Meet Trailblazer Ashley Krouse-Chaney

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Krouse-Chaney.

Ashley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a 35-year-old wife, mom, worship leader, singer, dancer, choreographer, teacher, author and health enthusiast with body image issues and a relationship with food that you could call dysfunctional.  After spending 6 years as a general manager of a fitness facility, I realized I wanted to help impact the lives of others when it came to their health, but I was craving more than just a gym setting.  As a certified personal trainer, I was able to work with people one and one and it helped me to realize that I could continue to build relationships with people outside of a rigid work environment.  Now, all of my work seems to involve the use of my body. Dancing, singing, educating and helping others with their health, requires me to have a handle on my own health and have my body functioning in a healthy way, but most importantly, be in the right healthy mindset.  A lot of factors contribute to my unhealthy relationship with food and the unrealistic expectations I have for my body and the way it should look.  The misconception that skinny means healthy helped drive my desire to help others stop feeling like they needed to put a filter on every area of their life.  This is how Unfiltered Life was born.

These days, social media can make us feel like every area of our lives needs to be squeaky clean and without flaw.  My mission is to help us all have realistic, transparent and loving expectations for our bodies, homes, mental health and spiritual lives.  To remove the toxins in a realistic and figurative way to reveal what is honest, good and healthy for the mind, body, and soul.

My first book “Unfiltered Food” will be coming to you in early 2019. I hope to share my personal testimony with you and to help make transparent the new normal.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My life has most definitely not been a smooth road. I have had my fair share of challenges, tragedy, injury, dysfunction, and struggle.

But, because of my struggles, I really knew that deep down that I wanted to change lives. There are so many obstacles that life can bring your way, especially in the world of an entrepreneur. You can feel as if every set back is a personal attack because the work is so close and meaningful to you.

If I had to pick, I think the biggest obstacle I face and continue to face, is uncertainty. Being uncertain of the path I should narrow in on and really get to work. As someone who constantly has many irons in the fire, it can get a little muddy as to what my purpose really is, and how I can actually make an impact. Also, being uncertain in my ability was a huge obstacle, and to be honest I think I will always battle this. I think the norm of a comparative mindset can often make you feel unqualified. The quote “GOD DOESN’T CALL THE QUALIFIED, HE QUALIFIES THE CALLED” is my reminder that even if you are not 100% qualified and prepared, just starting the work will put you in motion. Most of the time once you have that forward momentum, the learning happens along the way. The trick though is really being in touch with what is it you want to accomplish. Finding your purpose, starting the work, and then setting both short and long-term goals so that you don’t become stuck or complacent on the journey.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Unfiltered Life – what should we know?
After I left my corporate job I experienced a health transformation of my own and lost 25 lbs. that had been hanging around for a few years after an accident. The weight gain was a mental battle, having lost my “identity” as the petite fit girl. So, losing the weight opened up a lot of opportunities to really dig in and find out what the underlining issues were. During that process, I realized how apparent it was that I had a dysfunctional relationship with food and my body, among other things. I started to realize that I probably wasn’t the only one who dealt with these issues, and I knew I wanted to help. I am so lucky to have married into a family where both my in-laws are biochemists, my Father in Law, a Ph.D. who specialized in nutrition. So, I was constantly around this plethora of knowledge when it came to the importance of science with things like Supplementation, and Naturopathic Medicine. Pairing that knowledge with this dysfunctional mindset around my body and what social pressure and expectation have done to culture with what it means to be healthy, I knew I wanted to speak up and educate others by sharing my testimony. Breaking fads and sticking with what science says our bodies need helping me maneuver through this. I decided to join my Husband’s family by pairing with the Number 1 natural nutrition company, the Shaklee Corporation, who do not follow fads but puts the efforts and energy into scenic first. Because they have been around for over 60 years with no recalls or lawsuits and have been on every NASA mission to space, I knew I could trust that what I was recommending was not only safe but effective. It also played a huge part in my transformation.

My mission and services really focus on removing toxins from your body, home, mind, and soul, while learning a new normal. A normal where skinny does not always mean healthy and how food, minerals, and nutrients are the fuel we need to be the healthiest versions of ourselves. In addition to setting ourselves up for success mentally by loving ourselves and having grace with our selves through each life stage. Preventative health and realistic healthy lifestyles for each individual are the top goals for long-term success. At Unfiltered Life, you can find services that include sustainable weight management, symptom alleviation, health discovery consultations, Short and long-term weight loss, supplementation and meal plans, home detox kits, healthy recipes, and accountability.

I am most proud of the fact that I get to help people. The yo-yo diet fads, body shaming, comparative thinking and unrealistic photoshop filters can just be so overwhelming for everyone. Adding motherhood to the equation can take it all to an even new level. It really makes an impact when you realize that you aren’t alone in your struggles. To be someone who has made the mistakes and figured out what works for me can be valuable. Any one person that I can help feel better about themselves, inside and out, makes all the work, mistakes and personal growing pains worth it. That is what inspired me to write Unfiltered Food, I just can’t wait to share my journey with everyone.

I think what sets me apart is that I’m just like everyone else. I’m not a doctor, I’m not a therapist, I’m not a nutritionist. I’m just an everyday person who is lucky enough to have been influenced and mentored by some of the best “actual” Ph.D.”s, doctors, scientists, therapists, eating disorder coaches, recovery leaders, and personal trainers. Not to mention I have my own journey of success. My favorite thing is transparency and being self-aware with my own mistakes, that’s where that whole qualification comes into play.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
My childhood was what some could call “colorful” and dysfunctional, while simultaneously filled with love and an example set by my mother that if you treat people right and work hard you will come out ahead. I”m being vague, but not for the purpose of hiding my family life. Honestly there just isn’t enough room in this article for me to be completely transparent, maybe we will have to save that for another interview. 😉

I grew up as a dancer in a competitive company and started singing and doing theatre at a young age. I think that environment, coupled with my childhood home life created a perfect storm for the body image issues and comparative thinking struggles I developed. On the other hand, my home was filled with music and creativity, and acceptance for any human no matter how different. If you pair that will the discipline and works ethic of a competitive dancer, you could really have the foundation for success, dysfunction or no dysfunction. Let’s face it, everyone has their crap. We all have reasons to rationalize why we have the right to be screwed up in one way or the other, the trick is what you do with it. You can either use it as an excuse not to succeed or a driver to break the cycle and share with others how you did it. Can you imagine if we all walked around with signs around our necks listing the trauma, dysfunction, and issues we had growing up? Think about how safe you would feel seeing a sign on the other person listing your exact issues. Knowing that you aren’t alone and that no one else is perfect either. Mine would say:

Adult child of alcoholics and family dysfunction in recovery for co-dependency and food/body image issues.
As new parents, my husband Marc and I are committed to being as honest and open about our testimonies of life. Essentially recovering from our childhood issues and the choices we made because of them. We are also committed to breaking the cycle of family dysfunction for our daughter. We know life will hand her it’s own set of baggage, we are just trying not to add to her load.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.unfilteredlife.net
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleykrouse/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashkrouse
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashleykrouse

Image Credit:
April

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