Meet Ashley Ford | CEO & sober living administrator

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

Hi Ashley, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
My favorite quote is “ Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life” This quote is tattooed on my arm and is what really motivated me to stay on a grind and never give up.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started Erica’s Angels in memory of my mother Erica Ford. At first my plan was to have an organization that just Supported breast cancer patients because it is so many of them are fighting the fight alone without family or friends or the person fighting cancer just so happens to be the only person left in the peoples’ lives that were by their side. I was able to learn that first hand since my mom battled it twice within five years and she traveled all over Kentucky to places like Vanderbilt Tennessee, Huston Texas, Columbus Ohio, and Manhattan New York so I was able to meet people from all over from different walks of life. So I wanted to create a business that could be there for them but since Covid hit the year after I got started I found myself opening the arms of my organization to support many different causes mostly because it was unsafe for cancer patients to even be around other people. That itself was a lesson for me as a business woman, it helped me realize that I should never just limit myself and to open to venture out and take chances because one just may be a blessing and be the door that opens you to greatness. Now my business has literally become like the business of guardian angels just floating around watching out for whoever may be in need. I’ve now partnered up with a new friend of mine who runs and owns sober living homes in Lexington, Ky called New Life. I’m the administrator over the programs that help addicts and alcoholics overcome their disease and return back to society better than ever. My business offers them 24/7 on call support, various classes, and help them accumulate a network of different successful people with various job descriptions in a field they are interested in to help them not only gain a job but also help them get started with starting their own business. Before meeting the owner of New Life I had never even thought of sober living programs being something I’d be interested in but I love it and that showed me just how funny life works and randomly gives you opportunities.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite place to go drink in Atlanta is Northside Tavern, I always start my nights out there to pregame and sometimes it’s my only stop. It’s a small little bar that has live music every night and the crowd is very diverse. Every time I go I meet at least one new person that is great to add to my network list but they also have a lot of regulars that you will meet and who will always welcome you with open arms. Other than there I usually float around the city but almost always hit The Compound at least once on the weekends and I will always bet a room at the Westin downtown because that hotel is party in itself. I also ride the city a lot since my Car Club, Louisville Camaro Dragons finally opened a chapter in Atlanta, so we almost always meet up at The Varsity when getting together to eat and hang before heading out wherever.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Love from my family and small circle of friends is definitely the main reason I am where I am today. Each person played a different role in my success. If I’m being completely honest and had to put each person in order the best way possible, I would have to say my grandparents were definitely the top of my list, starting with my Grandfather Otis Ford. I say him first because he’s always been my father figure basically so it was a daddy’s girl situation you could say, I even call him “Daddy,” and he was actually the person that named me. My biological father passed at 31 of a heart attack when I was only 9yrs old, I was there and actually witnessed it happen with my mom. Due to that happening my Grandfather decided to step up because I really took my father’s death hard so he vowed that he’d always be by my side and he always has and still is. For as long as I can remember anytime I’d leave his presence he’d always say “ I love you Ashley, make me proud” even if I know I’d done something or made a decision he was disappointed in, he’d never tell me I let him down or keep throwing that bad thing in my face instead he’d just always say those words and something that simple motivated me to want to do just that, make him proud. My Grandmother Ideana Ford who’s my Grandfather’s wife and has been around me my entire life and has always been there person I could vent to whenever I was going through something and she’d be my safe zone and never repeat anything I’d say or judge. Since I spent most of my time at her house growing up she was also like a mother. Both my Grandfather and mama Dean made sure to always travel with me as well, my love for traveling and desire to see the world came from them. They always let me know that there is so much out there for me to see and so much the world had to offer. My Nana Judith McCowan (She’s my Grandfather’s ex-wife and my mother’s mom) is and always has been like my best friend and biggest fan. She always supported me I’m any and everything I’ve done and always