play for prayer, however, in our experience, some of the best leaders were those that were anchored in their faith. The business model was people before profits and that helped create a culture of giving back, good company values, trust, honesty, and integrity. We can collect coaches along the way, like a business coach, a confidence coach, a leadership mentor, even a physical trainer - but what about a coach that helps you build healthy, long-term habits that focus on creating a circle of like-minded friends? We all need that guidance, support, and reinforcement. Doing "business by the book" is a topic we talk about often. Centering God in the middle of our messiness, turning to prayer instead of addiction, these are very real topics that impact households everywhere. We hope that women that participate in the journey commit to growth, and are continuously supporting one another. We're putting our goals and our ambitions as a priority too. So many times as women we are supporting others and sometimes forget about our dreams, our talents, our ambitions, and critical relationships that we need to maintain, and this Bible Journey gives women a time and place to pause. This safe space helps them learn and grow! It's an opportunity to reflect together as well as on their own. We're so excited to help lead this experience and continue to support women and encourage them to stay Anchored In Christ!

DPW: How often will you be meeting and where will you be meeting?

Starting April 5th, 2021 we're going to have two sessions that meet two times a week.