CEO Stories 093: Turning Your Challenges into Opportunities

Ashley Olivine always had an entrepreneurial brain, but in high school, she suffered a traumatic brain injury that she thought would hold her back for life. But it turned out the very thing that brought her life back to normal would bring her entrepreneurial purpose back to the forefront. Ashley always had an entrepreneurial brain from boat waxing to babysitting.  From a young age she was into making money on her own. In college, she switched majors a few times.  She ended up with a business degree. She thought she would end up in the corporate world, but it just did not work out. She first transitioned from the corporate world because she did not feel like she had a very big purpose.  She was not happy and she had issues with her voice not being heard. She had an opportunity in the health space that she believed in.  She did not have the qualifications, but she went for it anyways. She ended up getting a chance and being top in her training class. Ashley pursued this on the side and then left her corporate job to go full time.   She went for this job, without meeting the qualifications, because of personal reasons.  She had a traumatic brain injury in high school, and she went through a special insomnia program.  This helped her recreate the neuropathways in her brain. Ashley was then able to go on and lead a normal life.  This program was really special to her after saving her life, so she went for it when they were hiring. When working the two jobs, she was single and had the time to do both.  It was very manageable. She became very unsatisfied in her day job, the opportunity arose to go full time in the health job, and it all just unfolded at the proper time. She started in a doctor’s office doing one on one, in person, face to face structured sessions.  She now has online flexibility because her clients had a lot of trouble getting to her. Going online was very relieving.  She was able to devote more of an open schedule.   She treats her schedule and work ethic as if she is in the office, staying away from distractions. She offers both one on one and do it yourself options for curriculum.  The platform she built helps the technological side more smooth for the customers. Ashley is big on setting expectations from the beginning on what the program is going to entail.  The clientele needs to keep their phones off as if they were in a face to face meeting. When she made the first transition to the health space, she did not have a husband or a family.  After getting a family this transition online was whole lot different. She has also branched out the business from just focusing on insomnia to other issues. Ashley now understands what it is like to have children and other issues that impact their health.  She offers open availability to her clients. Take what life gives you.  Throw out all the stuff you worry about.  Stop resisting. Go for it! Turn your challenges into opportunities.   Her being sick was an opportunity to help other clients.