We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Redwood and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind my success is my authenticity. I am a super minority in my industry — I’m a plus-size black woman in the fitness realm. I can’t be who I’m not and I refuse to shame myself for who I am. However, my authenticity makes me relatable as I’ve been just about every woman in the room. I’ve been as heavy as 325lbs and as light as 185. I’m a wife and a mother who has been a student, worked in corporate and held many other roles as I’ve worked to build my brand. And, my authenticity doesn’t limit itself to wellness. Leaving a 12-year career to pursue this brand full-time, I have also been transparent in my entrepreneurial journey. That authenticity has built a level of trust that has cultivated a belief within my community that has fueled my success.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Trap Cardio’s mission is to promote confidence, leadership, and total wellness from the inside out with a primary focus on urban communities. Our mission is to make total wellness accessible to all. The dream was fueled to my father’s lost battle to heart disease and diabetes. I may not have been able to save his life, or every life, but if I’m able to impact one, his legacy lives on. Our vision includes using cultural strategies to redefine how our community sees and experiences fitness. As a local success, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we had to get creative with our methods to aid those who found Trap Cardio to be as much of a mental release as physical because Covid ordinances had significantly reduced our class sizing. We introduced technology by hosting our Covid-19 ordinance-approved classes on YouTube. As our audience expanded, we then created our own video platform, the Trap Tube, on our website (trap-cardio.com) as our videos were being demonetized on YouTube. With over 172K YouTube subscribers, 173K TikTok, 25K Instagram and 10K Facebook followers, we were able to add community outreach to our platform. In 2021, we completed our first 3-city tour held and our first international fitness retreat in Punta Cana. Since then, we’ve visited even more cities and have traveled to Cancun and we’re currently preparing for Jamaica. We have further contributed to our community by donating to local small businesses/non-profits, and causes such as breast cancer, heart health, diabetes, and domestic violence awareness. Has it been easy? No. When I decided to be self-employed, I was in the middle of bankruptcy. I had to become a plan Z girl because A-C were already a “no” for me. But that’s the beauty in this story, I allowed myself to have a healthy since of imagination and I can tell you this, “if you have the ability to dream it, you better have the audacity to achieve it”.

  

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Richmond, VA? We’ve become such a hybrid city. We’re slow and fast, big and little, liberal and conservative. Spend your day relaxing on Monday and then get ready to hit Trap Cardio that evening. On Tuesday, we are going to take a walk on Brown’s Island, visit Blue Habanero for lunch and then go catch a movie at Bow Tie Cinemas for $7 Tuesday. Wednesday, we’re going to tour the Virginia Fine Arts Museum, grab a bite from ML Steakhouse on Broad St and watch the sunset from Chimborazo Park. Thursday – Sunday, you never know what festival you might run to, but there’s usually always some activity in Shockoe Bottom and Scotts Addition.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband! He’s my secret weapon. He tells me what I, sometimes, don’t want to hear, but need to. He hypes me up and, along with my mom, gives me the best sideline talks. He has sacrificed so much in order to be supportive of my dream chasing efforts. This is such a big deal because he is much more conservative than I when it comes to the workforce (and was not onboard initially), so it shows how a better you can make a better two as we’ve both evolved in the process. He’s a very hands-on father so not only does he ensure the our son is always covered, he affirms me as a mom to try to reduce mommy guilt. He encourages self-care and always reminds me that I don’t have to always be “on”. These days, you can find him welcoming people into our classes and doing the check-ins at the door.

Website: trap-cardio.com

Instagram: instagram.com/therealtrapcardio,
instagram.com/beyond.the.fluff

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trapcardio

Facebook: facebook.com/trapcardio

Youtube: youtube.com/trapcardio

Other: Tiktok.com/@beyond.the.fluff

 

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