In this episode, Ashley sits down with Britney Willingham, Pilates instructor and founder of Soulful Sister Collective, a community dedicated to the inclusion and empowerment of Black women through curated wellness events. They talk representation, what it means to create an identity-safe space, the realities of building a community you need yourself, and why Soulful Sister Collective has had an immense impact in such a short amount of time.

Connect:

• Soulful Sister Collective: soulfulsistercollective.com
• Social: IG/Facebook/Threads/TikTok @soulfulsistercollective
• Brittany’s classes: Life Time (Station Landing/Medford), Republic (HealthWorks), Dance Complex (Cambridge)

About Britney:

Britney is a movement professional and seasoned fitness instructor, with a special focus in Pilates. She’s dedicated over ten years to leading classes & has had the pleasure of teaching in a variety of studios and wellness spaces throughout New England. Her thoughtfully designed programming is accessible to all levels and focuses on celebrating the body’s strengths through mindful, intentional movement.

Outside of teaching, Britney is a community builder who takes pride in creating spaces that bring people together & empower others through movement. In 2024, Britney founded the Soulful Sister Collective—a wellness community dedicated to the inclusion, appreciation, and empowerment of Black Women. To learn more, visit soulfulsistercollective.com

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

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Amy Leydon has been in the yoga game for over 20 years— and she’s intentionally building a life that feels beautiful.

In this conversation, Ashley and Amy talk about self-esteem, aging, motherhood, and why honoring your capacity is not a lack of ambition but a form of wisdom.

It’s about listening to your body, trusting your timing, and choosing work that fits the life you actually want.

We'll also discuss:

• How Amy went from TV producer to yoga teacher to unexpected studio owner
• The moment yoga became more than “just a workout”
• Designing work around your natural energy instead of forcing a grind
• Aging, menopause, and the shift from nitpicking in the mirror to “not bad, girl”
• How somatic experiencing changed the way Amy teaches and moves through her life
• Motherhood, resentment, and naming what you need before you burn out
• What she looks for in teachers and how she protects the energy at Soma

If you’re craving a version of success that feels embodied and joyful, this episode is meant for you.

About Amy:

Amy (E-RYT 500) is the Co-founder and Director of Soma Yoga. She is a pioneer in the Boston yoga scene and is one of the most sought-after teachers in the city. She utilizes mindfulness meditation and somatic techniques in her teaching to help students connect their minds with their bodies. She makes the practice accessible and uncomplicated so everyone can benefit from this vital work.

Along with her many yoga certifications, Amy is an Intermediate Somatic Experience Practitioner with Peter Levine and a certified Postural and Movement Analyst with Tom Myers. Her private yoga therapy practice caters to individual needs, from reducing stress and anxiety to healing chronic pain. She has studied extensively with Barbara Benagh and Shiva Rea and credits much of her teaching style to their influence.

Amy has been teaching yoga, movement, and mindfulness for over 20 years. She was awarded Best Yoga Teacher in Boston by Boston Magazine, leads 200-hour teacher training and mentorship programs as the Director of Soma Yoga School, and is a contributing teacher at Harvard.

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.

This episode is appropriately titled “Stop Giving Your Power Away” because… whew! Ashley has been staring down the quiet, yet socially rewarded ways she self-betrays: saying yes too fast, over-helping, dropping her own priorities for everyone else, and outsourcing her inner knowing to tech, timelines, and other people’s expectations.

In this conversation, she walks you through:

• A vulnerable New York hotel moment, reading old journals and realizing she’d been looping the same problems all year.
• How self-betrayal can look like being “the helpful one,” “the reliable one,” or “the good mom/wife/friend.”
• Why your body often knows you’re betraying yourself before your brain will admit it.
• How movement and the nervous system can help you access the pause between reaction and response.
• A simple way to use your workouts, cool downs, and even your warmups as a practice ground for self-trust.
• Why relying solely on wearables and data can quietly train you to mistrust your own experience.

If you’ve ever felt that little seed of disappointment in your belly after saying yes when you meant no, this one’s for you. We’re not fixing it overnight—but we are slowing down, paying attention, and taking the next right step further forward together.

Further Forward is about knowing we’re not doing this alone. If this episode supported you, share it with one woman you love and let her know you’re rooting for her, too.

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.

