Meet Ashley Covelli

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Covelli. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ashley, really appreciate you opening up about a very personal topic with the hopes that it can help someone out there who might be going through it. What can you share with us about your journey with postpartum depression and how you overcame PPD? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

I was actually diagnosed with a form of PPD called Postpartum Psychosis after I had my son. It was an intense time, and I had to go back into the hospital when he was about a week old. I stayed there for 3 weeks without being able to be home with my newborn.

Being in the hospital, under medical care, helped me realize that there are a lot of things that we try to control in life that really don’t matter all that much at the end of the day. I remember being in front of the communal laundry machine using powdered detergent and not separating white clothing from colored clothing and realizing that it turned out just fine anyway. Letting go of some control can really help bring more ease into your day to day life.

Having to take medication to normalize my hormones and mood wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I knew it was something I needed to do to make it through to the other side. I decided that if I had to be on medication for the rest of my life, I would do it so that I could be present for myself and my family.

After I was released, the depression part really hit me. I didn’t have any desire or motivation to do anything except the bare minimum that was required to make sure my newborn was fed and healthy. There was a lot of shame around the things I didn’t do “right”. But having to formula feed my son didn’t make me a bad mom. Making sure I was being taken care of so that I was able to take care of him was what was most important.

Friends told me to get out there and do things with my son, that just being out of the house would help. I didn’t want to, but I decided to give it a try and kind of phone it in. I really applied the whole “fake it till you make it” mindset.

I found some local groups for new moms and I would go with my baby, mostly keeping to myself, until I eventually started warming up. I’m usually a social person, so it was weird feeling so out of place.

Making a habit of getting out in the world as a new mom, along with therapy and doctor appointments, helped me get into a steady flow. I was able to wean off of the heavy doses of medication that I was put on initially, under medical supervision, and have been fully off of them ever since.

My son is a teenager now, and I still see a therapist regularly, even when nothing is “wrong”. Having that support has been a huge part of my journey.

Since my postpartum experience, I’ve been able to be more supportive to other people who have gone through similar situations. It’s hard to understand what it’s truly like if you haven’t personally been there. I’ve had friends tell me that I was the only person to not shame them for not breastfeeding, or not living up to some other societal expectations of what motherhood “should” look like.

I came across a phrase, “you can’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm” and that has really stuck with me. You need to make sure you’re taking care of yourself so you can take care of others. Don’t give and give and give without making sure you are also giving to yourself. Prioritize your mental and physical health. If you aren’t in a good place, it makes every other part of life more difficult.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My formal training is in fine art and graphic design. When I found my full-time work as a senior designer for a national non-profit to be less than creatively fulfilling, I decided to turn to food. We have to eat every day, so I figured I might as well enjoy the process and make it look enticing!

I started my website, Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen back in 2006 as a place for me to record the meals that I cooked at home and share my successes (and failures!) with my friends and family. As my confidence in the kitchen grew, I began experimenting with new ingredients and flavors and eventually started developing my own recipes.

What started as a hobby has turned into a fairly extensive online resource filled with recipes for every occasion. I have spent over 19 years developing, testing (and retesting!) recipes from around the world and capturing them in a way that is both easily replicable for home cooks as well as aesthetically pleasing.

Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen helps busy people find time to cook delicious meals while reducing the time, money, stress, and waste in the process. Cooking can be daunting, and I am committed to helping you find an approach that best suits you, your household, and your current lifestyle.

My love for community eventually led to one of my favorite parts of my job – teaching cooking classes. I’ve been teaching cooking classes to people of all ages since 2018. I love helping people get excited about cooking and trying new things in the kitchen.

I want to help people build the skills and confidence to cook for themselves and their loved ones. I also talk a lot about reducing kitchen waste in ways that don’t make it feel overwhelming and incorporate those tips into my classes.

All are welcome to attend my classes, and I invite questions and comments along the way. My teaching style is very laid back and approachable. I want everyone to have a great experience when they get in the (virtual) kitchen with me!

I have an events calendar on my website that lists all of my upcoming public cooking classes. I also teach privately for individuals, families, and organizations who want to have some fun together in the kitchen.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro looking for new inspiration, a new cook just getting your bearings, or a busy mom who needs family favorite meals fast, I’m here to help you create meals and memories.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Having a genuine interest in helping other people, and not just chasing algorithms, viral videos, etc. has been key in having a food and recipe website and online presence that has lasted so long. Doing something that you actually care about, versus just clocking in and clocking out daily. You don’t have to love it every single day, but having a base passion for what you’re doing can really help you through the hard times.

Change happens. It can be scary. But sometimes stepping outside of your comfort zone is how you find the next thing that will really bring true joy and fulfillment, both in business and in life.

As a recovering perfectionist, I’ve found that when I work on edited pieces, I can spend so much time trying to make everything juuuuust right. But sitting on things for too long sometimes means that they’ll never actually get out into the world! It’s so true that progress is better than perfection. And in the digital world, things can evolve and change over time. Most things aren’t written in stone.

For years I didn’t want to be ON camera, just behind the camera. Then I was on a press trip that had a live cooking competition component, and there was a film crew recording everything. The host and guest judge was a Food Network celebrity. While this was initially out of my comfort zone, I found that in the moment, I actually thrived on the fact that the production portion was out of my control. I just had fun with it, and didn’t stress making sure everything went a specific way. I just did what I loved – cooking and talking about food. I really hit it off with the host in the interview portions just being myself and not overthinking things.

That experience opened me up to doing live cooking videos on social media, which eventually turned into the virtual cooking classes that are a huge part of my business today. If I never took that leap because it was uncomfortable, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

A big piece of advice I have, especially to entrepreneurs or people who do freelance work is to not say yes to everything that comes your way. Make sure it aligns with your values and business goals. And make sure you actually have the available time and resources before you take on any given project.

Money is great, but you have to be able to sleep at the end of the day. You can’t do everything for everyone, and there are a lot of takers in this world. Sometimes saying no to one opportunity leaves space for something better!

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Prioritizing my work tasks has always been tricky for me. Owning my own business, I’m in charge, so I have to decide what is the most important at any given moment. I’ll never get to the bottom of my to-do list – there’s always more that can be done!

It can be really easy to get bogged down with being reactive to the barrage of incoming requests and “opportunities”. So finding a structure that still allows for flexibility is important to me.

One thing that helps me with this is to plan out my week in advance. I’ve found that time blocking is the productivity method that works best for my brain. Switching tasks too often tends to be problematic in my experience. So at the end of the work week, I’ll sit down and look at my upcoming week. I’ll figure out what meetings/appointments I have in place and set a schedule for the remainder of the time.

I’m not super strict with it, because things come up. Kids get sick. Cars break down. But having the structure there really helps inform my workload. And doing it at the end of the week (usually on Friday afternoon) lets me put the work things out of my mind, enjoy the weekend, and come back to it Monday morning knowing that I made a game plan to set myself up for success.

If you don’t know what productivity method would work best for you, there’s a great quiz on the Todoist website to help you find your match. It was really helpful for me!

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