Ep. 95: Rejecting the Status Quo to Forge the Life of Your Dreams with Ash Ambirge

As the founder of the Middle Finger Project, Ash is all about empowering women to bravely take control of their own lives. And she’s a perfect example of doing exactly that! Ash is a small-town girl from rural Pennsylvania who grew up in a trailer park with a mom who suffered from severe social anxiety. Ash had a lot of shame about her situation, and spent her childhood curious about what it was like to do work you were proud of.

Before Ash turned 21, her mom died. This left Ash wondering what to do next. She went to Philadelphia on a journey to finally get an answer to the question of what it looks like to take pride in a good job and to live a good life. There, she got her first job in marketing, where she learned the painful but important lesson that everyone is just guessing as they go.

After achieving so many things that she thought she wanted and becoming solidly middle-class, Ash found that her successes still didn’t feel like a big deal. Her answer to this problem was going back to grad school to study linguistics. When that didn’t bring her the solution either, she explored various subcultures in search of answers.

Part of Ash’s search involved dating a very good-looking man who was content with his life despite not making much money or having aspirations to achieve more. Thinking that might be the answer, Ash threw everything to the wind and decided to live simply. All of this crumbled, though, when she discovered her boyfriend’s stack of fake IDs. She found herself sleeping in her car in parking lots, until a radio announcement of Rihanna’s next album being available for pre-order absolutely changed the course of the rest of her life.

Don’t miss this episode to learn why this advertisement was so powerful, what Ash and I have in common with our fear archetypes, why reminding yourself to be grateful might actually be a sign that you need change, how to know whether it’s time to quit your job and pursue a different life, and why you absolutely need to read Ash’s brand new book! Ash is a seriously incredible woman, and I think our conversation will give you a whole new perspective on taking control of your life.

Highlights

[00:48] – This episode comes to you courtesy of Elite Blog Academy, a program that teaches you to build a successful online business! And you’re invited to grab a FREE copy of Ruth’s bestselling book How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul). Head to this link to get started!
[01:35] – Welcome back to the show! Ruth introduces today’s guest, Ash Ambirge, who’s here to tackle the topics of daring to reject the status quo and create the life you want.
[04:30] – How did Ash get to be doing what she’s doing now, and what’s the background story that has brought her to where she is today?
[07:53] – Ash talks about how she funded her adventures in Philadelphia.
[10:00] – We hear about what happened next after Ash got her first marketing job in Philadelphia, including a funny story about how she ended up with her last name’s pronunciation.
[14:10] – After the shocking discovery she made at her job, Ash quit within a week. Her next job was in advertising, she explains.
[17:45] – Ash discovered, after reaching some success, that she had in fact built herself a prison.
[20:27] – The new man Ash started dating was content despite making relatively little money and having no bigger aspirations. We hear about how her relationship played out, and its consequences.
[23:16] – Ash talks about what happened after she hit rock bottom.
[25:22] – What was Ash’s thought process when she realized that no one was coming to her rescue?
[29:10] – We fast-forward to the present day, with Ash explaining what her business looks like today.
[31:36] – If you can sell one bit of talent to one person, you have a business, Ash points out.
[33:05] – What is the Middle Finger Project all about, and what inspired Ash to start it?
[36:15] – Ash responds to Ruth’s point about other people’s subconscious minds trying to keep them safe.
[36:57] – We hear the memorable story behind how Ash came up with the name of the Middle Finger Project.
[40:50] – Ruth shares her reaction to Ash’s story, and points out how common it is for women to feel powerless.
[42:21] – What are some signs that it’s time to quit your day job and start making your own money?
[45:10] – Ash points out that if you need to keep reminding yourself to be grateful, that’s a sign that something needs to change.
[47:21] – Keep in mind that you can always go back! If you quit your job and try something new that doesn’t work out, you can always go back to what you were doing before.
[48:36] – We learn what Ash’s fear archetype is, and how the related tendencies have played out in her life.
[52:25] – Ash chats about her brand new book, sharing the top three reasons why listeners need to read it.
[56:00] – What is the best piece of advice that Ash has ever received, and why was it so powerful?
[56:46] – Ash talks about the best place to find her online, and she and Ruth commiserate over struggling to keep up on Instagram.
[58:40] – Ruth loves to hear from listeners! Get in touch with questions or topic suggestions via email at ruth@livingwellspendingless.com or on Instagram. And don’t forget to claim your FREE copy of How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul)!