We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Lawhorn recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ashley, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience is a by product of my persistence and perseverance. I am very ambitious, I am an overcomer, and not because I want to appear strong or from having a need to look like I have it all together but simply because I don’t like to lose. I laugh when I say that out loud but it’s true. Even as a child I was competitive, I really don’t like to lose. When I experience loss it doesn’t beat me down, but it fuels me to try again. My journey to earn my bachelor’s degree is my truest testament to resilience and perseverance. I attended Alabama A&M University in Huntsville Al after deciding to move out of state for school from Detroit MI. While this is a long story that has a slew of highs and lows I’ll sum it up quickly with this fact, the journey that takes the average college student 4-5 years to complete took me nearly 15 years on and off. Talk about losses! The journey was exciting yet exhausting, humiliating yet motivating, difficult and long! Constant dropping out and restarting over and over yet I couldn’t stop my pursuit. In my mind, I got to a place where I wasn’t leaving Huntsville until I got what I came for, my bachelors degree! I graduated in December 2019 at 33 years old, lined up with young adults who assumed I was a professor. I felt so accomplished. My graduation turned out to be my last visit with my stepfather who raised me, he passed on in March of 2020. At my graduation celebration dinner he asked me, how do you feel? My response was simple, like I completed a thing! I hold on to that memory. When grieving I remind myself, he saw me finish the thing that had me in a stronghold for years and years. I’m glad he got to see me complete it, he got to see me in a succession instead of in the continued fight he witnessed me fight for so long. That gives me some peace with his absence. Experiences like these built my resilience, they helped me understand that falling isn’t failure, falling is a lesson that will provide a cheat sheet for the next obstacle.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am the owner of Kuhrizmuh women’s clothing boutique. I’m excited to announce we are going back to the heart of Kuhrizmuh with plus size exclusively. Although the plus size fashion scene has come a long way, there is still a gap in style options for curvy women. When we launched in 2015, we were plus size exclusive but later expanded in 2020 to sizes S-3X. Now we are going back to our original vision, we are excited to give curvy ladies another option just for us! We also have partnered with Demi TV a network station available online and via app stores where roku, Netflix, etc can be downloaded. Be sure to subscribe and be on the lookout for fresh advertising from Kuhrizmuh that will give the curvy community the exposure we deserve! Kuhrizmuh will also be showcasing in the Full Figured Fierce Finale Fashion Show in Huntsville AL April 1st, hosted by the super talented Dionne Reeves, curator of Full Figured Fierce, Model, Model Coach and Actress. She’s amazing! She’s also starring in Black Shero, a DemiTv original that is available to stream now! You don’t want to miss it and be sure to look for a familiar face lol hint hint. I make an appearance as an extra, so I’m uber excited to follow the series!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Narrowing it down to three makes me have to think deeply about my journey, but I would have to say qualities and skills that have been impactful include, being teachable, seeking Christ and letting go of victim hood mentality.
Being teachable is a major key because you have more to learn no matter how much you currently know. Running a business requires you to learn areas of expertise that you hadn’t been interested in before. I am a creative who loves fashion but for Kuhrizmuh I had to be more that just a stylist and pick nice clothes to sell. I have to be a marketing professional, accountant, strategist, builder, I’ve even taught myself to mount a tv lol. I am open to learning any aspect of business that will increase the success of Kuhrizmuh.
Seeking Christ has been my secret weapon, believing Him for doors to open, for opportunities I didn’t feel qualified for, for a relationship with Him and sacrificing my wants to His will. My faith is a driving force and it encourages me to keep moving forward, when I feel like giving up, He brings to my remembrance how far I’ve come and that He is with me. The best business partner to have is God!
Lastly, I had to get to a place of growth in my personal and professional life that requires that I acknowledge I am not a victim. Everyone has a story, everyone has been victimized in some area of life but it can be a silent threat to your success if you don’t push past those feelings and decide, yes I went through that, yes this happened to me, no my father wasn’t there but I am not a victim. Those circumstances don’t define me. There is more to me than what life has put me through and that’s worth the fight to get to what it has for me. Some people prefer to be a victim, it’s an excuse to not go for a thing or goal but that wasn’t my desire, I know there’s more in my future than that of my past. So push past that, pick up your cross, take accountability for your part and move forward! When you get to that place you will exude growth in every area of your life!
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m overwhelmed, I know it is time to pause and breathe. Know that even good news can be overwhelming. That prayer that was answered with a yes can initiate those overwhelming feelings but take a minute to speak gratitude over what you’ve accomplished. My advice would be to take the time to smell the flowers and clap for yourself, recognize how capable you are. I have a habit where I get so future focused I overlook what is right in front of me. Slow down and look at the present. Next take action, don’t lay back down and hope the stress will magically disappear, make a list of what needs to happen, what has to get done then execute and/or delegate. Relief will be yours even if just for a brief time, but when you get overwhelmed again (because you will!) go back to step one!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kuhrizmuhfashions.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kuhrizmuhfashions
- Facebook: Facebook.com/kuhrizmuhfashionco
- Other: Subscribe to Demi Tv at www.DemiTv.com Purchase fashion show tickets at www.fullfiguredfiierce.org
Image Credits
Demi Tv Network Full Figured Fierce
