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I love what I do. AND, what I do scares me on a regular basis. Yes, you read that right: MY WORK SCARES ME. Because in order to do what I do, I have to consistently face my biggest fears: self-doubt and imposter syndrome. I used to struggle alone, thinking that successful professionals, creatives, and high achievers didn't second-guess themselves. I used to wait for everything to be perfect--to be able to check off ALL the required boxes before I began. Now I know that the most successful people in any field are the ones who:
My life is so different now because I strive to live into these characteristics, to BE the version of me who consistently takes small risks and makes bold actions (1% growth daily really adds up over time). Leaning INTO my struggles instead of running AWAY from them made all the difference. That's one reason why I'm so grateful for opportunities to share about the importance of mental fitness with fellow creatives, and for this incredible review from a recent speaking engagement! (Check out the full review at AshleyOrlando.com.) “[Ashley’s] dynamic speaking style and infectious enthusiasm drew us all in from the moment she took the stage. But…it was the depth of insight she brought to the table that truly blew me away. With a perfect balance of personal anecdotes, psychological research, and practical tips, Ashley provided us with invaluable tools for overcoming self-doubt and unlocking our full potential…If you ever have the opportunity to hear her speak, do yourself a favor and jump at the chance. You won’t regret it!” - Barb Braud, Sr. Art Director, Lamar Graphics Be bold. Find 1 action that can help you grow 1% today. Then take that step, and repeat daily. With gratitude, Ashley 
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Weathering the Storm5/27/2024  Sometimes life happens so strangely, yet coincidentally that I have to laugh.
A couple weeks ago at Toastmasters, the lights at the Bluebonnet Library started flickering just as we were starting our meeting. Then they went out entirely. Then our phones started shrieking: “Dangerous weather alert!!!” I wondered, “Should we cancel?” The security guard looked at me and said, “I wouldn’t want to be outside in this.” When the library staff started sending ALL library patrons into our meeting room to shelter in place (it was the one room in the library without windows), that made the decision clear: we’d continue as best we could using our phones as flashlights. As the first speaker for the night, the whole premise of my speech project was “Managing a Difficult Audience,” so 4 or 5 people had been pre-selected by another member to “distract me” in various ways while I spoke. But since it was pretty dark and we had so many unexpected guests in the room, I couldn’t tell who was trying to distract me ON PURPOSE and who was distracting me BY ACCIDENT. It was both challenging and exhilarating to deliver a 12-minute extemporaneous speech to an audience of shadows while handling auditory AND semi-visual distractions left and right—a very real-world scenario that I would have been absolutely terrified to tackle just a few years ago. After an hour, the major wind threat passed and the library decided to close early, so we ended our meeting early, too. But I’m very proud of our GSU Toastmasters members for stepping up to this unexpected challenge and making a bit of lemonade out of a tricky situation! As we walked out the door, one of the librarians even said, “I’m so glad I finally got to attend a meeting! I’ve wanted to for years, but I’m always at the desk on Monday nights.” This will definitely go down as one of the most memorable Toastmasters meetings I’ve ever attended. If you’ve been meaning to work on your speaking/leadership/ feedback skills or are curious to check out Toastmasters in general, guests are always welcome! Our GSU club meets weekly on Mondays from 7pm to 8:30pm at the Bluebonnet Regional Library in Baton Rouge, but you can find a full directory of Toastmasters club meeting dates, times and locations worldwide at Toastmasters.org. And we’ll ALMOST ALWAYS leave the light on for ya! With gratitude, Ashley Last Week in Houston Was a Dream...5/15/2024 I'm still processing it all (more than one person has asked me, "How in the world did you get to open for JAKE SHIMABUKURO?!?!?!?). haha. I am so grateful to:
Click the image below so see a short backstage video of how it all went down. With gratitude, Ashley  If You Had 100 Days...5/1/2024 Last week I opened up my What to Expect pregnancy app to see a startling number: "100 days" (until Baby O arrives). I thought, "100 days???? There's so much left to do professionally (ex. wrapping up a few projects, preparing for maternity leave) and personally (ex. finishing the nursery, purchasing necessary baby items, etc.)" But there it was, plain as pudding, staring at me on my smartphone screen: 100 days (unless he decides to show up early, of course) Thankfully, the words of my voice coach Tom popped into my head as I remembered him telling me to "Focus on connection, not perfection." The more I thought about it, the more I realized that my body has been doing this naturally as my belly grows--gradually slowing me down to connect to the present moment and listen to what my body needs. I realized that it's time to trust my instincts and actually started looking forward to those 100 days of THIS VERSION of my life as I mapped out the priorities to tackle in that timeframe. What would you do if you knew you had 100 days before a major (positive but life-altering) change? How would you prepare? And looking back from the future, what would your elder, wiser self say is most important? With gratitude, Ashley P.S. We had a great time celebrating my mom's 70th birthday last weekend!  AuthorAshley Orlando is a jazz vocalist/ukulele artist and joyologist on a mission to help 1 million women find their voice through music, inspiring stories, and communication skills. Archives
May 2025
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