Hidden Gems: Meet Ashley Turner of Los Angeles Fun Events

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Turner.

Hi Ashley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The story of me getting into social event planning is a long one; but it’s very important to me, and I believe speaks well to my values and mission with @losangelesfunevents

I always struggled a little bit socially, all the way from childhood up through college. I had a hard time fitting in and was often bullied. I studied and worked really hard to earn a full-ride scholarship to Harvard; but in some ways, I felt even more out of place than where I began. While everything pointed towards me pursuing a career in the medical field, on the side I naturally gravitated towards planning and hosting events— and that’s a place my heart has continued to bring me back to. I wanted to explore and create and experience the world. More importantly, I wanted to connect with people; and I quickly saw that others needed that, too.

Isolation is an awful, terrible feeling. It happens when no one else is around or you don’t feel like you belong. All generations struggle with it, and it makes me sad to see the degree to which isolation can permeate our modern culture. We want to combat isolation and loneliness in any way we can, and we start by welcoming everyone.

Mental health is so incredibly important. Study after study has shown the positive effects that can ripple through society when proper social supports, networks and community are present. My education was in Psychology, and so I often think about broader problems related to mental health and society and what we can do to help make things better.

While technology can be a wonderful, amazing thing; we think it’s so important to incorporate break times— we need to re-learn how to socialize and connect with people face-to-face and ditch the screens for a bit. We believe in leveraging technology as a way of connecting people in real life in a way that allows everyone to take a break from their screens.

It has taken me over seven years to build up the Los Angeles Fun Events social community; and it has become such an amazing way for us to explore new places, experience new things, and support local businesses. The best part is we get to do it together.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think the hardest part about what we’re trying to do is this feeling of creating something that doesn’t come with a blueprint. There’s no investor money, no turn-key systems — everything has been coming directly out of my own pocket and my own vision. I think one of the biggest challenges is to keep building brick by brick, even when others doubt what we’re trying to do and even when I doubt myself.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Los Angeles Fun Events?
We are an inclusive Los Angeles-based community that welcomes anyone. There is no membership required to join, and we host everything from group trips and tours, hiking, camping, museums, dancing, events for singles and for making new friends. We’ve consistently maintained a calendar of 4-6 events on average per week and try to offer a little bit of something for everyone.

What’s next?
I am looking to focus on going bigger and better with the kinds of events we host. My goal is to start shifting towards more group adventures and travel.

Contact Info:

• Website: LosAngelesFunEvents.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/LosAngelesFunEvents
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/losangelesfunevents

Image Credits
Los Angeles Fun Events