Life and Work with Karin Ashley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karin Ashley.

So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In my early twenties, I was a loan closer for a major bank in Phoenix, then a loan officer processing my own loans and ultimately an underwriter. I absorbed every new lesson like a sponge and eventually managed a branch office for a Utah bank here in Phoenix. Leadership has been a consistent goal for me. Unfortunately, my career in mortgage banking ended as a result of the Savings and Loan Crisis in the late eighties. Many of us with great skills were out of work during that time and it was the first time I felt vulnerable from a career perspective. There was no certain future in a business that I had invested so much of myself in for almost ten years. So, not having a college degree, I took my severance and registered in a massage therapy school because it seemed like a way to own my own business and control my destiny, fast! That vulnerable feeling was not something I’d ever want to feel again and I had a kid to feed.

I was able to create a successful therapeutic massage business focused on folks who had been injured in car or work accidents. I leased a small room in a health club for personal clients, worked part-time at the Camelback Inn Spa and a few days a week in a chiropractic office. This work fed my psyche because I was able to heal others. However, I started to realize I had just bought myself a job and not a career with growth potential. My propensity for business kept gnawing at me to figure out how I could take my practice further. In Phoenix, massage therapy fell under the umbrella of health care only if billed under a doctor, and the doctor took a percentage, of course. My income was limited by how many doctors I could work for which was governed by time. If I could bring in more clients and hire more therapists, I could build a viable business. So, I leased my condo in Phoenix and moved to Maui where my practice was treated as primary care. This allowed me to bill insurance companies directly and would enable me to have several doctors send patients to me with no percentage expected, hire additional therapists to serve more patients and enable me to offer additional therapies that would help more people and grow my reach. My business plan was bulletproof! I intentionally avoided the Maui tourist market in my business plan because I felt competing with the big resorts was a shot in the foot. That part, I thought, may grow later once I became established.

In mid-1992, I began negotiations with the Lahaina Marriott to manage a new spa they were going to build. This would be a perfect adjunct to move into the tourism world on the Lahaina side of the island, have a branch office for my therapeutic work in Lahaina and still run my Kehei office. I was on the right track! All lanes green! Then, hurricane Iniki hit Kauai and I was out of business in a day! All the Hawaiian insurance companies went bankrupt because of the devastation and they were unable to honor existing and obviously any future billings. Wow! So, ok another massive change in the winds, so to speak! I quickly learned that owning your own business is not a guarantee of safety either.

After I lost my business in Maui, I moved back to Phoenix ready to reinvent myself once again. In order to earn an income, I started working part-time processing mortgage loans while pursuing a degree. I attended Phoenix Community College for two years and transferred to Arizona State University where I ultimately earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering in 1999. It was a big commitment and not an easy path, but I was determined to have a career that was stable! I enjoyed a career in engineering, with a few bob and weaves along the way, until the Financial Crisis in 2008. Yes. Another rug yanked out from under me. Can I get a break?? I had reached Vice President status with an engineering firm in California making a lot more money than I had ever made and enjoying big year-end bonuses! I lost my income, had to short sell my house on the golf course in Grayhawk and lived off my savings until I could land another job. I searched for jobs daily and attended as many networking events as I could. After two years of marketing myself and only one job interview for a job that I was highly over-qualified for (but would have taken it had it been offered!), I was able to get some IT work from a software firm in Northern California. At this point, I was just trying to stay afloat until the climate changed in the economy.

