We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Aleta Ashford. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Aleta below.
Hi Dr. Aleta, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned about haters is that they don’t always appear in the form of an enemy or a person who doesn’t like you. Sometimes your biggest haters can be your friends, family members (in some instances parents), church members, coworkers, etc. Once I started focusing less on who a person is and started paying closer attention to their words and actions, it became a lot easier to pinpoint the impact that some of these interactions had on my confidence, decision-making, and overall well-being. Once you uncover a person’s true intentions, the easier it will become to filter out the nonsense and separate yourself from the negativity.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an author, columnist, and motivational speaker who has spent most of my career working in the corporate arena. In addition to having completed Business degrees at both the master’s and doctoral levels, I embarked on a second career as a Business Professor in the areas of marketing and management. After years of serving as an educator, I took a leap of faith and pursued my dream of becoming a writer. In 2018 I launched Incessant Publishing, LLC, and published my first book “Thirteen Friends To Avoid” by Ava Knows. This was the start of the Ava Knows brand.
Taking this leap not only placed me on a path to becoming a published author but has also led to multiple speaking engagements, several articles, and interviews, and two columns (Ask Ava & Ask Dr. A) that appear in the Sanford Herald newspaper of Sanford, Fl. In addition to my roles as a wife, mother, and business owner; I am first and foremost a Christian, as well as the founder of Grounded Jeremiah 29:11, a faith-based women’s ministry dedicated to helping women business owners and ministry leaders improve their branding strategies, and experience opportunities and recognition that might not have happened for them otherwise.
In the fall of 2021, I launched the Grounded Presents podcast which I host and highlight the works and talents of other women. Grounded Presents is now streaming on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and more… Later this year, Grounded will release its first book anthology featuring the stories of women who found the strength and courage to survive and overcome some of the tragedies and obstacles that have occurred in their lives.
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?
1. Move in Silence. One of the best skills I’ve acquired along my journey was learning to move in silence. When I decided to launch my business and publish my first book, I was so excited that I made the mistake of “broadcasting” my big plans to everyone I knew and learned very quickly that not everyone was happy for me. Sharing my plans with certain people, particularly people that I trusted, reduced my confidence and caused me to shy away from doing anything for several years. Once I finally made the decision to move forward, I told no one outside of a small circle made up of my husband, a trusted colleague, and a close friend. As difficult as it was, I chose not to share my big news on social media, and even kept my plans hidden from friends, family members (including sisters, brothers, cousins, parents, etc.), coworkers, etc. After all, some of these people were the same people who had already made their opinions known years prior, therefore why would I expect any encouragement or support from them?
2. Avoid Negative People. The quickest way to lose confidence and momentum about anything is to discuss it with a negative person. In addition to outlining a long list of reasons why you shouldn’t do something, or why it wouldn’t work… negative people drain your energy, stifle your creativity, and plant seeds of doubt and insecurity. When I made the decision to complete my doctoral degree, I had several close friends and family members who could not see me accomplishing such a prestigious honor. Gaining the confidence to do something you’ve never done is difficult enough without the voices of critics. One of the best decisions I ever made was to separate myself from people who could not see me in the likeness of the things I was trying to accomplish.
3. You won’t get better at anything you don’t practice. When I first started out on my journey to becoming a motivational speaker I assumed that my experience would simply come from actual speaking engagements, which at the time were few and far between. It was then that I started speaking on social media in short inspirational videos that eventually led to the launch of my podcast. Not only did I improve my speaking skills, but I was also able to establish a visual library of my skills for future reference.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My father was the first in his family to ever attend college. As a result of life’s choices, he found himself at a young age working long hours at the local steel mill to support his family. I was five years old when he started talking to me about college and the idea of working in corporate America when I grow up. Things that at the time seemed foreign, especially being that we were surrounded by poverty, devastation, and other struggles associated with living in the rough parts of an inner city. Life was hard, yet somehow my father managed to instill hopes and ideas about the future that were beyond my imagination. By the age of seven, my parents divorced, and I moved away to live with my mother. For a brief part of my life, I was blessed to have a father who believed in me and made me feel like I could accomplish anything. When he spoke, he spoke with such passion that I believed him. I was a senior in high school when my father passed away. Though it took some time, I eventually made my way to college and to one of those corporate jobs he told me about. Even to this day when faced with challenges I can still hear the words of my father. Because of the hope he had for his daughter, his words have become the blueprint of my life. For this, I was able to create a better life for myself and my son. Proof that the words we speak over our children (good or bad) are impactful. Well done, Dad.
Contact Info:
- Website: aletavashford.com
- Instagram: @aletavashford
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aletavashford/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-aleta-ashford-45526a186/
- Other: groundedjeremiah2911.com
