Ashley C. Ford is a New York Times-best selling author, podcaster, and educator. Her debut memoir, “Somebody’s Daughter,” chronicles her life growing up as a young Black girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Ashley’s book was chosen by Oprah Winfrey for publication under her imprint, “An Oprah Book.” In addition to being on a first-name basis with the former queen of daytime talk TV, Ashley has written national magazine features about other celebrities, politicians, and athletes, including actress Anne Hathaway, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Serena Williams.

In this episode, Ashley talks about the challenges in her childhood, and why writing about them made her feel less alone and better equipped to process the emotional impact of those memories.

Ashley also shares about her undergraduate experience at Ball State and how the positive opportunities she experienced at our University have made her want to give back to her community today.

You can learn more about Ashley at https://www.ashleycford.net. You can follow Ashley on Twitter at @iSmashFizzle and President Mearns at @PresidentMearns. If you enjoy this episode, please leave a review to support the show.