The Courage Campaign: Fitness Focused Fundraiser

MOM2MOM: Black Maternal Health

Wellness Through Social Justice with Ashley Mitchell

Our guest today currently works in several capacities! Ashley Mitchell is a stay-at-home mom to Zion, Director of the Movement School at Down Under Yoga where she also teaches strength classes, consults in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and most proudly, runs The Courage Campaign, a non-profit founded with her husband Mark. We are so thankful to Ashley for talking with us today about wellness through social justice. 

These Black Women Are Making Boston’s Fitness Scene More Inclusive

Ashley Mitchell, Barry’s Bootcamp Instructor*

Barry’s Bootcamp only has one African American instructor. Yep, that’s right. Only one. And her name is Ashley Mitchell. Previously a Soul Cycle and Orangetheory instructor, she has been teaching in the Red Room for two years now and says that this disconnect is what keeps people of color from trying a Barry’s class or hopping on a bike at Soul Cycle—because no one in the room, or leading the room, looks like them. “I think the more we can immerse ourselves in cultures other than our own, which extends farther than black or white, we develop a wider sense of empathy,” she says. “It creates a space that is more inclusive and eliminates this feeling of other that can exist.”

*As of 2024, Ashley is no longer affiliated with Barry’s Bootcamp

The City Talks: Equity in Wellness | MFA Boston and YW Boston

Ashley Mitchell: Boston Wellness Is White-Washed. Now Is the Time to Be Better

Participating in boutique fitness is like visiting the Land of Oz: It’s a mood. The lights are low, the music is loud, and your instructor is a superstar (and you’re actually friends with her). We dub these spaces “church” and “therapy,” spending a significant portion of our time and money within those walls. However, as a Black woman, navigating around and working in the Boston fitness scene feels like peeling back the curtain only to find an insecure curmudgeon, not the Great and Powerful Oz. It’s like Disney World with the power shut off. 

As the fight for racial equity continues in this country, Black people everywhere are screaming “THIS IS NOT NEW!” I nod in agreement. No, it isn’t. And when it comes to group fitness, the way that we have chosen to build a community of instructors and clients has led me to the following fact: We uphold white supremacy and structures designed to oppress in the Boston wellness community. 

Sit with that for a moment. How does it make you feel to read those words? Defensive? Sad? Guilty? 

By now, you’ve undoubtedly consumed a barrage of memes, documentaries, and books that support this fact, but that doesn’t take away the sting of the word White, next to the word Supremacy, and the implication that somehow YOU helped to create that environment. 

I want you to imagine the studios, gyms, and wellness centers you frequent. Close your eyes and scan your brain for images of the spaces dedicated to keeping you well. Now, think about the merchandise offered at these spaces. Generally speaking, how much does a tank top cost? You’ve forgotten your sports bra and now you have to buy one at the studio. Can you afford it, or do you have to choose between the bra and your weekly groceries? Do they even have your size? If you need anything larger than a size 6, probably not. 

So now you’re walking into class and oops! You’ve spilled your green juice all over the floor. Who comes out of a little broom closet in the back to clean it? Is it someone who looks like you? Do you know their name? Can you communicate with them? 

Walking into class, you find that someone is in the spot you paid for. You march to the front desk to complain. Do those people look like you? If you asked to speak to a manager, would they look like you? If you googled the CEO, would the outcome be the same? 

Finally, you’ve made it into class. (This is where you think you’ve got me, right?) This is where you can say “Ha! My instructor is Black, so the joke is on you!” But I’m curious—how many of the other instructors in the space are Black? What’s the percentage of Black instructors in the entire company? 

We have been conditioned to accept homogeneous spaces as normal spaces. It’s not normal, because it’s incongruent with how the world actually looks. We’ve bubbled up to the point where we’ve tokenized Black people in traditionally white spaces, acknowledged that they’re exceptions to the rule, and moved on. 

My BIPOC peers and I are tired of the excuses. We are tired of being “the only.” We are tired of screaming into a void. We are tired of not being seen. So my question to you is: What are you willing to do about it?

How to Heal and Empower Through Movement with Ashley Mitchell

You’re 6 months into motherhood. How are you? 

