Rooted to Rise: Women leaders explore what grounds their growth

By Ashlynn Bouldin, Coordinator, Communications & Marketing

Average reading time: 3 minutes

On Thursday, Oct. 22, hundreds of women leaders, entrepreneurs and trailblazers gathered at Gilley’s Dallas for the DRC’s 28th Women’s Business Conference (WBC), presented by JPMorganChase and Baylor Scott & White Health. Under the theme of “Rooted to Rise,” attendees explored how lasting growth comes from a foundation of purpose.

“Your strongest growth comes from solid ground,” said Tosha Herron Bruff, DRC Senior Vice President of Opportunity & Impact. “When you’re anchored in what matters, you are better equipped to take bold leaps, navigate change with confidence and create opportunities for others to rise alongside you.”

Rising stronger and higher together

Elaine Agather, Global Vice Chair of J.P. Morgan Private Bank and Chairman of the Dallas Region for JPMorganChase, shared advice and insights from her 44-year-long career in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Agather noted that, while the business environment for women has improved vastly over time, the journey for women leaders is ongoing. In that framing, she stressed that no one can grow alone, encouraging women to embrace feedback and champion others, regardless of how they “got their foot in the door.”

“You come in the door, and you need champions to help you go from there. And I am passionate about that. I think we’ve come a long way, yes. … But is it easy? No. It’s still hard. It’s still hard to be a working mom. It’s still hard to come in and kill it every day, so you need partners, a team and champions that help.”

While champions are pivotal to opening doors and rising higher, leaders can only grow when they also advocate for themselves.

The conference invited women to identify their needs and wants—and develop a strategy to ask for them through the Audacious Ask Challenge, presented by Fifth Third Bank and facilitated by challenge founder, entrepreneur and author Marty McDonald.

Rising to maximize the moment

Gina Miller, Chief Communications Officer at the Dallas Mavericks, empowered women to “maximize the moments” that change their careers, sharing four key practices she learned from years of making big decisions under public pressure: prepare for the moment, recognize it, lead through it and learn from it.

Miller especially emphasized the importance of self-reflection when learning and rising from a critical career moment.

“Experience itself does not automatically make us wiser. Reflection does. The leader who has been through 20 crises but never examines how he or she handled them may simply become very experienced at repeating the same mistakes. The same is true of opportunity, failure and success. If you don’t stop long enough to ask what the moment taught you, you waste part of its value.”

Growing a business from community-centered roots

Shanna Pearre, Co-Founder and CEO of Sensori, reflected on her experience as an entrepreneur building a functional beverage brand from scratch. She encouraged women to ground themselves during the stagnant periods that precede putting bold ideas into action.

“If I could recommend anything to anyone, it’s to not overlook those periods where you feel like you’re in between. [When I was working in my corporate job], that was an in-between for me. But that’s when I had the chance to dream about what I wanted, when I had the chance to get grounded in my community. And a lot of my early customers came from my community.”

In addition to Pearre’s entrepreneurial journey, women-owned businesses thrived in the Frost Marketplace, which invited attendees to discover and shop with more than 20 vendors.

Dallas Region ATHENAs continue to rise

The conference also celebrated the DRC’s longstanding commitment to recognizing women leaders. The YPL ATHENA® Award, presented by KPMG, and the ATHENA® Award, presented by McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., recognized women who embody the highest level of professional excellence and actively help the women around them realize their full potential.

“When I reflect on what it means to be rooted to rise, my thoughts naturally turn to those who came before us,” said Bethany Hilton, Director of Corporate Affairs at Improving and YPL ATHENA® Award recipient. “I know that I’m fortunate to be here today, not just because of my own work and dedication, but because of the work, courage and sacrifice of so many others.”

“My ask of you today is this: Root deeply, know your roots—not just the beautiful ones, but the painful ones, too—because those are often the roots that grow the deepest and hold the strongest,” said Deanna Naugles-Jack, North America & Dallas Market Development at Accenture and ATHENA® Award recipient. “Let your history inform you without defining you, and then rise, not just for yourself, but for everyone watching you who needs to believe it’s possible.”

With strong nomination pools, the DRC also recognized the YPL ATHENA® and ATHENA® award finalists, including:

 Looking ahead

This year, the DRC invited women to look deeper before reaching higher and to anchor in purpose so that when they grow, it lasts.

“Challenges arise in our personal and professional lives every day,” said Herron Bruff. “But when we’re rooted in what makes us who we are, we can transform challenge into opportunity—and we can create an environment that will empower the women around us to flourish.”