An Honest Letter To My Future Clients

Hey there, future client!

Over the past couple months I have been pretty annoyed by the amount of bullshit out there when it comes to getting healthy, losing weight and, my biggest annoyance, “health coaches/consultants/practitioners/professionals” that make grandiose, unrealistic promises, and don’t know what the hell they are talking about.

Honestly, these people give health and weight loss a bad rap, and contribute to a lot of the manipulation and misinformation out there about what it means to be healthy, and bottom line, it’s irresponsible service.

So I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, tell you who I am, what I do, why I do it and most importantly, who I am not.

And if you feel compelled to follow along with my craziness, honesty and my 100% valid information, I’d love for you to come along for the ride and join my tribe.

Hi!!! I’m Ashley. Duh.

I am imperfect.

Yep, that’s right. I am a Wellness Coach who enjoy pizza, chocolate, wine, ranting and raving, going to bed too late, getting up a little too early and occasionally overwhelming myself (because I am passionate like that and FULL of ideas 

I don’t eat tree bark, fat-free anything or use exercise as a way to punish myself for what I ate last night. Nope. Been there, done that.

I love moving freely in this body that I have been given, dancing in the kitchen in my underwear, being a little wild, and encourage every human being to do the same.

Stress nearly killed me. Well, let me explain – the stress of needing to look a certain way, act a certain way, say what people expected me to say, too much Top Ramen, isolation and ultimately listening to others before I listened to myself, drove me to the most unpleasant Ashley I could be.

So I decided to make some changes. Key word: decided.

That’s right. One day I just got really fucking sick of feeling like shit and decided I didn’t want to be overwhelmed anymore, or bloated, or cranky, or defensive, or ‘just getting by,’ or stuck, or a shit-talker or inflamed or blaming.

(side note: clients typically knock at my door at this point, when shit’s really hit the fan and I tell them “this is great!! Life has really been trying to get your attention and it finally did!”)

I believe in the simplicity of life. I believe that we have over-complicated things, and even though whatever struggle it is that you are currently dealing with may feel overwhelming and endless, that we can figure it out together. I believe in hope, hope, hope the power of positivity and necessity of being YOU.

I’m both bold and equally self-conscious. Surprise! Instead of fighting my humanity, I welcome it. Let me tell you, being open to it is so much easier than struggling against it.

I’m both educated and equally experienced. Basically, I know my shit when it comes to living a badass life in mind, body and soul.

Quick fixes, diets and anything that is created out of shame or fear drive me effing crazy. Because I believe that you are WHOLE and enough and complete and nothing about you needs to be fixed. If you want to be better, fine. Let’s get you there. But focusing obsessively on the external is distracting you from the real beauty of life.

After all, sustainable external changes like weight loss, energy and clear skin typically come from an internal shift, not an external one.

Perhaps like many of you out there, I’m terrified of failing, people not liking me (especially when it comes to sticking up for myself or saying something that may cause a riff), and not living my life to the absolute fullest – which is exactly why in the midst of fear and vulnerability I keep living authentically anyway.

I believe you are much, much, much more than saggy skin and bones and cellulite and stretch marks, blue veiny legs (only me?!) and wrinkles.

There’s a Soul in you, an essence, a brilliant mysterious woman, a hard worker, a badass, an introvert, a warrior, a wild child, truth-teller, life-giver, and ball-buster that was meant to thrive, not just survive.

I value freedom, don’t you? Freedom from comparison, judgment, body hate, feeling craaaazzy nuts around food; freedom to travel and explore the world and the world that lies beyond our skin. Above all, I want freedom to be the weirdo that I am regardless of what others may think of me, what they’ll say and who they’ll say it to.

I’m a beautiful mess riding this crazy ride of life. I am right here with you – it boggles my mind and takes my breath away all at the same time.

By the way, I say fuck a lot. And I am kind of not sorry if that offends you. I am much more concerned with how I inspire you into your dream life than how I language it.

My favorite thing to do: remind people of their potential, of why they decided to set out on this journey and create the life they were meant to live. Key word: decided. Great news! You get to make the choices in your life! And each one of them count.

What I want most for you: to come alive. To learn how to listen to your wisdom. To be fully embodied to live from the highest and brightest expression of who you authentically are. Because:

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you; if you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

Amen.

Life is a magnificent, scary, mysterious, precious, fast journey. While you are here, I want you to savor it, listen and feel and thrive in it, strut through it, hand-on-hip, proud, empowered, and happy because you deserve a life not just worth living, but worth loving.

This is the great work of my life and when you decide it’s time to live and love your life, I will be right here waiting.