I am someone who is always looking for stability and peace. I know that everything is temporary- even the good stuff. I’ve spent a long time really trying to prioritize and center my life on what makes me happy. I think a lot about what I need to say yes to and what I need to say no to in order to make that happen. That preparation has made me weed out people and things because you can’t say yes to everything. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure on moms to say yes to everything and be great at everything. I have no time for that. I’m not playing that game.

What is something that has surprised you about motherhood?

The thing that surprised me the most actually has nothing to do with the baby-  it’s been my body and my weight. I’ve always been an athlete. My father was a professional boxer. My mother runs marathons. I’m a fitness instructor. 

I don’t really know why I listened to other people. Sometimes other moms are really helpful. And sometimes they’re the absolute worst. During pregnancy everyone said to me- you’re in shape, you’re gonna lose the weight right away, or- you’re nursing, you’re just going to lose the weight right away. And I latched on to that. 

And then surprise- I had a c-section, which I wasn’t expecting. It totally changed the game. And here I am, six months post partum and I’m still holding on to 20 pounds. And I’m just shocked. Some days, I can just accept it for what it is. Other days, I feel like my body has totally betrayed me. And I feel like the moms that I listened to totally betrayed me. 

I watched an interview with you where you said “The body is about joy, strength and longevity.” I feel like that’s such a healthy outlook for moms. How do you channel that as a mom?

 Obviously, as a fitness instructor, movement is central not only my daily life, but also to how I make a living. So part of how I feel about bodies, strength, longevity, and overall health is just sort of baked into my daily practice. But I will say that what’s gotten harder is creating space for my own practice because I’m always doing it for other people. 

Work with your partner to create time for you to move your body every day. Secondly, don’t be married to time. Yes, a lot of fitness classes are 45 minutes or 60 minutes or whatever. But if you can get in 15 minutes, then get your 15 minutes. If it’s 20 minutes, get your 20 minutes, if it’s a walk around the block a few times, do that. You have to commit to the small things. I find that the consistency is key for me to not only find the joy, but to find new levels of strength. And so the internal voice in my head keeps saying I may still be 20 pounds over pre pregnancy weight, but I’m strong as hell. You just have to do it and keep doing it keep showing up for yourself.

Breast-feeding and Black Moms by Ashley Mitchell

All new mothers want their babies to be well nourished, no matter how they choose to feed them.

Back in the late 1980s when I was born, my mother, who is biracial, received little to no education on the benefits of breast-feeding. There was sparse representation anywhere of women of color nursing their babies, and formula feeding was the norm among her peers. So that’s what was in my bottle.

But when I became pregnant in late 2020, there was no question about my intention to breast-feed. I learned that there were activists such as Kimberly Seals Allers, who had a mission to make sure people like me received accurate and critical information via campaigns such as Black Breastfeeding Week. My Instagram account also gave me a sense of community during a terrifying and isolating time. My goal was to breast-feed for one year or beyond, as long as I continued to have the desire and the support I needed. I recently marked 19 months of breast-feeding my son, and I feel an overwhelming sense of joy: I am breaking a generational cycle. And a cultural one, too.

The science pertaining to the health benefits of breast milk is undeniable, yet for at least 40 years Black women have breast-fed less than all other racial groups. According to federal data, Black women intend to breast-feed just as much as white women (87.2 percent versus 86.9 percent, respectively), yet have a lower rate of initiation (69.4 percent versus 85.9 percent for white women) and a shorter rate of duration (in 2019, only 17.2 percent of Black babies were exclusively breast-fed at 6 months versus a 25.6 percent national average). As it stands, Black infants experience higher rates of infant mortality, as well as ear infections, diabetes, low birth weights, and other health problems. Breast-feeding for at least six months has been shown to mitigate certain infant illnesses as well as protect the mother, lowering the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, postpartum depression, stress, diabetes, and hypertension. So, why aren’t more Black women breast-feeding?

To find some answers, I spoke with Stephanie DeVane-Johnson, who specializes in the improvement of breast-feeding and health disparities in the Black community. She’s a Black woman, mother, certified nurse-midwife, researcher, and an associate professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. “African-American women have a unique lived experience dating back to historical aspects such as slavery [and] segregation that do impact contemporary health behaviors,” DeVane-Johnson tells me. American chattel slavery set the stage for what Devane-Johnson calls the “different and unique dialogue” African-American women have regarding breast-feeding, and the generational impact that still influences feeding decisions.

