We had the good fortune of connecting with Anshwa Lewis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anshwa, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was take a break from my business. It lasted for about 18months. I’d just given birth to my second child and officially became a mother of 2 children under 2yrs old. My newborn would require medical attention for the first 12wks of her life which meant frequent trips to the Medical Center. Between making sure I spent time with my husband and tending to a newborn toddler – it was time to take something off of my plate. SwaLaRue became that something. I needed that time to get my footing and rethink what it meant to have balance in my life. Giving myself some grace and breathing room I was able to come back focused on both my dreams and my homelife in a way I hadn’t before my break. I came back knowing exactly what types of clients I wanted to serve and started attracting more of them. It also gave me the wisdom to say no to projects that weren’t a good fit for me to make room for all of the ones that are.

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?
SwaLaRue Events is a bespoke event planning firm servicing busy professionals and companies who care. What sets us apart is our laser-focused attention on the guest experience for our clients who host weddings and corporate events. For our corporate clients, want to make sure that the event anticipation, aesthetics and ambiance create an experience so guests who attend don’t consider it ‘just another event’. For weddings, we serve the unmistakably romantic & stylish bride who doesn’t have a lot of time on her hands because she, too is focused on deliverables in her place of business. Whether you’re a nurse, educator, attorney, or business owner–if you’re plate is already full with professional and personal commitments, we alleviate the pain of planning so brides and grooms can have more time for the people and things require their most valuable commodity: their time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take my friends by the Houston Mural for a photo-op so the can have the proof that they really were in HTX. I would also pick one of the restaurants that I prefer for a Friday night cocktail hour such as the Taste Bar or a Sunday Brunch at Grace’s. Because my friends and I share a love for cardio just as much as we do food, I would hands down sign us up for a Bootcamp class at RC Fitness on Stella Link. The man is a fitness mastermind and his team is passionate about what they do. I’m always raving about their fitness programs so any of my friends would be super excited to finally experience one of their classes with me. We’d also spend some time on a leisurely stroll at Herman Park and Discovery Green. There is always something going on there so we’d likely stumble upon an activity during our visit. My friends and I have children all less than 3yrs apart so, we’d have to also have a play date at the Children’s Museum and the Aquarium. And because there are more food places here than I’ve been able to visit, we’ll try a restaurant that I, too haven’t been to yet, like The Turkey Leg Hut…it is definitely the next foodie stop on my list!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my husband, Stephen Lewis. Who for 17yrs has challenged me to grow and continue to elevate myself to higher heights in my work ethic, perception of the world around me and the person I want to become.

Website: www.swalarueevents.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swalarue/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwalarueEvents/

Image Credits
Ellen of WhoisLeadingE Photography