there to cheer me on and remind me that I can do anything I put my mind to. She’s also who gave me the game about dealing with men lol and always there to correct me on my shit and she’s going to give me her opinion on EVERYTHING straight up with no chaser. She’s also the main one who helps me with my children so that I can be out making moves to better my life for my children and I. My PawPaw Marshall Lee Edelen and my Nana Margaret Edelen also played a crucial part in laying the foundation. They kept me connected and grounded with my father’s side of the family and made sure I always knew I had love and support on that side of my family as well. A lot of my good hearted traits came from them. My uncles Maurice Ford, Rob Weathers, and Jordan Rothwell were always by my side as well. They all were like my personal body guards and there to protect and teach me. But Maurice and Rob were the big brothers I never had, I can come to them about anything. Those two both have played major parts in all of my children’s lives and have always assured that my boys would have men around always to guide them, that’s been my biggest blessing as a single mother. Tasha Epps and Yanna Walker are like those auntie’s you have that always ready to come at you with the smoke and light the fire under your ass when your mom isn’t looking and checks you about your bs but also always there when you need someone, even when you didn’t even know you were in need. Their hearts are both so big and loving. I don’t know what I’d do without them now especially because since my mom has been gone they are the two that remind me most of her and leave me with a little more comfort. My little sister Shaolin Carpenter “my twin” is my lifeline and best friend. She’s also a big motivation to me because I’ve always wanted to protect her and show her survival techniques because to me she was my first child lol. She’s very supportive in all I do, and doesn’t hold back from getting on my head if I begin to slack even the slightest. I also have two families that pretty much adopted me into theirs. They Keys which is my friend Kia Key’s family. Kia is like the big sister I needed. I got a lot of my ways and knowledge from her over there years. I even named my first daughter after her if that tells you anything. Then there is the Hawkins family which is the family of my childhood best friend since Preschool, Jasmine Hawkins. Her dad loved me as of I was his own too. Jasmine is their only child, well until I came along lol. They included me in everything they did as a family and I never had to worry about anything. Tiffany Harlan is another childhood best friend, we had very similar backgrounds growing up so we leaned on each other for years to make it through life. Then of course my mother played a great deal in the success I have in life. Even after she passed away she still managed to keep me on my feet and motivate me to greatness. My mother was a beautiful, intelligent, and strong woman who didn’t take any bs! I watched my mom take nothing and turn it into more than enough and her hustle was immaculate. I believe she got those traits from my great-grandmother Alma McCowan but it for sure was traits I knew I had to have to survive out here. Because I had that type of woman as a mother it’s impossible for me to fold under pressure which is very important when running a business. I only hope I inspire my children half as much as my mother did for me. Of course I do everything I do for my four little ones. I try to hustle as hard as possible and build an empire so that when my children become adults they won’t have to. I plan to have everything in position for them so that all I have to do is pass them the ball and they just maintain what I did the hard work for. Thanks to all those people I mentioned and to those that were even seasonal but came into my life even if it was for a short while to teach me some kind of lesson were apart of while I have such a strong will to do greatness. I had so much help in the creation of my womanhood that I believe that’s why I enjoy helping other people succeed in life. Everything my business Erica’s Angels stands for has to do with help someone in some kind of way. Society’s Statistics put all the odds against me expecting me to fail. Even though I fell off a few times and made wrong decisions in my past, it was love and support of my family and friends who refused to see me not prosper who is behind me having the motivation and courage to pick myself up every time and keep going, that’s something I believe everyone needs from someone. My partner in crime Happy always looks out for me. Since my kids and I moved away from where my family stays it’s just us alone but Happy stays near us so he’s always watching out for us, checking in on me to make sure I’m okay mentally, stays on me to remain focus, and if he feels im getting too caught up in my work be will kidnap me from work and take me out to just relax. I honestly wouldn’t had made it through the last year without him and his free late night therapy calls for me to vent about whatever I was going through.

Facebook: @Erica.J.Fordlegacy

Other: Contact number: 505-210-2479 you can reach me via text or call, if I can’t answer please leave a message. Email: request.ericas_angels@outlook.com Or: Ericas.angels1971@gmail.com You can also find me on Facebook at Www.Facebook.com/ashley.fordedelen