Building A Legacy Through Service And Sports Marketing with Ashley S. Green

Some people climb by getting louder. Ashley S. Green climbs by getting clearer. Ashley is a sports, entertainment, and lifestyle marketing consultant based in Atlanta, and her approach flips the usual playbook: lead with service, protect your identity, and let your work speak before your pitch ever does. We talk about what it really means to be a disruptor in sports marketing and community impact, and why “to thine own self be true” is more than a motto, it’s a career decision you make again and again. 

Ashley traces her commitment to service back to Mississippi roots and a family legacy of collective survival and community care, then shares how her years in education and a defining experience student teaching in England shaped her leadership style. From helping families navigate real needs to guiding athletes beyond one-off drives, she explains how impact grows when it’s strategic, relationship-based, and built for the long term. 

We also dig into networking in powerful rooms, including why “early pitching” can backfire and how listening, observing, and offering real value creates connections that last. Finally, Ashley calls out a system she’s actively disrupting: the way industries reward logos and big names over independent talent and proven skill. If you care about sports philanthropy, athlete branding, social impact strategy, and building an ecosystem that protects athletes and entertainers from being taken advantage of, you’ll leave with a sharper mindset and practical moves. 

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Remember: Your influence is just the beginning. Your legacy is the destination.

See you soon, where influence meets legacy.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to the Elevate Collection Podcast. We are so excited today because we are joined by our dear, dear friend, Ashley S. Green. Welcome to the podcast, Ashley.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

I'm happy to be here.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

We're so grateful that you take the time to come parley with us. That's an appropriate term, yeah? Yes. I think it works.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

I think it works.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Well, y'all, Ashley S. Green is a sports and entertainment and lifestyle marketing consultant based in Atlanta, Georgia. And I'm not gonna lie to y'all, that does not really even articulate the full breadth of what she does. But she specializes in helping athletes,

Meet Ashley S. Green

SPEAKER_00 0:32

entertainers, and lifestyle brands build lasting legacies through strategic marketing, events, brand management, and community engagement and impact. She shares the motto to thine own self be true. And we're gonna talk about all of it. I'm excited. Let's start with what wakes you up in the morning, what gets you out of bed?

SPEAKER_02 0:51

Alexa. Um, no, I think it's I'm a disruptor, you know, and so what gets me up, what gets me going is just knowing that I have like an opportunity to like go into spaces, even from like the start of my day, which is like the gym, you know, go into spaces and to help individuals in those spaces. So like oftentimes when I'm

Service As Daily Motivation

SPEAKER_02 1:18

posting like my workout videos, I'm really marketing, promo, like do an engagement, like you know, for my trainer who's like a dear friend to me. So disrupting spaces, but also like truly like just servicing, like moving through life as a servant and showing up for individuals and spaces from a service perspective.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

I love that. How did you get here though? So, like we understand the heart behind it, but we because we know you, we know there's a background in education, we know there's a background of time spent in Dubai. Like, how did we get to where you're able to show up in this servant capacity capacity in all the spheres that you exist in?

SPEAKER_02 1:59

Yeah, I think I think a part of this it goes back to my roots, Mississippi roots, and my family generations, you know, coming from sharecroppers. And I remember asking my great-great grandmother's brother,

Roots Of A Service Legacy

SPEAKER_02 2:16

you know, I asked him in 2020. I was like, one, how did you guys stay alive? How did you make it? How did you do this? And he explained to me like how they cleaned shop or cleaned up house, like, you know, they pulled together their money, and then they like bought, you know, like one family member out of sharecropping, pulled together, bought another one. And then when his mother turned 99, it was the same time that Jimmy Carter was being inaugurated. So the newspaper they did an article on them, and and that article, she talked about growing up, not having, but then once they got to a place that they did, like their house, their home was open to the community. People left church and came there. So when I show up in this field and space of service, it's no, it's no stranger to my DNA, you know. It's really me carrying on like that legacy. And so I, from a career perspective, I chose education to get started because I wanted to help people. And I remember being torn out, and I was like, do I want to be an attorney or do I want to be an educator? And I had a professor that argued me down to be an attorney. I probably should have listened, but argued me down to be an attorney, and I chose education because I said I can have the greatest impact with the students because I'll be spending all day with them. And so, you know, again, going from high school to college, service was on my mind. Um, and I get to college, I'm working in the education sector, I go to England, to Sheffield, England to student teach. And on my very first day there, this girl comes up to me and says, I've never seen a brown person before. And I said, Well, can I have a hug? Because I don't know what to say to someone that's never seen a brown person, you know. She gave me a hug. We built a really like close, tight-knit relationship over the course that I was there. And one day she had blisters on her feet. So I took her to medical. The nurse was like, I'm

