Meet Ashley Miers of Silver Lake

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Miers

Hi Ashley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey has definitely been along a non-linear route! I’ve always had a diverse array of interests, both intellectual and creative. I moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting in 2008 after completing a neuroscience and philosophy degree at the University of Denver. While auditioning and starting to book roles, I also worked in freelance copywriting, and then basically stumbled into the music industry (I was a secret songwriter and got outed at a party, and things took on a life of their own from there).

By 2010, I was acting in commercials and had recorded and released my first album “Aftershock” and secured my first song license (along with my friend and co-writer Elizabeth Russo) on an ABC Family show called “Make it or Break It”. I was flown to the Mental Health America annual conference in Washington D.C. where I spoke and performed, and I also completed a 3-city CD release tour and 11 music videos that year.

However, despite being… Productive… I was experiencing agonizing shame and dysfunction in my personal life. I struggled with substance abuse, disordered eating, abusive relationships, suicidality and self-harm.

While I continued to book acting work and went on to release an EP “Rebel Punk Kitty” in 2011 and a second album “Seeing Stars” in 2014, I was often at odds with myself and struggling internally.

I began attending 12-step meetings and pursuing sobriety in 2012, gained my first considerable stretch of sobriety from 2014-2016, and was able to get and stay sober from 2017 through to present day. During this time, I also started practicing Kundalini yoga, which proved to be a powerful tool in my healing experience. In 2017, I completed a Dialectical Behavior Therapy program that also greatly contributed to improving my mental and emotional well-being (and thus the overall quality and functionality of my life). In 2018, I completed Kundalini Yoga teacher training while pregnant with my first son.

After having my son, I wanted to find a way to build a more consistent and dependable income (read non gig-based) that still drew upon my interests and skills and gave me time and freedom both to be a present mom and remain available for creative opportunities.

I ended up building and launching a coaching business under the brand Ashley Miers Health which revolves primarily around “Transcend the Turbulence”, my 10-week online group coaching program for women seeking to find freedom from depression naturally. I was able to combine my neuroscience background, Kundalini training, experience with DBT and life-long interest in health, fitness and nutrition to help other women develop and implement the kinds of healthy coping skills, self-care practices, support, accountability, intentionality and commitment that have been so instrumental in my own recovery process.

And, in the last couple of years, my coaching brand has expanded to include the launch of a cooking show I created called “Dancing in the Kitchen” which combines music and food to elevate mood. The show is a partnership with two of my best friends – Octavia Klein, DP and Co-Producer; and Elizabeth Russo, Co-Host and Songwriter – and very much feels like a full-circle moment where all of my various interests and experiences have finally combined in a multi-faceted offering that aligns with my passion of educating and empowering others on the topic of mental health while also drawing upon my creative gifts.

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?
It has definitely NOT been a smooth road… I would say primarily due to my own self-defeating beliefs and behaviors.

However, I feel that working through these beliefs and correcting these behaviors ended up being an immensely valuable, character-building experience that has helped me to become a far better version of myself than I previously was.

So in the end (or at least – at this point on my path), I wouldn’t really trade my experience or wish it were different because it made me who I’ve now become: a person I generally like and respect (and continually strive to continue liking and respecting).

I would say one of the biggest struggles I’ve faced is ultimately cultivating the willingness to make the choice to turn toward and face the aspects of myself that I wanted to reject or disown. To become humble enough to embrace healing, and tolerating the inherent discomfort of doing so. It is painful to look at the aspects of ourselves we hold shame around, but avoiding doing so keeps us locked in a sort of internal prison with that shame. The saying “the only way out is through” applies.

The thing that I wish I had known that might have helped me initially – the thing I ultimately discovered – was that at a certain point, the pain of continuing to struggle in the same dysfunctional ways became far greater than the pain of facing and addressing my short-comings honestly and working to improve myself. And the freedom and fulfillment on the other side of mustering the courage and commitment to do so… Well, now I would never trade it or want to go back knowing the difference between those two kinds of pain.

I’ve also been thrown A LOT of curveballs in life… A torn hamstring that required surgery, unexpected black mold and a move, the disappearance of my older brother… I could go on and on. But in cultivating courage, character, and commitment – or in other words, resilience and a growth mindset – I’ve been able to meet challenges and persevere through them (while still honoring and processing my emotions), and not use them as an excuse to collapse and quit. I’ve learned that giving up has one singular outcome (that I don’t like), and that as long as I keep doing what I can do and making progress – no matter how small – each day, I ultimately keep advancing toward my goals and there is always hope, always a chance of that light at the end of the tunnel.

