About Me

Hi there! I am Ashley and I am a person in recovery from MANY things including substances, mental health, and trauma. I am most proud of being in recovery from substances for 8 years. I got sober when I was 21 at the University of Connecticut. After I got sober, I started having more mental health issues including suicidal thoughts. I had to work on healing an extensive trauma history and my newly diagnosed bipolar disorder.

I live in Colorado and I love it. I am a true mountain girl, although I grew up in an ocean town (Stonington, CT). After work and on the weekends, you can find me out in nature, hiking. Being outside in nature has been very therapeutic for me on my healing journey. I also really enjoy fishing, kayaking, traveling, exploring national parks, and camping. Most importantly, I love my job! I work for an addiction advocacy organization focused on ending the addiction crisis in America.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a person with a hearing disability, I am passionate about creating a voice for marginalized populations and am hoping to create an avenue for more voices to be heard through my blog. You can also hire me to speak at your high school, university, or workplace on the impact of mental health, substance use, and trauma - click on the page “speak” for more information.

This is the Next Generation of Recovery - one of inclusivity for all types of recovery and all types of people. Through my speaking engagements and workshops, I will help schools to redesign their system to become more trauma-informed and supportive of struggling students. Educators are some of the most important people children and young adults will ever have in their lives. I will fully equip them with the knowledge and resources to make a positive impact on their students.