Historically, the Black body was the driver of the economy, and the Black female body even more so because of its ability to wet nurse the enslavers’ children, usually to the detriment of their own. As many as 50 percent of infants born into slavery were stillborn or died within the first year of life, often from starvation. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies and other health problems were common. “Forced wet-nursing deprived many Black infants of protective antibodies, affection, and nurturing, that are inherent benefits of breastfeeding,” DeVane Johnson explained in a Journal of Human Lactation article last year. Still, Black women breast-fed their children as much or more than white women did through the 1800s. When infant formula was invented after the Civil War, it was initially advertised to well-off white women, making it seem superior to breast milk. But then came the Fultz quadruplets.

These Black babies became instant “celebrities” as part of a 1946 infant formula marketing scheme that unfairly targeted Black mothers to spread the message that formula was better than breast milk. Today, in-hospital providers are less likely to offer breast-feeding services to Black mothers. The result is a formula-first feeding strategy that’s nine times higher for Black women than for white women.

All of this isn’t to shame the use of formula. “We have to quit making breast-feeding seem like it’s all or nothing. There can be some compromise,” says DeVane-Johnson. “Fed is best.” Some women are on medication that prevents them from nursing their babies, she says, and there are other circumstances that can cause a person to choose not to breast-feed (including personal preference).

As a new mom, I wasn’t prepared for how all-encompassing exclusive breast-feeding is in practice, and I understand why some people have to make other choices. I’m lucky that I’ve had people around me to help me succeed: my husband, a lactation consultant, and a registered dietician. I’m also college-educated, and have health insurance, family leave, a flexible work schedule, financial stability, breast pumps, and other social privileges that make life easier.

I will admit, though, the commentary from within my own family as well as strangers on social media became irritating. Questions like: Is he getting enough nutrition from breast milk? Should you start solids a little early? Or, Wow, you’re STILL breast-feeding? More than that, it was a reminder that for Black women specifically, there are socio-cultural factors at play here.

The intersection of race, class, and culture, coupled with systemic racism, means that the motherhood space is rife with inequity. We’re all running the same race, but we’ve begun at different starting lines. Part of my work as a full-time Black mom and activist is to help change the narrative. DeVane-Johnson’s research and activism give me hope: “I’m wanting to level the playing field and make sure that every Black birthing person who wants to breast-feed is allotted the opportunity and the support to breast-feed successfully.”

This is another reason why social media can be such a valuable tool for representation, visibility, and the shattering of stereotypes. Social media engagement is a proven driver of shifting beliefs and perceptions around breast-feeding, including a willingness to nurse beyond one year. Additionally, the number of Black women choosing to breast-feed is rising, and there has been a much bigger focus on Black maternal health in general. Personally, I’m lucky to have a group of women I can turn to for comedic relief, solidarity, and a whole lot of “Did this happen to you, too?”

As a society, we need to continue to educate ourselves and others. As DeVane Johnson says, we need to normalize breast-feeding at a young age, not wait until reproductive age. We also need to create space for Black researchers, scientists, doulas, lactation consultants, and birth workers, and pressure our policy makers to help more people become cycle breakers, too.

Ashley Mitchell on Creating a More Inclusive Fitness Space, Allyship, Listening to "The Whispers", Mindfulness, & More

This week I have the honor of chatting with Ashley Mitchell (The Courage Campaign & The Conversations in Courage Podcast) all about her journey into becoming a fitness professional, how Boston's (and beyond) fitness space is white centered & how we can change that, allyship, trusting your gut & listening to the whispers, mindfulness, slowing down, pregnancy, advocating for yourself when it comes to healthcare, and SO much more.

Social Justice Advocate, Athlete, Creator of The Courage Campaign — Ashley Mitchell!

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU HAVE NAVIGATED THROUGH THE CHALLENGES THIS YEAR BEING IN SUCH A FRONT FACING PEOPLE INDUSTRY WITH ALL YOU WERE LEADING ON THE FITNESS AND EDUCATION SIDE OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL OFFERING.

 “I just did it. I didn’t grow up in a family that believed in shielding or coddling us when things got tough. It’s my natural instinct to meet challenges head-on, and although I haven’t experienced anything like this year, I was still able to build on previous successes of overcoming hardship. I also have an incredibly small and lovely group of friends, an amazing partner, a roof over my head, food in my belly… so when the low low points came, I didn’t stay there because the abundance outweighs the pain. I guess the navigation lesson is: love yourself and let yourself be loved.” 

