What does it take to turn a dream into reality—and build a thriving business that serves your community? In this episode of Financial Confidence for High Achieving Women, I chat with Ashley Reed, owner of Body Art Noire in Inglewood, California. Ashley shares her inspiring journey from navigating layoffs and personal financial challenges to opening a yoga studio designed to make wellness accessible for everyone.

Whether you’re dreaming of starting your own business, looking for financial inspiration, or just want to hear a real story of patience, perseverance, and community, this episode is packed with practical takeaways and heartfelt wisdom.

We dive into:

• How Ashley’s experience with being laid off from her job led her to discover yoga and her passion for wellness.
  
  
  
• The personal finance lessons that made her entrepreneurial journey possible, including paying off debt and crowdfunding her dream.
  
  
  
• The power of community and social capital—how asking for help and saying yes to support turned her vision into a reality.
  
  
  
• The ups and downs of opening a brick-and-mortar business, from renovations to working with vendors (and sweating through it all!).
  
  
  
• Balancing a 9-to-5 job while building a business and why stability can actually accelerate your dreams.
  
  
  
• Ashley and Taryn’s exciting Mindful Money & Movement series, combining financial wellness with chakra-focused yoga flows.
  
  
  

Resources for this episode

• Mindful Money and Movement Series @ Body Art Noire:

- Sept 14, 2pm: Money Systems to Build Wealth (Solar Plexus Vinyasa)

- Nov 9, 2pm: Holiday Shopping Plan (Heart Chakra Vinyasa)

Get your tickets here: https://www.bodyartnoire.com/class-schedule

• Book: Brass Knuckle Finance by Jarim Person
• Crowdfunding Platform: iFundWomen

Memorable Quotes

- “You can get out of [debt] and go back into it. Sometimes you just need to go through things a couple of times to be like, that’s enough.” — Ashley Reed

- “When women have money and when women are confident with their ability to manage...we automatically do a greater good.” — Taryn

- “It is a journey. I started this back in 2010, and here I am at 2025, still using a lot of the same basic financial principles” — Ashley Reed

Connect with Ashley Reed & Body Art Noire

Instagram/TikTok/Facebook: @bodyartnoire

Website: https://bodyartnoire.com

Visit Body Art Noire in Inglewood, CA for yoga, meditation, and wellness experiences.