Nashville At Home: Wellness Entrepreneur Ashley Brooke James
Ashley on her front porch (photo by Nicole Dubicki)
“DOWNDOG TO DONUTS” IS THE SWEET NAME OF ONE OF THE MANY WORKSHOPS LED BY NASHVILLE WELLNESS COMPANY, TRILUNA (“AVOCADOS AND ASANAS” IS ANOTHER.) CREATED BY ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESS PARTNERS ASHLEY BROOKE JAMES AND ELIZABETH MOORE, TRILUNA IS ALL ABOUT MAKING WELLNESS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERY BODY AND EVERY COMMUNITY. I THINK THESE LADIES ARE ON TO SOMETHING BIG.
WE HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT “SELF-CARE” THESE DAYS, I wanted to see how a wellness expert practices sUCH CARE at home and ashley graciously obliged. FROM THE MOMENT I STEPPED FOOT INTO HER HOME, I FELT WARM AND WELCOME. HER HERMITAGE HOUSE IS COZY AND REFLECTS THE LOVE BETWEEN ASHLEY AND HER HUSBAND, BERNARD. BUT WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT THEIR HOME ARE THE FAMILY AND SENTIMENTAL TREASURES FULL OF MEANING AND HISTORY AND THE STORIES THEY TELL.
BUT BEFORE WE GET TO HER HOME, LET’S HEAR THE STORY OF HOW TRILUNA WELLNESS CAME TO BE. I LOVE A GOOD ENTREPRENEUR STORY AND THIS IS ONE OF my favorites.
Ashley and her business partner, Elizabeth (Liz) Moore (photo by Mary Craven for TSG Nashville)
FOUR YEARS AGO, ASHLEY WAS MAKING BIG MONEY IN A HIGH PRESSURE CAREER THAT SHE DOMINATED. BUSINESS WISE, SHE WAS KILLING IT, BUT PERSONALLY, ALL THAT SUCCESS CAME AT PRICE. SHE DEVELOPED MIGRAINES, HER BODY BEGAN BREAKING DOWN, AND SHE HAD TROUBLE SLEEPING. SHE STUMBLED ACROSS A YOGA CLASS ONLINE AND THAT VIDEO TRIGGERED A CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT ULTIMATELY CHANGED HER LIFE.
Ashley at Babylon Gardens in Nashville
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR CAREER BEFORE TRILUNA.
I was an IT Healthcare Recruiter and Manager. Cigna, Anthem, Community Health Systems were some of my clients. I travelled constantly—all over the country and was living in hotels. It was a high pressure, stressful and demanding job. It was also very rewarding and I was good at it. I was making wonderful money, more than I really knew what to do with. That money paid for this house.
After about two years, I started getting migraines and tension headaches. I’d get them so bad, I thought I was dying. At one point I got a migraine every night for 3 months straight. I could barely function. At that time, yoga in Nashville was blowing up and I wondered if it could help me so I typed into google, “yoga for migraines” and “Yoga with Adrienne” popped up. I did that video for weeks and realized it was exactly what I needed.
Entryway. The framed photograph is of Ashley and her husband, Bernard. (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)
My mother-in-law (Lillie James) is very holistic and she could see what I was going through. To her, natural essential oils are medicine. My husband says he rarely took medicine as a kid. If he came home with a scraped knee or cough, his mom just slapped oils on him. He says he’s traumatized today because of it! Anytime he sees me with essential oil, he runs the other direction! She knew I was having trouble sleeping so she made me a lotion with lavender, magnesium and valor essential oil. I put that lotion on before bed and I was out. I slept hard. Between yoga and my mother-in-law, my migraines started to fade away and my life started to change.
After I started feeling better, I knew I wanted to work in Wellness in some capacity. It was as if God was telling me “You gotta go. You have to trust me and go.” I went to a sales conference in Detroit and sat and cried in my hotel room. I called my mom and said, “I can’t do this anymore.” I got on a plane and came home. I got my first yoga certification in Phoenica, NY. After I got my second certification in Hatha Yoga, I quit my job and started getting contracts with big companies who hired me to teach their employees yoga.
MIND BODY MAGIC Festival (photo by Alaina Broyles)
WHAT DID YOUR FAMILY THINK WHEN YOU QUIT YOUR JOB?
