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

Hi Cindy, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?

As a fetus, I was swimming around my mother’s belly sporting jazz hands. I always knew that I was destined to grace stages across the world… but my body had other plans for me.

I was born with a 20% of living, heart failure and structural damage on the left side of my body. I had my 1st heart surgery at 11 days old, my 2nd at 5 years old and a 3rd at 14. I had to have casts on my legs as a toddler in hopes that my legs would grow out correctly and I would be able to walk… let alone dance. I had speech therapy to learn how to speak… let alone sing.

Growing up in and out of hospitals, trying to advocate for myself taught me that my voice didn’t matter. Living with an “invisible” illness and chronic pain my whole life, I learned that because people couldn’t SEE the illness, they didn’t believe my word. Over my life, I have heard, “you look fine” and “don’t be such a drama queen” millions of times.

As a result, I have dedicated my life to learning the art, craft and science of how to get your voice heard and speak from your power.

It has been my life mission to liberate my own voice as the well as the voices of others. I have gone on to train over 1 million businesses on speaking voice, body language, messaging, presence and storytelling so they can have a bigger impact with their purpose. I have also gone on to be an award-winning TV singer, actor, speaker, gracing stages and screens across the world.


Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

My business is all about partnering with my mission-aligned clients on how to speak from their power and land media attention in their business and career so they can have a bigger impact with their work and their voice.

The challenges I faced were:

1. I am a performing artist, first and foremost which means I am ALL about creating deep connection with my audiences. I never felt like I fit in with the business world as it tends to be all about hard core sales, slick marketing and pushing yourself to be seen. I tried to execute standard business practices but they didn’t work for me. Over time, I realized that my success in my business was because I AM an artist which allows me to be creative and fresh in my marketing; truly understand people on a deep level and make authentic connections. The lesson for all of us is to use our strengths and what works for us and not some ‘blueprint of success.’

2. Being seen as a just a ‘speaking trainer.’ Most speaking training is all about canned poses, gestures and speech effects to make you polished. As a performing artist, it’s about being TRUTHFUL in who you are and not trying to be perfect. It’s about being aware of habits you have that make you less powerful or come across as meek, insecure, angry, closed off, etc. And eliminating them. Then it is about learning to BE present in your body so you can truly connect with yourself and others – when people feel like you are listening to them, they feel heard and will buy-in to your message. It’s also about understanding how to enhance your NATURAL speaking voice, body language, presence and energy.

I am no longer seen as ‘just’ a speaking trainer. My life time of results show for themselves.

My brand is all about getting people with a mission, seen and heard on a far greater level. It is more than just learning to be confident in your presentation style. It is about speaking your message from your power and getting visibility so the world takes notice.


Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
How fun! I would start the day with a walk on “The High Line” in NYC! Back in 30’s, there was train that ran parallel to the Hudson river that was several stories above the city. Now it is a 1.45 mile park in the sky. Great views of the city. Fabulous murals by local artists and more. Then we would do lunch at The Standard Hotel and enjoy the city views. In the afternoon, I would take them to Battery Park and take a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. We would head to dinner at Village Taverna which has the BEST Greek food in the city. And end with attending a Broadway show!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My long time business performance coach, Dana Pharant. She has been instrumental in helping me release all the inner turmoil, judgments and shame that were holding me back from truly growing my business. In clearing it out, it allowed my life-long vision to grow into the career and impact I have today. She has also been amazing at teaching me negotiation tactics so I can create great win-wins in all my life and business relationships, while eliminating any unnecessary drama.

Website: https://cindyashton.com/ & https://www.speakfromyourpower.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindyashtonofficial/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindyashton/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindyAshton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindyAshtonOfficial/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cindyashton

Image Credits
Ron Clifford Michael Kushner

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