Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Aleta V. Ashford.
Hi Dr. Ashford, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up at a time when there was no shortage of women in the family or community to mentor young women. Keeping in line with that tradition, I knew early on in life that I was destined to do something to preserve some of the wisdom and information that I had received from the women in my life. I was in my mid-thirties when I first decided that I wanted to write books to inspire women. Unfortunately, this idea was met with a lot of opposition from close friends and family members who felt strongly that I should simply focus on expanding my career and completing my doctoral degree, and for the next ten years I did just that. I advanced in my corporate career, completed my doctorate, and started teaching business courses at several colleges in the Orlando area. But in my heart, I still had a desire to write books. For fear of being discouraged, I decided to write using the penname “Ava Knows”. The name “Ava” stems from my initials, and the anonymous face in the logo was created using a photo of me posing with a giant Halloween hat. All the clues were there, yet somehow I managed to keep my identity hidden for a considerable amount of time.
After meeting with various publishers and learning more about the pitfalls of becoming a new author, I stepped out on faith and launched my own publishing business, Incessant Publishing, LLC. As a business professor, it was very important to use my business as a model for my students. After years of teaching small business principles and encouraging my students to chase their dreams, I felt strongly that it was time for me to turn some of my lectures into actions!
The first book I published was “Thirteen Friends To Avoid” by Ava Knows. In addition to launching a website and social media pages for the brand, I also started the “Ask Ava” advice blog which was the foundation of the “Ask Ava” advice column that appears regularly in the Sanford Herald Newspaper of Sanford, Florida. As the Ava Knows brand grew, the more difficult it became to remain anonymous. Within a year after publishing my first book, I launched a professional website and social media pages for Dr. Ashford. This made it a lot easier to accept speaking engagements and host book signings for Ava Knows. My initial offerings for the Dr. A platform included event hosting, small business consulting, and guest speaking. And then came Covid…
At the start of the pandemic, several churches and businesses in my local area were struggling with making the transition to operating online. Before I knew it my services extended to creating promos, flyers, and setting up websites and social media pages for churches and small businesses in the Orlando area and beyond. These services are still my biggest money makers to this day and helped to solidify Dr. A as its own brand. With the help of the Sanford Herald, I was able to launch the “Ask Dr. A” column that focuses on business tips and advice for small business owners.
Prior to the pandemic I had been a co-leader of a young women’s group at my church and had even hosted conferences using Thirteen Friends To Avoid as a backdrop. To my surprise, my book was occasionally met with scrutiny by members of the church community. This is mainly because it contains no scriptures or religious references. As a Christian myself, I found this to be extremely hurtful and disappointing. However, as an author, I believed, and still believe that it is important for the Ava Knows brand to be relatable to women regardless of their religious background or lack thereof. The pain of these experiences led to my vowing to never compromise my brand due to religious pressures. Instead, I began developing the foundation for a new ministry. After nearly two years of the church I attended closing its doors, I saw an opportunity to launch my own faith-based platform titled Grounded Jeremiah 29:11 created exclusively for women of faith. This platform has allowed me to exercise my faith and use all my gifts and talents as an author, motivational speaker, business professor, and video editor… Not to mention that I am still the owner of a publishing business that is now focused on publishing women authors. Things have truly come full circle.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Throughout my journey, I have lost friends, and even some family members. In most cases, these were either negative people or people who did not mean me well. Though I knew years ago that I was meant to do more than what I was doing at the time, I listened to other people and sat idle until I was finally able to overcome fear, self doubt and all the voices telling me that I couldn’t do it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Grounded Jeremiah 29:11 is a faith-based initiative created for the sole purpose of bringing women together. Whether you are a ministry leader, small business owner, or just looking to connect with other women on a more spiritual level… Grounded is a place where spiritual encouragement, motivational messaging, business tips and intimate discussions happen all in one place. Real connections with real women! Members of Grounded are encouraged to share upcoming events and activities for their various business and ministry endeavors. Not only does sharing inspire other women, but also helps with networking opportunities not to mention an endless amount of encouragement and support from fellow members.
Grounded started with less than ten members and has grown to more than 2000 followers and over 600 women who are scattered throughout the United States and as far as France, the UK and Africa. Since launching in September of 2021 grounded has featured the stories of dozens of women and is a place where authors, business owners, and ministry leaders can grow and get the support and encouragement that they need on a daily basis. What I love most about Grounded is that it enables women from all walks of life to use their gifts and talents to support and learn from one another. In addition, women learn how to grow their businesses and ministries, and share in each other’s successes. Earlier this year the Grounded platform expanded to include a podcast hosted by “Dr. A” and is dedicated to highlighting the stories of women. The “Grounded Presents” podcast is available on iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Amazon Alexa.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
My biggest lesson has been learning to go with my instincts instead of listening to other people. Each time I attempted to branch out and try something new I was usually met with opposition from some of the people I had around me. This taught me to move in silence and to separate myself from anyone who could not see me in the likeness of where I was trying to go. Most importantly it taught me to believe in myself.
Contact Info:
- Email: groundedjeremiah2911@gmail.com
- Website: www.groundedjeremiah2911.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundedjeremiah2911/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GroundedJeremiah2911
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-QBF3zv7pFd4QD6VSc_Dqg
- Other: aletavashford.com
Image Credits
Staciography Photography
