We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashleigh Montford. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashleigh below.
Ashleigh, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience is a word I have come to know all too well from serial entrepreneur, Mrs. Teia Acker-Moore. She’s such an inspiration and light in the world that I am consuming myself in.
However, my resilience stems from the ample amount of adversity I have had to encounter in this lifetime and how I cannot stop. It’s just me and I’ve realized that recently actually.
My birthday was on December 20th and my business partner, someone I considered to be one of my greatest allies, decided that our relationship wasn’t filling enough to want reconciliation. I share this because 2022 has been one of the most trying years that I have endured, especially with loss. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally, and financially, 2022 has challenged me but made me grow in the most drastic ways. The events that occurred on my birthday realigned me with my purpose and propelled me forward into my destiny, no matter how much it hurt. The moral of my sharing this is resilience. God really began weeding out those that were stifling my growth and hindering the excellence that I know He has created me for.
So the basic question of where do I get my resilience from? God. The answer is always and will forever be God, because through it all, He has not left me. I know that greatness is on the other side of fear, procrastination, co-dependency, and holding on to pain.
If I could give a piece of advice to anyone in regard to being the resilient man or woman you desire, I would say – Let go of those that hurt you and utilize your pain and anger to fuel you into your destiny. Do not allow the grievances of this world to weigh you down. You have the power to withstand and overcome any obstacle. You’re destined for greatness, you just have to believe it and persevere. You can do it.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Asking me to define myself is so interesting because it forces me to take a look inward and really hone in on how I desire to be perceived, and the reality of that.
Not only am I a full-time Master of Public Administration student at Strayer University, but I also own two companies. The Opia Designs Company, LLC is my first business baby that was born in 2018, and it’s a full-service marketing and consulting firm, and we do web development, graphics, search engine optimization, photography, ghostwriting, social media management, grant education and writing, and so much more! Then there is Black Woman Made, Corporation, which is an American mixed-holding company, so we serve as a parent company to others, as well as provide leadership and professional skills training.
Being a student and entrepreneur isn’t all that I am, I am engulfed in literature almost every day of my life. Reading is my comfort, my solace, my warm home. I am a creator and writer and photographer, honestly, I am an all-around creative who dares to make an imprint on this side of the world.
Aunt, Sistar, friend, sister, loved one, confidant, business bestie, and home, are but a couple of words that describe my place in this world. I am thankful.
2023 is my year, my solid foundation, and my everything. 2023 is going to set me up for the rest of my life and generations to come.
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?
One: Never be afraid to be a student again. Always being able to be a vessel for learning, allows me to always be current on trends, topics, and knowledge in my industries, and furthermore keeps me humble. Realistically acknowledging that you don’t know it all and have every single detail of life figured out is primal, it’s key in elevation. There is always going to be someone else who knows something you don’t and being humble enough to ask for help and guidance will take you such a long way.
Two: Do not dare back down from being a leader. This is a quality I have come to know all too well. Imposter syndrome is real, and overcoming imposter syndrome is also very possible. Let’s face it, everyone is not called to lead in every single category of life, but where you are an expert, there is someone waiting for you to tell your story. For example, I know that I am an excellent speaker and presenter, so backing down from speaking engagements because of the fear of being insufficient, is not an excuse. You have to step up to the plate, accept your gifts and walk in your glory. There is nothing wrong with being confident in who you are destined to be.
Three: Procrastination is not real, and you need to get to the source of the actual problem. I used to think that I would stall in doing my work because I was tired or fatigued or whatever, but in reality – I would hesitate on completing my work because I felt inadequate. I wasn’t afraid of success, I was afraid of failing and not being able to live up to the expectations and demands that would come to me. But let me tell you… Let me tell you that God will never give you something you can’t handle. Whatever the devil means to be bad, God’s glory means to be for your good. So admit to yourself that you are worth it and worthy of everything you’re about to walk into.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The “Well-Read Black Girl” (WRBG) by Glory Edim is one of the most profound books I have ever read in my adult life. This book was published in 2018, and it was everything I never knew I needed, but all things I was craving in the same sense. It was the missing piece of my life.
This book is an anthology of essays by creators and writers who discuss their relationship with literary arts and how it has impacted them. Soon into reading the book, I realized there was a community of women just like me who found love in words and contentment in reading and writing.
WRBG completely altered the trajectory of my educational path and launched me further into a world I was just grazing the surface of.
This book is passion-led, invigorating, emotionally charging, historically-based, and the bulk of my references in casual conversation exude from the text. Not only has this book taught me how to better articulate my feelings and cross-reference others points of view. The WRBG spread my mind open to be more receptive to other perspectives and realities, and how to not be so close-minded when hearing others verbalize their reality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lnk.bio/ashleighpandoramontford
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetotalpackageap/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleighmontfordentrepreneur
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleighmontford/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/totalpackageap
- Other: https://www.blackwomanmadecorp.com/ https://ifundwomen.com/projects/black-woman-made-corporation https://www.theopiadesignscompanyllc.com/
