Ashlee Braxton, simply enjoying the present moment, Barcelona, Spain | Photo: Lucie Kirchnerová
As we enter an era where technology increasingly shapes our lives, decisions, and access to information, I believe it's time to ask bigger questions than whether AI can replace us.
Whose voices are shaping the way we think? Who are we trusting to influence our perspectives? And are they really bringing value to the world, or simply keeping us distracted?
What if the next person we need to hear from isn't a celebrity, an established influencer or someone with an impressive title? What if it's you?
I believe our world needs a new generation of knowledge leaders. People who understand that valuable knowledge doesn't only come from professional achievements or academic qualifications. It also comes from lived experience. From the challenges we've faced, the beliefs we've questioned, the moments we've been dismissed, and the lessons we've learned along the way.
And that's where Ashlee comes in.
Ashlee Braxton is a global events professional, emcee, speaker, coach, and creative entrepreneur who has built a career around people, storytelling, and human connection. Having lived across Europe and worked on stages and events around the world, she believes deeply that you can create a life that is bigger than the circumstances you were given.
At the heart of everything she does is a simple belief: humans connect with humans. Whether she’s emceeing a room, producing an event, speaking on stage, coaching someone through finding their voice, or creating an experience for an audience, she is interested in what makes people feel something, connect, and remember.
Her work now focuses heavily on confidence, public speaking, storytelling, and helping people become more comfortable being seen and heard. She is passionate about encouraging people to question the beliefs that have been handed to them and decide for themselves what they want to believe.
And, naturally, she refuses to fit neatly into one box. Her career has always been a collection of people, places, stories, stages, and experiences, all connected by one thing: the belief that the most powerful thing we can bring into a room is ourselves.
I can imagine that growing up with the Braxton name came with both opportunities and challenges. How has that experience shaped who you are today, and what unique power has it given you?
My family gave me the opportunity to travel, which in return gave me the freedom to dream of the world. I realized very early that I could do anything, anywhere. I could see different countries, different cultures, different ways of living, and that completely changed the way I saw the world and, more importantly, the way I saw myself in the world.
After meeting kings and queens, presidents, and people of the monarchy, I understood that they were just like me, and I was just like them. We are the same. Sometimes we put people on these huge pedestals because of their titles, their money, their positions, or what they have accomplished, but at the end of the day, we are all human.
What I believe is that you can do anything if you want to. It’s what allows me to travel the world and participate in events around the world. I don’t have that limitation in my mind. I believe in myself, and that’s the superpower I bring to the table when I’m in front of someone who doesn’t believe. I believe.
And I think that is one of the greatest things my experiences have given me. I don’t automatically assume that something is impossible just because I haven’t done it before. I have seen too much of the world to believe that there is only one way to live.
Ashlee Braxton, showing me the direction she is going, Barcelona, Spain | Photo: Lucie Kirchnerová
Choosing your own path when people already have expectations of who you should be takes courage. What gave you the confidence to build your own identity and voice?
Confidence is a journey of self, and you have to be willing to go deep into that journey. Around the age of 24, I had to face myself, my past, my past beliefs, and ask myself, “Is this who I want to be?”
That was a really important question for me because sometimes we don’t realize how much of our identity has been created by other people. What we believe about ourselves, what we think we are capable of, what we think we deserve, even what we think our life is supposed to look like can come from somewhere else.
I moved to Paris and I started a new life. Being away gave me the space to really start asking myself those questions. I had to figure out who Ashlee was when nobody else was telling me who she was supposed to be.
I feel like now, at the age of 34, I am coming out of that journey, and I’m proud of who I am. My identity, my voice, are a representation of that. I now don’t feel like I have to prove anything. I don’t feel like I need to perform a version of myself that makes other people comfortable.
It’s the honest, most authentic version of myself. And honestly, that feels like confidence to me. Not thinking you are better than everyone else, but finally being comfortable enough in yourself that you don’t need everyone else to validate who you are.
So many women carry experiences of abuse, violence or mistreatment in silence. For women of colour, neurodivergent women and others facing discrimination, that silence can feel even heavier. You've been courageous enough to share parts of your own story. What would you say to someone who knows they need to speak up, but doesn't yet feel safe enough to do so?
It is SCARY to speak up and use your voice, truly. I don’t want to pretend that it isn’t. I think sometimes we tell people, “Just speak up,” as if it’s that simple. It isn’t always simple, especially when you have spent years learning that using your voice has consequences.
