It’s Wednesday again and you know what time is! It’s #WCW. Yes, that’s Woman Crush Wednesday!
Today’s blog features the wonderful Ashley Reale, who is the creator and founder of the company Love Everywhere.
Love Everywhere is about sharing love with others, wherever you go, wherever in the world you are! With every purchase of anyone of her products, you also receive a pack of their signature encouragement cards. This enables you to continue to spread a message of kindness to others.
In an amazing example of the message Ashley is spreading, she has recently partnered with Reebok to share Love Everywhere launching on International Women’s Day in March and running throughout the remainder of 2019.
In this campaign, with every purchase of a pair of Reebok Classic Aztreks, customers will receive a Love Everywhere encouragement card inside each shoe box. The goal of the partnership is to shed light on how simple and easy it is to bring good vibes into the world.
Here’s a bit more in Ashley’s own words!
What or who inspired you to create your business? Tell us about your business.
My goal in life is to cultivate intentional acts of kindness so that people can see love where they did not before. Before I launched my business, I worked in corporate fashion design and felt extremely unfulfilled in my career. It was in these moments of discontent that I found my voice—writing myself notes and plastering them all over my work desk as a means of reminding myself that there was more to this life than the daily grind. Somehow it magically translated to an actual business almost 10 years later where I get to share kindness with the world in my work with my company, Love Everywhere.
We leave notes of encouragement hidden in plain sight for strangers to find. I discovered that sharing kindness in this way was not only changing the lives of complete strangers but also altering and improving the way I viewed the world.
In the past four years (with the help of our community) we have written and distributed over 21,000 handwritten and numbered encouragement notes from my city of Nashville, Tennessee to the Eiffel Tower to the Taj Mahal.
Who saw you and supported your dreams?
My husband, Andy. When I left the corporate fashion world, we moved to Nashville with a 12-week-old baby. I threw myself so deeply into motherhood that I lost myself a bit and my creativity was pretty much nonexistent. Andy saw that I was missing a creative outlet and reminded me of how much I loved encouraging people with my kind notes. He helped me set up a website and Instagram and make it more intentional. He is my biggest cheerleader and always has the best ideas for new products.
What song heals your soul?
A song called “Your Hand in Mine” by Explosions in the Sky. It’s my go to music for journaling and always makes me feel hopeful.
What does it mean to YOU to feel seen?
Feeling seen to me means that I am appreciated and heard. Not like a validation seeking thing, but more of a “hey you matter to me and here is why”. It’s beautiful to be on the receiving side of this, but also so rewarding to be on the giving side!
What’s your go-to, self-care tip?
Every night I have a huge handful of dark chocolate covered açaí berries. It feels like a massive reward for living through another day and it brings me so much joy because I get to indulge my massive sweet tooth!
Growing up, did you play an instrument and/or did you participate in any organized sports? How do you think these activities helped shape you as a person?
In middle school I tried out for cheerleading and didn’t make the team. I tried out for the squad for 3 years after that before I made the team. I was proud of myself for sticking with it until I could achieve the goal and enjoyed two seasons as a basketball cheerleader in high school. I think that entire experience taught me tenacity and the benefits of sticking with it even when you keep hearing “no” or “not yet.” The main sport I played in high school was volleyball. I loved it and learned so much about the importance of teamwork. Also, we lost a lot so there was a lesson there for sure about failure!
What advice would you give your younger self?
The sooner you allow your true self to be seen, the more you’ll find your tribe.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone thinking about starting their own company?
Don’t be afraid to fail. Some of my greatest successes have come from massive failures.
Ashley, WE SEE YOU!! We see you for how driven you are. We recognize you for how you are contributing to sharing kindness around the world. We celebrate your compassion for others and pay it forward spirit.
Ashley is a true beacon of light and embodies what it means to share love everywhere.
Check out her website at https://shareloveeverywhere.com/ to learn more about what Love Everywhere offers. Don’t forget to show her some support by following her on Instagram and Facebook!
