We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashley Clemens. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashley below.
Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
For 4.5 years I taught in a charter school in Brooklyn, NY. During 2 of those years I was in grad school working toward my master’s degree, and the latter 3 years I spent coaching teachers as an instructional leader while teaching. Needless to say, life in the high pressure and pace of a high performing charter school with all the additional roles and responsibilities had me working 70+ hours each week for years on end and began taking a toll on my physical and mental health. Despite feeling like teaching was my true calling, I hit a crossroads and knew I had to take a risk and make a change. My boyfriend and I knew that if we didn’t at least try living differently, we’d end up in the same place doing the same thing for the next decade or more. It’s so easy to get caught up in the rat race, especially when you barely have time to take care of yourself, let alone pause and think about your future. So I quit my job and decided to pursue the education and certifications needed to build a business around my other main passion – health and wellness. It was humbling to start over – making way less money with way less security working part time jobs while trying to learn as much as I could about starting a business as quickly as possible. I am very grateful for my first clients trusting me to give them an amazing experience and help them get results as that was the catalyst for me to be able to build confidence and momentum. I’m also super grateful for my first “boss” hiring me before I was fully certified to start learning from him and all the experienced professionals in his gym by shadowing and getting my feet wet until I gained the confidence and experience to branch out on my own. After about a year I took another leap and started taking on clients fully independent of any other gym or affiliation and that was the beginning of the business I have today, which has grown every year since!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Ashley and I’m a nutritionist, personal trainer, and health coach! As a former educator, teaching and supporting others has always been my calling. I love teaching specifically how to eat and exercise to build a body and lifestyle you love. I believe everyone deserves the knowledge and tools to optimize their health and I especially love helping women build confidence in themselves. My passion for health and fitness grew from my own experience of feeling pressured by diet culture to shrink myself – overtrain and undereat relentlessly to achieve a look and feel that I thought was “healthy”. Thankfully, I discovered weightlifting. The confidence that came from building strength (instead of trying only to burn calories) spurred a newfound love for true health – disease prevention, longevity, and eating well to fuel a happy and fulfilling life. I can relate to many of my clients who feel they’ve restricted themselves for too long, but don’t know another way, are confused by conflicting advice on the internet, feel intimidated by lifting weights, and know their mental health is just as important as their physical. I’ve created a virtual coaching program that supports my clients via custom nutrition goals and workout programming, regular accountability check-ins, lifelong access to my health and wellness tools, and live coaching inside a supportive community. I am most proud of being able to help my clients see that building a healthy relationship with food and your body IS possible without suffering through the process. What sets me apart is my ability to meet you where you are on your journey and help you gradually build independence so you can get to a place where healthy habits are built and you know exactly how to maintain the results you’ve worked so hard for!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When the pandemic hit, I could no longer train my clients in person. In-person training was a significant portion of my business and income, so I had to quickly find a way to support my clients virtually while also growing the virtual side of my business to survive. Ultimately, this is what I wanted, so the circumstances just forced me to make these changes and figure it all out more quickly, which I see as a positive thing. I began showing up more consistently through videos on social media and inside my Facebook community to support people and keep them active through live workouts and videos teaching various nutrition topics. Pouring lots of value into my community, regardless of whether or not they were a paying client, helped build my following and had people reaching out for accountability, which resulted in more clients! Video allowed me to share my personality and helped people get to know me. The extra time I had allowed me to get creative and come up with new programs to launch and ways to reach more people. It ultimately became an opportunity for growth!
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
There are SO many resources I’ve used since starting my business. I have found podcasts to be one of my favorite mediums for learning and getting inspired by other entrepreneurs. Some of my favorite podcasts are: Mindset Mentor, The Skinny Confidential Him and Her show, The Ed Mylett Show, and Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu. I also love books written by entrepreneurs like Bethenny Frankel (Business is Personal) and Julia Haart (Brazen). Some classics that have taught me better customer service, marketing, and organization/time management skills needed to be my own boss include: Never Lose a Customer Again, Emotional Intelligence, Atomic Habits, the Slight Edge, Stillness is the Key, Full Out, and Dare to Lead. Additionally, I’ve invested in several business coaches and online courses year after year to continue to gain education and mentorship as I hone my skills and find my niche.
Contact Info:
- Website: ashleykhristine.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ashleykhristinefitness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ashleykhristinefitness/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbePEOadsMOEIlZ3_8p1kAw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ashley-khristine-fitness-nashville-2?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
Image Credits
Lauren Deleary