Client Love
Chloe Galkin
“I first found Ashley during my daughter’s senior year of High School. Chloe was in the process of applying to college dance programs and was struggling with the process. She struggled with her confidence and would get anxious trying to please and impress everyone she was auditioning for. Ashley worked with Chloe on prepping for her auditions and keeping her confidence up during this grueling time. She gave Chloe tools to calm her nerves and be able to stay focused on her goals. While auditioning, Chloe was also competing in dance competitions, which also had an effect on her confidence. Ashley helped Chloe put everything into perspective and gave her many tools that she still uses to this day. Not only did the tools that Ashley taught Chloe help with dance but it helped her in her life outside of dance. Ashley is warm and compassionate and really cares about her clients. Ashley has been an invaluable source for my daughter from navigating the competition dance world to college auditions and getting through her freshman year of college in the middle of a pandemic. She continues to work with Chloe and I continue to see growth in how she handles herself every day.”
Commercial Dance College Student, NYC
Hadley Koger
“I was in my junior year of college at Pace University when I realized I needed help. I could not take a class without breaking down or forgetting the combo completely due to self-criticism. I realized I needed to change, or I would not have a career in dance. Ashley helped me realize my thoughts are just thoughts, and they do not own who I am or the dancer I am. I learned a plethora of tools and strategies to help quiet my inner critic and build my confidence. I don’t know where I would be today without Ashley. I went from not even being able to audition or take a class to booking the Radio City Christmas Spectacular as an Ensemble dancer. I never had any issues growing up as a competition dancer but was suddenly consumed by these thoughts for a year during college. This shows that sometimes you may be fine and others you may not. It’s okay to ask for help, and it might make a world of a difference as it did for me.”
Professional Dancer, NYC
Gigi Burke
“I saw Ashley speak at an event for our dance studio, and I loved her methods and the way she talked about her life and why she became a coach. I instantly felt my dancer, Gigi, could benefit from her work. Once Gigi started mindset coaching with Ashley, I immediately saw her acting calmer in stressful scenarios at her studio.
Since then, I have seen Gigi not focusing on comparison or negative scenarios at our studio. I haven't heard her mention the same problems as she had in the past. I have asked her, and she says she doesn't notice when these things are happening any longer. To me, this shows she has built up the tools she needs to focus on herself and her training and not the negative aspects of dance that may be going on around her.
Young dancers can benefit from working with Ashley because she can understand them in ways other coaches may not be able to since she is a dancer. Also, laying a foundation of tools to cope with stressful situations in the dance world and beyond is invaluable to their everyday life. I have also recommended Ashley to families with athletes from other sports outside of dance. I truly think she can help so many young athletes the way she has helped Gigi.”
Competitive Dancer
Kentucky Dance Academy
“We first found Ashley through Instagram and were struck by how she spoke compassionately and honestly about the trials of being a dancer, and her practical coping skills were things we immediately began implementing in our own studio. We invited Ashley to lead full studio workshops for our dancers and dance families, and we can’t say enough good things about our experience! Ashley sparked new conversations with our dancers of all ages and provided really valuable insight for us teachers into our dancers and their individual strengths and struggles. The parents were especially grateful for the chance to participate in an open forum directly pertaining to the process of growing a healthy dancer and found her suggestions and additional resources particularly helpful. We are excited to continue our work with Ashley and give our dancers more tools for maintaining their mental health throughout their training!”
-Amanda Whites, Owner & Director of Kentucky Dance Academy
Group Mindset Workshops for Dancers & Parents/Guardians
The Creative Edge
“Ashley did a workshop with our studio’s company dancers in a crazy year before their first competition when they hadn’t been on stage for more than a year due to Covid-19. They were clearly nervous, and with the new guidelines, they didn’t know what to expect. Well, Ashley came and saved the day! She did a core values lesson, a negative self-talk lesson, and calming performance anxiety lesson for our dancers who have been continuously using these tools all season long. The dancers learned a lot about themselves and each other during this workshop. This pandemic has really affected our youth, and this workshop really helped bring out their confidence and helped them feel their feelings in a positive way! Ashley has a very special way of speaking to each age group where they will get the most out of the workshop. Her kindness and empathy for these kids, even through Zoom, made everyone feel comfortable and safe. Our The Creative Edge Dance Academy family is so blessed to have had this opportunity with Ashley and cannot wait to do it again!”
-Caitlin Ritchie, Co-Founder & Artistic Director of The Creative Edge Dance Academy
Group Mindset Workshops