Ashley Wilhite on staying focused, dealing with self-doubt and balancing business with family

1. In a sentence or two, could you tell us what you do?

I’d love to! I’m Ashley, the founder of Your Super Awesome Life and a life coach for 20-something women who want to break free from expectations and live a life they love. My goal is to help you figure out what the heck you want to do with your life + find the confidence and courage to actually go through with it.

2. How did you get started?

I graduated with a master’s degree in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University knowing that I wanted to help people change the unhealthy and self-deprecating stories they were telling themselves.

However, after three years of working as a counselor in the trenches of the non-profit world, I felt burnt out (hello, anxiety attacks) and was craving more personal freedom. Some serious soul-searching led me to opening my own business and switching from counseling to life coaching. It was the best decision I could have made for myself and I’ve never been happier.

3. What three words best describe your personality?

Adventurous, Empathetic, and Determined

4. What character {from a book, movie or television} do you most relate to? Why?

Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey. She is passionate, daring, and has an eagerness to break down barriers and defy the status quo. I mean, who wouldn’t love her?

5. What’s your favorite part of your creative business?

As much as I love creating new digital products for my shop, my favorite part is definitely the one-on-one coaching. I love connecting with my clients, hearing their stories, and helping them find what makes them feel truly alive. It’s such a magical thing to witness major epiphanies and be a part of life changing moments with my clients.

6. What’s a typical workday like for you?

Most days I wake up around 8am and drink coffee in bed while catching up on email and double checking that the day’s blog post is scheduled correctly. If the weather is nice, I’ll go for a run before settling into my cozy basement office. My afternoons are spent writing blog posts, doing coaching calls, and creating content for upcoming projects. If I’m running a group coaching program, those calls usually happen after dinner. Then I’ll spend the evening reading to fill my creative tank or watching baseball or Big Bang Theory with my boyfriend. I love that I’m able to create my own schedule and do my work at my own pace.

7. How do you stay productive working for yourself?

It is most helpful for me to have an exciting project on the horizon. When I have something to look forward to, I feel energized and inspired by my work and I stay more focused and am much more productive.

If I’m having a really hard time staying focused, I’ll use the pomodoro technique and set a timer (or a playlist of my favorite songs) for 25 minutes. No distractions, just straight work until the timer dings. Then a five minute break before going back to work. It works like a productive little charm.

8. Do you ever experience self-doubt? If so, how do you deal with it?

Oh, totally. I believe that we all experience self-doubt, no matter how confident, experienced, or powerful we feel at times. When I’m battling self-doubt, I take a step back and try to figure out what’s really going on for me. Usually, I’m feeling like I’m not “good enough”, I’m scared of what other people will think, or I’m afraid that I will fail. When I can get super clear about what is causing the self-doubt in the first place, then I can focus on building up my confidence and replacing those self-limiting beliefs with more encouraging and supportive words. It also helps to have a strong support system that can have your back when you’re wavering and feeling like less than your awesome self.

9. How do you balance family, friends and business?

You have to make it a priority. Connection is one of my core values, so I make it a point to have a few hours each day to devote to my friends and family because that’s what makes me happy. Even on the days when I’m in a groove working on my business, it’s important for me to have balance, so I set my work aside for a few hours and focus on enjoying my time with the people I care about most.

10. What advice would you give to someone who would love to do something similar to you? What would you suggest they do first?

If you want to be a life coach, but don’t have any previous experience coaching, I would recommend doing some research and finding the right coach training program for you. If you have the training and skills, the first step is to put yourself out there and find clients. You can do this through word of mouth or by offering your services for free to build testimonials. I would also suggest starting a blog and posting new content consistently. This provides free material for potential clients and shows them that you actually know what you’re talking about.

11. What’s the best creative business advice you’ve ever received?

“Keep your eyes on your own paper”. It’s so tempting to look around and see what everyone else is doing, but that only leads to comparison and self-doubt. Keeping your eyes on your own paper is my favorite way to remind myself to pay attention to my own creative ideas without worrying so much about what everyone else is doing.

12. If you had to pinpoint one thing that has helped your business more than anything in the past year, what would it be?

Last month I took the plunge and joined B-School! We are only three weeks into the material, but there is no doubt in my mind that this will be a game changer and the turning point for my business. I’m learning so much about how to reach my audience, what type of content to create, and new marketing skills.

13. What books or magazines are you currently reading?

I’ve already read it several times, but I can’t get enough of Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist. I’m also reading Seth Godin’s Tribes. That man is a genius; I don’t know how I went so long without diving into one of his books.

14. What are your top three favorite blogs?

Hannah Brencher

Coffee & Sunshine

Gala Darling

15. What are you currently working on? Anything new coming up?

I’m super excited about my upcoming launch for DreamQuest, an exclusive group coaching program for women who want to accomplish their fantasy goal once and for all. Along with the calls, group members will receive six months’ worth of emails that provide a guilt-free, behind-the-scenes look at my journey.  If this sounds like the peanut butter to your jelly, I’d love for YOU to join!

{All photos provided by Ashley Wilhite}