We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Weller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
What Makes me happy…this answer has changed so much over my lifetime. I used to measure my happiness by the amount of friends I had, the number of parties and events I was invited to, and if everyone in my life was “happy” with me. Now that I am a mom and my children are graduating high school and college, happiness to me, is nothing tangible. Happiness to me now is something that only I can control. I believe that happiness comes from being content with yourself, your life, the decisions that you are making and how you decide to go through life. I am one hundred percent sure that happiness has everything to do with attitude. If you think about it, everyone goes through ups and downs. Sometimes those downs last longer and many can be more tragic than others, but it is how you rebound from those low times that helps you build that happiness inside. True joy is found when you can be happy no matter what your circumstances are. Walt Disney said that “Happiness is a state of mind, It is  dependent upon the way you look at things.” I do believe that people and things can contribute to your happiness. For example, I am most happy when my family is all together under one roof or I am also most happy when I am at the beach. Happiness has been commercialized and I believe the media has convinced people that they have to have “things” or people in order to be happy. I believe that happiness is found in the simplest things, like sitting at home with your family having a carpet picnic and watching movies or sitting in your backyard on a sunny, breezy day enjoying a cocktail. The more complicated you make it, the less you will find it! I challenge everyone to start a grateful journal, that is something that helps me get through the tough times. I would jot down five things each evening before bed that I was grateful for, little things like…watching my son make a cup of coffee that morning and realizing how grown up and capable he had become, or my dog’s unconditional love, the smell of fresh cut grass or the times that I laugh so hard it hurts. If you begin seeing all of the little blessings in every day, it is hard to miss the happiness!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a Southern lifestyle social influencer that absolutely loves inspiring women and supporting companies through fashion, food, travel, beauty and every day life! I believe what sets me a part from others is that I always try to find the positive in everything. I find that my readers and people really need and appreciate that. I am also one hundred percent real and stay true to my brand and myself. I do not and will not give that up for anyone. I am most excited about working with more travel companies! I love local and world travel and more of that is coming soon! No, it was not easy getting where I am today. I began eight years ago and thought I was “young” for this type of field, soon realizing I was one of the “oldest” influencers in the DFW area. That was a blow, but I stuck to it! At social networking events, in the beginning, it was so hard because I was not that giddy girl I used to be, but I found my groove and realized that that they loved me for who I was, not for how old I was. This business has forced me out of my comfort corner and has presented so many opportunities that I never would have had otherwise! I am very thankful. I want the world to know that I am here and that I want to inspire you to live your best life now! Follow along with me on this crazy journey called life and hopefully we can grow together!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Setting up a week of fun in Dallas for my best friend would consist of…shopping, eating, drinking, hanging out and good quality time! Some of the places we would go, would be… First stop Ida Claire in Dallas for good southern food with beautiful presentation and a fun atmosphere. Village Burger Bar in Watters Creek to get a delicious burger with the best skinny fries and the cheapest drinks around. We would sit out on their patio overlooking the creek and then shop at places like Francesca’s, Versona and stop for a white hot chocolate at Sublime! We would also have to go back and eat at Edith’s, one of my favorites! Legacy Food Hall is such a great place! They would love the gourmet choices of food and then we would shop in Legacy West! Also, while she was visiting, we would visit Legacy West, and eat at Toulouse café, Kai and Earls! I would take her to the Holocaust Museum to see the new Civil rights exhibit, the Perot Museum and the Dallas Museum of Art to see the Kai exhibit and others! We would have a picnic in the middle of Turtle Creek park and also visit the local brewery’s and hop on the tour in Deep Ellum!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people that deserve a shout out in my successes! My family is number one! My husband Jason, son, Austin, daughter, Abby and my awesome mom, Diane. Also, I cannot leave out my dad, he passed two years ago, but I am who I am today because of the man he was. These pople have supported me, put up with me, waited to eat so that I could take photos, they have all been my photographer at one time or another…they are awesome! Second, I have to shout out my “Saucy Posse” this girl group consists of four women that I have been friends with throughout my entire life! Karen Henderson I have known since Kindergarten and knows everything about me and still loves me! Haha. Elyse Guthrie, I have known since ninth grade in high school and we have been through a lot together. She keeps me laughing. Bonnie Lowe, has been my friend since we moved to Allen, Texas. Our boys were best friends and she is amazing, no judgement in her bones at all! Kim Lower, is last and has been my friend for the last eleven years, our first born children dated and we remained friends, always saying that God brought our children together so that we could meet! These people add to my happiness. I would not want to do life without them.

Website: http://www.clickallen.com/top-5
Instagram: www.instagram.com/southernchicstyle
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/ashleyweller
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Schicstyle
Facebook: www.facebook.com/southernchicstyle1
Other: Pinterest- www.pinterest.com/southernchicstyle

Image Credits
photo credits- Victoria Saperstein- homesteadphotography company Gillian Oler Photography