Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley T. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Ashley, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
My confidence didn’t show up all at once. It was built piece by piece, mostly in the moments when I felt like everything around me was falling apart. For years, my body took me through challenges I never imagined: chronic digestive issues that no one could explain, major surgeries, a misdiagnosis that led to a total tubal ligation, five months hooked to a TPN machine for up to 22 hours a day, E. coli in my bloodstream, and eventually “Barbie butt surgery.” I was working full time through much of it, trying to hold onto some sense of normal when nothing felt normal at all.
And then there was my mental health. My last self-harm attempt in 2020 forced me to face myself in a way I never had. It was the moment I realized I had to choose me — not just in theory, but in real, everyday ways.
My confidence didn’t come from looking strong. It came from surviving moments I wasn’t sure I’d get through. It came from learning to advocate for myself when doctors didn’t listen. It came from waking up every day with tubes, pain, or fear, and still choosing to keep going. Even when I felt broken, I kept showing up for my life.
Over time, the things I used to be ashamed of — my scars, my surgeries, my story, my mental health journey — became the things that made me feel powerful. I stopped hiding. I stopped apologizing for what I had lived through. I started speaking up, sharing my truth, and letting other people know they weren’t alone.
Confidence, for me, is not about perfection. It’s about honesty. It’s about choosing myself again and again, even when circumstances make that choice hard. My self-esteem grew when I realized I didn’t have to fit a standard to be worthy. I just had to be here, present and whole in whatever way I could be.
Everything I went through reshaped me, but it also rebuilt me. That’s where my confidence comes from: surviving, healing, and finally believing that my story has value — not in spite of what I’ve experienced, but because of it.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Professionally, my work sits at the intersection of advocacy, education, and style, and honestly, it grew directly out of my own lived experiences. After years of navigating chronic illness, surgeries, misdiagnoses, mental health struggles, and the long process of rebuilding myself from the inside out, I realized there was a huge gap in visibility and support for people like me.
So I created a space — and a brand — centered on community, transparency, and empowerment for anyone living with GI conditions, ostomies, and mental health challenges. My goal is to make sure no one feels invisible, dismissed, or alone the way I once did.
What makes my work special is that I blend advocacy with the everyday things that help us feel human again, like fashion and storytelling. I truly believe that style can be a form of healing. It’s a way to reclaim your body, your identity, and your joy, especially after illness forces so many parts of your life to shift. When I say “the world is our runway,” I mean it. Confidence and self-expression deserve space right alongside medical conversations.
I share resources, personal stories, educational content, and practical guidance, but more importantly, I create connection. My community is made up of women of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences, but we meet at the same point — wanting to feel understood, supported, and celebrated.
Right now, I’m expanding my platform to offer deeper advocacy, more educational tools, and community-driven conversations around mental health, ostomy life, and navigating the medical system. I’m also working on upcoming events and collaborations aimed at bringing people together in real life, because online support is powerful, but in-person connection can be life-changing.
What I really want readers to know is this: my brand isn’t just about illness. It’s about rebuilding identity, embracing who you are today, and finding your voice again. It’s about reminding people that resilience can be soft, stylish, honest, emotional, and still incredibly strong.
This work is personal, but it’s also purposeful.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
When I look back on everything I’ve walked through, three qualities have shaped my journey more than anything else: self-advocacy, resilience, and emotional honesty. None of them came naturally at first, but they became the foundation that helped me survive, grow, and eventually step into my purpose.
For a long time, I hid how I was really doing. My last self-harm attempt in 2020 changed that. I realized silence was hurting me more than the truth ever could. Being honest about my mental health, my fears, my grief, and even my shame allowed me to heal and connect with others in a deeper way.
My advice:
Find one safe person or one safe space where you can be fully honest. That honesty might feel uncomfortable at first, but it becomes a pathway to freedom. Healing starts with telling the truth, even quietly.
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If there’s anything I want people early in their journey to know, it’s this: you don’t have to figure everything out at once. Choose yourself in small moments, trust what your body and spirit are trying to tell you, and remember that growth doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful. Your journey has value, even in the messy, uncertain parts.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
When I think about the people who helped me overcome the hardest parts of my journey, it always comes back to two things: God and my inner circle. Those are the anchors that kept me standing when I felt like I had nothing left to give.
My faith carried me through moments that should have taken me out. There were nights in the hospital, days hooked to machines, and seasons of fear or depression when the only thing I could do was pray and trust that God wasn’t finished with me yet. My strength didn’t come from feeling brave, it came from knowing I wasn’t walking any of this alone. Every time I needed direction, protection, or peace, God met me there.
And then there’s my inner circle — the people who showed up without needing an explanation. They saw me through surgeries, setbacks, mental health lows, and all the in-between moments that most folks never see. These are the people who brought laughter into hospital rooms, who sat with me during TPN nights, who held me accountable in my healing, and who reminded me of who I was when I forgot.
If I’ve grown, healed, or stepped into my purpose, it’s because God guided me and my inner circle held me up along the way. I could not have become the woman I am today without that combination of divine strength and human love — and I’m grateful for both every single day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ithappensh.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theemichaelashley?igsh=bWMxbHE3czMzYTBp
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