We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Essman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents raised me to be independent, to follow my dreams, and to be a hard worker. I was required to get a job when I was 15 and I worked as a hostess for the remainder of high school. When I went off to college, I had a job all four years, and then I started a full-time job one week after I graduated. My parent’s encouraged me to explore what I liked and wanted to do with my own life. They allowed me to travel extensively, study abroad in college, and experience life through my own eyes. They never pushed their own agenda on me and instead allowed me to decide for myself what I was interested in and wanted to pursue. My parents have always worked very hard and instilled that work ethic in me. I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am today without the constant support, encouragement, and inspiration from my amazing parents!

Ashley , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into holistic health because of my own health journey. For my entire life I’ve been “healthy” and I’ve always been interested in health & wellness, but I really became passionate about holistic health when my own health started declining. I suffered with painful, intense cystic acne for years and I also had brain fog, leaky gut, thyroid imbalance, and other unpleasant symptoms. After years of taking pills and only getting sicker, I took my health into my own hands and healed my body from the inside out using holistic and functional medicine. The journey to healing my skin was frustrating and overwhelming at times but overall, it was so rewarding because I learned so much and became so passionate about getting to the root cause. I went to school and got certified as a Holistic Health Coach so I can help others achieve their health goals & heal their bodies.

I own AWE Inspired Holistic Health & Wellness and I work 1:1 with clients who are looking to improve their gut health, balance their hormones naturally, clear their skin, or make a positive impact on their lifestyle through nutrition & wellness practices. The benefits my clients receive from working with me include learning what a balanced diet looks like for them, implementing a healthy routine, accountability & support, an improved relationship with food and alcohol, positive mindset shift, knowledge of nutrition, as well as balancing the elements of your life outside of nutrition including physical activity, relationships, spirituality, and more. My clients achieve mind, body, and soul transformation!

What sets me apart from others is that I don’t offer fad diet advice or meal plans based on calorie counting or deficits; my program is completely personalized to each client and what works best for them. I practice a holistic approach to health and wellness, meaning I look at how all areas of my client’s lives are connected, not just what you are eating. We work together to connect the dots between who you are and who you want to be, create your personal blueprint, decipher your body’s unique needs, set your personal goals, and work towards sustainable change.

I’ve been in my client’s shoes and know exactly how it feels to be frustrated, overwhelmed, confused and not know where to start when it comes to your health & healing so I can truly relate to what you are going through. I have the expertise from my own experiences, education, and certifications to help you heal your body holistically. When you invest in a Health Coach you are truly investing in yourself, and our health is the most valuable thing we have!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Having cystic acne all over my face and neck for years taught me to be very resilient. I could have easily decided to take a pill and make it all go away, but that is only a temporary fix, and the underlying causes would still be there so I knew that getting to the root cause was my only option. There were many times that I didn’t want to leave my house because my skin was so broken out, red, and inflamed, and I was embarrassed and ashamed. Healing my gut and hormones naturally was hard, but I was aware that the dietary restrictions and lifestyle modifications I was making were temporary, so it didn’t feel impossible. This time in my life taught me so much about myself, my strength, and my resilience and now I’m so grateful to help others that are in the same position!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn a lot of things when I was healing my body through a holistic and functional approach. The modern American diet and culture is very much focused on a quick fix and healing the root cause of symptoms is far from it. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to holistic healing and I experienced a lot of trial and error throughout my journey. A holistic approach requires healing through diet, lifestyle, supplements, and whole body health. It embodies the fact that every organ and function in the body is connected, and we have to make sure all systems are functioning optimally rather than just taking a pill for one symptom. I had to unlearn what I knew about the standard American diet and remove processed foods, highly inflammatory vegetable & seed oils, sugar, and more from my diet. I learned to add in lots of colorful, fresh vegetables, high-quality protein, healthy fats, and fiber. I had to unlearn the idea that exercise is just for burning calories and focus on moving my body out of love for myself and my long-term health. I had to unlearn what I knew about skincare, makeup, and household products and replace everything with non-toxic products. I had to unlearn my relationship with myself; I was so negative and mean to myself due to the lack of confidence from my acne. It took a long time to unlearn that, but my mindset shift has been one of the aspects of my healing journey that I’m most proud of! Overall, I had to unlearn the mentality of just taking a pill when a symptom appears and actually consider the root cause of the symptom and heal it from the inside out.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.aweinspiredholistichealth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aweinspired.holistichealth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aweinspiredholistichealthandwellness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyessman/

Image Credits
KMA Visuals