We recently connected with Ashley Leslie and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

My first and only internship experience was right out of college at The Bottomless Toy Chest. I was in my senior year at Oakland University (OU) and unsure about the next chapter in my life. I quickly learned my senior year, that even with my diploma at arm’s length, not everyone knows what they would to do after they graduate from college. Well at least that was my reality. February of 2014, I had attended an internship mixer at OU where about 50 businesses were present, seeking interns for the upcoming summer. I had browsed a few businesses tables and eventually made my way over to The Bottomless Toy Chest. I had immediately fallen in love with their mission of bringing emotional support to hospitalized pediatric cancer patients. I gave their representative at the time my resume and about a week or so later I was asked to come in for an interview. I ended getting the internship for summer 2014. I had the exciting task of organizing their summer patient outing, the Red-Carpet Movie Event along with preparing for fundraisers and community engagement projects.

During my time as an intern, I truly learned the meaning of living a purposeful life. I met so many incredible people who despite their circumstances still found a reason to be thankful for life. I saw many children going through anxiety producing procedures and parents struggling financially, but yet they still gave thanks. I am happy to share that I’m currently Program Director and I’ve been with the organization for almost a decade. Every day I have the opportunity to witness a passionate team of people/family work together to bring healing smiles to children who need it the most.

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

I am a full time Program Director at a pediatric cancer non-profit, The Bottomless Toy Chest. Along with a wonderful team, I have the opportunity to deliver magical toy experiences to children receiving treatment for cancer and other serious blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia. I work closely with hospital personnels to bring the fun into the hospitals by providing young patients with a distraction such as a toy, art project or even, an invitation to our patient outing. These distractions provide emotional support as well as allow our young patients to feel like kids again.

Aside from the work I do at my current job, I am a personal trainer. I have the opportunity to help my clients become the healthiest version of themselves. Every day I get to watch my clients holistically thrive. Exercise not only is a great way to release endorphins and relieve stress, but it also helps people see themselves in a different light. They realize they’re more powerful and courageous than they may have initially thought.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I believe that having compassion and empathy toward others is necessary for succeeding in my field. You can’t walk into a situation immediately wanting to judge someone, especially in the fitness field. Change is hard for everyone, regardless of how you look physically or where you are mentally and emotionally, the fact that the person made the decision to make a health change or at least inquire about the process, takes a lot of courage. I choose to provide as much knowledge as I can about the field and most importantly, be a support system to my clients.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I’m still working on growing my clientele. I think marketing plays a key part, posting videos of my workouts. But, in my opinion being the person I want to encourage others to become plays a huge part as well. I would like others to be physically fit, thoughtful and emotionally intelligent so I strive to be that myself. I also let others know that I’m human and far from perfect. There are days that I do not eat the healthiest or I may not feel like working out, but I push through and never give up on my goals.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ashleysylmone
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleysylmone/