About - Ashley Ghose

Transforming Stress into Strength

Who I Am

Welcome! I'm Ashley M Ghose a Physical Therapist turned Life Coach, a wife, a mom to two incredible teenagers, and a recovering perfectionist who spent years running on empty before I learned there was another way.

I learned the hard way that you can’t think your way out of patterns wired into your nervous system. Now I guide overwhelmed working moms transform their stress into strength

My Story

Growing up, I was a dancer. Movement was my release, my expression, my joy. When injuries sidelined me and I couldn’t find medical professionals who truly understood how to help dancers heal, I decided to become one. I became a Physical Therapist in 2006 with a mission: to help other dancers avoid what I went through.

But life had other plans.

When I started practicing, I discovered another patient population that desperately needed support, and since my Michigan town didn’t have many dancers, I poured myself into helping them instead.

For the first few years, I threw myself into the work. I wanted to be good at what I did. I wanted to help people heal. And I did.

But once I became a mother, the staying later and later to finish paperwork started to take its toll. Working longer hours. Missing more dinners. Losing more pieces of myself.

The Day That Changed Everything

I remember it vividly.

I was rushing home from work, only to miss dinner with my family. Again.

“I can’t believe I let it happen again,” I thought to myself.

I stood frozen in the kitchen, still holding my work bag, as waves of anger and disappointment washed over me. My 8-year-old daughter ran up to hug me, then pulled away beaming. “Look, Mom, we made you a plate of dinner just for you.”

I was fighting back tears, sadness, disappointment, frustration. How many more dinners will I miss?

My 4-year-old son grabbed my hand. “Com’ on, Mom,” he said, pulling me into the family room to watch a bedtime show with him.

I kissed my kids and told them I’d be back after I changed out of my work clothes.

As I dragged myself up the stairs, the thoughts started spiraling:

If you were a better physical therapist, you wouldn’t have to stay late to finish paperwork.

If you were a better mother, a better wife, you would spend more time with your family.

I was unsure how much more of this I could take. It was breaking my heart.

My Rock Bottom

By the time I made it up to my bedroom, I collapsed onto my bed and sat there hysterically crying in the dark. I didn’t know how my life had gotten to this point. Mascara running down my face as flashes of all the times I screwed up ran through my head.

After a while of replaying what I considered past failures in my head, I took a deep breath to help me slow my crying down. As a calmness washed over me, I heard a voice, quiet but clear:

“You are not here on earth to live a miserable life.”
Really?

I didn’t believe what I heard. Yet, as I continued to calm myself down and contemplated that message, maybe it was right.

At that moment, I decided to explore if that message was true: I was not here on earth to live a miserable life.

Enough Was Enough

I vowed to myself that I would look for ways to bring balance to my life, allowing me to enjoy my career and spend time with my family.

After sharing what happened that night with my husband, with his support I made one small change in my life to start reconnecting to the art community.

As that became a normal thing, I started looking for other support, therapy, then coaching, then community. I put in the work to implement the tools and strategies I was learning, to become a role model for my family, change my mindset, understand my emotions, and start being the person I wanted to be in the world.

Finally, I started teaching these tools to my physical therapy patients, who started getting amazing results.

Fast Forward

Two years after that night on my bed, I was well on my way to enjoying my career and spending quality time with my family.

Six years later, so much had changed for the better.

I continued learning, diving deeper into the science of wellbeing, exploring brain-based healing, connecting with communities focused on growth and transformation. The more I learned, the more I healed. And the more I healed, the more I wanted to help others do the same.

I eventually retired from physical therapy to focus fully on coaching, helping women find their way back to themselves the way I had found my way back to me.

It wasn’t easy.

But it sure was worth it.

Life's Not Perfect

To be fully transparent: my life is not perfect. Neither am I. Nor do I strive for perfection.

I still have hard days. I still get overwhelmed. I still struggle sometimes with balancing it all.

Yet, here’s what’s different now: I have tools that actually work. I have support I can lean on. I’ve learned how to struggle well how to pause when my nervous system is screaming, how to reconnect with myself when I feel lost in all the roles I carry, how to ask for help without guilt.

I’m still growing. Still learning. Still discovering new things about myself.

And that’s exactly how it should be.

My Life Now

Today, I spend my time coaching women who feel the way I used to feel. My teenagers keep me busy, as does spending time with my friends and extended family. I dance, paint, cross-stitch, walk outside, and garden the things that light me up. I help my teenagers discover what lights them up. And I’m grateful every single day that I get to do work that matters while being present for the people I love.

I was born and raised in Midland, Michigan, and I can’t imagine a better place to raise my family.

The Woman Behind the Work

The training that grounds this work, the vision that drives it, the women it's made for, and the approach that makes it different.

My Background

Doctor of Physical Therapy (2006)
Retired from Physical Therapy Practice (2019)
Founder, Ashley M Ghose Coaching (July 2019)
Certificate in the Science of Wellbeing (2023)
Lead Assistant, Midland Area Wellbeing Coalition (2024)
Cortina Method Practitioner (2024)
Certified Coach (2025)
ICF ACC Certification (in progress, March 2026)

Contributing Author, Transforming Trauma: Inspiring Stories & Powerful Tools to Manifesting Peace, Hope, and Healing

My Approach

I believe you can’t think your way out of patterns wired into your nervous system. That’s why my work addresses root causes stored stress, limiting beliefs, nervous system patterns not just surface symptoms.

Real, lasting change requires a holistic approach. I combine science-backed tools like the Cortina Method, positive psychology, and nervous system regulation with a strengths-based lens. This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about helping you reconnect with who you are beneath the overwhelm.

Who I Work With

I work with women who feel stretched thin, running on empty. Women who’ve tried the books and podcasts but still feel stuck and who have realized they can’t keep living this way and are ready to be done living in survival mode. If that’s you, I’d love to talk.

My Vision

My vision is a world where moms can thrive in every aspect of their lives without feeling overwhelmed or burdened by guilt. I envision a future where moms/women have the tools and support they need to create harmony, find joy, and pursue their purpose with confidence.

Because here’s what I learned that night sitting on my bed:

You are not here on earth to live a miserable life.

And neither am I. And neither are you.

How I'm Breaking Stigmas Around Mental Health

I’m proud to be part of the iMatter Anti-Stigma Campaign, which aims to decrease stigmas and open up the conversation around mental health. The truth is, everyone deals with mental health regardless of demographics, environments, or experiences.

My contribution to this campaign shares another part of my story: how therapy became a turning point in my healing journey. Breaking the silence around mental health struggles isn’t just important work it’s personal. And I’m honored to use my story to help other women realize that seeking support isn’t weakness. It’s strength.

LET'S TALK

Want to talk about what’s possible for you?