From Education To Athlete Impact

SPEAKER_02 4:17

too busy. And I was like, Well, if you give me the plasters, which band-aids, um, if you give me the plasters, I'll place them on her feet. Took her to the bathroom, washed her feet, paper towel, soap, and water. She was like, Is this what they do in America? And I was like, Yes, when there's a wound, we we take care, you know. And so um, she's like, My mom doesn't always let me take baths. And so she was like, but now I can come to you every day. Because then I told her, I was like, you can wash your face, you know, and so she was like, I'm gonna come to you every day. And in that moment, I had to tell her that I was no longer going to be there, you know, like that my time there was up. But I was like, the world needs to see more black women in a global space. So came back home, graduated, um, worked in curriculum at a district level, but again, while being an educator, I was still inside school servicing kids and families that I didn't even teach. You know, like a mom was pregnant, six months, had never seen a doctor. But it was also like her sixth child, and you know, like I utilized my resources, calling around different doctors and things like that. So there's a theme of like service, you know, like from you know, like from my family all the way down to like me getting started in education and then me making the pivot to sports, which was again, it was me showing up to service the athletes that I grew up with who were just doing book bag drives, you know, or just doing a Thanksgiving drive. And here I was in the school saying, I see so many greater needs that are being tapped. And so, like, I'd be like, How are you affecting change? And of course they'd say, I don't know. And I'm like, let me help you, which ultimately has landed me to this position of working with more athletes in a capacity of you know ensuring that they're utilizing their platforms to affect change in the communities that they care about.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

So that was a lot.

SPEAKER_02 6:14

I tried to do the condensed.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

You don't even have to do the condensed. And I think it's so excellent when it comes to just when something is in you, it's in you. It's like you can't run away from it. As far as how, who was it, Coach Darr, I think that said it. Um, that like the purpose of the calling doesn't change, just the arena that you do it in. Oh, I love that. And I think that's exactly what you've done. I mean, sounds like your generation, your legacy, your family, your bloodline has done that just in these different arenas, which I think is really powerful.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Yeah, thank you. No, I love that. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 6:47

Tell us a little bit about the journey that you're on now, and like like what's important to you, like what wakes you up every day now.

SPEAKER_02 6:55

So the beauty of my where I'm at right now, and I I I've told people this is I feel like I'm at what some would consider the top, and I didn't have to change myself, I didn't have to change my heart, I didn't have to change my vision to get there. And so in 2020, I started in 2019, I started preparing. I was living in Dubai and I started preparing for my return home. And I journaled and I

Returning From Dubai With Intention

SPEAKER_02 7:28

was like, you know, if you really want to work with athletes, you need to be present, you need to be there. So, you know, June of 2020, my plan was to move back to America and to utilize my network to work with different athletes. I moved back in March because COVID came in and so started the process, started the journey a little bit earlier. But over from 2020 to 2025, right, over the span of like five years is when I really fully launched my all right, I'm going to take presence, I'm going to take intentionally take up space in this sports world, you know. And over the course of this period, I've been offered to work beside some of the top agents. I've declined it, you know. You know, from agencies, I've declined it. Organizations that are doing the work, I've declined it. And anything that felt like it wasn't in line with my calling, I said no.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

Let's go through all these cards.

unknown 8:34

I'm just done.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

But I have moments when I looked back and I was like, if you would have taken that, but I it's like I've been so faithful. I've been so faithful like to God, I'm aligning and I'm on a social justice committee right now with the commissioner and six NFL owners. You know, I'm on calls, hearing about how the NFL is using their platform, you know, like everything from the messaging in the end zones. I'm I'm in the rooms, I'm in the spaces, I'm doing the work, I stayed the course, you know? And so that's what gets me up is knowing that like I'm right where I'm supposed to be, you know? And it goes, and it ties into the to thine own self be true. Like it's about me. Like I'm not going to wither, you know, like with the weather. And that's why I'm so secure in rooms where I see powerful women, you know, and I want to help. Like, if I see you in a room, I'm my brain is instantly, how can I connect you? How can I engage you? And I'm able to do that because I'm secure in myself and my journey. And I think people have come along the way, even with me, you know, people have come along the way, and when they didn't have their identity, when they didn't know who they were, then you're either gonna look at me like with envy, you know, because why am I not mounting up to you, or why am I not side by side with you, or why are these introductions not the same? It's not your journey, it's not your path. What I can do is help guide you and I'll support you. Like anybody that's ever interned with me or worked with me, I'm like, what is it that you want to do? You tell me what you want to do, and we will do it, we will make it happen. But I think that that's why, you know, like that's what keeps me going. That's what steadies me. It's just knowing that I've trusted the process, I've trusted God throughout this journey. I've remained faithful. You know, through tests and trials, I remained faithful. I'm at a point in my life, in my spiritual journey, like my house could be on fire right now. And I'd say, All right, God, what are you trying to reveal to me? You know, like I'm not panicking, I'm not scared. I'm like, what's next? You know, like there's a reason, there's a purpose for this, and I know because he's carried me. You know, like I've done more in the past five years in sports than some people have in 20 years.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

