We recently connected with Ashley Cox, PHR, SHRM-CP and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

The best investments I’ve ever made in my business have been to put myself in rooms with other women building businesses. Every time I attend an in-person workshop, retreat, or other similar event, I’m reminded that the work I’m doing is important and needed, and that I have a unique voice and vision to help others. I’m fueled by the creativity and courage of the other women in the room and reminded of my own creativity and courage. And I always leave feeling refreshed, inspired, and excited about what still lays ahead for me and my business. Business ownership can be incredibly challenging and, at times, it can feel isolating. It’s helpful to put yourself in rooms where other women can relate and understand what you’re going through, as well as share their collective energy and wisdom to help fuel you on in the next steps in your own business journey. There’s a special kind of magic to being in the energy of women bringing their dreams to life together!

Ashley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

This always seems to surprise people, but it was never my goal to be in Human Resources. I like to tell people that HR found me.

I worked as an hourly associate at Kroger while attending university for management and marketing. When I graduated, I was promoted to Co-Manager and was in charge of all the HR functions in my store. I loved every minute of hiring, training, and developing our 350 associates and department managers.

In 2008, I was asked to lead the hiring initiative to staff a brand new store…and that’s when HR found me.

After my assignment, I was quickly promoted into HR as the district recruiter. I then spent the next 10 years working in Human Resources with Kroger and then with J.Crew. I’m grateful for my time at both companies, because I got to experience a wide range of HR functional areas that help me support my clients today.

In July 2016, I opened SproutHR, a boutique HR consulting firm that advises women-owned businesses on how to hire and lead profitable, sustainable, and impactful teams with confidence, ease, and fun.

At SproutHR, we focus on values-based hiring, compassionate and intentional leadership, and amplifying the impact that women and their businesses have in their communities and in the world.

I’ve always seen the infinite potential in people and I love helping them see it for themselves and those who are on their teams. I’m thankful that this is what I get to do every day in my work with women and the businesses and teams they lead.

What I’m most proud of in my journey is finding and using my voice.

I, like many women I know, was often told as a child that I “talked too much.” It was constantly mentioned on report cards and in mid-term reviews. And in 9th grade, one teacher wrote: “Ashley is a very sociable young lady.” I’m still not sure whether that was meant as a good thing or not…

But today, I use my voice to share my experiences and expertise through my debut book, Transform Your Stories, on my podcast, The Impact Ripple, on virtual and in-person stages speaking at conferences, workshops, and events, and in intimate one-on-one coaching sessions with women business owners.

I’ve learned that in fighting for my own voice, I’m fighting for the voices of all women to be heard everywhere. And that feels like the biggest impact ripple I could create in this world.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the most important lessons I’ve had to unlearn (and continue unlearning) centers around thoughts of “I’m not good enough / worthy.”

Thoughts such as:

“I don’t have enough experience.”
“I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“I could *never* charge that price!”

And many more.

When these thoughts reared their ugly heads in the beginning, they kept me second guessing myself and playing small.

They still like to pop up from time to time, but I’ve learned to recognize and navigate them more easily. These thoughts are simply my brain’s way of protecting me and keeping me safe AND they often have little to no merit.

Like when I wrote my book – “Who am *I* to write a book?”
When I launched my podcast – “There are millions of podcasts out there, who would want to listen to mine?”
And when I raised my prices – “Is this too much? This is too much, right?

Recognizing these thoughts don’t always serve me allows me to be more mindful of them with they do pop up and process them more effectively. I ask myself, is this thought true? If not, what’s true instead? I also like to consider, what’s the worst case scenario if this thought was true?

Exploring these questions allows me to separate the feelings of fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt from doing the thing I want to do and that I know will be a good move.

Learning to allow these thoughts to exist AND still taking action on my ideas has lead to more confidence in myself and my work, as well as loads of momentum in my business.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me is when I get the opportunity to be in front of people.

For many business owners, HR can seem daunting, tedious, and boring. But it doesn’t have to be!

My presentation style allows me to connect deeply with people through compassion, empathy, and humor. There’s truly magic in being able to speak life and humanity into the HR work I do, whether on stage, on screen, or behind a mic.

While my favorite will always be live, in-person speaking events, I also enjoy enjoy speaking at virtual events, where I can interact with the audience, and being on podcasts.

Past event attendees have shared that they love my personable, approachable, energetic, and actionable approach.

I love giving people what they came for…and more! I love seeing the moment an idea sparks an a-ha moment for someone. When they realize the one thing that’s been missing. Or when they find a renewed sense of self and confidence.

It’s a win-win when we both walk away feeling like we received something valuable from our time together.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sprouthr.co
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sprouthr.co
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sprouthr.co
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyncox
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9OpZqqyEp2B4BSDLoQqMqA
• Other: Podcast: www.sprouthr.co/podcast (available on all podcast platforms)

Image Credits
Katy Sergent Photography Pam Burke Photography