Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Smith.
Hi Ashley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a clinical psychologist by training, with deep expertise in anxiety. I spent years in practice, working one-on-one with patients, helping them overcome anxiety and fear to live better lives. At some point, I realized that everyone, not just my patients, could benefit from some basic psychological skills, which led to me co-founding Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. We design and deliver employee mental health and welbeing trainings.
I am also legally blind. My journey of coming to terms with progressive vision loss propelled me toward the science of happiness and figuring out how to live boldly despite perceived limitations. My professional and personal evolutions have landed me where I am now, a keynote speaker and author on a mission to help people understand how their minds hold them back in both business and life. I am passionate about changing the way people see themselves, others, the world, and what’s possible.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think a smooth road exists! On the entrepreneur/business owner side, there have been lots of struggles. Knowing psychology is not the same as knowing business development, marketing, sales, and technology, so I’ve had to acquire new skills along the way. I’ve had to learn to let go of perfectionism and to embrace experimentation and failing forward.
Personally, getting to where I am now with my vision—accepting of it and living well despite it—was definitely a struggle. I spent years wallowing in fear, sadness, and misery, convinced that there was no way I could be happy, successful, or even independent with (legal) blindness. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that it was my mind, not my vision, that was the real barrier.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
There are a lot of mindset gurus and speakers out there who are fantastic on stage but lack real credibility, and there are really credible professionals who lack the charisma to relay the science in a way that people can actually digest. What makes me unique is my ability to do both. As a psychologist, I have the credentials, the training, and the scientific knowledge to truly help people understand the inner workings of their mind and how their default patterns of thinking and responding keep them stuck in their comfort zones. As a professional speaker, I have a knack for translating all that academic and clinical stuff into relatable and memorable stories and strategies. My gift lies in changing the way people think.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If you want to get a sense for how your mind works (and works against you), check out my TEDx talk Is Your Brain Deceiving You? (Spoiler alert: YES!). Watch it here: https://www.ted.com/talks/ashley_smith_is_your_brain_deceiving_you
You can also get a free chapter from my book, The Way I See It: A Psychologist’s Guide to a Happier Life, in audio and digital format here: https://www.drashleysmith.com/freechapter
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drashleysmith.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drashleysmith/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drashleysmith
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drashleysmith/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drashleysmith
Image Credits
TEDx photo credit: Heather Fenske
