Welcome
I'm Ashleigh and I help women reduce their chronic stress using a somatic + spiritual approach.
I know what it's like to have your stress running your life for you.
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I know you're exhausted from your chronic stress getting in the way of being present for friendships, family, and your career--basically living the life you want to live.
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And I know that the most frustrating part of all of this is that you have no idea how to actually feel relaxed in your body or feel like you don't have time to relax.
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You feel disconnected from your body and that you can't connect to it
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You aren't able to be fully present and alive in your life
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You're not able to focus on anything or relax because your mind is racing
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You feel like you don't have control over your emotions
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Your stress makes you feel depleted and like there's no energy left to connect to those you love
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You feel held back from doing things you know you can do and succeed at in your life
It's Not All Your Fault.
Here's the thing-the "self-help" world hands out canned coping strategies for chronic stress to women like candy to deal with the fact that our society is structured in a way that burns women out--**cough cough hustle culture and systemic inequality**. Whether you're a mom and literally don't have a village to help you raise your kids or an entrepreneur who is hustling your soul away to try to make it in your industry, the expectations placed on women are enough to make anyone's palms sweat.
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You are also taught that stress just exists in the mind and if you just fix your thoughts then your stress will magically go away.
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It won't.
I want you to be able to live your life free from chronic stress, and the best way to do that is by focusing on how your stress shows up in your body.
You haven't been able to reduce your stress because you still believe that if you work on the thoughts in your head enough, say enough affirmations, take enough supplements, find the perfect medication, journal every morning for 10 minutes, get enough massages, etc. that should fix it.
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When in reality these are all canned coping strategies that may work for other people, but aren't tailored to your unique trauma responses and how your nervous system copes with the world.
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Speaking of the nervous system, most talk therapy works on your mindset--the thoughts going on inside your head. When actually 80% of your emotional processing happens from your body to your brain--it's literally impossible to reduce your stress in a way that is sustainable and stands the test of time from just "talking it out."
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Instead of continuing to run your head into the wall doing the same things that don't work, I give as much attention to the rest of your body as I do to your brain. We focus on the whole enchilada when it comes to tackling your chronic stress, brain, body, and spirit. And it works.
I get you because I was you.
I really can't remember a time where I didn't experience chronic stress. Throughout the years my stress ranged from an underlying hum of panic that followed me around 24/7 to full blown anxiety attacks that left me feeling terrified and out of control. Even after getting sober from drugs and alcohol in 2016, I could not stop feeling severely stressed, burnt out, and fucking exhausted. I was so sick of living this way.
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I went to talk therapy (for several years), I tried CBD, I developed a meditation practice, I took thousands of dollars worth of supplements, and I tried just about every SSRI on the market. And a lot of it did help, truly! But after awhile, it seemed to stop working and I found myself nearly back to where I started--exhausted and feeling like nothing would ever help me.
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A few years into my sobriety, I discovered the world of somatics/body-centered healing. I began to experience a sense of ease and trust in my body. It became exponentially easier for me to see exactly where my stress was coming from and how I could take action to reduce it. I wasn't as exhausted anymore and no longer felt like my stress was sucking the life out of me. And most importantly, I was able to be much more present with my friends and family, and the moments that make life worth living. Noticing fresh morning dew on grass. Smelling warm chocolate chip cookies in the oven. Watching a glowing neon sunset fade into a blackened sky. I felt alive again.
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So that leads me here, to the Ashleigh hiking though the desert in Arizona, able to be present with my family. Because of somatics, I have been able to show the world who I really am without chronic stress getting in the way all the dang time.
"Ashleigh has invited me back into my body with a sense of security and love I didn't think was possible. I am now able to use my breath and body to move through my stress and move myself into a more regulated state."
I Teach You How to Move Your Stress Through Your Body
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Learn how to actually feel connected to your body
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Feel present and alive in your daily life and with others
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Reduce racing thoughts and have more control over your emotions
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Learn how to move stress out of your body in a way that is long lasting and sustainable
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Finally be able to relax
My Education
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Certified Somatic Coach through the Somatic Soul Coach School, NYC
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Bachelors Degrees in Dance and Arts Management
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Reiki II Certified
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Over a decade of teaching dance + somatic movement facilitation experience
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**Currently getting certified as a Somatic Stress Release Practitioner through The Embody Lab**
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Masters in Mental Health Counseling Coursework In:
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Counseling Theories
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Human Growth + Development
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Psychological Testing
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Professional + Ethical Issues In Counseling
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Group Counseling and Dynamics
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Counseling and the Helping Professions
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Social/Cultural Concerns in Counseling
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Graduate Counseling Seminar in Clinical Foundations
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More About Ashleigh (that's me)
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I have a pet rabbit named Clover who runs the household and is obsessed with bananas
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My favorite place in the world is the ocean, even though I refuse to go in past my hips because I'm convinced a shark will eat me
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I feel passionately that s'mores are a criminally underrated desert (there are so many ways to dress up a s'more!)
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I got sober in 2016, and it is the thing in my life I am most proud of.
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I have an obsession with gnomes (they're so stinking cute), and I am a tea latte junkie
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There is truly nothing I love more in life than cuddling on my couch with a blanket, some candles, and a good movie
