You know those women you admire from afar? Then you get to know them a little and they are more amazing than you thought possible? That has been my experience with Ana Belaval, a Chicago journalist and celebrity. I interviewed her last summer for my Power Mama series where she shared her journey into becoming a public figure and media icon. Last week, I had the honor of joining her for her weekly Wednesday Whine with Ana Belaval show. I wanted to share some highlights of what we discussed, and invite you to view the entire episode here.
A little background about Ana Belaval
I met Ana about 10 years ago when she came to MaZi Dance Fitness, my dance business to do a feature on her Around Town show! To say she put us on the map is pretty accurate. A few years later she came into our Lincoln Park location and when she got to the front desk I happened to be there. “You probably don’t remember me”, she said with her million dollar smile. I of course absolutely remembered her and was so honored she was coming to my class. Not for a feature, or for a story, just to dance! With me! Years later, when she’s class there’s always extra energy in the room even on a ZOOM class. 🙂
Wednesay Whine with Ana Tidbits
Talking behind his back
I was so happy to be invited to Wednesday Wine with Ana because I have enjoyed her previous guests so much and because she’s so fun to talk to! Nick heard me laughing so hard that he couldn’t resist coming over and crashing the Whine! She rightly pointed out how supportive he’s been throughout my entreprenuerial journey and he wanted to tell her what a big fan he was. So what do we do? We obviously start speaking Spanish so he doesn’t understand what we’re saying about him (all good things!). Does anyone else do that to their hubbies? 🙂
On Understanding Your Role
The week we had this chat was one of the darkest weeks Chicago has been through this summer, in 2020. On Monday we woke up to a shred up city from looting. Aside from the destruction and additional heartache everyone has endured from COVID-19, Chicago is hurting emotionally. It’s a city of true activists in the Black Lives Matter movement. I remember going to this podcast event a couple of years ago and leaving absolutely floored with the reality of the struggle to dismantle white supremacy. Even when Obama was president. If you’re interested in learning more, check this more recent episode out.
So here we are taking a moment from this brutal week, and Ana, being the public figure that she is, addressed it. We are no longer in the position (regardless of our social following) to ignore what our country is going through. The intention of our chat was not to dissect the events or have a political discussion. However, I did want to point out to her listeners and also to anyone here, that we (her and I) are not the experts on everything. We aren’t doctors, activists or social justice speakers….but we care! A LOT.
A note on how to support- IMO
The clip above is from a moment of me describing that we should and can support those who are experts; activists, organizations and change agents. We can fund them, contribute, sign up for their newsletters, share their posts and discuss with our friend and family. However, it doesn’t do manym much good to try to play the part of an activist when we are in my case, just a Latina lifestyle blogger. I think there is a lot of pressure right now to speak and say exactly the right thing. In reality, it’s nearly impossible to say the right thing. What we need to work on now is doing the right thing and beginning the activism in our own hearts and homes. Not necessarily on social media. But, please speak up however you are called to do so.
On Imposter Syndrome
This is probably my favorite picture of her! Another thing we covered was regarding something that plagues many women: imposter syndrome. We feel that we aren’t good enough, don’t have the quals, or experience on any given opportunity. Ana asked me about starting this blog and my Instagram account and I shared that I started later than I wanted. I was afraid of what people would think or that they would say “who does she think she is?”. As a gifted comedian and someone who is on-air daily, you would think it doesn’t happen to her. Yet, she admits it does! Isn’t that crazy. Next time you doubt yourself, override the thought and go for it! No one cares as much as you think. And if they do, they’ve got problems. LOL
Owning a Business Is a Lot like…..
Motherhood. It’s wonderful when I get to reflect a bit on the entreprenuer journey. It’s such a part of me now that sometimes I forget how freakin’ hard it is. Like Motherhood. When Ana asked me what the journey was like I was talking about it, and she simply said “It sounds really hard”. I felt bad about making it sound as bad as I did. It’s not bad. It’s wonderful, challenging, rewarding, and intrinsically human. When she mentioned that, I realized that owning a business looks a lot like being a mama. “You get up in the middle of the night to do things you would rather not do”.
As a new mom, you get up 3-4 times a night to feed, change and comfort your newborn. Even today, with a 4 & 6 year-old, I usually don’t sleep through the night! Would I rather sleep? Yes! Can you bet I will get up and do what needs to be done. Also yes. When you own a business, it’s an extension of yourself, much like a child. You will do almost anything to keep it thriving, healthy and happy. Both are not for the faint of heart. 🙂
Women supporting Women
I hope that you tune in to the entire episode, there’s really something for everyone. And every Wednesday at 5 PM CST Ana has an amazing, captiviating (far more than I) guest that you can learn from, laugh and relate to. Although Zoom happy hours may be declining, we all need a good laugh, to feel heard and seen by a supportive group of people (mostly women). If you’re in the Chicago area, keep your eyes peeled for Ana Belaval’s comedic acts. She’s got one this month that is sold out! If you’re not in the Chicago area, remember that I told you about this Wednesday Whine with Ana Belaval! This woman is going to be household name everywhere. Love, Z