Life and Work with Sarah Ashbourne

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Ashbourne.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sarah. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I have always been interested in different ways of life that maybe haven’t been mainstream. I wanted to go into fashion for the longest time. I loved using social media to connect with other people, participating in sports such as cheerleading/bodybuilding and then made a big choice to move myself to a completely new country all alone. Through everything I have done, I have been lucky to meet others that share the same interests, but I have also encountered those that don’t understand or had many times where I have felt alone. During my first prep for bodybuilding, I felt very alone – It forced me to take a look at myself and what I really wanted in life. I read a lot of books, and shifted into have a much more positive mindset for my life; I felt a lot happier in my decisions and what I was doing – in turn, I wanted to share that with others. Since then I have continued to do what I can to push myself mentally and physically to be a better person. I used to live in a small town in Canada and had the same mindset as many others of “I would love to do that, but it could never happen.” I switched my mindset and started working for what I wanted; now I am living in LA (a dream city for me), working for a marketing agency (working on fun projects, travelling for work, and learning everyday), and using my social platforms (blog, Instagram, and YouTube) to share my life in the hopes to inspire others to live their life to the fullest they can. My life isn’t perfect, and I will have ups and downs just like the next person, but sharing it all and encouraging others to be more positive through anything life throws at you is important to me.

Great, 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?
No! I have encountered so many struggles that have hit me hard – no matter how big or small they were. Making the choice to better yourself can cause you to lose friends and feel really alone. I tried to stay as positive as I could and trust that the people meant to be in my life would come; and they did – I am so grateful for the amazing people I have met the past three years as they not only love and support me, but they also push me to be a better person. When I decided to move to LA, I didn’t realize how alone I would feel. I questioned everything – why I moved, could I make it out here, would I meet friends, what if I wanted to move home, etc., etc. I ended up developing a binge eating disorder – I told no one in LA for a long time, I shared what was happening with my mom and very few close friends in Canada. I struggled with self-hate, I was scared I would never feel like “me” again, my self-confidence was gone – I didn’t know what to do because I didn’t even feel like myself anymore. I saw a therapist and dietician at Christmas 2017 and told a few more friends. The best advice I could give young women would be to stay connected to those that love and support you, lean on them when you need to – you don’t have to do everything alone! Share your story and struggles – you are 100% not alone, there will be others that are either going through what you are or have been through it. Know things will be okay – keep pushing through, look for resources online, or seek professional help if needed. Life has many seasons – some good and some bad, but all of them will shape you into who you are today. I still have daily struggles, but I learn from them daily as well and am proud of the women that I am becoming.

Please tell us about your business.
I have been called a busy person a lot – which I agree! I have always had many jobs; traditional and non-traditional. I will break down what I do into two categories; structured and creative. My structured work consists of my job at a creative marketing agency – I am an assistant project coordinator; my main focus is assisting the head partner of the agency, next I am the in-house social media manager, and am in charge of supervising the interns daily, I also help on many other agency tasks day to day. My creative work is everything I do outside of the normal 9-6; I work daily to curate a personal brand that shows my true personality through my Instagram, Blog, and YouTube. I believe what stands out most for my personal brand is my positive mindset, healthy lifestyle, and love of food (I love a good donut and waffles – fun fact: one of my closest friends I made on Instagram over our shared love of waffles!). My outlook on life is unique, and I truly want to share it to inspire others so they too can live a fully healthy lifestyle including everything from fitness, having a positive mindset, enjoying foods, surrounding yourself with loved ones, using social media for good, and always pushing yourself to do and be better! On top of all that I also am a freelance social media manager (if you couldn’t tell already – yes, I love social media!). I help brands connect with their audiences and manage their social channels.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I can fully admit that I am on my phone ALL the time, so a lot of what I love is accessed digitally!
Fav Apps: Instagram, Notes, Twitter, Lightroom, Health App
Books: 50 ways to Yay! – This book is the first “mindset” type book I read, and it changed my outlook to life completely, so I highly recommend it!
Podcasts: The Millennialaire Podcast, Gary Vee Audio Experience, The Skinny Confidential: Him & Her, and Jenna & Julien (currently – I switch amount a few all the time though!)
Blog: The Skinny Confidential, Entrepreneur, DigiDay, AdAge, and Forbes (this is where my love of marketing comes out – I love to see what is happening in the industry and others thoughts on it!)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahashbourne.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarahashbourne
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahashbourneblog
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarah_ashbourne
• Other: www.youtube.com/heysaraha

Image Credit:
Graydon Driver

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