Following the financial crisis, I whimpered along working from home in the software business for a few years. It was not a genre that I enjoyed at all or one that I excelled at, but an income nonetheless. It beat living in my car! I also had a few short-term contracts as a consulting engineer and business development expert. As I am a consummate go-getter and someone who enjoys forging my own path and creating opportunity, I dabbled in landscape design under my own business so that I could capitalize on the engineering degree I had worked so hard for. I designed and built several projects in the Phoenix area, one with a 30,000-gallon swimming pool, spa, grotto, ramada, multiple fire pits, and a playground. That one was a blast! Eventually, I was hired by a local homebuilder to manage building projects in Phoenix. I enjoyed the engineering side of this work, but I was assigned the Management of Homeowners Associations, and considering the fact that I’m not very political, I sucked at that part of the job. I tend to tell people what I think which is not always a good thing! I think I was thrown this responsibility because nobody else wanted to do it and I was the new girl! I eventually left that position in 2016 due to ongoing health issues that I just couldn’t push through anymore. My employer was pushing me to work longer hours, take work home and work weekends. I just couldn’t do it and literally, stay alive.

Having recently healed myself from debilitating illness and changed my life and appearance drastically (from good nutrition and firing my doctors) over a period of two years, I have been pursuing a career in lifestyle, commercial and print modeling and voice-over work. I am signed with two modeling and talent agencies in the Phoenix and Scottsdale and I look forward to meeting new people and learning new skills. If you can’t tell by now, my life is a testament to reinvention! I am in PR -Professional Reinvention! I never give up and never get stuck for long! I love life and dig a challenge, and know what my strengths and weaknesses are.

Has it been a smooth road?
It was smooth for large periods of time, aside from major career-altering events and that I had no control over and my health challenges. I raised a child as a single mother and put myself through a grueling curriculum at ASU, both of which I consider major accomplishments. However, one major challenge in my life and career has been my gender. I hesitate to talk about this topic because I don’t want to sound like I’m on a soapbox. So much of this conversation is happening, but I am talking about MY experiences. Women shouldn’t be penalized for their gender with equal education and experience, or for being the ones who have to take off work to have babies, get dinner on the table, stay home with sick little ones or get them to the doctor or activities. Those have been part of my struggles along with being the only breadwinner, but I dealt with them and moved past them. I ended up choosing a career in engineering that is predominately occupied by men. I don’t think I was trying to make a statement about gender. It had more to do with confirming to myself and others that I have a big brain in my head and I wanted to avoid being treated like the pretty girl who only has limited things to offer the world. I really hope things are changing for younger women and that the challenges I have experienced that have led me to stand up have forged a better path for my young sisters in business.

My biggest struggle as a woman in the corporate world has been sexual harassment. I have had to make coffee, get lunch and stay quiet in a room full of men. In fact, I was called on the carpet in my most recent position for speaking in a meeting and not just sitting there taking notes, and that was as a Manager. I have had to quit jobs because I was being sexually harassed and, during my tenure in corporate, if you complained to human resources about being sexually harassed, especially if it was coming from a man who was high in the pecking order, you had better be ready to have your life dissected, your job threatened and your career ruined. We all knew that this was the climate of corporate life. And, this didn’t happen very long ago. An example of this was in my first job after I graduated from an engineering school (at 40 years old – 2000). To avoid any unwelcome advances (from experience) and to ensure my success as an engineer, I cut my hair so short I looked like a boy, wore tops that covered me all the way to my neck and wore nothing but pantsuits and closed, flat, unfeminine shoes. I was one of only five female engineers at the Phoenix office, and this was an office of several hundred. A Senior Partner at the firm came in my office one day and said: “every man here wants to have sex with you including me, so you better figure out what it is you want”. Of course, I was speechless. What did THAT mean? I was subject to more comments from this man and I didn’t feel like human resources would have my back, so I moved on to another firm rather than fight an uphill battle and feel uncomfortable every day. I was entirely focused on my new career as an engineer. In a career, I had worked so hard for. After I landed a new position, I asked for a meeting with the partners of the previous firm in an effort to help the wonderful women I left behind. I was not the only one that this was happening to at that firm. I told them everything that happened and why I left with the goal of having them do something about it. What they did was bring in THE ONLY female partner in the firm and have her talk to the women. Of course, nothing happened to the Senior Partner who was the culprit. Confirmation that had I stayed, I’d be screwed. Not very long after that, I was fired from my new firm. The owner of my new firm was a former partner at the old firm. Interesting huh? Small community. Am I a trailblazer? Darn right! I have the scars to prove it! This incident caused me so much grief and feeling of uncertainty about my new career that my health started really taking a turn for the worse.

