Every Fourth of July weekend New Orleans hosts the exciting and electric Essence Festival. It’s a three day fanfare filled with empowerment seminars, joy filled concerts, and tourists & locals ready to soak up all the NOLA goods – beignets at Cafe Du Monde, hurricanes on Bourbon Street, or the calm sounds from a downtown venue.
It is a weekend I look forward to and a weekend that always seems to pleasantly surprise me. The biggest surprise this year was the addition of the “Path to Power” sessions for business owners and entrepreneurs. I attended the sessions for millennials and I was pleased. Focused on business planning, how to deliver an effective pitch, legal matters, networking, and much more, these sessions tapped into something I haven’t seen at Essence before. As a new entrepreneur, this is just what the doctor ordered.
July 8, 2017 is my official date from my “quitaversary” from the company I served for a decade. [Before you gasp or think I’m crazy. Hear me out. lol] Navigating the waters that are entrepreneurship, my transition from educator to full time entrepreneur has been quite an adventure.
So you’re probably wondering, “What happened? Why did you leave?”
The decision to make an exit and embrace my refocus journey is no fairy tale. There were elements of the good, the bad, and the ugly. At the point of the ugly, I knew it was time to leave and move forward.
Relying on my faith, focus, and fearless pursuit of walking unapologetically to complete my life’s mission, I am creating my own lane. I am in walking in pursuit of my dreams as I continue to pursue writing, speaking, and helping leaders and young people in a positive way.
Since my transition I’ve had the honor of learning from, sharing with, speaking to, and working with some great people and organizations. The Women’s Business Center (WBC), a group of dynamic Primerica’s leaders, and The Secret Place Book Club are a few. In addition, the expertise of some family, friends, and community leaders has been priceless.
One of the greatest things I have been able to do is continue of BrownPearl weekend that started in 2016. This annual weekend is designed to equip the next generation with tools for a stable, successful life. A group of great community leaders joined me in this feat to give the girls tools for greatness. I am so grateful for their time and talents. [Pictured below one of the weekend’s highlights]
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In honor of my “QUITAVERSARY“, on Sunday, July 9, please join me on Periscope as I…
- Give you a sneak peek into reFocus: Coming Back from a Setback.
- Share a snippet of my story
- Provide you 3 key tools to help you stay FOCUSED & navigate the joy, pain, and new realities of transitions (The inside work)
Periscope – Sunday, July 9 – 9:30 PM [Follow @ashleym3710]
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, July 8 – Focus 2 reFocus Private Event in Houston, TX (10 AM – 11:30 AM) – [Register at bit.ly/focus2refocus if you’d like to attend. Limited Space.]
Sunday, July 9 – Focus 2 reFocus Virtual Event on Periscope
9:30 PM
Wednesday, July 12, 2017 – Breakthrough NOLA Career Day [Presenter]
Tuesday, July 18 – Focus 2 reFocus Virtual Event on Periscope
9:30 PM
Tuesday, August 8, 2017 –Relaunch of Focus: A Handbook for Leaders (Updated)
September 2017 – reFocus: Coming Back from a Setback Book Release
Copyright. 2017. Ashley M. Martin. All Rights Reserved.
iamashleym.com 
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