But the world needs your voice and not your silence.
Feeling safe, wanting to speak but not having the courage to is inner work. You have to find out why you don’t believe your voice matters. You have to get curious about that. Where did you learn that your opinion didn’t matter? Where did you learn that keeping the peace was more important than telling the truth? Where did you learn that being liked was more important than being honest?
Once you take on that journey, you’ll find your answer. That answer doesn’t define you, but it’s the diving-off point to your freedom.
And I think it is also important to say that using your voice doesn’t always mean screaming your story from the rooftops. Sometimes using your voice starts privately. Sometimes it starts in therapy. Sometimes it starts by admitting something to yourself that you have never been able to say out loud.
This is what I coach, what I teach, and what I encourage people to find. Your voice is already there. The work is figuring out what has made you afraid to use it.
Ashlee Braxton, being fully herself on the rooftop, Barcelona, Spain | Photo: Lucie Kirchnerová
You've spoken openly about overcoming trauma and finding resilience within. During difficult seasons in life, what practices have helped you protect your mental health while continuing to build your career?
Therapy and coaching are beautiful tools. Just like we go to the gym, we go to the physio, we can go to therapy. I don’t understand why we are sometimes so comfortable investing in our physical health but feel like investing in our mental and emotional health is somehow a weakness.
But I try different therapy techniques, different therapists, everything. I don’t think there is one magical answer that works for everyone. Sometimes you have to try things. You have to learn about yourself and figure out what actually helps you.
Mental health is beautiful, and we have so much knowledge on it. There is so much more language now around understanding ourselves, our patterns, our emotions, and the ways that we respond to things.
One of my favorite coaches is Joe Hudson. His outlook and mindset on life completely changed my life. He really challenged the way I looked at my own thoughts and reactions, and that has been incredibly valuable to me.
For me, protecting my mental health has also meant becoming more willing to look at myself honestly. Not just asking, “Why did this happen to me?” but asking, “What am I believing because of what happened to me?” There is a big difference.
You're an emcee, speaker, event professional, coach, podcaster, actress... Many entrepreneurs feel pressured to choose one career path. How are you managing being a multi-faceted entrepreneur without losing your focus?
I love this question. I refuse to be put in a box.
I have had the amazing opportunity in life to do so many different things and build these amazing skills. Why would I ever limit myself and dumb myself down to something that pleases someone else?
Humans are multifaceted beings, and we are constantly building and creating many things at once. Some move at different speeds than others. Some things I am really good at, so they move fast, and other times I am learning. Sometimes something is the priority in my life and sometimes something else needs more attention.
I also think we have become obsessed with the idea that you have to have one title. I don’t think I have ever really worked that way. Everything I have done has taught me something that I can bring into the next thing.
Being an emcee taught me about presence. Events taught me about people. Public speaking taught me about communication. Acting taught me about performance. Coaching taught me about listening and helping people find something within themselves. They all connect.
Losing focus to me is to abandon this mindset when life gets hard and to settle. It’s deciding that because something is taking longer than you thought, you should give it up. I don’t want to do that.
I would rather build a life that actually reflects all of the different parts of me.
Ashlee Braxton, enjoying another beautiful day alive, Barcelona, Spain | Photo: Lucie Kirchnerová
Today you help women with confidence. What helped you discover your authentic voice, and what advice would you give to women who are still afraid of being fully seen or heard?
I have been silenced, and I was silenced by my own family. I had to get out of my own head and realize that in sharing my own voice, it was going to make others angry and make them uncomfortable.
That was a huge realization for me. Because I think for a long time, I believed that if someone was uncomfortable with me, I must have done something wrong. I had to learn that someone else being uncomfortable does not automatically mean that I am wrong.
But just as anything in life, in the positive, there is also negative. You cannot expect everyone to love what you do, agree with you, or understand you. That is part of being a human being with your own thoughts and your own voice.
But the cost of not using my voice only hurt me.
The physical challenges of a silenced voice travel internally. It weighs on your mind, body, and soul. You essentially are poisoning yourself, and you have to ask yourself, “Is that worth it? Is the self-harm you are creating worth it to keep other people happy?”
Really ask yourself that question.
Because eventually, you have to decide whose discomfort you are willing to live with. Are you willing to live with someone else being uncomfortable because you finally told the truth, or are you willing to live with the discomfort of abandoning yourself?
