- What level of schooling and/or what degrees and certificates did you earn in order to hold this position?
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Design with a concentration in Fashion Merchandising, and a minor in Marketing. From a very young age, my dream was to become a Fashion Director for high-end couture fashion shows. I lived a little bit of that life, while living up in NYC working with Nicole Miller on Fashion Avenue to working in Baltimore as an Assistant Producer for an Event Design Company, where I traveled and worked so much. After that I got recruited into a high-end interior design firm where I went overseas to Paris and even met Hillary Swank at Market. Little after that I worked as the Visual Merchandiser for Lululemon, which was AMAZING to connect with the community and in that moment is when I knew my passion was for community, humans, and fitness!
*I have a Cycling Certificate, as well as the AFFA Group Fitness Certification! Honestly, the best advice I can give you is gaining that true experience, immerse yourself in your passion. IT doesn’t matter what you read in the textbooks, it doesn’t matter what school you went to, or even comparing your journey to someone else’s.. It’s all about you doing what you want and being thrown in! Life is so funny at its timing, but I Promise it will lead you to exactly WHERE YOU NEED TO BE.
3. What was your greatest setback in getting to where you are today?
So, this is definitely a trick question J There are setbacks every single day. Big and Small. Those setbacks are what make you the better person at the end of each day. As for my teaching career, my biggest setback was when I was put on Vocal Rest. I LOVE TO TEACH, no doubt about it. I would teach 100x a day if my body, mind, and voice were actually capable of that! (Superwoman powers). As I was teaching, my voice would become so strained where I would literally be screaming and nothing would come out. I tried everything that I possibly could before I had to hang up my mic for the last time. I was devastated, it was almost like I was getting broken up with (We all know what that feels like). During this time, I would see Vocal Therapists, Speech Therapists, Doctors at GW, etc. It even got to the point where I was almost going to get surgery. My speech therapist gave me papers to take home with funny sayings, words, sounds just to get my voice back. One technique that I shared on my Facebook not too long ago was that this straw that I received from my therapist became my best friend! When I got the OK to teach again (months later), I blew into this straw 10 minutes before I taught and 10 minutes after I taught. It’s a different way of doing things, but hey I DID WHATEVER I could to be able to put that mic back on to perform. I also look at this as a growing opportunity. “Life would never hand you something that you can’t handle.” During this time, I really connected with my community to see their growth, to see what they were doing, to see them becoming better every single day.
It made me a better person, it made me a better instructor, and it allowed me to serve the community that much better.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Well, if we want to throw it back a few years to when I was a competitive Jump Roper..We can do that first J From the age of the 4, I competed in the AAU Junior Olympics, as well as the USA Nationals with all of the qualifying tournaments in between! I hold some AAU records in events, as well as competing against the best of the best in Canada, Singapore, and even Australia. I can say almost every Olympics I was in the Top 3, sometimes even First Place! So that’s pretty cool I think J
If we are talking about where I am right now, my biggest accomplishment to be able to call myself an ELITE Performer, as well as a prior Ambassador to LIFETIME. It didn’t stop there for me though. As COVID-19 shut down our doors, I didn’t allow it to shut down the community. I wanted to do whatever I could to bring light into the community during these dark times. ShelbSpeaks still lives on, EMBRACE the RIDE was born…fast forward to where we are now and you will see ProjectRIDE! My biggest accomplishment to connecting with the community, allowing them to truly see themselves for who they are!
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Well, to be honest its getting to know people LIKE YOU! Its authentically connecting with the community through our social media platforms, through our rides, etc. It is being able to show up for YOU ALL. When I show up on my end regardless of what mountain I am assigned, no matter what obstacle I have to overcome, no matter what I’m feeling, it ultimately gives you all permission to do the same and MOVE MOUNTAINS! From the experience I have gained, I trust that you all are so much stronger then you think you do.. YOU JUST have to trust in yourself! The MOST rewarding part of my job is telling you all to fall in love with the space between who you are and who you want to be. I’ll be there every step of the way to cheer you on.
What is the most challenging part of my job?
To be completely honest, waking up at 5:00am (JUST KIDDING- I get to see you all, so that’s actually the BEST PART knowing I get to see you soon). No, but really let’s see. As a new business owner, there are so many things that happen behind the scenes that no one has any idea about, which is great because they don’t need to know. Well you ask what’s that entail? Sound, Audio, Internet, Content, Ensuring your members are receiving what they need, creating rides that keep individuals on their toes, making sure no one is being left out, etc. The list can go on and on, but that’s what makes the journey so beautiful!
What does a typical day look like for you?
5:40AM – the Alarm goes off, Hudson licks my face and says feed me breakfast
*I make my Energize Drink from Beachbody, pack up my laptop, playlist book, charging cords, work for the morning and head to my home studio
6:05AM – Get in the Car and Play my playlist on BLAST! The PRE Pump Up for Class
6:30AM – Have a Wake Up Call to connect with community aka Going LIVE on my Instagram channel for some inspirational thoughts, getting people set up for their day
7:00AM LIVE Ride of projectRIDE
8:00AM Monday’s & Fridays are my Weight Tracks for the General Public, on other days its doing a Beachbody workout, etc.
8:15AM – 11:00AM Working on connecting to people for projectRIDE, Beachbody, follow up emails, meetings for my new website, etc.
11:30AM – Usually showering, getting the house put back into place (laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc.
12:30ish – 5:30PM Working on playlists for projectRIDE, connecting with individuals on LinkedIn, Seeing what’s out in the community
6ish – This is our family time, whether it be taking the dogs for a walk, talking about US (Tyler, I), making dinner together, watching some TV , etc
9:00PM – Personal Development and In Bed J
Do you have any regrets or are there any mistakes you’ve made or anything you would do differently on your journey to where you are today?
Absolutely Not! Everything that I have ever done (This goes for you too) has led me to this point in my life. LITERALLY everything. All of the highs, lows, ins and outs, mistakes, lessons learned, failures, disappointments..LITERALLY EVERYTHING has led to me where I am right now. It may not make sense as to why life led me where it has led me in the past, but looking back I am so thankful it did because I have met the most incredible people, I have crossed paths with indviduals I never thought I would meet, I have done some pretty cool things and every single moment in life led me here.
Are there any aspects of your job that you don’t like?
The one thing that I would say I don’t like is how people get in their own ways and I have to witness that. If I was SuperWoman, I wish I could show every individual that crosses my path of what they are truly capable of without getting in their own way!
What is your FAVORITE part of your job?
To be able to make an impact on peoples lives every single day, whether it being in my immediate circle or people that I don’t personally know is an incredible feeling and I hope one day you can feel that too! MY purpose in life is to empower individuals to become better and stronger versions of them selves every single day. I will do anything and everything in my power to do so.
MY advice to you is this:
Ash, you have the world at your fingertips. You can do anything you want to do. Don’t rush the process because life has a funny way of planning things out for you. What is happening might not make sense and you might want to make things go by quicker, BUT there is a reason for everything and please don’t forget that! I am always here for you side by side in the trenches and I’ll be there for you when you climb on top of your highest mountain! Just BE YOU!
“Trust the Wait, Embrace the Uncertainty, Enjoy the Beauty of Becoming”