We had the good fortune of connecting with Evelyn Gallagher and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Evelyn, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk is a huge part of life for anyone, especially entrepreneurs. When you’re starting a business you have to take a risk on what you’re offering and on yourself. In the words of Roy Bennett, “The comfort zone is a psychological state in which one feels familiar, safe, at ease, and secure. If you always do what is easy and choose the path of least resistance, you never step outside your comfort zone. Great things don’t come from comfort zones.” Risk helps you step out of your comfort zone. My business started as a side hustle while I was still working full-time as a Digital Operations Manager. For a year and a few months I worked both as I tried to figure out what my purpose was and where I wanted my business to go. What was unknown to most outsiders was that while working my job as a Digital Operations Manager and creating the foundation for my business I was in a physically abusive relationship. After a period of time in a physically abusive relationship you lose pieces of yourself until you’re unrecognizable to yourself and others. You lose the capacity to believe in yourself, the capacity to breathe normally and you lose sight of your dreams. When that relationship came to an abrupt halt in September of 2018 I decided to take the biggest, most rewarding risk. I could’ve stayed in my job as a Digital Operations Manager and stayed in Denver at the time, where I had no family support. Instead, I chose to take the risk, quit my job, move to New Orleans to live with family, take time to process and begin my healing journey while diving into full-time entrepreneurship with my business, Ignite Your Verve. Now I am celebrating two and a half years as a business owner, have worked with dozens of entrepreneurs around the world, and embraced time and location freedom. Through my entrepreneurial journey I decided to go back to school, so now I am pursuing my Masters in Applied Psychology from the University of Southern California. I’ve also just partnered with She’s Independent, an organization that offers mentorship and professional development and support that dives into Mindset, Sales & Negotiation Skills, Professional Confidence, and Personal Development.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I believe what sets me apart from others is my dedication, commitment and the personal connections I develop with my clients. What I do isn’t solely about the money, it’s about empowering others to help their dreams come or stay true. I know details about their families, I’ve supported clients through extremely difficult times of loss and grief by letting them completely step away from their business while I operate 100% so they can truly heal, I’ve even had one of my clients gift me their beach house after I went through something difficult. When you work with clients you create a team – you all have to be aligned personally and professionally for your work together to elevate their business. I don’t believe any person’s road is easy. Everyone faces trials and tribulations that allow them to grow. My journey has been really difficult, but about two years ago I adopted the saying, “Everything happens for you not to you.” That motto changed my life. Every obstacle, trauma, struggle, is an opportunity for you to grow and learn something. It shifts your perspective from focusing on the negative to having a growth mindset and that is something everyone needs personally and professionally. A few lessons I’ve learned along the way that feel most important: 1. Be yourself – authenticity is key to connection, business development and finding your purpose. 2. Be a goal GETTER not just a goal setter – motivation is cultivated, be persistent and keep your eyes on your vision. 3. Believe in yourself – every single other person can believe in you, but if you don’t believe in yourself your struggles will hit deeper. 4. Learn how to say no – not everything and not everyone is for you, that’s okay. 5. Never stop learning.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There would be so much to do! Regardless of the season my friend is visiting it would be 100% necessary to head into the mountain, but it’s hard to limit ideas because there are so many here. From the abundance of restaurants to the outdoors a week long trip could be filled easily. Here is a breakdown by activity: Daily coffee runs: Kaladi, Wash Perk or Stella’s. Breakfast necessities: Denver Biscuit Company, Mimosas, Breakfast King, Sassafras American Eatery Capitol Hill, The Lobby, The District and the Corner Office. Exploring: RiNo for the murals, Red Rocks, Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds park, drive Mount Evans, day trip to Boulder, Frisco, Breckenridge, Denver Museum of Nature and Science and Sloan’s Lake. Dinner: Avanti, Tacos Tequila & Whiskey, Root Down, Yak and Yeti, Hillstone, Sushi Den, and Los Dos Potrillos. A Night Out: Cervantes, Red Rocks show (when it comes back), Green Russel, B&GC, and Cruise Room.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh this is a loaded question – there are so many people, groups, books, etc that have been a part of my journey and deserve recognition. First, my family and friends – through everything they have been incredibly patient, supportive, encouraging and inspiring. A shout out to Holly Berube for being an incredible coach and mentor, all of my clients who have been a part of my career, Ed Mylett for a podcast that changed my life, Jen Sincero and Gary John Bishop for books with blunt honesty, Brene Brown for explaining vulnerability and its importance, NPR’s How I Built This for inspiration and everyone else that’s been on my journey with me from my acupuncturist to my therapist.
Website: https://igniteyourverve.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/igniteyourverve/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyngallagher/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/igniteyourverve