Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Olafsen.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashley. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
When I was 15 years old, I was struggling with poor body image, low self-esteem, mental health challenges, relationship pressures, and so much more. After realizing that all of my friends were struggling as well, I became frustrated. The problems we were facing were immense, life-threatening, and serious; Why wasn’t anyone talking about them? So, I decided to do something. I decided to give a workshop to a group of 8th-grade girls.
During the workshop, we talked openly and honestly about the issues affecting us. At the second workshop, I met a girl named Lexie Phipps, and together we formed an organization called MOVE: Motivate. Overcome. Value. Empower.
Since then, Lexie and I have spent the past few years traveling around New England delivering MOVE self-confidence workshops to middle and high school aged girls. We have primarily focused on issues like body image, self-esteem, mental health, and relationship pressures. Today, Lexie and I have directed FIVE (!) MOVE week-long summer programs, and I have also published two books.
Most recently, I created a ten-part, 90-minute online video series so ANYONE can have my curriculum. During the workshop series, I cover everything from strategies for body-positivity, to how to identify common symptoms of eating disorders, to how to help a friend with a mental health condition, to how to give or decline consent.
Moreover, this workshop series is available for schools to implement into the curriculum, as well as for parents to attain for their daughters. Millis, Foxborough, Ashland, and Woburn have all began implementing the workshop series. I am in communication with many other schools, and look forward to sharing my social-emotional curriculum with as many students as possible.
Moving forward, I am extremely focused on spreading the workshop series to as many middle and high schoolers as possible.
That’s incredibly important work. We’re particularly impressed with the 90-minute online video because of how that makes your work accessible to an even broader set of people dealing with this issues. You’ve made a lot of progress, pretty quickly, has the road been smooth?
Nothing in life goes smoothly, and entrepreneurial ventures are no exception. With everything that I have done, I have faced roadblocks.
Lexie and I actually received a parent phone call after our first joint MOVE workshop, that we used as an opportunity for growth. Because of that negative phone call, we restructured our entire workshop and worked especially hard to create a positive experience for young women.
While writing my first book, I experienced a serious case of writer’s block, and also the imposter syndrome.
What else should we know about your work? Is there a particular focus or specialization?
I specialize in issues that affect young women: body image, self-esteem, mental health, relationship pressures, etc. In doing this work, I am known for my honesty, bravery, and passion. Girls really resonate with my work, because it speaks to them; They are excited to hear me (someone like them), who has gone through similar things as them, share how I have gotten help for my mental health challenges, and share strategies I’ve used to feel confident in my body. Girls appreciate my honesty, and willingness to tackle these issues head-on openly.
I am most proud of my new video series. Growing up, I wanted a curriculum like mine (curriculum that focuses on important issues like mental health) to be in classrooms. And now, at 21, I am creating the curriculum I wish I always had, and actually implementing it into school systems! I feel so proud of that.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was shy in public. That being stated, I had three younger siblings who were extremely willing to play all of the complicated games I created, and I practiced leadership from a young age because of them.
However, I never felt like I was particularly good at anything…. or felt like I was good enough. I had average grades, was a poor musician, a poor athlete, and rather quiet in class. I started doing theater in 7th grade, however, and that changed the course of my life. Theater gave me confidence, public speaking skills, and powerful friendships.
As I got older, my self-esteem dropped, and I struggled in relationships and with my mental health. The work I did with MOVE truly saved me.
Pricing:
- $27 for the 10-part, 90-minute online workshop series, for parents and daughters
- Survival of the Prettiest: the gender, mental health, and sexualization crisis told by a teenager for $17
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashleyolafsen.com
- Instagram: @ashleyolafsen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creatorashleyolafsen/
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