Both of my parents were very supportive of me but my dad was very shocked at first and had a hard time wrapping his brain around it all. He’s old school. My sister-in-law, Tracee Mathes, is the owner of Swig Life (Swig Life is a premium hydration company offering a variety of cup shapes and designs that cater to women.) My brother spoke with my dad about Tracee’s journey as an entrepreneur and said, “This is Ashley’s opportunity to do her thing. Tracee took a chance and look where she is.” My dad came around pretty quickly, especially when he found out the names of the big companies who were hiring me to help their people.
Abundant Life Adventure Club (photo by Claude Walker)
I was getting my second yoga certification when I met my business partner, Elizabeth (Liz.) She was on the verge of quitting her corporate job and was in the same position I had been in a couple months prior. She was already certified in health coaching and received culinary training from a very well known local chef. So, she left her marketing job and began health coaching and hosting cooking classes full time.
Elizabeth Moore and Ashley (photo by Drae Brown of Drae Brown Photography)
Liz and I decided to join forces and create something that didn’t yet exist in the wellness community. We wanted to create a wellness company that was realistic, sustainable, and brought the community joy! I come from ten years of Sales and Business Development. Liz comes from ten years of Marketing and Branding. We used that experience to create a wellness company. TRILUNA is a pro-donut, non-diet, anti-racist wellness company that specializes in mental health and social justice issues. We provide organizations with wellness experiences through workshops, movement cooking classes, and curated self-care boxes.
Ashley in her Zen Den (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)
“Sister.” Painting by Ashley’s brother, Ralph Mathes. He gave Ashley this painting as a gift for her college graduation.
WAS IT HARD STARTING A BUSINESS OF YOUR OWN? WERE YOU SCARED?
You mean, IS it hard? (laughs) Liz and I both were making great money before launching our business. We were living a certain lifestyle and had to put all that on hold. Starting this business required a lot from both of us. We do the work, create the content, manuals, events and plan the retreats.
It’s a lot of work but we’re not afraid of it. We’ve adapted and I know we are stronger for it. My whole life, even to this day, my dad always asks me, “I raised you to be what?” My answer, “An independent black woman.” All my life, my dad has said that. When I was 4, when I was 16, even when I got married he asked me that question and after I answered he said “Don’t forget.”
Young Ashley with her dad circa 1970s
ON YOUR WEBSITE, www.trilunawellness.com, YOU EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. YOU WRITE, “WE HAVE TO DEVELOP A DEEP AWARENESS OF HOW PRIVILEGE AND WHITE SUPREMACY CULTURE EXIST IN OUR CULTURE AND IN OUR BODIES.” CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?
When I was starting in yoga, there was a lack of representation of black and brown people. I can count on one hand the number of black instructors who were teaching locally and only recently did we start seeing women of color in advertising in Lululemon and Outdoor Voices — two of the most popular retailers of women’s fitness apparel.
(photo by Drae Brown of Drae Brown Photography)
Since launching TRILUNA, Liz and I have been intentional about building a diverse team and community. We have used our voices in the space for so long and it wasn’t until last year, shortly after the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, that the wellness community started to wake up and become active. We launched our Diversity and Inclusion series to help organizations go from active to activated.
Living Room (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)
DOWNDOG TO DONUTS IS WHAT LED ME TO TRILUNA AND YOU. I’LL WALK ACROSS HOT COALS IF THERE’S A DONUT ON THE OTHER SIDE. tell me about your PRO-DONUT stance.
Pro-donut always gets everybody’s attention. We do love donuts and we believe that you can eat all the kale in the world but if you have a ton of stress and negativity in your life, that kale does nothing for you. That’s why we encourage people not to stress over what they put in their mouths and just eat the donut. We believe that Primary foods are what we need to focus on most.
WHAT ARE PRIMARY FOODS?
Primary foods are the foods that feed our souls. Primary foods can look different for everyone. It can be nature, yoga, sex, cooking, music, etc. My best friends were here for a weekend in October and that was primary food for me. Having them here made my soul feel refreshed and honestly made all my secondary food (the actual food we put in our mouths) more enjoyable. We encourage people to find their primary foods. I think we spend too much time worried more about what we’re feeding our bodies instead of what we’re feeding our souls. I know the pandemic has made this even more challenging. People are worried about their jobs, their relationships, all while the world is telling us we are not well enough. If eating a donut is going to help you get through the stress, then eat the damn donut. Don’t worsen your stress by placing guilt or shame on yourself. Eat the donut, enjoy the donut, and move on.
