I am Ashley Gillen Long. Looking back, my work ethic started at a rather young age. I started my first business at the age of 5, selling sweets for double my local sweet shop price to football supporters walking past our house to Wembley Stadium. I had an early lesson in trust, as after returning from one trip indoors to the toilet, I discovered all my sweets were gone!
With a good days work came validation. I learned this early too. What I didn’t realise was that I became dependant on it. The more plates I was able to spin at the same time, the more my external validators were filling me with compliments and stroking my ego. Little did I know I had programmed myself for some major hiccups in the future.
People around me were in awe of what I was able to get done in a day. To them I was a fully blown super mum! In reality I spent most of my time feeling guilty. Guilty for having to leave work on time, guilty for not spending enough quality time with my children of my husband. It felt like I always had just one more thing to do before I could really be present with them. My classic phrase was, “In a minute!” Strangely enough I never said that at work. I thought I was un stoppable. I thought I was the queen of stress. I thought I was holding everything together so well – my work, my family, my home.
Then one day my whole world fell apart. Basically in the blink of an eye I had lost my short term memory, I felt a great sense of shame and extremely vulnerable. I felt like a complete and utter failure, like I had let everyone down – including myself.
My journey back was long and painful, and the good news is I did get back! This experience had stopped me in my tracks, and I clearly knew that I wanted to change the way I lived and experienced life.
My passion is to help other women live their best lives and avoid the painful experience of burnout. For those who have unfortunately been there already, I want to help them not just find their way back, but help them avoid ever feeling that out of control – ever again.
I now love my life. I still work hard, but I managed to get off the treadmill. I check in with myself every day to see how I am treating myself, and ensure I am giving my self the love I truly deserve.
By the way my kids are just amazing, I managed to see the light before I did too much damage. As for my husband – he was and still is the love of my life and every now and again I let him wear the trousers.
If any of this resonates with you. I would love to connect. You’ve got nothing to lose, as the initial call is free. And whether you can see it or not, you are undoubtedly worth it.
Click the link below to book your free 30 minute discovery call. Let’s spend this time together to see if we are a fit , and to see if I can help.
https://calendly.com/ashleygillenlong/30mins-discovery-call
