Recently on the She Does This podcast, Jordy sat down for a raw and eye-opening chat with fitness mogul and mum, Ashy Bines.
Amongst her career in fitness, motherhood and growing an empire, the ladies also chat about how Ashy forgave her trolls and made it through some of her darkest days.
According to Ashy, who now boasts one million followers on Instagram, the early days of digital fitness was a whole different ball game. Eleven years ago, when her venture online began, there was no such thing as an influencer, she explained.
But Ashy and her husband’s enthusiasm in sharing fitness transformation stories and tips on clean eating helped them build an organic digital following that has continued to grow ever since.
In the years that followed, not only has Ashy kicked goals with her online fitness community but she’s developed an activewear line (Baseline); released healthy snack options with Morlife and created a protein shake with Happy Way. Impressive, right?
Her latest achievement is releasing her book, 15 Lessons That Changed My Life – something she touches on in her chat with Jordy.
Importantly, however, Ashy also shed light on the hard truth that there have been difficult times in her life.
She spoke with Jordy about how her mindset and dedication to self-love has helped her through every time.
She went on to explain that throughout her life there have been “emotionally challenging” periods, but that in the end, she’s grateful for the lessons they brought her.
As the ladies discussed the darker times in life, Ashy revealed that an experience with incessant trolling a few years back left her feeling as though she couldn’t breathe. Coming at her from all angles: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even through the concerned messages of friends, the barrage of negativity had her feeling helpless.
The only thing that got Ashy through this troubling time, ironically, was a compassionate headspace.
“There are so many reasons why trolls are trolls,” she said.
“But I just try to come from a place of understanding because fuelling more fire to the situation or hating back, it doesn’t serve anyone.”
Nowadays, she approaches instances of hate online with a really open mind. She told Jordy that if she feels a nasty message might be coming from a place of pain, she’ll reach out and ask if the person on the other end is okay.
Most of the time, she said, this gets an emotional response and diffuses the situation.
“I just try so hard to just be understanding and give love and just be a good person; look in the mirror and be proud of who I am at the end of the day.”