That being said, I also have developed an awareness that the horizon is always receding. That “light at the end of the tunnel” isn’t necessarily some pivotal, apex moment of triumph where everything finally all adds up… Although those moments can happen. But just as significant, there might be moments of reprieve, moments of validation, along the way. So being able to be grateful for the small things, to find the silver linings, to celebrate every accomplishment becomes really important… Otherwise you might get to the end of your days and realize you took for granted all the blessings you did have because you were too busy focusing on the thing you wanted that you didn’t have yet.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I often tell people that I do A LOT of things, but that it all tends to tie together under the umbrella of mental health.

My main endeavors include:

Violet Vista Ventures (my media / marketing / production enterprises)

and Ashley Miers Health (my coaching and wellness brand)

Basically… I create and produce empowering, inspiring, educational content in the form of songwriting, video, copy and creative writing, speaking and performing.

This has looked like 2 full albums and 4+ EPs of released music, the creation of my cooking show Dancing in the Kitchen: music and food to elevate your mood, creating a PSA video about meditation and mental health for Mental Health America, authoring a chapter on Self-Mastery in the Entrepreneur’s Anthology of Wisdom, and speaking and performing at various conferences, events, and on podcasts.

I really enjoy the creative process from conceptualization through execution… What it takes to become inspired with an idea, create it, organize and produce it – often involving collaboration and the management of a team effort – create the artwork and marketing around it, and put it out into the world.

Furthermore, it feels VERY meaningful to me when the intention behind that piece of work is to help others either by educating, empowering or inspiring them in some way.

Working with clients directly in my coaching business has also been extremely fulfilling. Supporting someone’s journey directly and helping THEM to claim ownership of a positive transformation in their lives is wildly rewarding, and also a learning experience for me every time.

I feel very blessed to do the work that I get to do, and even more blessed when I see it resonate and touch lives in a meaningful way.

How do you define success?
I was just thinking about this this morning…

Success is not necessarily about winning, or actually “succeeding at” or accomplishing your objective.

I believe true success is who you ARE no matter what outcomes you’re experiencing. True character is revealed in who we choose to be in our most challenging moments.

Can you be kind when you’re angry? Can you hold yourself to values and principles when tempted otherwise? Can you believe in yourself when nothing seems to be working out for you?

There’s a quote from the art of war that goes something like “the battle is won before it is ever fought”… And I believe those words speak directly to this concept:

“Success” is an inside job. You are a “success” if you believe you are, (or a failure if you believe you are) because believing makes it so, and you will act according to what you believe.

If you believe you are a failure, what is the motivation to keep going, or to continue betting on yourself and putting in effort?

I think maintaining belief in the face of adversity and never giving up is true success. Because then you succeed whether things go the way you prefer or not.

Again – it adds up to being someone you like and respect. At least for me, I will always like and respect someone who holds themself to that standard, so that is what I strive for in myself. I think someone can be forgiven when things don’t work out – for the things they can’t control. Life can be as brutal as it is beautiful, and sometimes it’s just more powerful than you – or the divine plan just doesn’t seem to align with yours, for whatever mystifying reason.

So, I think – if we should be judged or evaluated in any way – it should be on the merits of our choices and our character: the things we can control. We might not be able to control an outcome entirely, but we have agency over our response to it, what we make of it, what we do with it.

And if we choose to learn from our setbacks and make the best of things as much as possible, we will be a lot more likely to succeed at our goals ultimately as a natural result.

Also… The alternative is dead-ends and despair. So there’s no point in acquiescing to nihilism and buying into an “everything is futile” mindset anyway. You’ll be less likely (or guaranteed) not to succeed – or have any chance at success – and you won’t be happy.

Might as well bet on the better odds of believing in yourself and doing your best. If you do that, you’ve already won the most important battle – the internal one, the one with yourself – and everything is likely to work out a lot better for you accordingly as a result.

Pricing:

• Contact me to chat about what you’re looking for and we can discuss options and pricing. I have personal development coaching offerings ranging from about $55 to $5k+, and I also offer original music creation, content creation, video production, brand partnering/sponsorship packages, and am available for speaking/performing engagements.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ashleymiers.com and www.violetvista.com
• Instagram: @ashley_miers_official
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleymiershealth and https://www.facebook.com/VioletVistaVentures/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/ashleymiers and www.youtube.com/@dancinginthekitchentv
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ashley-miers
• Other: https://www.dancinginthekitchen.tv

Image Credits
Matt Stasi
Octavia Klein
Bella Saville