AS I KNOW YOUR CAREER JOURNEY HAS BEEN A SERIES OF PIVOTS, FOR SOMEONE LOOKING TO GET OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND EXPLORE A DIFFERENT INDUSTRY, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THEM TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP?

“I would tell them to identify the first step!

Making changes to your life is overwhelming and scary because not only does it affect your mental, physical and spiritual being, it affects your personal relationships, finances… everything. Each decision is a ripple. So decide where it is you want to go, and then work backwards, identifying the steps to the top. Start at one!”

WITH SO MANY PEOPLE BURNING THE CANDLES AT BOTH ENDS THESE DAYS, WHAT ARE YOUR BEST HABITS THAT KEEP YOU MOTIVATED AND INSPIRED EVEN WHEN FACING STRESS AND OVERWHELM?

“I have several! I say no, clear my schedule, move my body, get extra sleep, journal, read, vision board, cook, cuddle my fur babies & Mark, and Marie Kondo my life and relationships. Different situations call for different strategies, so I like to keep a lot in my back pocket and trust my instincts.” 

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO CREATE THE COURAGE CAMPAIGN AND HOW CAN OUR READERS SUPPORT YOUR MISSION?

The Courage Campaign is a nonprofit that provides public schools and communities with high-caliber physical fitness instruction combined with personal development and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

I created The Courage Campaign as a response to what I felt were a lack of coping mechanisms after my father died. Therapy, medication, alcohol, shopping…none of it worked. It only numbed what I was feeling rather than teaching me how to move forward. I also moved to New England and experienced quite a bit of culture shock due to the segregation of Boston and the juxtaposition of having a liberal reputation that isn’t quite put into practice across the board. I thought, if I had such a hard time dealing with trauma, anxiety, and depression- what do the kids who look like me have? What if their parents don’t have the resources? And how can we hold schools accountable? And then I got to work creating what I wish I had. 

Through The Courage Campaign, students of all ages get the physical movement they so desperately need – and that their school’s strive to provide – while also learning about the extraordinary benefits of putting pen to paper through guided introspective journaling to organize their thoughts, and identify their fears, dreams, priorities and greatest inner superpowers. We believe that these tools build lifelong self-care practices that are invaluable and more important than ever in navigating the unprecedented events surrounding them today. The Courage Campaign creates strong minds and bodies today that that will help build a positive tomorrow. 

You can learn more about The Courage Campaign at:  https://www.thecouragecampaign.com/the-courage-campaign.

MANY OF OUR #METHODMASTERS COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE RETAIL PROFESSIONALS, HIRING MANAGERS, AND SR. EXECUTIVES LEADING MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESSES.  AS I KNOW YOU WORKED IN RETAIL WAY BACK IN THE DAY, LOOKING AT THE CURRENT SERVICE/TEAM ENVIRONMENTS WHERE DIVERSITY, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION ARE A BIG TOPIC OF CONVERSATION, IN YOUR OPINION HOW CAN LEADERS BE BETTER AT HIRING FOR MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE TEAMS ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES?

I think the first step is to always look within.

One of the worst things a leader can do is bring a member of a historically marginalized group into an environment that is exclusionary, toxic, or unsafe. That said, I would love to see more leaders and companies hire diversity officers who are invested in the process, and can help lead the charge with appropriate action steps and best practices for internal training, recruiting, hiring, and maintaining an inclusive workplace.

OVERALL “WELLNESS” IS ON EVERYONE’S PRIORITY LIST THIS YEAR, WHAT DOES TRUE WELLNESS LOOK LIKE TO YOU?

An America that is anti-racist and decolonized. Period. 100%. That is the only way we will ever truly be well.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM 2020 AND WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2021?

2020 was/ is all about outlook. If you said it was awful, it was. If you said there were many blessings along the way, that is also true. 2021 for me is just a continuation of what I’ve built in 2020. I could’ve spent 9 months watching Netflix, but I decided I wanted to change a small corner of the world, so that’s what I’ll keep doing! 

Meet Trailblazer Ashley Mitchell

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

Ashley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have to go way, way back for this one! My father was a professional boxer who donned the moniker “The Punching Postman” because he was quite literally delivering mail for the post office by day and knockouts on HBO by night. Watching my father juggle work, training, traveling and family gave me a very real sense of the satisfaction (and sometimes, isolation) that comes from unbridled and irrepressible dream-chasing.

