We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashley Johnston. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashley below.

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

I began my journey of social media marketing when I was managing a local restaurant and running the social media page for them. We had some influencers come to visit and make a video of the restaurant and try the food. I really connected with them and they taught me how they do their videos and I got to see behind the scenes of how different influencers make their content. They encouraged me to start my own page and they provided me a lot of guidance to get started. I started making videos when I would eat lunch at work and when I would go out to eat. At first I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing and I didn’t have any special filming gear or knowledge. The local community of other influencers were really welcoming and everyone was willing to help me or share some advice. It took me a few months before I felt very comfortable to be filming in public and being on camera all the time but practicing and going to influencer meet ups really built up my confidence. When people say just post the content I really believe that is true. You don’t have to be perfect at first, you have unlimited time to learn and perfect your craft.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

First and foremost I am a mom to a beautiful little girl so she is always my first priority and everything I do is with the intention that she can have a positive role model to look up to. I am a full time paralegal and a part time influencer/social media marketing consultant. I am passionate about supporting small businesses and I do this by collaborating on video marketing campaigns with businesses around the valley. For me, it’s a great opportunity to try new things, network with likeminded entrepreneurs and share and support people and places that deserve it. I want to clarify for those who are interested in this sort of path- making videos is my hobby, not my full time employment at the moment. I always like to stress to the younger generations that it is extremely important to pursue a career or education that will provide you stability to pursue hobbies like this and allow you to provide for your family. I also have 2 college degrees and several certifications which allow me to pursue my career path of being a paralegal at a local law firm. I was the first person in my family to graduate college so it is a huge source of pride for me and I am always open to helping others achieve their college and career goals, my inbox is always open.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I don’t have a huge following or reputation but something that has really helped me is networking with anyone you can. You never know who has friends in high places or who has connections so it’s best to be friendly and respectful with everyone you meet. I have had countless instances where someone told me a friend or another influencer recommended me to work with them and I always recommend people I know as well. It’s not competitive with other influencers and entrepreneurs, it’s a collaborative approach so we can all win. Even participating in this interview now is due to networking and sharing connections with people!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I want to preface this story by saying I am not sharing this to brag about any privilege that I have been afforded but I hope to inspire and motivate others with my story. I don’t have a lot of family support and I don’t come from a wealthy background. I actually dropped out of high school and got my GED (with honors) due to a family tragedy that prevented me from attending school. Several years later, when I became pregnant with my daughter I knew I needed to start getting serious about my education and career but I didn’t know where to start. Eventually, I did a lot of research and calling around and I was able to enroll in an online community college. I went to school and worked full time the whole time I was pregnant and I didn’t take any time off school for the birth of my daughter. I ended up graduating early with my associate degree and I transferred to Arizona State University to continue my educational journey. I just graduated ASU this Fall 2024 with my bachelor’s degree in English. I did full time online school, full time work and raising my daughter for almost 6 years in total. It takes a lot of discipline and some missing out on fun stuff but it was worth it for me to get my education.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Ashleykittyyy

Image Credits

I take my own photos and one is taken by a friend who has given permission to use it.