MEET ASH
This year, we're thrilled to be celebrating International Women's Day with the Founder of Hype Girl Social Club, Ash!
Hype Girl Social Club is a community-driven initiative dedicated to empowering women through connection, movement, and support. As a physiotherapist, mindset coach, and content creator, Ash's mission is to help women feel confident, strong, and unapologetically themselves.
We're collaborating with Ash for International Women's Day to celebrate her incredible work in creating a space that fosters friendship, personal growth, and empowerment for women. Her journey of building a thriving community from the ground up is an inspiring example of resilience and passion, making her the perfect partner for this special occasion.
Firstly, tell us a little bit about yourself!
I am literally just a girrrrllll (who accidentally started a business). I'm 31, and live in Elwood with my hype-husband, Nic & fur baby, Nacho. I'm a Physiotherapist with a background in Women's Health, and still work during the week as a Physio (Hype Girl Social Club is still very much a side hustle despite it taking up more time than my "real" job). I'm also a mindset coach, content creator, story teller, and boogie-enthusiast who, evidently, isn't very good at sitting still.
Was creating a space to empower women always something you dreamed of doing, or did the idea of Hype Girl Social Club evolve over time based on your experiences?
Absolutely not! I actually didn't put a lot of thought into it at all. Obviously subconsciously my own experiences played into it--feeling lonely in my early twenties, my background as a women's health professional and knowing all the barriers that prevent women from moving their bodies as well as the mental and physical health benefits of both physical activity and community & connection, and my experience as a mindset coach who loves empowering women to be unapologetically themselves. But the idea to start a walk club was not at all very well thought out. Armed with a canva pro account and an idea, I whipped up a logo, made an instagram account, and put it up on tiktok the night before our first walk. I genuinely didn't think anyone would even show up - I actually organised a friend to meet me so at least if no one came I wouldn't cry and could just say I was meeting up with a friend instead haha. But I woke up to that one video going viral, I think it had like 300 saves or something (it's since had 48k views) and I legitimately panicked-- like omg what if 300 people show up, I wouldn't know what to do with them! BUT instead 17 showed up, which completely blew me away, and it was pretty instant that I knew I was onto something.
Since then, I have just been growing with the community. Within a couple of months they wanted more opportunities to connect, so I started running events (with zero background in events), people wanted merch so I used my little canva pro account to design some merch, and it's just been growing astronomically ever since.
As a busy founder, how do you maintain a healthy work-life balance, and what does self-care look like for you in the midst of your entrepreneurial journey?
Truthfully, I don't. I try to be as open and authentic as I can in everything I do and share online, and one of those things is being really mindful of not glorifying the hustle I'm currently in. I am well aware that my current work rate is unsustainable, but as anyone who's tried to grow a side hustle whilst also working a "normal" job will probably tell you, that's the reality of it. I'm constantly injured. I get sick and run down a lot. I cry regularly. It's such a tough balance between wanting to say yes to exciting opportunities whilst also managing my own energy and health. I was diagnosed with ADHD mid-last year, and that has been a very big journey of self discovery and learning so much about myself and my own brain (like why spreadsheets give me a visceral reaction and why I paid for a website 12 months ago and still haven't published it...), but it's also helped me be a lot kinder to myself and understanding that my entrepreneurial journey probably won't look like other people's and that's okay too. I've started seeing a Psychologist and am really open about that because it's honestly been one of the best forms of self care I've ever invested in. And of course, I try to move my body daily, even if that's just a little 15 minute pilates at home or a walk down the street (to get coffee and sweet treats... obviously), because I know that helps me so much with whatever it is that I have going on.
Who are some women that have inspired you throughout your career, and how have their stories influenced the way you approach your business?
I'm very fortunate enough to work with KIC as their Physiotherapist & Women's Health Educator, and both Steph and Laura have been incredible inspirations, mentors and supports for me throughout my Hype Girl Social Club journey. A lot of the people in my life have had very traditional, stable, 9-5 careers, and sometimes I find it hard explaining to them what I'm doing with Hype Girl Social Club. When people ask me what I do for work, I still sometimes catch myself answering with "I'm a Physio, and I run a little walk club." It's taken me a really long time to even be able to say "I have my own business" out loud. Visibility and representation are so incredibly important, which is a big part of why I always try to be so open and vulnerable with what I share online, because I know it helps others feel less alone. Having women like Steph and Laura to look up to as successful women in business is something I'm so grateful for, and the beautiful community they've built at KIC is such an inspiration to me. I hope to be that for other women one day too, you know--'send the elevator back down.'
