Further Forward

The podcast is taking a 2-week break as Ashley finishes up a final project for her memoir! We'll be back with fresh episodes on Thursday, July 16th.  Have a safe holiday! Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.  📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion : https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/  🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts...

In this solo episode of Further Forward, Ashley gives a season two check-in, remembering how nourishing and exciting the conversations with Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah- Onukagha & Eliza Shirazi were. Get caught up if you haven't listened! Also, a pregnancy announcement!  From there: the questions we ask pregnant bodies that we'd never ask anyone else, the guilt of being okay when someone e...

If success isn't the answer, then what are we actually chasing? In Part 2, Eliza and I go deeper into body image, perfectionism, identity, teaching, belonging, and the pressure women place on themselves to get everything right. We talk about aging, changing priorities, entrepreneurship, movement, and the freedom that comes from letting go of the idea that there's a finish line waiting fo...

People see the highlight reel. The sold-out classes. The media appearances. The growing brand. What they don't see is the years of uncertainty, reinvention, hard decisions, and quiet work behind the scenes. In this conversation, I sit down with Eliza Shirazi, founder of Kick It by Eliza, to talk about entrepreneurship, community building, movement, leadership, and what success really looks li...

In this episode of Further Forward , Ashley sits down with Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha for a conversation that moves between ambition, motherhood, leadership, Black maternal health, racism in healthcare, joy, faith, and what it means to bet on yourself. Dr. Amutah-Onukagha shares how she built the life she once envisioned, why discomfort is part of growth, and how Black women and birthing peopl...

We're conditioned to believe that every problem can be solved by doing more. More effort. More discipline. More productivity. More hustle. But what if that's exactly what's keeping us stuck? In this first episode of Season 2, Ashley explores the difference between slowing down and stopping, why hustle culture can disconnect us from ourselves, and how a surprising health challenge ta...

Season One of Further Forward is officially complete. ✨ This little mini episode is part reflection, part thank you, and part look ahead at what’s coming next. Over the last year, this podcast has become so much more than I expected. What started as a space for honest conversations has evolved into something deeper — conversations about growth, identity, courage, grief, ambition, healing, belongi...

This week on Further Forward, Ashley sits down with Rachel Lee, founder of Ice Bath Boston, for a conversation about anxiety, burnout, nervous system regulation, recovery, high performance, grief, and what it actually means to feel safe in your own body again. Together, they explore:  why so many women are operating in chronic overload   the connection between breath, stress, and emotional pattern...

This week on Further Forward , Ashley sits down with mental health speaker and somatic coach Ivy Watts for an honest conversation about anxiety, perfectionism, nervous system healing, motherhood, generational patterns, and what it actually means to do “the work.” Together, they explore:  the hidden cost of constantly pushing through   how trauma and conditioning live in the body   why healing isn’...

The health advice nobody wants to hear… Ashley sits down with Nicole Pichette, founder of Live Well Collaborative, to unpack what actually moves the needle when it comes to health— and why so many of us avoid it. From the frustration of traditional medicine to the rise of “quick fixes,” they explore the gap between what we know and what we actually do. Nicole shares her journey from primary care t...

In this episode, Ashley sits down with Massachusetts State Representative Brandy Fluker-Reid for a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation about purpose, leadership, and the long road to becoming who you’re meant to be.  From organizing her first protest in third grade to stepping into elected office years later, Rep. Fluker- Reid shares how advocacy was always part of her story—even when sh...

We’re doing all the things. Working out. Journaling. Meditating. Trying to take care of ourselves in a world that feels like a lot. So why does it still feel like it’s not working? In this conversation, I sit down with Liz Bucar– professor, writer, and author of Beyond Wellness– to unpack what’s really going on beneath the surface of modern wellness. We talk about:  The difference between feeling...

In this solo episode, Ashley shares what shifted after stepping away from social media, why space is essential for creativity, and how self-trust becomes the foundation for real growth. From redefining core values to building something new, this episode explores what it means to move forward with intention— even when it’s messy. Ashley also opens up about:  The five core values currently guiding h...

What if the way we’ve been taught to lead is actually what’s holding us back? In this episode, I sit down with Maya Grevatt- Director of Operations at Artists for Humanity and Chief of Staff at Tomorrow’s Women Today, to talk about leadership, identity, and the quiet beliefs that shape how we move through the world. We unpack the hidden cost of hyper-competence, and why generosity, not ego, might...

Most people don’t think about their pelvic floor until something feels wrong. Leakage. Pain. Tension. Discomfort. Or the quiet sense that something in the body isn’t working the way it used to. In this episode of Further Forward, Ashley sits down with pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Maya Lespinasse, founder of How’s Your Pelvis Physical Therapy , to talk about one of the most misunderstood par...

In this episode of Further Forward , I’m joined by Kate Bergman, founder of Bucket List Boston, for a conversation about building a career that didn’t exist until she created it. We talk about rejection, persistence, social media, entrepreneurship, and what it means to build something meaningful without waiting for permission. From getting rejected three times early on to turning a college passion...

Kim Todd has led Dress for Success Boston for nearly 20 years—and in that time, the organization has served 19,000 women with professional clothing, coaching, and support to not only land jobs, but keep them and build financial independence. In this conversation, Kim and I talk about what service looks like when it’s done with dignity—not savior energy—and how leadership is often something we grow...

In this solo episode, Ashley gets into something she's been sitting with for a while- the difference between chasing certainty and building clarity, and why so many of us have spent years abandoning ourselves in the process. She talks about inside-out living, the darker side of wellness culture, her dad, her own ongoing work, and what forward motion actually looks like. Don't forget to f...

Why does it take years for mothers to get the support we already know they need? We’ve had the data. We’ve had the stories. We’ve had the heartbreak.  In this episode, maternal health advocate Jessie Colbert breaks down how policy shapes maternal mental health — and what we can actually do about it. Jessie and I talk about: what “perinatal mental health” actually means  why postpartum depression i...

This episode is about reinvention, embodiment, and trusting the inner call even when your life looks successful. Ashley sits down with breathwork facilitator and equine-guided practitioner Catie Macken to explore what happens when the life you built no longer feels aligned-  even when it looks successful from the outside. Together, they discuss reinvention, listening to intuition, working through...

Midori Dowdie is the founder of MADSoleful , a holistic health coach, strength and conditioning coach, and Pilates instructor—and she’s teaching us how to just go for it.  In this episode, Midori shares how she pivoted from elementary education to exercise science after noticing how movement transformed her mental health. We talk about the “inner voice” (and how it shows up in the body), the power...

In this episode of Further Forward , Ashley sits down with performer, mother, and diabetes coach Qiana Drew for an honest conversation about bodies, control, shame, and the moment you decide to choose life. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in her early 20s, Qiana shares the realities no one prepared her for: the mental weight of numbers, the danger of insulin omission, and how body image, diet cultu...

If you’ve been setting the same goals year after year and nothing is changing, this episode is for you. From systems and hierarchies to habits and self-trust, this conversation explores what it truly means to live differently now.  This episode weaves together personal reflection, cultural critique, history, and legacy thinking, touching on: Why writing the same goals every year is a signal—not a...

In this episode, Ashley sits down with Britney Willingham, Pilates instructor and founder of Soulful Sister Collective, a community dedicated to the inclusion and empowerment of Black women through curated wellness events. They talk representation, what it means to create an identity-safe space, the realities of building a community you need yourself, and why Soulful Sister Collective has had an i...

Amy Leydon has been in the yoga game for over 20 years— and she’s intentionally building a life that feels beautiful. In this conversation, Ashley and Amy talk about self-esteem, aging, motherhood, and why honoring your capacity is not a lack of ambition but a form of wisdom. It’s about listening to your body, trusting your timing, and choosing work that fits the life you actually want. We'll...