It’s no surprise then that I wanted to become a professional athlete too! Actually, I wanted to be two things- an Olympic runner, and an actress-singer-dancer extraordinaire. No matter how much I delved into sport, there was always an introverted, creative side that just wouldn’t disappear. I’d get nervous as all hell, but I loved being on stage and I would hope and pray that somehow I could make both of my dreams a reality.

In my junior year of high school, I was the lead runner for a badass distance medley relay team, and when we became All-Americans, there was extreme happiness but also a feeling of being finished; checking a box and moving on. Which- when you’re truly and actively pursuing something, you’re never truly “done”, right? I was tired. I’d be competing for 8 years at that point, and I knew I wasn’t Olympic material. I also realized how much I’d given up for a track. I ran year round – for school, in clubs, cross country camp in the summer, through sickness, through injuries… and I didn’t have enough time for theatre.

After high school, I decided to trade in my running shoes for play scripts. So, on the first day of practice, I jogged over to my coach and quit. I’ll be honest… college sucked. I knew what I wanted to do, but I was afraid! My parents had their own ideas about what I “should” be doing, they were upset that I was no longer running, and no one thought I could ever do anything with theatre. Seriously, no one.

At 22, my father died unexpectedly due to complications from a motorcycle accident. It was without a doubt my cue to go after everything I’ve ever wanted with as much gumption and bravery that I could muster. Simply put – I became terrified of dying young, never having fully lived a life I could be proud of.

At 26, I auditioned for about 30 schools to get into a graduate acting program, and when Brown University asked me to join their cohort, I felt I had arrived! It was exactly the validation and step forward that I was looking for. The problem was – I could not drink that kool-aid. I had 12-15 hours per day of rigorous and structured curriculum, race & gender became a cloud that darkened most moments, and to top it all off, I was barely working out anymore. It created a lot of resentment and I felt trapped.

Towards the end of my second year, I was in a movement class and one of my classmates (with closed eyes) threw a wrestling mat into the air, and it hit me in the head, knocked me out, and gave me a concussion that would end up lasting for months.

As I was recovering, and thinking about my next steps, I realized that the concussion was a gift! It was quite literally the smack in the head that said “Ashley! Get out of here!”.

I chose to leave Brown to pursue fitness, and I Never. Looked. Back.

What continues to blow my mind is the fact that I am living the dream I’ve had since I was a little girl. I have found a way to take these skills I’ve cultivated, combine them, and make a living! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have a career that allows me to be authentic and joyful every single day.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
NOTHING IS EVER SMOOTH! (Yes, I’m yelling!) Struggles are to be expected. As is pain, frustration, setbacks… the juice is in how you deal with what you perceive to be a negative experience, and being sharp enough to know when to dig in and when to pivot.

Going after what you want is both solitary and binary; it’s up to YOU to create the life you imagine. You either win or you learn; recalibrate and move on. There are no gray areas!

Where I grew up, people don’t usually choose unconventional careers (such fitness instructor or actor). As such, I’ve always been met with resistance or skepticism about my choices. I credit my dad for being my north star in that he made an unconventional choice and it worked! When he died so unexpectedly, it put me into a dizzying time of depression and introspection. I started taking anti-depressants, gained 25 pounds, smoked way too many cigarettes, and stayed in a toxic relationship out of fear of more loss. It was through those experiences that I ultimately realized how short and precious life is, and that I have to take advantage of every moment, and every gift I’ve been given. And now? I’m taking that feeling and running (sprinting) with it.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m a personal trainer to some of the most wonderful humans I’ve met since moving to New England. I think that what sets me apart is that I’m able to synthesize their goals, filter them through my own knowledge and experience, and then come up with a flexible plan that allows the time and space for a lasting lifestyle change. Working with people who prioritize their own health and wellness, and trust me to help lead that journey is truly a pleasure, and it’s certainly a big part of my focus going forward.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
You MUST cultivate courage. You MUST learn to trust yourself and your instincts. You MUST find the time to sit and be quiet with your thoughts; it is truly the only way to define clear goals for the future. The life we imagine for ourselves isn’t some rigid structure! It requires nurturing and care and the space to have some fluidity. Honor your core values, your fierceness, your strength. Also, sleep and eat well!