Friday Five - 3/29
A Friday Take on a Business Break
Happy Friday! Heading into the weekend, let’s get present to our day and to our weekend ahead. Here is this week’s Friday Five:
See
Have you made your plan to see the Solar Eclipse on April 8th? Whether you’re close to or in the path of totality or will see a partial eclipse from where you live, these events are pretty rare! So if you’re able to, make a plan for April 8th, order some eclipse glasses, and get ready for the 2024 Solar Eclipse! And just in case, here’s NASA’s safety guide for viewing.
Taste
We are visiting Traverse City, Michigan this weekend and I just learned that it is the cherry capital of the world! In honor of all the cherries I am eating this weekend while here, check out Ravneet Gill’s chocolate cherry trifle recipe. It sounds delicious and I will probably make it when I get home to commemorate this week’s visit.
Smell
A recent study shows that dogs may be able to detect human stress levels by sniffing their breath! Read more about it here!
Hear
Happy Cowboy Carter release day! Beyoncé released her newest country music inspired, but completely unique to Beyoncé, album today. I am loving it so far - there is a little bit of everything on this album - including covers of classics, collaborations with other great artists, and new song that we will love on for years to come. Have you listened yet? Let me know your favorite track in the comments!
Feel/touch/move
How can you be more vulnerable with the people in your life?
In a world where we are expected to have all the answers, present perfectly 24/7, and know exactly where we are headed in life/career/relationships, showing up as our imperfect selves in the face of potential judgment and shame can be hard. But the more that we show up vulnerably with our imperfections and our hearts on our sleeves, the more we can be our true selves. I encourage you to start small - something small that feels vulnerable that you can share or allows you to show your true colors, especially to those close to you. The more you practice, the more you will be able to share and create space for others to do the same.
In the spirit of being more vulnerable, next week things will look a little different around here. The Business Break is transforming into something new and will begin to focus more on human connection, how we can do that in our own lives offline, and how we can lead ourselves and our communities to a better tomorrow. This is a greater reflection of what I am up to as a coach and as a human and I am excited to write more about these ideas and discuss them more with you here.
I will have more information for you on the transition next week! And for now, please know that something that isn’t changing is the Friday Five. Something new that will happen with the Friday Five is that it will begin to include community-suggested elements - things that you love to see, taste, smell, hear, and feel/touch/move!
Here is the link to the discussion thread where you can learn more about community-sourced suggestions for the Friday Five and where you can add your own to be featured!
I look forward to sharing more with you about where this newsletter and community are headed! Please share any Friday Five suggestions via the thread above, and the transition to what’s next will happen in the next few days! Thank you for your support for the Business Break and cheers to pivoting as you go! This is just the beginning of something new and wonderful <3
Have a lovely weekend,
Ashley


I’m excited about what’s next! You are a human connection expert, that much I know for sure.
Excited to see what’s coming up!