Advise I would give my younger sisters in business are:

1) Try not to be romanced by the idea that you can be all things to all people. You ultimately end up not being anything to anyone because you burn yourself to the ground. Take care of yourself, have boundaries and practice self-care like nobody’s business. You’re not being selfish! Your kids don’t need every minute of your time. They need time to use their imaginations. Know that by allowing yourself and other family members to spend time alone is incredibly healthy for all of you. And, if you’re not already a good procrastinator, learn how! Yes, that’s what I said. Procrastination is a tool in my toolbox. I recall going to a seminar back in my twenties where the moderator’s main message was “Do it Now. Procrastination is the Thief of Time”. He passed out small cards to everyone with this statement on it for us to carry in our wallets and pull out when we needed to kick ourselves. I bought into this idea for quite some time. But now, I call bull on that! What I’ve learned about procrastination is that the thing you thought you needed to get done so badly didn’t really matter in the first place. I’m not saying do it all the time with everything and definitely prioritize, just give yourself a break! Most things are not that important in the long run. If the house isn’t burning down, it can be put off until tomorrow. I’m a big fan of procrastination and a professional.

2) Learn how to adjust on the fly and calculate risk effectively. As you can see by my lifetime in business, you can’t push the river. Sometimes, you just have to flow with it and see where it takes you. You’ve got to be able to alter your course, if necessary. Don’t get stuck in the idea that you will only do one thing in your life, because it may not happen that way. And, for heaven’s sake ENJOY THE RIDE. It gets better and better!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with your business – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I’m am very excited about this season of my life and career. Everything I’ve endured and built-in my life has made me into a person that I am so proud of and has given me some great skills. I am proud of my ability to grow and change. I am proud of how I have developed internally as a woman. But, what I am MOST proud of is that I have been such a positive force in my daughter’s life and career. I am honored that she calls me to get advice on how to navigate her career and bounce ideas off of me. And, that she has become such a successful and powerful force in her own life and career. That is ALL a mother needs!

I am equally proud to have solved my long-standing health issues. And, I have done this by taking the reins and learning how my body works. I suffered from fibromyalgia, chronic migraines, digestive issues, and depression for 25 years which had affected my personal and work life. I’ve been tested, scanned, poked and scoped more than anyone I know. I’ve been sent to pain management until I finally asked them “why do I have to manage pain? Can’t I just get rid of it!” Last year, I fired my doctors and ventured on a quest to use my own body as a lab to test what I had been learning about health in order to figure out what heals me and what hurts me. No more relying on mean data, only MY data. I stopped taking the medications my rheumatologist prescribed (Gabapentin, Hydrocodone, Cymbalta, Lyrica, Prevacid) and fired him. This was after my last appointment with him where I asked him “what is the latest research is on fibromyalgia?” and he said, “oh, I don’t keep up with that”. Wow! You are treating me for a disease that you don’t even care about? Good to know. Just confirmation that he just wasn’t interested in healing me. I had to do it myself.

What I am focused on currently in my career is commercial, print and lifestyle modeling. I have recently been signed by two modeling and talent agencies in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Their specialties are polar opposites and client lists are very different. My Mother Agency is Deborah Maddox Agency in Scottsdale. My pursuit in a modeling career has brought SO many questions from friends and family about what I did to experience such a drastic change in my appearance, so my focus must include my journey back to health. People who have known me a long time probably wonder how I keep bouncing back in every way. They don’t really know how sick I was or how much time I spent in bed, but I’m ready to reveal all these details with the solutions that worked for me. I am finding that my new career in modeling has become a vehicle to do this. Nobody I know has been sicker than me for the period of time I have been sick, as far as I know. But, if I can tell people my story by letting them see the physical transformation that has resulted and help them know their bodies better, that is my goal. I learned how my body works, what hurts it and what heals it from a cellular level. I have a quality of life that I haven’t had in decades, so much so that I can pursue a modeling career at nearly 60 years old! I have lost 55 pounds and gone from a size 14 to a size 6, but more importantly, my brain is on fire and I have an incredible quality of life! This journey has not been weight or looks focused. It has been about getting out of bed and having a life and not continuing to contribute to my own suffering. I felt like I was going to die if I didn’t dig into what the issues were.

