Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Nesbitt.
Ashley, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have realized that most people spend their entire life striving to obtain a version of who they want to be or a specific lifestyle and never take time to truly live and enjoy the life they have. I started my journey doing everything I thought I was supposed to do to be successful. I took out far too much debt to go to college, obtained a degree, landed a job with wonderful pay and great benefits. I even dabbled in real estate for a while. Yet, with each venture, I remained feeling as though I were wasting my life away not doing what I was called to do.
When I think of “rewriting the narrative,” the first thing that comes to mind is the journey of life everyone finds themselves on in undoing the lies we believe about ourselves and who society has told us we should be, and rather stepping fully into who we were each called to be no matter what it looks like to others.
Rewriting my narrative has involved detaching myself from limiting beliefs, helping others accomplish their dreams and becoming happy with who I am when I look in the mirror. It has been a process of “undoing” who I became as a result of past traumas, experiences, and opinions of others, and instead become who God created me to be. It’s involved me arriving at a place where I realize my purpose in life isn’t necessarily found in what I am doing as a job title, but rather, how I show up in the world each and every day and the impact that is made as a result. It is only once I arrived at this place of internal peace that the doors of opportunity have opened for me.
A year and a half ago, I decided to drop the 9-5, pick up a few part-time jobs that I enjoy, gain some new hobbies and figure out which direction I wanted to go. All the while, I was working on the mental/emotional side of things mentioned above. One of the new hobbies happened to be acting. I had a coworker invite me to his acting class just to see what it was about. I never took theatre in school or had acting experience, but it immediately felt natural. Since then, the hobby grew to become more consistent, and is now my career path.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road at all but I tend to focus on the joys of the experience rather than the rough patches. Any time you aim to elevate in any area of life it will come with a few obstacles along the way. My largest struggle on a tangible level has been finances. Because I currently juggle multiple part-time jobs and contract work, managing a budget can be a complicated task when each month’s income varies. By the grace of God though, I am always taken care of.
The more critical barriers have been mental and emotional. Dealing with pride and being humbled as an “amateur” on a new career path as an adult has had its complications. Also, having the courage to choose a path with little to no structure or promise of success can stir up doubt and negative opinions from others. As an actor, you deal with a lot of rejection as well. If this isn’t handled lightly or if taken too personally, the rejection can stir up past hurts that haven’t been dealt with.
My advice for women or anyone really in beginning their journey is to take time to deal with “the ugly”. Life has dealt us all a few painful experiences, broken relationships, and moments that have the power to take us out if we let them. Most people try to skip over these areas without allowing themselves to fully heal. Bandaging our wounds rather than operating on them only leads to more hurt down the road. We are liable to further damage ourselves, and especially others if we do not heal our brokenness. Find healthy ways to heal. Seek counseling, forgive often and communicate your feelings openly.
I know I keep coming back to the point above and it may seem like it has nothing to do with my current career path. However, I feel it is very relevant to work on yourself from the inside out before you’ll find true success and happiness no matter what career path you’re on. When you are not living life authentically as a result of emotional barriers you haven’t overcome, at some point it will be reflected in your work.
I also believe greater opportunities are attracted to you when you are living free from all toxic emotions or barriers.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My primary work is in acting, public speaking, and event coordinating in professional athletics. I believe in having multiple streams of income, which all allow me to have schedule flexibility to live life by my own design and allow availability as I am establishing my acting career.
Though I am juggling various roles, they are each deeply intertwined. As previously mentioned, my love for acting, (TV/film specifically) began solely as a hobby, but since then I have been casted for various commercials, a couple of short films, TV series and will be in my first feature film shooting at the end of this year.
As far as speaking is concerned, I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and have spoken at several women’s conferences, taught sermons, and led small groups at my church. All of this is a testimony as to when I was growing up, I had a speech impediment and would get so nervous I would almost pass out when speaking in class. I envision as my acting career continues to flourish, I will be doing more speaking engagements as an outlet to inspire, teach, and speak life back into others. I am currently working on my Masters in Theology in an effort to continue gaining biblical knowledge for the opportunities I have in speaking and teaching in ministry.
Thirdly, I have always had a love for sports and event planning. I give tours at a professional sports team’s headquarters, allowing me to work on both my speaking and improv skills in front of an audience while also being in a fun environment. Occasionally, I manage volunteers and assist in coordinating football camps for kids with their favorite professional athletes. Additionally, I pick up brand ambassador work coordinating charity events, wedding receptions, and company events throughout DFW.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Don’t be afraid of being an amateur. Whether you are starting a company, changing career paths, or simply wanting to start a new hobby late in life, do not allow the fear of being seen as a beginner keep you from taking the first steps. Too often people don’t want to be viewed as beginners, they want to jump straight into a new field and be perceived as a professional. Understand that everyone must start somewhere, and your “start” isn’t going to be perfect. In my short career, I have seen my acting skills be less than appealing on camera, however, I have also seen how far I have come. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Swallow your pride and allow people to witness your transformation from the beginning. Allow the failures to motivate you to grow. Obtain experience, study your craft, put yourself out there into the world as the best representation of the current you, flaws and all.
Secondly, take the time to celebrate the small wins. Acknowledge the transformation taking place. Many times, there is a gap between who we are or our skill-set and the person we want to be. The larger this gap is, the more unsatisfied we tend to be with ourselves and the harder we are on ourselves as a result of it. Notice the gap closing and give yourself grace and credit for the accomplishment no matter how small it may be. Without taking the time to celebrate, it can be easy to become discouraged and give up.
Lastly, know that where you are in your journey is exactly where you are supposed to be. Have faith in the process and know that everything always works out in a divine way.
Contact Info:
- Email: ashleynesbitt15@gmail.com
- Instagram: _ashleynesbitt
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10350057/
Image Credit:
Jason Sanders, Dina Ray, Shane Connelly
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