Today we’d like to introduce you to Miara Shaw.
Miara, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
January 28, 2013, my life changed. It was the first birthday since my mother’s passing and I had a dream that night on her birthday. The dream was about the things that I’m doing today. I could see colors in the dream. I saw a lot of women in the dream. I saw a conference. The dream was so profound, I cried about it for two days. It felt like there was something in me that needed to come out but I didn’t know what it was.
I remember calling my Godmother and crying on the phone. “I don’t know what’s happening.” And she said something I’ve never forgotten. “You helped take care of your Mom, you did what you were supposed to do and now it’s time for you. All the things that I’ve seen in you since you were a teenager, it’s time for those things to come to the surface.”
My entrepreneurial journey began hosting live events for women. I did not have a business in mind. I really had ONE event in mind. When I got into my mid-30’s I really started connecting with other women. All different types of women — corporate women, entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, etc. I became a conduit. I knew women on the left that needed a resource and women on the right who were the resource. My networking events allowed women to be in the same space so they could get the connections they needed. That was the only goal.
Women started saying “That was great, when are you doing the next one?” I’d do another event. “Ok great, when are you doing the next one?” “Maybe you can share information about this…”
Even when I went from hosting these events to hosting mini-workshops, I was still the person responsible for putting them together, pulling women into a safe space, inviting them to share their stories and their resources, but I remained safely in the background. I did not feel a need or want to be in the front. I didn’t need to share my story, nor did I feel like I had a compelling story, at that time.
A friend of mine said to me…
“M. Shaw these events are great but I really think you should be at the front of the room. Women are coming to see you, to hear you, to connect with you, as well as the other women. So you hiding in the back is not going to continue to work.” So I felt like that was my next phase…fear. I thought, Now I have to put myself out here for this? I was fine being in the back. Now I have to figure out how I’m supposed to put myself in the front and be the visible leader.
My first company was launched named M. Shaw Relations. It was me connecting people to resources, one of my gifts. I did this while I still had my corporate job. I went through a process of unearthing who was “Maven Miara” and that required a lot of excavating.
There was a lot of stuff that I buried way down deep inside that I thought would never be brought to the surface again. Doing that work really opened up my heart, because there was a lot of stoniness there. I always say, “The work is not skippable”. So I had to do the work to remove all the stoniness and really allow God to soften my heart and soften my heart towards working with women. And…doing the work that I’m now doing. I would not be able to do the work that I’m now doing had I not gone through this personal development phase of learning who I was as a maven. I had to get that first before I could share it with other women.
I had to learn what a balanced rhythm looked like in my life before I could share that information and tools with other women. I had to walk it out and live it to be able to say it from a stage in a compelling way. I wasn’t telling women what I learned in a book or what I read or what someone else told me, I was sharing what I had lived.
It truly has been one of the greatest yet terrifying, exciting but doubt-filled phases of my life!
I love being a mom of four pretty cool now young adults. I love being a wife to a husband that loves me and allows me to soar. I loved my corporate career as a trader, I enjoyed that thoroughly, but this…this was what I was born to do. I was born to help other women discover what their passions are, what their truth is, and to breathe life into it. To move women from stuck.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Heck no! I was perfectly comfortable building my business with a full-time salary from my corporate job until I got laid off 3 years ago. I look back at that fork in the road and know that it’s what God allowed to get me out of my comfort zone. I still don’t believe I would have had the courage to submit a letter of resignation although I was extremely bored and simply walking the motions the last 3 years of my corporate career. I was there for the money and I enjoyed my coworkers.
Another struggle was really stretching my faith. It’s a different kind of faith when you have a steady paycheck hitting your bank account every other week vs having to really learn, trust, and believe that God is my source and that I shall not want. I tell new full-time entrepreneurs that is one of the greatest lessons they will learn which is to stretch your faith to believe in all the dreams you desire to accomplish.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Maven Business Academy – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a personal and business development strategist, public speaker and author. My motto is I move women from stuck to execution.
In the Maven Business Academy, we call that execution BAM (Bust A Move). Whether she is stuck personally or from a business perspective we create strategies for her to execute the lifestyle she desires with a more balanced rhythm. I 100% believe we can live an abundant lifestyle without running around like crazy people all the time. A more balanced rhythm will require work and I often say to clients and audiences “The work is not skippable”.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
In October 12-14 we will host an unBAM Conference which will be centered around helping women find that more balanced rhythm for their lives. This year we also plan to launch a digital platform that allows people to connect in a communal format to access more ways to identify, grow and maintain a more balanced lifestyle. When begin to put self-care at the top of our list again, our greatness will be delivered more. That’s my focus going forward – working on this balanced rhythm.
Pricing:
- Incubator has three different levels, with Level I starting at $499.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8524 Highway 6 North #440 Houston, TX 77095
- Website: https://miarashaw.com/
- Email: miara@miarashaw.com
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