Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Aldinger and Dani Gantt.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
So often, we try to separate work and faith. After all, faith is for early-risers on Sunday mornings, and the rest of the week is meant for work and fun, right? We couldn’t disagree more. Back in 2008, our co-founder Kat Armstrong took a closer look at the up-and-coming young professional workforce. She saw that not only are they leaving empty spots in the pew, but they’re leaving their faith at home when they head to work. The young professional women of this generation are smarter and more forward-thinking than any generation before. But life is still hard, and we all face challenges that we can’t overcome alone. That’s why Polished was launched – to give women a place to find a community of women just like them.
And while we’re there, we talk about how faith isn’t just for a dusty corner of an old bookshelf; it’s relevant to situations we face every day in real life. Since 2008, we have expanded from our flagship chapter in Dallas to seven chapters across the country (with more coming soon!). Polished Houston- Inner Loop was launched in the summer of 2017 as the 5th chapter. The heartbeat of our organization is giving young professional women the opportunity to connect and hear from dynamic speakers from a diverse group of industries across the city in a way that merges faith with real-world experiences. We are honored to take root here in Houston and are excited for the ways we will continue to grow!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Polished Houston – Inner Loop launched shortly before Hurricane Harvey devastated our city. Not only did this present a challenge with gaining momentum in getting our chapter off the ground, it also directly impacted the homes of several of our volunteer leaders. In the months that followed, Houston focused on rebuilding efforts, both on a micro and macro level, leaving little time and resources for women to put towards extracurricular activities. However, as the city began to recover, we were able to propel our efforts to create a community where women could come together every month to discuss the intersection of faith and career. Our monthly gatherings began to grow, but as we considered post-event feedback, we realized there were needs specific to Houston that were not at play in our other chapters.
Due to the size and geography of our city, lunchtime events were not conducive to most people’s schedules. We realized that in order to best meet the needs of the women we serve, we needed to pivot. We shifted from hosting lunchtime events to dinner time events. This move taught us an important lesson in continuing to consider feedback from our attendees and speakers and has helped us consider the unique culture of each city when launching new chapters across the nation.
Please tell us about Polished Houston – Inner Loop.
So often we compartmentalize the areas of faith and career. Polished exists to gather women to explore the convergence of these areas through monthly gatherings. At each event, we invite a woman to share her faith and professional journey and then facilitate meaningful around the table conversations with our attendees, many of whom may not have a relationship with Jesus, feel far away from God and His church, or are seeking a faith-based community. We are so proud of our ability to connect a diverse group of women by coming together over a common purpose. Our attendees come from a variety of industries and backgrounds, but we are constantly in awe of how sitting around a table, discussing relevant issues, can bring women together. Whether we’re discussing trusting God when making a career change, supporting other women in business, or discovering what it means to be unmoved in the chaos of life, we leave our events emboldened with a fresh dose of faith and camaraderie.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Launching our Houston chapter taught us an important lesson in considering factors that make each city unique. As we learned that lunchtime events didn’t thrive in our city like they did in other cities, it caused us to consider what other efforts were and were not working in our chapter. While we wish we could go back and do it again differently with the knowledge we have now in order to save ourselves time and energy, we have the opportunity to take this knowledge and apply it to launching other chapters across the nation. We’ve come to realize the importance of considering each city’s makeup and working with the culture instead of against it.
Pricing:
- Our events are open to professional women across the Houston area, but are held in various locations in the Inner Loop. Attendees can pay for each event a la carte, or for maximum benefits, they can join our network. The $100 annual fee gives you a discount on monthly events, access to our exclusive network Slack channel where you can connect with network members in real-time, a monthly digital download with top-notch content for professional and personal development, and an exclusive podcast episode (aired once a month) that we don’t publish for the public. You can learn more about joining the network here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.polishedonline.org/houstoninnerloop2
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polishedhouston_innerloop/
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