Buckeye Wellness Innovator Spotlight – Ashley L. Pryor
12/5/2019 2:29:19 PM | General
Name: Ashley L. Pryor, MA
Title/ Positions: Director of Operations- Rowing/ STEP Faculty Mentor
My Why
In 2016, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, which is a thyroid condition. It was a life changing diagnosis, since I had been a D1 athlete and known to be a force in the gym. However, at that time, I gained over 80 pounds uncontrollably in one year, coupled with hair loss, mood changes that were foreign to my normal zest and withdrawn. I had to make a change and quick. It was eye opening, because simultaneously, my supervisor at the time had just passed away from an autoimmune disorder similar to mine. I saw firsthand what could happen if I didn’t start prioritizing my holistic health – mind & body. So I made a promise I would fight this and one day become an instructor. I had always wanted to be an instructor, so this seemed like the impossible goal that was just crazy enough to jumpstart my next chapter of healthy living.
I started with walking for 10 minutes a day before progressing to more intense workouts over the course of a year. I enrolled in a group fitness training program while working part-time at a gym and full-time at Ohio State. I became a group fitness instructor (and soon-to-be certified personal trainer) to encourage others and serve as a mirror. There aren’t very many women of color in this space and we have a societal notion that to serve in these roles you can’t be curvy. So this is my form of social justice – body positivity, inclusion and access to affordable competent trainers for communities who don’t normally seem themselves in instruction.
Connecting My Why to Buckeye Wellness Innovators
When I became a Buckeye Wellness Innovator, I really wanted to learn how I could give back to Ohio State in a space I am extremely passionate about. In attending my first meeting, the group shared their interest in offering more classes for staff and coaches. Challenge accepted! I was already in the process of opening my own gym so I was familiar with what was needed to execute our initiative. We collected other certified instructors who worked in the department and made it happen.
We are still growing our landscape with this program, however, I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish as a team. We have just submitted a grant to assist with building this platform by adding a nutritional education segment with the classes for the spring and summer. Having these initiatives are important and I am thankful that we, as a university, teach the nine dimensions of wellness because health is a chain and when one link is broken it impacts the function of everything else.
