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GladiatHer Grads: Ashley Moore

We hear a great deal about professional athletes and high profile college athletes, especially in basketball and football, but we don’t often talk about the average student-athlete. There’s little discussion about the hardships, the triumphs and their lives after college athletics. But former college athletes have a great deal to offer this world and are proving it everyday. They are teachers, coaches, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs. In fact, one study showed 94% of senior women business executives played sports and 50% of women in C-Suite positions played college sports. These women are indeed movers and shakers on and off the court and field.

So to highlight some of these high achieving women and to provide current student-athletes with encouragement and advice, we’re bringing you a new feature! It’s called GladiatHer Grads and will consist of interviews with former female student-athletes who are currently doing impressive things with their postgraduate, post-athletic lives. Our first GladiatHer Grad is Ashley Moore. Ashley is a former number 1 singles and doubles player at Howard University. She’s combined her talents on the court and the education she received from THE greatest HBCU of all time into a career as a creative, an influencer and an entrepreneur. Keep reading to learn more about this PR superstar in the making.

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Thanks for chatting with us Ashley! Now that you’re not hitting tennis balls everyday, what kind of work are you doing? 

Currently, I am the owner of Moore PR Firm, a leading public relations, branding and marketing firm, catering to sports and entertainment, high-end luxury fashion, beauty, hospitality, and consumer packaged goods industries. I spend majority of my time helping entrepreneurs build and grow their brands. I also help professional athletes with their brand image and charitable endeavors. As a former athlete I gained a real understanding of the sports industry traveling the country, competing in high performance tennis. I use what I learned from tennis daily with my current clients.

Nice! Being a business owner is no joke.  How would you say being a student-athlete has helped you find success in your career? 

Being a student- athlete has helped me tremendously in my career. As a business professional, tennis has taught me almost every life lesson needed for becoming successful. Working well with others, discipline, and time management are huge in any career. These were all lessons from the tennis court that became habitual qualities and transcended into my professional career. On the tennis court I learned how far a positive mindset and self-motivation could take you. The same applies in my professional career. It’s easy to get deterred by a difficult client, or a slow business month.

Many of the skills that are valuable in sports, can also be translated to the professional world. Being able to work with others and being coachable can contribute to professional success by taking constructive comments and applying them to future work.

Sounds like every entrepreneur needs to play sport.  Lol Was it difficult for you to transition from being an athlete into an entrepreneur?

Transitioning into my professional career was very easy for me. With all the tools I learned from being a student-athlete I was ready to take on the world and face my next challenge.

That’s great.  I know a lot of people struggle with making that transition.  What advice would you give to current and upcoming female student athletes?

My advice to female student-athletes would be to master time management. Unless you have plans to play professionally in your sport, education is always first. Remember to make time for internships, studying, and tutoring if needed. Your coach will understand. Also, I encourage student athletes to take advantage of the tools available to you during your collegiate career. Build meaningful relationships with your guidance counselor, teachers and coaches. There are times when you will feel overwhelmed. Stay focused and strong!

Great advice.  What’s the biggest lesson you learned from being a student-athlete? 

The biggest lesson I learned from being a student-athlete would have to be discipline and time management. I started playing tennis at a very early age. When most children were having fun after school with friends, I was training for hours, waking up early for morning practices, as well as spending my weekends competing. Tennis came with a lot of responsibilities. I’ve been juggling tennis, classes, strength and conditioning, traveling, and competing since I can remember. If I didn’t perform at a high level in any of these things I would fail. With teachers, coaches and my mother pulling me in different directions I learned early how to balance my time and the discipline it took to do so.

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What would you say was the most difficult part about being a student-athlete? 

The most difficult part of being a student-athlete was balancing athletics and education while trying to maintain a social life. While spending time on practice and competition with my team, I most importantly had to focus on being full-time student, which is not always an easy balancing act. Most students have the free time to join organizations, hit happy hour, or “the yard” after classes. Tennis practice was the only activity that came after a day of classes. I missed out on a lot of school activities due to tennis tournaments.

Well it wasn’t all bad, right?  What would you say was the best part about being a student-athlete?

For me, the best part of being a student –athlete was receiving a full athletic scholarship. The day I signed to Howard University, I felt like all the hard work I put in on the tennis court had paid off. To this day I am thankful, as I see a lot of my peers struggling with college debt. My room, board, education, books and meals were all paid for. This also took lots of pressure off of my single mother. I also enjoyed having a team of likeminded individuals that could easily relate with me. My teammates were very helpful on and off the court during my collegiate career.

It’s obvious you took full advantage of your experience as a student-athlete.  Where would you like to be professionally in the next 5 years?

In the next five years I see consistent growth for Moore PR Firm. I hope to own one of the top PR Firms in the sports and entertainment industry. I would also like to be moving into expansion for my firm as well. Personally, I would like to begin public speaking and sharing my professional expertise around the world. I love to empower minorities to achieve their personal and professional goals.

I may be biased, but I’d say Ashley Moore is poised to take over the PR world and beyond.  On the off chance that I’m right, I’d suggest you keep your eye on this talented young lady.  Follow her on Instagram at Ashmohazel and MoorePRFirm.

If you or anyone you know would like to be featured on GladiatHer Grads send an email to gladiathers@gmail.com with your/their information.

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