JILLS SPOTLIGHT ON SISTERHOOD, IDENTITY and IMPACT
Anna Machniak and Leah Rowe; sisters and cofounders of virtual assistant network, MAVAN.
Two sisters. One military spouse. One busy professional. And two very different life paths. A search for identity and a need for more time brought these two sisters together and skyrocketed them into their entrepreneurial journey.
Let us introduce you to Leah Roe and Anna Machniak, co-founders of MAVAN and members of THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™ community of women entrepreneurs. Leah has a background in finance and a passion for company culture. Anna is a Marine Corps wife and mother of two. Together these women are making an impact through entrepreneurship and showing once again how women can lead the future of work.
Here Leah and Anna share their story of how their relationship and synergists needs has led them to making an impact for military spouses and professionals across the nation.
"MAVAN was born at the intersection of identity and impact. As one sister, Anna, was seeking an identity that had been lost, or at least buried, another, Leah, was seeking ways to make a greater impact through her career, personal, and philanthropic work, an impact she was beginning to believe time constraints would prevent. Rooted in relationship and need, MAVAN started to grow. We began as two women working together, one as a virtual assistant to the other, scheduling, researching, completing daily tasks as needed. As Anna developed an identity through reentering the workforce, developing skills, and making financial gains, Leah suddenly had time. Time rapidly led to increased presence in career, personal, and philanthropic life, which opened the door to making a greater impact. In discussing this working relationship, a demand to work with MAVAN, both from military spouses and from professionals, quickly developed.
Today, we are a virtual assistant network matching eager, honorable military spouses with busy, successful, impact-driven professionals. We’re excited to work with people who align with our core values of IDENTITY, IMPACT, COMMUNITY, and AUTONOMY. Together, we’re making a difference. Together, we’re making an even greater impact on the world."