Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Garrett.
Hi Ashley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Everything I am can be traced back to Disney. When I was growing up in Charlotte, NC, my mom and I would go on Disney World trips every year, sometimes several times per year. I would always cry on the last day of our trip, never wanting to leave. When I was in college, I interned with Disney by participating in the Disney College Program, working in Hollywood Studios as a merchandise hostess. It was incredible and inspired me to graduate from college a semester early to make the permanent move to Orlando. I’ve lived in Orlando for over eight years and worked at Disney for almost four after moving down. I decided that I was ready to try things outside of the hospitality world.
I’ve had my Instagram account, disneygirlie, since 2012. Disneygirlie has always been my identity and will never change, despite the content I post. It’s been almost nine years of posting whatever I wanted, whether that was Disney, running (used to run long distances), or my coffee for the day. I’ve always been the most authentic version of myself that I can be and that has paid off to provide me with so many genuine friendships and amazing opportunities. When you grow slowly and create genuine relationships, you get the support of people who like you for you, no matter the content. I don’t have a huge amount of followers, considering I’ve been around for a decade, but I’ve got a huge amount of friends and have the freedom to be me. I never narrowed myself to one type of content and I enjoy sharing things I’ve learned that may help someone, Orlando must-visit suggestions, and the occasional Disney post.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In terms of being a content creator, it has been easy because it almost fell into my lap. I’ve grown slowly but invested so much into my authenticity and relationship building. I don’t seek out strategies to grow, but I definitely maintain the online family that I have and grow authentically from there. I’ll always be me and welcoming to all.
Professionally in my “real world” career, it has not been an easy road getting to where I wanted to be. I’m a Communications Manager, which has been my dream job for several years. It’s no surprise that with my love of relationship building and content creation, I wanted to work in communications and social media management. Everyone saw my resume full of hospitality and retail experience and wanted to keep me boxed into that field. I finally get to design newsletters, write Press Releases, and manage several social media channels. That’s a huge dream of mine unlocked and I’m glad to see that patience and hard work paid off.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m the Communications Manager for a non-profit and my job is to be a storyteller. I write Press Releases, Newsletters and plan social media posts. I’m always telling the story of people we’re able to help and the people who help us. The work we do matters and the impact deserves to be seen by the world! I absolutely love what I do since getting this position wasn’t easy without a Communications Degree. I have a psychology degree and worked in hospitality for so long that getting interviews for social media or communications positions was near impossible. Beyond of being proud that I landed my dream job, I’m proud that my work gets to document the difference that people make when they uplift each other.
In terms of personal content creation, I post a variety of things. I am known for being a self-love advocate and champion of mental health. I’m as genuine as I can be but hope to inspire others to be the same way. Come as you are – it’s more than enough. Life is too short to insult your body when you should be thanking it for all it can do for you. I’m also known for being obsessed with rescue dogs, going to Dunkin’ twice a day, and wearing my heart on my sleeve.
Contact Info:
- Email: disneygirlieblog@gmail.com
- Website: www.thedisneygirlie.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/disneygirlie
Image Credits
The black flapper dress and dog is by Sarai Maldonado. Orange top of pink dress is by Maria Riboli. Pink puffy skirt and heart skirt with Mickey t shirt is Natalie Emmanuel.
