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

Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I hope to be remembered as someone who gave the people in my city a platform to feel understood and to have their lives and experiences validated. I also hope to leave a legacy of helping people to bust out of the boxes in which society has placed them and to help the world see a well-rounded picture of who they are as humans. In a nutshell, I hope to be remembered as the person in my town who helped the people in my community to view themselves as the incredible badasses that they are and to more fully appreciate how amazing it is that their life experiences have led them to who they are today.

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?

I consider myself to be an eclectic blend of humanity.

I just got married to my beautiful wife, Elise (an incredible artist) in October of 2022, and we live with our two dogs, Max and Wilco. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and an even bigger fan of mental health. I got diagnosed with C-PTSD this year, and I’ve been prioritizing treatment and learning to set better boundaries. This is a continual work in progress, and I’m grateful to have a good support system. I’m a creative empath with ADHD, which means I love variety and being able to flex my creative muscles in every avenue of my life.
I’ve been all over the place in terms of what I’ve done professionally, and that trend has continued today. I’m a musician, grant writer, and healthcare worker. I’ve also been a pastor of an urban church, a barista, and I’ve worked my fair share of customer service jobs. Everything that I do now, and everything that I’ve done professionally has given me the tools to take on the biggest, most exciting project of my life and the one of which I’m most proud- founding and hosting my podcast, “Heart of Glass”.
I live in Toledo, a vibrant city in Northwest Ohio. We’re known as the glass capital of the world. So most Toledoans refer to our town as the Glass City. I’m deeply passionate about my city and about the people who inhabit it. Toledo is chock full of incredible individuals, from a variety of walks of life, who are continually improving our community.
I’m an inquisitive, curious person who very much leans on the introspective side, and I love to get to know people and what makes them tick. So I feel like it was a very natural thing that I was drawn to long-form, interview-style podcasts, tv shows, and the interviewers themselves. I adore Barabara Walters, Dax Shepherd, and Sean Evans. All three of these extraordinary interviewers share something in common. They’re all excellent at getting people to open up, and they are natural storytellers.
When you pair my passion for the Glass City community, my reverence for these interviewers, and my desire to get to know people and help them to feel understood, the idea for the “Heart of Glass Podcast” was born.
As I began dreaming about and planning what my podcast might look like, I immediately began thinking about what I like and don’t like about the podcasts that I listen to. The thing that stood out most is that I felt like they were missing two key things that would make consuming these interviews even better. I wished each episode had a killer soundtrack to drive the emotion and that they were filmed to be able to see the emotion. So I took all of these things, combined them, and created a new platform of understanding and connection for my community. I really wanted each episode to be a fully immersive experience that would be accessible to all regardless of how one prefers to consume content. This is why we provide the option to either watch the episodes on Youtube or listen to them on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Each episode features an in-depth interview with a Glass City resident and with it, the opportunity to pull back the curtain on who they really are. When explaining the podcast to people who haven’t had the chance to check it out yet, I always tell them, “it’s less about what they do, and more about who they are.” Every time we film an episode, I love that for an entire hour, I have the opportunity to help my guests tell their stories and validate their life experience. If they leave the studio, feeling more understood and seen than when they first enter, I feel like I accomplished my goal. The first season exceeded every expectation that I had, and I’m excited to begin filming season two this spring.
I’m thrilled to be able to give people a platform to share their experiences and have their stories heard and respected. It’s a special gift to be able to bridge people, even if it’s only through the digital world. The magic of storytelling lies in its power to transport us, open us up to empathy, and educate us. This is what my podcast seeks to do, and I am constantly in awe of how powerful stories can be.
Even if you don’t live in Toledo, you can definitely still benefit and enjoy from listening or watching. Because the focus is on humanity and individual life journeys, I believe that this is a platform for everyone.

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

I grew up with an emotionally and verbally abusive mother. So I spent my entire childhood and adolescence desperately trying to read her emotions and trying not to upset her. I also constantly felt misunderstood and scrutinized. This led to me becoming a chronic, hypervigilant people pleaser with a penchant for habitually seeking external validation. It led to a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and depression. It’s also a big part of the PTSD that I’m working hard to tackle. Even though growing up like that caused some deep emotional wounds, I feel like it also gave me a gift.
I don’t think that I would have the innate desire to help other people feel understood and validated if I didn’t have the upbringing that I did. I know how lonely, dark, and empty it can be when you feel stuck in a box in which someone else has aggressively shoved you and sealed tightly. So I love that I have the opportunity to help others break out of their boxes and be seen as the wonderfully complex humans that they are.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

All of the podcast’s social media growth has been through a mixture of organic marketing and a commitment to authenticity. Where I’ve seen the most growth is through intentionally making connections with the people who follow us.
I will be the first to admit that social media is a tough code to crack. As small business owners, we’re expected to be social media marketing experts and conquerors of the elusive algorithm. One thing that I can tell you for certain is that if you get frustrated by trying to crack that code, you are in excellent company. I’m learning right alongside with you.
If I can give you any advice about how to build your social media presence, it would be this:
Be present. Even if it’s a day where you don’t have the capacity to create an engaging reel or eye-catching photo carousel, make the effort to engage with your followers. Comment on their posts. Respond to their stories. Send them a DM expressing appreciation for investing their attention in what you’re doing. Bottom line- connect.
Another thing that I would strongly recommend is to intentionally, regularly seek out opportunities to learn more about social media marketing and that pesky algorithm. There are countless free and paid resources out there that teach just about anything you could possibly want to know about social media.
Lastly, be authentic. Your followers and potential followers want to see the real you. The more authentic and true to yourself/mission that you are, it will benefit you long-term by drawing an audience that truly resonates with what you’re doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: heartofglassthepod.com
• Instagram: @heartofglassthepod
• Facebook: facebook.com/heartofglassthepod
• Youtube: youtube.com/@heartofglassthepod

Image Credits
Tiernen Rice