The Future of MOVE

My friends - I alway do my best be honest and authentic in my work...even and ESPECIALLY when it’s difficult to do. This is one of those times.

When I first started giving workshops, I would feel as though my heart was on fire. When I gave speeches, I felt the words in my heart so deeply, and was constantly brought to tears by how important and needed it was.

Truthfully, the past few workshops I have given have not felt like that. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting too old and I’m unable to relate to younger girls the way I once did or if it’s because issues like body image and mental health don’t affect me as much as they used to or if it’s just something that I’ve outgrown.

Everyone always asks me about the future of MOVE, and what’s going to happen when I got too old to give relatable workshops. I never wanted to have that conversation - thinking about a day when I couldn’t give workshops made me want to slow down time (something that I, an always-excited-for-the-future-kinda-girl NEVER wants).

Yet, that day has come.

Right before my Senior year of high school, an adorable coffee shop called Bittersweet opened up in my hometown. The owner was a determined female, fresh out of art school, named Hope. I had the privilege of working for her. Anyway, Bittersweet is three years old at this point and doing PHENOMENALLY. It’s going so well that Hope is now taking a backstage role and is instead focusing full time on her art...another passion of hers.

When I first read about her decision, I was shocked - I didn’t see it coming at all. Yet, more than that, I was wholly inspired. She has been a role model of mine and she just got even cooler! She created something beautiful - a community of coffee lovers and a beautiful space to work - and NOW, SHE GETS TO MOVE ON AND CREATE OTHER BEAUTIFUL THINGS! And she’s only 26! Think about everything else in store for her!

And that, my friends, is what I want to do with MOVE and with my life. I want to create important and needed things and then when I am ready, I want to let them grow with people who care, while I move on to utilize my talents for the good of the world in another way.

When I told my sister how I felt, I said I was abandoning my child, and she told me that I wasn’t - I was just sending it off to college. And so I am :)

So, what does all of this mean? Well, it means two big things:

1. It means that Lexie and I are going to start to transition into a more behind the scenes role. We are going to start looking for girls to give workshops, instead of us giving them. This MOVEment has always been about you and for you, so it’s only right that you carry it on :) I want YOU to tell your stories. And I cannot WAIT to work with you and to see you grow so beautifully. If you are interested in potentially giving workshops, CLICK HERE FOR THE APPLICATION.

1. It does NOT mean that the MOVEment is ending. The MOVEment WILL continue and I can assure you of that. That being stated, the summer program will run this year and ideally every year after, I will continue to post and speak on these issues, and so on. In fact, summer program registration opens at the end of this week, so GET PSYCHED! All that’s changing is that I’ll be doing more administrative/behind the scenes work, and you’ll be doing the workshops/growing the MOVEment.

That being stated, when I finally admitted that it was time for me to begin to move on, I cried a lot and felt very emotionally vulnerable. You have to understand - MOVE was my everything. Junior year of high school, I made a decision to fully commit to MOVE and my work. And I did....I quit theater, I prioritized MOVE over all other areas of my life, and I devoted hours to it every week and every day. And I wanted to do this for a full time career and financially support myself off of this - I’m even designing my own major for it. I really thought that MOVE was my everything and my future.

Now, I understand that MOVE isn’t my everything….MOVE is just the beginning. And you have no idea how much that excites me. Because if you thought MOVE was good, JUST YOU WAIT TO SEE WHAT I DO NEXT! And if you thought MOVE sucked, well, there’s a lot more to be done, and I can’t wait to improve moving forward.

I’m not sure exactly what my next big thing is, but I do know this much: God will provide and God will direct me where He needs me. I know that one of my largest strengths is in my public speaking ability, and I have a feeling it might have to do with that. And honestly, lately, the more I learn about injustice, the more I feel called to go into the field of public service through politics. I actually looked up the logistics of running for office the other day, so that’s an exciting possibility...Regardless, in the meantime, I will spend my time learning.

I look forward to the future. I’m excited for a lot of things...I’m excited to watch you all step up into larger roles, I’m excited to have the opportunity to mentor amazing individuals and give back, I’m excited to take a small break for the first time in years, I’m excited for God to let me know what He needs me to do, and I am SO beyond excited to find something new that will ignite my soul the way MOVE consistently did.

At this time, I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for what you have given me. The MOVEment has given me quite literally everything, and I don’t even want to think about where or if I would be without it. For what it’s worth, the MOVEment has both saved and given me my life. I will never have enough words to thank you all of you for your continual support and overwhelming kindness.

Finally, I am grateful to my close friends and family for their support in this decision/realization. I was really worried about letting you all down, but I am so grateful that you too have been excited for me and my future.

I can’t wait to create the future, and even moreso, I can’t wait to create it together.

Your MOVE girl forever,

Ashley