Meet Ashley Shrader

We recently connected with Ashley Shrader and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, so great to have you sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our readers and so let’s jump right into one of our favorite topics – empathy. We think a lack of empathy is at the heart of so many issues the world is struggling with and so our hope is to contribute to an environment that fosters the development of empathy. Along those lines, we’d love to hear your thoughts around where your empathy comes from?

Two experiences have profoundly shaped my empathy as a practitioner: living with an autoimmune disease and knowing I have a genetic predisposition to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Managing my own autoimmune condition has given me a deep understanding of the daily challenges that come with chronic illness. I know what it’s like to navigate a healthcare system that may not always “see” the severity of invisible and unpredictable symptoms. This shared experience makes me more attuned to the subtle daily struggles my patients face, from dealing with the emotional impact to learning how to trust in and accept your body again.

My ALS predisposition has also given me unique insights into the concepts of control, surrender, and acceptance. Knowing there are aspects of our health that may be out of our control has taught me the value of focusing on what we can influence and letting go of what we can not. This perspective has helped me guide patients through the difficult balance of taking proactive steps in their health while also cultivating acceptance and peace with the unknown. It’s a reminder to live fully in the present, valuing what our amazing bodies can do today, and embracing moments that bring joy—lessons I bring into my practice to support my patients through their own unique journeys.

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’m the founder of Rise Functional Medicine, a practice that currently serves patients across DC, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Florida. As a certified functional medicine nurse practitioner with a focus on gut and hormone health, I believe that each person’s path to health is unique. At Rise, we go deep to get to the root cause of symptoms—pairing advanced nutrient, gut, and hormone testing with targeted, personalized interventions to unlock a better quality of life for each patient.

One of the areas I’m especially passionate about is our program specifically designed for endurance athletes and active individuals. Many of these individuals may appear healthy on the outside, yet they often struggle with chronic symptoms that are overlooked by the current healthcare system. This program not only helps athletes enhance their performance but also addresses underlying hormone, gut, and health issues that can arise from rigorous training. By providing targeted support, we empower athletes to excel in all aspects of their lives—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

In 2025, I’m excited to expand Rise to the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and Idaho), bringing functional medicine to even more athletes and active individuals. As part of this growth, I’ll also be launching an innovative brain retraining program that anyone, anywhere can join. This course dives deep into the science of neuroplasticity to retrain the limbic system and break the relentless stress-symptom-stress cycle, which can feel nearly impossible to escape for those with chronic symptoms. By rewiring how the brain and nervous system respond to stress, you can get to the root of many chronic symptoms and teach resilience- which is foundational to any treatment plan.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I believe the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are curiosity, empathy, and compassion preservation.

A curious mindset allows me to approach each patient’s situation with an open mind, encouraging me to ask deeper questions and explore the underlying causes of their health issues. By asking patients what they believe has happened to their health, patients will often respond with intuitive and insightful understanding of how their bodies and personal story are related which can provide valuable insights into the root causes of their symptoms. They almost always know the answers you are looking for! Find a healing philosophy that inspires you and use that to fuel your practice. If you just show up and follow treatment algorithms all day without tapping into your own healing nature, you will burn out.

Empathy has been crucial in building meaningful connections with my patients. It allows me to understand their experiences and challenges on a deeper level, fostering an environment of trust, which is therapeutic for both patient and provider. For those starting out, I encourage you to reflect on your own encounters with our healthcare system—what worked, what didn’t, and how you felt in those moments. This inquiry can inform how you relate to patients, helping you to connect with them on a more profound level. Additionally, actively practicing listening while softening your shoulders, relaxing your jaw, and staying there with the patient can shift the entire trajectory of the appointment. AI scribing and charting software is great because it allows you to stay present with the patient.

Lastly, compassion fatigue prevention (what I call compassion preservation) is essential for sustaining a long-term career in healthcare. For anyone new to operating any kind of service business, I advise establishing clear boundaries and communicating these boundaries from the start, so there is no misunderstanding and those boundaries are respected. And you have defined a course of action when boundaries are not respected. Find your go-to relaxation practices and implement those at least 5 minutes daily. I use nature (even if just stepping outside for 5 minutes to look at trees) and EFT tapping to recharge and process emotions.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Professionally, Company of One by Paul Jarvis has been a game-changer for me as a business owner. It underscores the importance of prioritizing care for existing clients above all else and has taught me the value of questioning growth for growth’s sake. The book’s message has kept me focused on building something sustainable, thoughtful, and deeply aligned with my values.

Personally, Walking Each Other Home by Ram Dass has been profoundly impactful. It helped me come to terms with my own mortality and process the loss of my mother to ALS. Through this book, I now see death—and ALS itself—with a sense of reverence and curiosity, and it’s shaped how I teach my daughter about the beauty of our journey here, including death and dying.

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