Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Brooke James. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ashley Brooke, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

I come from a background in high-demand sales and recruiting. It was one of the best career moves I made in my twenties. I learned a lot, traveled, and had a 6-figure salary. The career also demanded long hours and unexpected travel, which was hard on me. The stress showed up in my body, causing back and shoulder pain, eventually leading to chronic migraines. The migraines were so bad that they ultimately led to hair loss and lack of sleep. My doctor let me know my migraines were a source of stress, which was how they showed up in my body.

After several yoga classes and cutting back on triggering foods such as processed cheeses and red wine, I was on the road to recovery. One thing that stood out most during that time was that there were no resources related to stress management or burnout in my work environment.

I remember it like it was yesterday, sitting in my car waiting to step into a mother sales meeting full of resentment and wondering if any of my co-workers were experiencing this feeling of burnout without speaking on it. I remember feeling angry that there were no resources provided for our mental well-being, just physical, and I knew immediately I wanted to change that.

I continued to show up each week to attend my yoga classes, research, and do training on mindfulness. I eventually received my first yoga certification and was teaching yoga on the side.

In 2017, I decided to leave my corporate career behind and become a full-time Entrepreneur specializing in corporate wellness programming. A year later, I met my business partner, Elizabeth, who had the same “burn-out” experiences and was on a mission to recreate corporate wellness programming.

We joined forces, started TRILUNA in 2018, and are among the top innovators in corporate wellness programming. TRILUNA is an agency focused on wellness consulting and purposeful events. We help organizers, HR teams, and marketers build meaningful connections to increase well-being and engagement.

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

I want people to know that one of my main missions in life is to help the community prioritize mental health and well-being. I am a 300-hour certified yoga instructor specializing in meditation, beginners, and restorative yoga. I got certified in yoga after struggling years fighting chronic migraines. As a yoga student, I wanted to learn more and received my first certification in upstate New York. During that time, I realized that everyone’s wellness journey is different, and It’s not a one-size-fits-all.

That’s why we started TRILUNA. We wanted to redefine wellness and make wellness, especially in the corporate environment, more diverse, and that’s our unique approach. We take an individual policy, help our clients engage their employees, and provide them with tools to manage stress and burnout.

Past corporate wellness programming usually only benefits the well and is restricted to “fitness.” AT TRILUNA, our wellness is radically different from what most people think about when they think about wellness. We take a mental health approach, which means stress management is at the very core of all we do, whether it’s a yoga class, workshop, or programming.

There are two primary ways we work with clients:

In the first scenario, an organization brings us to do “wellness activations” like yoga, meditation, sound bath, and stress management workshops. Often that means adding us on top of current events–adding a morning meditation to a conference, bringing sound baths into their employee appreciation celebration, having a mindfulness moment before a grand opening, or even planning a full corporate offsite/retreat.
We’re being brought in as wellness consultants in the second scenario. We sit with clients to help them determine what kind of wellness and stress management program will be the most beneficial and have the most significant cultural impact. What comes out of that conversation is a custom program or series of events designed to provide tools for their employees (or guests/leadership/team), build camaraderie, and give our clients a better understanding of the needs of their people.

We are proud to utilize local community partners to showcase a few wellness not prevalent to one core group but diverse experiences that led to relationship building and over-impact for our clients.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Elizabeth and I met during our yoga teacher training! My second and Elizabeth’s first. I had been doing yoga and wellness full time for under a year, and she was still at her marketing job. I could see how stressed out she was, and one day, we got to the studio early just by chance, and I helped her move through a short restorative practice before class. We didn’t recognize it as a catalyst moment at the time, but now, we see it for what it was. After teacher training, we did some small projects together, always with me, encouraging her to “outwork her work,” which was my husband’s advice when I was ready to quit my job. Elizabeth eventually left and joined Pre-Flight at the Nashville Entrepreneurship Center. We were building similar brands, so we decided to combine forces rather than compete, and I joined her in the program. She asked me to be her business wife, and I said yes…but I’m still waiting on my ring nearly four years later. (haha)

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I genuinely believe that the more information I can consume regarding the wellness industry and other businesses, I will always put myself and TRILUNA ahead of the game. I take advantage of resources such as podcasts, documentaries, and books.

I’m a fan of story-telling, and I believe storytelling is a tool to keep people engaged in anything because a big part of TRILUNA’s mission is people engagement. I love documentaries, especially when a company or individual has failed, such as the story of WeWork, Fyre Festival, and the Elizabeth Holmes story. Not because I like to see people fail but because I use it as a learning opportunity to execute my vision morally.

I’m also a fan of Priya Parker after my business partner suggested we, as an organization, read the Art of Gathering. A book focused on building purposeful events from beginning to the middle and end.

I love any podcast that focuses on personal alignment and goal setting. I am spiritually driven, so there is no Sunday I miss The Potter’s Choice podcast with Bishop TD Jakes.
Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trilunawellness.com/
• Instagram: ab_the_yogi
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashley.b.yancey
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-brooke-james-0a394120/
• Youtube: Ashley James

Image Credits
Photographer Ellen Pelletier, hivibecreations, Nashville, TN Jewelry design: Stacey Caron, undercurrent studios