Today, we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Johnson.
Hi Ashley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi friends, my name is Ashley J. Johnson. I have told my story many times before, and I usually start in high school, where I was mentored by Liza Deck, the Dance Director. She trained me to be a dance choreographer. Or sometimes, I’ll go back further to when I was five years old and started learning ballet and tap.
However, this time I want to fast forward to when I was already an adult and already trained and certified. My journey as a fitness instructor and dance choreographer has been a continuous journey. There is no end in sight, there is no pinnacle I am trying to reach or deadline on my dreams. Therefore, no matter where I start with my journey, it’s relevant.
In 2011, I had a dream of where I wanted to take my fitness and dance company. I had changed the name of my sole proprietorship several times in an effort to define and solidify my brand. My brand has always been an extension of my personality, which is high-energy, upbeat, forgiving, and more of a “cheerleader” type, than a militant type. I was actively seeking the name that I would give my company once and for all.
It just so happened that a young woman entered my dance aerobics class at L.A. Fitness and stayed after it was over. She approached me gracefully and said, “Do you know why I love coming to your Friday night classes?” I said, “No, why?” She then stated, “Because as a single parent, I don’t get to go out and party anymore, and every time I come to your class, it’s just like a party, it’s Ashley’s Fitness Party!”
It was at that moment I had the name I would give my company for the rest of its life. It was deeply defining of my brand as well. And coming from one of my own class participants, I knew it was the confirmation I needed. If I’ve learned anything as a business owner over the years, I’ve learned that your clients can express what your brand means to them sometimes better than you can yourself.
It can be hard to see things from the outside looking in when you’re in it. Your clients show you what you mean to them. You’ll just be working and walking in your purpose, and then you get the whole picture of your worth; it’s affirming and gratifying when you experience that.
So, in 2011, I took on Ashley’s Fitness Party as my company name, and 14 years later, we are still rolling strong. My current goal is to continue my AFP GOALS membership program, the online exclusive program I created during the COVID-19 pandemic to service people remotely from their homes. It’s a full-service online fitness and wellness program. I also plan to continue creating and producing my fitness workout videos and offering health workshops for weight loss.
Additionally, I have started my non-profit called Fitness & Health for Underserved Communities Organization, inc., which is a company geared towards helping single mothers gain access to free and low-cost health and fitness programs, all the while receiving free child care all under one roof. There will be educational workshops on health and nutrition available to the members as well.
Lastly, I have had the privilege of writing and publishing two books online on Amazon Kindle, one for fitness instructors and one for the consumer. My company has a shoe line called AFP FIT KICKS and sells other merch on my website. Once again, it’s a full-service fitness and wellness company, where a person can get all of their needs met under one umbrella.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Most of my struggles as an adult and business owner came with juggling motherhood and the COVID-19 pandemic. There are always going to be some struggles along the way. However, those two were life-changing for me.
Motherhood was especially difficult for me because I had my first child in my early 20s and in hindsight, I realize I had a lot of growing up to do. I was not mentally ready or financially sound. In other words, I wasn’t thinking about the long-term when making decisions. I wasn’t thinking about investments, insurance, savings, college funds, etc.
I was thinking only in the short term and responding to what was thrown at me instead of being proactive in my decision-making. This made my road to motherhood especially challenging and difficult in so many ways. Until I learned from my hardships and experiences the right way and the stable way to do things, this didn’t necessarily make me a bad business owner, but an unstable personal life has a way of intertwining with your business life, which is not good.
COVID-19 was the other life-altering obstacle that I came up against. During the pandemic, as a fitness instructor and personal trainer, I lost all of my clients for at least a year. As a mobile personal trainer, I was visiting my clients at their homes. Therefore, during the pandemic, when everything was shut down and people were quarantining, no one wanted to let me in their house for training.
Also, the gym I worked for as a fitness instructor shut down as well. It was life-changing as I had to alter all of my fitness programs to online only and that was stressful and challenging to navigate. It did not happen fast. And as the finances were not rolling in, I was under a lot of pressure.
I have restored my business since then, but it went through a dark stage, and I had to ride out that wave. Being a business owner is going to be up and down, but if you are in a business that fulfills your true purpose and heart, I feel that no challenge will ever be the real end.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the business owner, but also the talent. I have realized sometimes that can mean a lot of juggling. You can’t be afraid to ask for help. As you get the profit coming in, which gives you the type of budget that can afford you a team, you should pursue that as soon as possible.
I am a fitness instructor who teaches dance aerobics, which means I am also a dance choreographer. I spend endless hours in the studio creating and perfecting my craft for my students. I am also a dance teacher and a published author, and I dabble in producing my own fitness music. I am saying all this to say, that I am an artist first and a business owner second. But, realistically I have to nourish them both the same in order to be successful.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Apps I love:
Ashley’s Fitness Party (My app)
Instagram
Canva
Snappa
Kinemaster
YouTube
Fiverr
Peerspace
Meetup
Zoom
Podcasts:
Jack Morgan
Tonya TKO
Smart Christian
Forbes Magazine
Books:
48 Laws of Power
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AshleysFitnessParty.net
- Instagram: @Ashleysfitnessparty
- Facebook: @Ashleysfitnessparty
- Twitter: @ashfitnessparty
- Youtube: youtube.com/@ashleysfitnessparty
Image Credits
Basi Photography