I'm very fortunate enough to work with KIC as their Physiotherapist & Women's Health Educator, and both Steph and Laura have been incredible inspirations, mentors and supports for me throughout my Hype Girl Social Club journey. A lot of the people in my life have had very traditional, stable, 9-5 careers, and sometimes I find it hard explaining to them what I'm doing with Hype Girl Social Club. When people ask me what I do for work, I still sometimes catch myself answering with "I'm a Physio, and I run a little walk club." It's taken me a really long time to even be able to say "I have my own business" out loud. Visibility and representation are so incredibly important, which is a big part of why I always try to be so open and vulnerable with what I share online, because I know it helps others feel less alone. Having women like Steph and Laura to look up to as successful women in business is something I'm so grateful for, and the beautiful community they've built at KIC is such an inspiration to me. I hope to be that for other women one day too, you know--'send the elevator back down.'
Hype Girl Social Club is all about building a supportive community for women. Can you tell us how this mission aligns with your personal journey and how you’ve seen it impact others?
I'm Melbourne born & bred, which I think surprises a lot of people because there's a lot of girls who find our community because they're new to Mebourne. But in my early 20s I moved out of home, about an hour away from where I grew up and I vividly remember sitting on the floor of my shower crying because I felt like I had no friends. What I didn't realise at the time was that it wasn't that I didn't have friends, I didn't have community. I'd moved away from all the familiar people and places that I grew up with, I lost touch with my high school friends, I didn't make a heap of friends at uni and it felt like everyone I knew had a big circle of friends except me. And if I felt that way just moving an hour away, I can only imagine what it's like moving interstate or overseas. We have a universal language for friendship; from an early age we're asked "who are our friends at kindy or school," we learn how to make friends, and we learn that we need them. But no one asks "what's your community?" -- we don't talk about it, we don't know it's importance or how to find one when you don't have one. It's one of those things that a lot of people just 'have' - their school community, maybe church, sporting clubs... but you get to your twenties and you leave school or stop playing sport and suddenly you find yourself feeling lost. And I think a lot of people, like myself, think that what they're missing is friendships - which for some, maybe that's true - but friendship and community serve two different roles in our lives; we need both, but no one talks about it.
One of my favourite things about running Hype Girl Social Club is witnessing the transformation that girls make from being shy and visibly nervous at the start of an event, to seeing them giggling and yapping away and exchanging details by the end of it, and then seeing them come back. Because it's not just about coming and "meeting your new best friend" (I mean... if you do, great!), but it's about being brave and doing something out of your comfort zone and walking away feeling more confident or empowered which is something you can take with you into other areas of your life, maybe going for that promotion at work or saying yes to public speaking that you have always hated because you thought you weren't good at it. And then it's about being part of a community of like minded women who lift each other up, being part of a movement with collective purpose, and feeling like you belong.
What’s next for Hype Girl Social Club? How do you envision growing the brand in the future, and how do you hope it continues to empower women around the world?
That's a great question... in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a "5 year plan" kinda gal haha. Honestly, I've just been enjoying this wild ride, and am so excited to see where it takes me. But if we could become the first thing that women in their 20s and 30s think of when they think about expanding their social circle in Melbourne, I think that'd be a pretty awesome start. And beyond that...? If every woman could feel more empowered to be unapologetically themselves, move their bodies, feel strong and confident, and have somewhere they feel like they belong, then I'd be pretty bloody stoked.
That's a great question... in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a "5 year plan" kinda gal haha. Honestly, I've just been enjoying this wild ride, and am so excited to see where it takes me. But if we could become the first thing that women in their 20s and 30s think of when they think about expanding their social circle in Melbourne, I think that'd be a pretty awesome start. And beyond that...? If every woman could feel more empowered to be unapologetically themselves, move their bodies, feel strong and confident, and have somewhere they feel like they belong, then I'd be pretty bloody stoked.