Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Schneider. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the villain in my life’s story. My mother was diagnosed with the disease in 1980, four years before I was born, so it is the backdrop in which I learned of who my mother was and also the twists and pain that life can bring. My parents managed the disease symptoms as best they could, and because of my mother’s determination and spirit, the more debilitating ones remained at bay for quite some time, but still, over time, it eroded away pieces of her and the best we could do was witness the changes and care for each other (I have three siblings) as best we could.

I took control of this narrative when I was 24, when it came to me during a three mile run in Barcelona that everything that had happened led to what was next; a 3,200 mile solo run across America in an effort to raise $500,000 to fight MS. I had always been a runner and an athlete, but both the immense magnitude of the distance and the fundraising was far beyond anything I had attempted. I would discover that the distance across America is the sum of 125 marathons, and I had yet to run a single one. Still, I abruptly left my career traveling the world and moved home to tackle the endeavor.

In 2010, I became the 16th female to ever run across America by covering 3,288 miles between San Francisco and New York City. To achieve this, I ran an average of 24 miles a day, six days a week, for six months. I burned an estimated 260,000 calories, ran through 11 pairs of running shoes, crossed thirteen states, traversed three mountain ranges, lost 18 pounds and managed to endure only two blisters and one bout of heat exhaustion as the extent of my injuries.

Upon completion of my run, having only raised ten percent of my $500,000 goal, I went on to create America’s longest annual cross-country relay run that has since raised millions for the MS cause. The nonprofit’s event spans 3,260 miles from Santa Monica to New York and runs annually with a hand-selected team of 19 runners.

Our mission is to continue running to provide hope for those living with MS and those loving someone living with MS. We bring awareness to the disease, funds to support financial aid requests, and grants to support our researchers.

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 spilled the beans quite a bit in the previous question by choosing the story of my nonprofit’s mission, so here I’ll dive a bit more into what we do and what problem MS Run the US solves.

MS Run the US is a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and funds for those living with multiple sclerosis (MS) — to provide hope, to aid those living with disability from the disease and to support research to stop it. Our mission is three-fold; To bring AWARENESS to MS to highlight the plethora of struggles that come with an MS diagnosis, and to inspire individuals to support our effort to make a difference! To support FINANCIAL AID requests, like home modifications and movement devices, that help those live better with MS right now. And to fund our RESEARCH grant doctors to move the needle forward on modifications that can be made right now to improve quality of life for those with MS.

We fundraise through a variety of different avenues, but our landmark event is America’s Longest Annual Relay Run – a 3,260 mile run across America from Santa Monica to New York. Our relay runners are selected via our online application process to participate as an individual segment runner in our 19 segment relay. To participate each runner commits to fundraising $10,000 and to running approximately 160 miles in 6 consecutive days during his or her assigned relay segment. What makes our organization different is our commitment to fitness and lifestyle as our foundation for both our events and giving profile. We liken our organization to an epic support group of those living with MS and those loving someone living with MS wanting to use their fitness abilities to make a massive fundraising and moral impact on individuals fighting the disease and their communities!

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

A lesson that I had to unlearn, and continue to unlearn, is listening to my mind’s reasoning to talk me out of doing XYZ thing. Let’s say I want to contact with a potential business associate or acquaintance regarding an upcoming fundraising initiative my organization is working on. The mind is really good at creating stories around why I shouldn’t connect with the person. It will be something as simple as “Oh, now’s not the best time to message Lisa because we’re right on top of the holidays and I know she has to manage her business plus the holidays so I’ll wait until January until things have quieted down for her before connecting.” Now, yes, of course we need to be strategic about when and how we connect with people, but the mind is really good at pushing this off to a much later time than is actually necessary. And truly, there’s nothing wrong with touching base with someone to see how they’re doing and get directly from them if it’s a good time to discuss your work or not. I’ve learned to flip the script around on my mind and create a scenario around simply connecting without intention–to ask how they’re doing and what they’re up to while also having the opportunity to share what I’m working on as well. Cold connects can be tougher in this realm, but still not obtainable. I’ve received some of my largest monetary partners through conversations that I entered simply under the intention of sharing what I’m doing.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A pivot can be difficult to identify because, as a business owner, persevering through the struggle is part of the role. Each day can bring new challenges, so how do you know when the challenge is worth pursuing or when it’s time to create a new path? My most recent pivot was within my role at the nonprofit organization I founded 13 years ago. Since inception, I’ve not only worked and created all of the jobs within the organization, but I’ve also held the Executive Director position at the same time. Each time the business needed me to grow, I did, and it seemed to flourish because of that work. Three years ago, I was asked to not only hold the Executive Director position, but also build a Development Director position to bring us into our next phase of growth. As typical of me, I took on the massive challenge and ran like hell with it. “Both/And” was my personal mantra for the two years that I worked in these roles. I would do “both/and” and show those directing this initiative that I was capable of this type of growth and deserving of their support and respect. To shorten a long story, I ended up quitting, and declared that if this is what was being asked of the Executive Director position, I no longer wanted it. The role had some major flaws that weren’t being addressed, and it was causing me to have a considerable amount of chronic anxiety and inner conflict. And so that is my take-away–that any time a challenge is causing me a considerable amount of long-term anxiety and inner conflict, then it’s time to pivot and create a new path. Since then, a new role was created for me and I now serve as the President of the organization in a capacity that much better suits my abilities and strengths. I can see now that this pivot was necessary, and through this very difficult period in my career, I was equipped with tools to better identify when I’m in a struggle not worth pursuing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.msruntheus.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashmschneider
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashmschneider
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymschneider
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/msruntheus

Image Credits
Ashley Schneider, Malcom Villanueva, John Platt,