What I’ve discovered in that we are slowly being poisoned in this country with sugar, fast food, industrial oils, modified grains, pesticides, industrial meats, and prescription drugs. The obvious things we can avoid, but they sneak these things into everyday consumer goods that we’re feeding ourselves and our kids. People are losing their quality of life and dying agonizing deaths piggybacked on dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer. It’s literally torture. We are called to educate ourselves and trust our own bodies and stop trusting people who really only care about money and not our long-term health and quality of life. We have to listen to our bodies and LEARN how it works. Know what hurts it and what heals it. If it hurts, ask why. And don’t be fooled by a magic pill. There isn’t one. If you’re bloated and uncomfortable, ask why. What are you eating or not eating that makes you feel this way? Be aware of what your body is telling you. If you are in physical pain, you’re tired all the time, your bones are breaking down, or have been thrown any number of medications the medical community vomits your direction, ask why, know that they have their own agenda and say NO. It’s not all of them, but it’s the majority of them because it’s become the norm. If your brain is foggy, it’s not normal! Your brain is directly attached to your gut by the Vagus nerve! What you eat or don’t eat affects your brain! What you consume affects your entire life and leads to disease or health – we choose. This is the soapbox I’d rather spend my energy on and I’m doing it with a modeling career that shows everyone who wants to look that they can find that healthy person inside of them!

What sets me apart from others is that I truly have an important message to share about my health struggles and the solutions I have discovered for myself and can demonstrate it through my modeling. If I can show my younger sisters a better life from a business perspective and a lifetime health perspective, they will be better equipped to bob and weave their way through this wonderful life. And, I would love nothing more than to offer to mentor to any women who need it. I have had a few wonderful mentors in my career and I am so thankful for their knowledge and guidance.

Who have you been inspired by?
In my early career, there weren’t very many strong female role models to speak of. Not on television or at work. I had always been inspired by Amelia Earhart because she did something that a man would be expected to do and not a woman. That intrigued me. I also loved Penelope Pitstop. She was a girl who drove a race car! Again, I was drawn to a female who was able to do something that none of us little girls had thought possible. But, Amelia was dead and Penelope was a cartoon character. Neither were tangible sources for mentoring. I was also enamored by rocker chicks like Cindi Lauper and Joan Jett but I couldn’t play a guitar or sing and didn’t want to. Their personas were strong which drew me to them. Interestingly enough, woman doing a job that typically involved men. But, no women in corporate America who I could emulate or learn from. They just weren’t out there. Then Miss Oprah came along in 1986 and made my head spin!

Oprah could garner the attention of everyone who watched her. But, in the mid-1980s, she was someone who was showing us, young women, what is possible for us. She wasn’t showy like a weather girl or a talking head at 5 pm. She actually had deep topics to discuss. The most important part is that she was so deeply passionate about her impact and leadership. She didn’t say it, but I could always feel it. She was incredibly authentic and we all knew it. And, as I watched her through the years as we’ve both grown and changed, I feel fortunate to have been there in the beginning and had someone like her to admire.

Contact Info:

• Address: Agent: Deborah Maddox Agency
  7135 E. Camelback Rd. #230
  Scottsdale, AZ 85251
• Website: www.Maddoxagency.com 
• Phone: 480-478-2847
• Email: karin.l.ashley@gmail.com
• Instagram: @karin.l.ashley

Image Credit:
Photographer: Kevin Schirmer, Photographer: Michael Luna

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.