Just before she went off to college Ashlee's younger brother died in an ATV accident. With her soon-to-be-divorced parents grieving and her own uncertainty about how to cope with loss, she decided to leave for freshman year. Struggling once she was there, she dropped out and found work to help make her way while she figured out her future.
Within the next year, her mother would die by suicide and Ashlee spiraled into alcohol abuse and drug use. Unable to cope with her grief, Ashlee spent several years without hope and in a self-destructive cycle. But then like a light had turned on inside her, she decided that she didn't want to lose her girlfriend, she didn't want to stay trapped in a pattern of self-destruction, and she was ready to move on and build the life she wished for.
She rekindled her love of writing, enrolled back in school, made the President's List, and believes words are the most therapeutic a person has. In this episode, Ashlee talks about her losses and difficult years, her losses, and how she climbed her way out of her downward spiral.
Connect with Ashlee:
Website
Instagram
Connect With Ronit:
For more about this episode click here!
Instagram
Facebook
Girl Left Behind featuring Judy Temes
Recovering from Diet Culture featuring Stefanie Bonastia
A Dream Come True featuring Robert Miller
Healing Sexual Wounds featuring Leah Carey
Find Your Harbor: Life in the Wake of Loss featuring Margo Fowkes
Shaking off the Past: From Difficult Childhood to a Place of Peace featuring Michael Arterberry
A Better Culture for Women in the Workplace and Beyond featuring Laurel Anne Stark
Life After Childhood on a Commune Featuring Phoebe Pilaro
Generation Cult featuring Dhyana Levey
Parents Who Leave for Cults featuring Lily Dunn
Emma's Laugh: The Gift of Second Chances featuring Diana Kupershmit
Finally Safe at Home featuring Sabrina Osso
Two Sisters on an Organizing Mission featuring Kelly and Katie McNemamin
A Life in 147 Days featuring Andrea Wilson Woods
Strong Like Water featuring Laila Tarraf
Salvation, Injury, and Reinvention: A Football Story featuring Kenneth Scott
Fostering and Nurturing Children with Autism featuring Dr. Lynette Louise
Life After Pregnancy Losses featuring Kim Hooper
From Athlete to Human featuring Kacee Hoffer
Your Body Is Not A Problem featuring Katherine Yasi
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL