Healing From The Hustle: The Power of Stillness

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about pace. How fast I move through life. How much I’ve learned to carry. How my ability to juggle a million things at once – kids, clients, ideas, emotions – is one of my greatest strengths… and also one of my biggest areas for growth.

For most of my life, I’ve operated at a very high speed. I move quickly, I process quickly, I switch gears easily. People are always asking me, “How do you keep all the balls in the air?” And the truth is – it’s just how I’m wired, and it’s what’s gotten me to where I’m at now in life and business.

But slowing down? That’s the hard part for me.

Earlier this year, I made a commitment to start shifting the way I show up in the world. I’ve been working with a yoga therapist, and when I showed up to our first session, I was basically vibrating. I said, “Hi, I’m Ashley. I’m spouting energy from every orifice and I need a morning practice so I can calm the fuck down.”

She just looked at me and smiled. “Okay,” she said, “here’s your morning practice. Sit on the floor. And breathe.”

I laughed. But I also got it. It wasn’t about poses or productivity. It was about stillness. Presence. Intention. And as simple as it sounded, that was exactly the thing I had been avoiding.

So that’s what we’ve been working on for the last several months. Slowing down. Feeling into things. Tuning into my body. And now, I’m stepping into a 40-day commitment to really anchor in a morning practice that helps me do just that.

Every morning, I roll out my yoga mat on the porch. I listen to the birds. I connect with my breath, my body, my spirit. I write myself a little love note when I’m done and put it in a jar. It’s not complicated, but it’s an opportunity to connect with myself in the present moment. It’s a choice I’m making, every single day, to show up differently.

It’s not easy. Especially for someone like me, who is both a night owl and an early bird and always a little sleep-deprived. But it’s important.

So that’s where I am. Slowing down. Waking up. Choosing presence – on purpose.

And if you’re someone who struggles with this too, I just want to say: you’re not alone. Try putting your hand over your heart. Breathe in and out through your nose, sit still, and come back to yourself – again and again.

In this mini episode, you’ll hear about:

  • Why our greatest strengths can also be our blind spots

  • What it really takes to slow down and feel

  • How her new morning ritual came to life

  • The importance of showing up for yourself before the world

… and so much more! 

You can listen to the full episode here:

Connect with me (Ashley):

And as always, if you have a topic or guest you'd love to see featured on the podcast, reach out to us at podcast@unapologeticallyyours.com. I'd love to hear from you.

Unapologetically yours,
xx Ashley

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