Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Johnson.
Hi Ashley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a single mother navigating a male-dominated role in corporate America, I purchased a dream home at the end of 2017 but was still living paycheck to paycheck and it didn’t feel like the blessing it should have been for me and my son… I got real with myself and by 2020, during the pandemic, I paid off $83k of debt, sold my rental property and increased my net worth to a ¼ million dollars. I catalogued the entire process on my social media page @talkcashwithash. I created the page to hold myself accountable and find community. I recorded many of the highs and lows, while teaching and inspiring others to do the same. In June of 2020 I recorded my final payment that made me a debt-free 33 year old millennial mom. Through my financial journey, I’ve been able to bring family and friends along with me and have helped other women build budgets, change their money mindset, remove stigmas around personal finances, and achieve financial freedom by paying off tens of thousands in debt. I take on select clients for individual personal finance coaching while climbing the corporate ladder to success, truly optimizing both my dreams in building construction management and personal wealth creation.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There were many – I fell off the wagon and had to pause making debt payments to build savings during the early parts of the pandemic. It was hard keeping up the momentum from time to time. Some people thought I was crazy or didn’t really understand if it was possible or that I may have been wasting my time and should have been putting my money elsewhere. I tuned those things out and only fed into my spirit what was upbuilding and supportive. Parenting through a pandemic is extremely hard, especially for single parent households. It’s also very mentally taxing and hard for children so keeping up the positivity and being a supportive stronghold for them when you sometimes need that for yourself is very hard.
Deciding and getting started is a huge obstacle. But once you get past that fear – challenges and obstacles don’t scare you as much. If your goal is big and meaningful enough – you see your challenges as just checkpoints along the way to success. Some are good, some are hard. No matter what – keep taking action!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a construction manager for a large commercial general contracting firm here in Atlanta, GA and I manage multi-million dollar projects and diverse teams on technical building projects. I’m most proud of the impact that what I build has a tangible gratification to it and will perhaps last beyond my years. Also, I am in many powerful rooms where either I am the only female or only person of color (sometimes both) and I hope to inspire others to change the demographics of the roles we play in industries such as architecture, engineering, and construction fields. It’s exciting to be a part of work that excites me while breaking boundaries, ceilings, walls, and shaking foundations (puns intended, lol).
The fact that I manage project risks and budgets for living – only makes sense that I gravitate towards personal finance and the money management world. Although the title of being a personal finance coach/advocate is new, the skillset, passion, and expertise certainly is not. Financial literacy and advocacy is another passion of mind and I intend to push limitations in this realm as well by normalizing healthy conversations around money management, debt freedom, and wealth building.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
This is cliche but so true – “Whether you think you can or you can’t… you’re right!”
Your mind is a powerful tool – you can either allow it to deter you from your aspirations or you can become an unstoppable force knowing you are fully equipped to become whatever is you realistically set your mind out to be. I always tell people sometimes the hardest part of striving for anything in life is to DECIDE.
As for my corporate career – I didn’t let the fact that there was no one that looked like me in the field turn me away from an opportunity.
Personal finance wise – I knew that if I wanted a different starting point for my son, I had to make some significant changes in my financial habits. I didn’t want to be defined by a statistic or a social norm. Student loans suck but yes debt freedom is possible. I wish I would have started sooner! I also wish I didn’t take student loans out to finance my dream career but hey you live and you learn… just don’t repeat.
Contact Info:
- Email: talkcashwithash@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkcashwithash/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkCashWithAsh
Image Credits
SIMONE RENEE PHOTOGRAPHY LLC Surita V. Photography The Poised Agency