Above: Ashley’s Sunday bath
Below: Ashley in her Zen Den (photos by Julie Lee Simpson)
DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE'VE HEARD THE TERM "SELF-CARE" A LOT. HOW DO YOU PRACTICE SELF-CARE AT HOME?
I start my at-home self-care practice usually by listening to what my mind and body need. It usually involves bringing me back to a place of grounding. I love to sit in my zen den and pray, dream, and meditate. I love being in nature - so I take long walks around my neighborhood. Watching my favorite shows with my husband, yoga, reading, and lots of naps. I take long baths every Sunday to get me prepared for the upcoming week.
Living room (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)
YOU LIVE IN HERMITAGE. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT LIVING HERE?
The water. Percy Priest Lake. I go down to the water’s edge often. Whenever I’m stressed or worried or need to talk to God, he’ll make me show up when I’m near water. Anytime God needs to talk to me, I feel like he pulls me near water.
Family Room (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)
YOUR HOME IS INCREDIBLY COZY AND INVITING. TELL ME AB0UT THE THINGS THAT ARE THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU HERE?
My big green chair for one. I had a family that I used to babysit for and in my junior year of college, my friends and I rented what had been their grandmother’s home. The house was furnished and I would always sit in this one green chair. I claimed it for myself. When we had movie night, everybody knew not to sit in my chair. When it was time to move out, the owner said to me, “I think you missed something.” I looked around and didn’t know what she was talking about. She said, “You forgot your chair. You love it so it’s yours.” I was 23 then and I’ve had this chair in every apartment, condo, and house I’ve lived in. I think it will be with me the rest of my life no matter where I live.
Favorite green chair (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)
The rocking chairs on the front porch also mean a lot to me. They belonged to my husband’s grandma. She loved sitting outside on the porch rocking in those chairs. After she died, they passed to my mother-in-law. My husband and I were visiting her one weekend and I said “Are you enjoying sitting outside in those rocking chairs?” She said “Absolutely not! I don’t like going outside in the heat!.” She told me I could have them if I wanted them so my husband grabbed them and put them in his truck. As soon as I got them home I refinished them and they look amazing.
Rocking chairs (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)
TELL ME ABOUT THE BROOCH BOUQUET IN YOUR BEDROOM. IT’S STRIKING.
That is the bouquet from my wedding day. From the time I was 19, every Thanksgiving, my grandmother would give me a brooch. I had them on specific coats and never took them off. When she passed, the day of her funeral, I went into her room and took one of her brooches. That was our thing. Then one day I was on Pinterest and I saw someone had a made a bouquet of brooches for their wedding, I thought it was a great idea and a way for my grandmother to be present at my wedding. My mom thought it would be a good idea to get some of Bernard’s grandmothers’, his mother’s, and aunts’ brooches. I had all the important women in my life in one bouquet. I love it and its significance.
Brooch Bouquet in Ashley’s bedroom (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)
Ashley’s wedding day, December 3, 2016 (photo by Cindy (Cyd) Blanchard
I LOVE YOUR KITCHEN TABLE AND THE DETAILING ON THE CHAIRS IS SO BEAUTIFUL.
My friends love this table. They say, “This table is dope!” They love that the chairs are on wheels and call the set “Old School Card Table.” One of my friends says the table reminds her of her childhood. It brings me joy and I do think it’s granny chic. I want to redo the fabric on the cushions but my mother’s against it. The table and chairs were a gift from my Aunt.
Kitchen table and chairs gifted to Ashley from her Aunt (photo by Julie Lee Simpson)
FAVORITE THING TO DO IN NASHVILLE?
I love exploring new coffee shops. I love that we have so many local and unique shops that outnumber the chains. I also love to dance. Flamingos is one of my favorite places for me and my friends to go out and dance. We don’t do it enough but when we do, it’s pretty great. And of course I love trying out new yoga places, too. Nashville is full of great yoga studios.
IF YOU COULD HAVE A SECOND HOME ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
The first trip my husband I took together was to Pensacola, Florida. Our dream is to custom build a beach home there one day on the white beaches. So I’d love to have a beach house there. But then recently we went to Chattanooga for the weekend and that made me think I’d love a a lake house!