What if "having it all" isn’t aspirational… but a trap?
In today’s episode, I’m with Raena Boston, creator of The Working Momtras, writer, speaker, activist, and HR professional, and we get honest about some of the realities of being a working mother in America:

• The scam of “doing it all" & the trade-offs nobody admits
• Why time freedom beats work titles
• Class anxiety
• Values alignment
• Telling the truth even when it changes relationships
• Paid leave & childcare
• Why motherhood is inherently political.
• The resurrection of the “girl boss” era, and what a more human alternative looks like.

If you’re craving language for your boundaries and a vision bigger than individual hustle, you’re going to feel seen.

More about Raena:

Raena Boston is a writer, HR professional, and an award-winning care activist, as well as a mom of three. Her thought leadership has been featured on NPR and Good Morning America, where she speaks about paid leave, childcare, and working parenthood in America.

Connect: https://www.theworkingmomtras.com/

https://www.instagram.com/theworkingmomtras

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.

What does it mean to care for others without disappearing yourself? In this grounding, yet spacious conversation, Ashley is joined by yoga teachers and bodyworkers Rachelle Pierre and Cassandre “Cass” Titus. Together they explore the rituals that sustain caretakers, how the body quietly tells the truth before burnout screams, what it’s like to be Black women in Boston’s wellness spaces, and why movement and touch have become their home.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for needing rest, struggled to say a full-sentence “no,” or sensed your nervous system fraying at the edges, this episode is a gentle permission slip to come back to yourself.

Key themes: nervous system regulation, the wisdom of the body, finding your people, astrology and yoga, frequency music, creating soft spaces, the importance of touch post-pandemic

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone who needs these words!

Cassandre Titus is a Licensed Practical Nurse, yoga teacher, and Thai bodywork practitioner whose work centers around nervous system care, restorative movement, and community wellness. Drawing from 12 years in healthcare and her experience in teaching yin, restorative, and vinyasa, she helps students and clients embody grounded presence through movement, breath, sound, and mindful touch. Cassandre offers weekly classes, monthly bodywork sessions, seasonally inspired workshops, and emerging virtual resources that support holistic self-care and sustainable well-being.

You can connect with her on Instagram at @cassandre.titus, where she shares gentle practices, reflections, and upcoming offerings designed to help you slow down, soften, and reconnect.

Rachelle Pierre is a hot power yoga teacher, Thai bodyworker, and educator who trains others in intuitive, supportive assisting in the yoga classroom. Rooted in movement as a pathway to clarity, connection, and presence, her work centers on helping students feel grounded, strong, and deeply attuned to their bodies. Through athletic flow and mindful breath, Rachelle creates classes that invite students to meet challenges with curiosity and show up exactly as they are. She weaves together intentional sequencing, embodied awareness, and the potency of mindful touch to support connection, empowerment, and awakening in places where words alone cannot reach.

You can connect with Rachelle through her Linktree, where she shares her weekly teaching schedule and upcoming offerings for deeper practice and embodied exploration.

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.

In this intimate, thoughtful conversation, Ashley sits down with writer and actor Genevieve “Gwen” Kingston to explore what it really means to stay open — to life, to love, to friendship, to creativity — even when fear, grief, or old versions of ourselves try to close us off.

Gwen shares the evolving shape of her identity in adulthood, how writing her memoir changed her relationship to purpose and risk, why softness is a form of strength, and the unexpected ways friendships can hold us through the most difficult seasons.

Together, Ashley and Gwen reflect on becoming, self-awareness, community, grief as a backdrop rather than a headline, and the unglamorous daily courage of simply showing up.

This is a slow, deep, grounding episode about being human, being honest, and choosing openness even when it’s uncomfortable.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The role of female friendships in holding us through grief, change, and adulthood
• What writing a memoir taught Gwen about purpose, timing, and surrender
• How to keep becoming your truest self in your 30s and beyond
• Creativity, fear, and the discipline of sitting down to write
• The quiet bravery required to stay open to love, community, and possibility

Connect with Gwen:

• Gwen’s book: Did I Ever Tell You?
• NYT Modern Love essay: “She Put Her Unspent Love in a Cardboard Box”
• Gwen on Instagram

Books/authors mentioned:

• Educated by Tara Westover (audiobook read by Julia Whelan)
• Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
• Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
• In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
• Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur
• Collective Illusions by Todd Rose
• Sidle Creek by Jolene McIlwain

Misc:

• Botanical Brothers (NYC flower subscription Gwen sends to herself)

Genevieve (Gwen) Kingston is an actor, playwright, and author based in Brooklyn, New York. She holds an MFA in Acting from Brown University and BAs in Theater and Linguistics from UC Berkeley. Her viral essay “She Put Her Unspent Love in a Cardboard Box” appeared in the New York Times Modern Love column in 2021, and her 2024 memoir, Did I Ever Tell You?, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and is currently being translated into 16 languages worldwide.