For me, I chose myself.
As someone who spends so much time on stage and in front of audiences, how important do you believe personal branding is? Do you think the way we visually present ourselves influences the opportunities that come our way?
Yes and no.
I think personal branding is important because people experience you before they actually meet you. The way you visually present yourself, the way you communicate, the way you show up online, all of that tells a story. And yes, that story can absolutely influence the opportunities that come your way.
But I also think we can become too obsessed with creating a “brand” and forget that there is an actual human being underneath it.
I don’t want to create this perfect version of Ashlee that looks amazing online but doesn’t feel like me in real life. I want my brand to be an extension of who I actually am. I want people to see my photos, read something I wrote, watch me on stage, and then meet me in person and think, “Yep. That’s her.”
For me, the visual side of branding is powerful when it captures something real. It should communicate something before you ever open your mouth, but it should still be you.
Ashlee Braxton, being vulnerable in front of my camera, Barcelona, Spain | Photo: Lucie Kirchnerová
We had the opportunity to create some images together in Barcelona. What surprised you most about the experience, and what impact do you think having intentional, professional brand imagery has on your business?
We had an amazing experience together, thank you! We had great chemistry. You allowed me to be my extroverted self and express myself, and you took a step back and captured the raw and real essence of who I am.
I think that surprised me because photography can sometimes feel like you are being asked to perform. You are thinking about your face, your body, your clothes, whether you look good, whether you are standing correctly. There can be so much happening in your head that you forget to just be yourself.
You allowed me to relax into it.
I believe this can completely change the way people experience your brand. When you have intentional, professional imagery, you are not just giving people a photo. You are giving them an introduction to you.
And I think that is really important for my business because so much of what I do is about personality, presence, energy, and connection. You need to be able to see some of that.
The images should make someone feel like they know a little bit about you before they ever meet you. That’s what I felt like you captured.
Ashlee Braxton, giving advice to her younger self, Barcelona, Spain | Photo: Lucie Kirchnerová
If you could sit down with your younger self, what would you tell her about confidence, self-worth and using her voice?
I would have so much to say to little Ashlee.
I would tell her that no matter what she was taught, she has the power to ask herself if that way of thinking, living, and believing works for her. If it doesn’t, she has the power to change it and to believe something else.
I think that is something I wish more people understood. Just because someone taught you something does not mean you have to carry it for the rest of your life.
I would tell her that she is allowed to question things. She is allowed to change her mind. She is allowed to decide that something that worked for someone else does not work for her.
I would remind her that her first job working at a library, reading all of those books, the dreams she had of her life, they are real and to never give that up.
Dreaming is something she has to do every day.
I would tell her that she is going to see a lot of things that make her question herself. She is going to meet people who don’t understand her. She is going to have moments where she feels like maybe she is asking for too much or dreaming too big.
And I would tell her not to listen.
I would tell her that her voice matters.
Because it does.
It matters SO much.
My brand story talks about creativity caused by the proximity of the ocean. Does the ocean affect you? If so, how?
I LOVE THE OCEAN.
I had the experience of spending time in Hawaii with Hawaiians who taught me how to love and respect the ocean. That experience really changed my relationship with it. It wasn’t just this beautiful thing that I looked at. I started to understand it as something that deserves respect.
The Earth is about 71% water. We are made up of around 60% water. There is something about that connection that I find really fascinating.
The ocean heals me. It guides me. It gives me courage.
I take a lot of solo trips to the ocean. I appreciate it so much. Next to the ocean is where I feel most at ease and most like myself. I can sit there and think, or not think at all. I can be quiet. I can dream. I can process things.
I love her and respect her so much.
There is a Hawaiian concept, aloha ʻāina, which speaks to a deep love and respect for the land and the natural world. That idea really resonates with me. I think the ocean has taught me that there is something much bigger than me, and that is actually comforting.
When I am next to the ocean, I don’t feel like I need to have everything figured out. I just feel connected. And I think that is where a lot of my creativity comes from.
The ocean gives me space to hear myself again.
Connect and get on stage
Did you enjoy this interview? Connect with Ashlee and learn more about how to find your voice and get on the speaker stage.
WEBSITE: www.ashleebraxton.com
Ashlee Braxton, Personal Branding Photoshoot, Barcelona, Spain | Photo: Lucie Kirchnerová
