Tools for Navigating ANYTHING Life Brings You
You know those years that test you in ways you never saw coming? The ones that strip away everything comfortable, familiar, and secure? That was my 2024.
Divorce. Losing my beloved dog, Barclay. Major business changes. Watching my mom fight breast cancer. Saying goodbye to the support systems I had built over the years. And, because the universe has a sense of humor, I somehow managed to nearly burn my house down on Christmas Day. (Yes, really.)
I have to laugh because, honestly, what else can you do?
But here’s the thing: There is so much beauty in the burn. Growth and opportunity live in those moments when life brings us to our knees. And as I look back, I realize 2024 wasn’t about breaking me—it was about reshaping me.
In this episode, I’m taking you inside the fire (literally and figuratively) to share what helped me navigate one of the hardest years of my life and come out the other side feeling more grounded, more intentional, and more me than ever before. Life is going to throw its curveballs—but how we respond is where the real magic happens.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this episode:
The Christmas Day fire truck fiasco—what really happened
Losing my dog, going through a divorce, and navigating massive life transitions
The mindset shifts that helped me process grief and change without losing myself
How I learned to cancel plans without guilt and why honoring your energy is crucial
Daily tools and practices that kept me grounded (even when everything felt like chaos)
How to shift from feeling like life is happening TO you to seeing it as happening FOR you
And so much more!
“There is so much beauty in the burn. There is so much growth and opportunity in what life brings you. The question to ask is: Is life happening for me or to me?”
Some key takeaways from the episode:
There is beauty in the burn. Hard seasons aren’t meant to break you—they’re meant to refine you. Trust that something better is being built.
Your body knows. If something feels heavy, forced, or draining—listen to that. Your intuition is guiding you.
Cancel the damn plans. Protecting your energy isn’t flaky, it’s necessary. Give yourself permission to step back when you need to.
Community matters. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and allow yourself to lean on them. You don’t have to do this alone.
Gratitude shifts everything. Even in the hardest moments, there is always something to be grateful for. Finding it changes everything.
You are stronger than you think. Life will test you—but you get to decide how you respond. And that response can change your entire story.
Listen to the full episode at the links below:
If 2024 taught me anything, it’s that we can’t always control what life throws at us—but we can control how we move through it. We can choose to see the beauty in the burn, the lessons in the loss, and the expansion that comes after everything crumbles.
And if you’re in a season where life feels hard—I see you. I know how heavy it can feel. But I also know this: you are being shaped for something even bigger.
So, take a deep breath. Trust that you are stronger than you think.
Unapologetically yours,
xx Ashley
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Unapologetically Yours Podcast
01:57 Reflections on 2024: A Year of Change
10:08 Navigating Personal Loss and Health Challenges
18:03 Tools for Resilience: Strategies for Coping
26:12 The Importance of Community and Connection