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.

In today’s work culture, visibility and value are everything- but the systems that decide who gets noticed are deeply flawed.

Executive recruiter, coach, and founder Meghan Houle joins Ashley to discuss confidence without ego, imposter syndrome, and the mindset shifts that help you transition from overlooked to in-demand. Meghan shares her personal journey of overcoming early challenges, embracing self-awareness, and learning to take bold, intentional action in her career.

They dive into the realities of today’s job market- from 9-round interviews and AI screening to the art of authentic networking and personal investment. Meghan also introduces her innovative platform CONCÉ, designed to revolutionize and humanize the recruiting and hiring process, and build a supportive professional community that helps people get seen and get paid.

In this episode:

• Why great candidates get overlooked (and how to fix it)
• How to pitch yourself with quiet conviction
• The truth about recruiters, referrals, and multi-round interviews
• Creating a “personal P&L” and investing in yourself
• Imposter syndrome and the power of self-awareness
• Building community and finding mentors who open doors
• Taking bold action and rewriting limiting beliefs
• Introducing CONCÉ and the realities of building a start-up

Meghan Houle is a globally recognized hiring expert, accredited Career & Business Coach, and newly minted tech founder of CEO of CONCÉ (pronounced Con-SEE) a next-generation concierge-style hiring platform revolutionizing the talent space.

As the “go-to” agency recruiter for CEOs, founders, and visionary business owners, Meghan helps build high-performing teams designed for long-term success and has been celebrated for a multi-decade career marked by over a thousand successful placements.

Meghan has built her reputation through high-touch partnerships with luxury and specialty retail brands across North America.

Her clients include global leaders such as LVMH, Veronica Beard, Victoria Beckham and Christian Louboutin (to name a few)

Positioned as the future of hiring, CONCÉ is an all-in-one solution helping businesses manage every step of the recruitment journey from job description to job offer while introducing the industry's first soft-skills-driven job matchmaking experience within a privately vetted, professional community. Think: RAYA for jobs.

Today, with CONCÉ (beta launching late 2025), Meghan is reimagining recruitment curating a premium private career community with a deeply personalized experience leaning into her signature brand ethos; authenticity, intentional matchmaking, and concierge-level service which will continue to guide her mission: making every career move both empowering and purposeful for both businesses and job seekers alike.

Schedule a hiring strategy session with Meghan: https://calendly.com/mhm-career-concierge/30min

Connect on Instagram:

Meghan Houle https://www.instagram.com/allthingsmeghoule/

Follow CONCÉ https://www.instagram.com/hirewithconce/

Get your business on the CONCÉ waitlist https://hirewithconce.com/waitlist/business

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.

In this solo episode, Ashley gets all the way real about control, surrender, and what happens when the problem… is you.

Through raw honesty and reflection, she explores how we create our own chaos, how to stop chasing approval, and what it really means to soften without losing power. From being late (twice!) to her Pilates training, to confronting her own perfectionism and anger, Ashley reminds us that surrender isn’t weakness — it’s wisdom.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything “right” but still stuck in the same loops, this one’s your mirror.

With her signature mix of truth and tenderness, Ashley explores:

• What control really costs us
• The link between anger, algorithms, and authenticity
• How to stop using productivity or fitness as emotional avoidance
• The quiet courage of surrender
• Why grace is the ultimate teacher

Further Forward: Honest Conversations on the Art of Becoming, is hosted by Ashley Mitchell.

📩 Subscribe to Ashley’s newsletter, Mind & Motion: https://blackgirlmagicmama.substack.com/

🎙️ Follow for new episodes + bts footage: https://www.instagram.com/furtherforwardpod?igsh=MWJuaDFiMjlzcjJ1dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

🌱 Support this work and share it with a friend who’s ready to move further forward.