That's such a perspective shift.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

I think so too. And I it it lays so heavily into what we truly believe here at the Lovely Collection, which is the path is perfect. You have to go through exactly what you've been through and what you're going through to get to where you're going. Like the path is truly perfect, and that's something that we're trying to be good stewards of right now. What you've been able to accomplish in five years is absolutely incredible. And we were so fortunate you took us to the Sundays in Atlanta party with you, and to see you work a room was magic. Like, not only did you know every person in the room, like I don't think there's a single soul that like you didn't know, but you were so incredibly intentional about making sure that we were seen in a new space and the way that you introduced us, like no one I can firmly stand and say that no one has ever spoken about us.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

And such a regard. Yes, that you did.

SPEAKER_02 11:59

Oh, thank you. No, I mean, I'm honored. Like, I'm honored. I see the work that you guys are doing. Um, you know, like Beyonce, again, that was the thing. I was like, listen, B, and my brother for Christmas, he gets me all the vinyls, and so I had the cowboy carter vinyl, but I never listened because I love Beyonce. Y'all can't use these clips. I love Beyonce, but I love country music. And so when I first started trying to listen to the album, I was like, Alexa, play Sugarland. You know, I was like, I was like, I can't do this. Like, Reba to Thine Own Self Be True is from Fancy, you know. Like, um, she gave me a heart-shaped locket that said to thine own self be true. And like I love like deep country. I'm from Mississippi. I love deep country, and so I was like, I'm not going to the concert unless I get invited. And the fact that you all reached out and invited me, like one at the time of my life. Yeah. Like the time, you would have thought that I listened to the album. I thought I was gonna go and just chill out. I was in concert, but what I see in that is like two women who are growing and building themselves. And as you guys grow, you're bringing people along with you, you're bringing, you're reinvesting. I see that like my brain, because of the work that we do, I'm thinking about the operational ticket, you know? And what I see is like you guys see me and you value me enough to write that, you know, to have that line item for me. And you you do it over and over, and you do such an amazing job of doing it, you know. Um, the vision party, you guys are taking your own resources and you're literally bootstrapping, building community. And it's beautiful, and I'm appreciative, and I'm going to forever, you know, like show up for you guys because we're all gonna be at the top together. We're already at the top, but you know, we know that we know that it can get gooder. No, gooder and gooder. Like how good God can make it. We know that it can be better, you know, and when it is, we'll all be there still together, you know? And I think that that's important.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

Well, we do love you and we do appreciate you. And building connections in this space is so difficult. Is there anything you can share that helped you on that journey? Like, how did you get to where you are in five years? How do you know every person in the room? And what would you share with someone who is maybe new to the space?

SPEAKER_02 14:23

Um, I think sometimes people early pitch, you know, like people, it's like if you know that you're in the room with an exec, some people are always, you know, they're like, hey, this is who I am, this is what I've done, and this is,

How She Builds Real Relationships

SPEAKER_02 14:35

and it's like, sit in the room, sit in the room with them. Almost everybody that I want to connect with, I'll have it intentionally placed in my mind, but they come to me. And they come to me because of how I confidently show up in that same room, that same arena with them, you know, and so and then I'm reserved, you know, like I'm not always my personality is big, my energy is big, you're gonna feel it, you're going to see it, but I'm not loud and shouting, this is what I do, and this is a, you know, like I'm sitting, I'm observing, I'm listening. And then oftentimes when I do, you know, like when it is time to make that conversation, my brain has already naturally started making connections. So my conversation with someone isn't help me do this entry. It's you mentioned this, you know, either I know this, this athlete is working on this athlete is interested. How can we, how can we bridge this? How can we support? How can we build something? So skip the intros, you know, like skip those phases. Um, I think that I think another thing is like just I honor the value of a relationship. Yes. And so I try to add value to, you know, like people's lives so that if there does come a time where I need you. And I and I'm using quotations lightly because me needing you may be me saying, hey, I have this opportunity, you know, to speak, you know, with this institute. And you're like, you know what? She showed up for us. I'm gonna show up for her now, you know. So like me needing you is still you winning because I'm such a my brain is like programmed to like where's the value add, you know? Like, how does everybody win in this? How does everyone get elevated? But I think that like I'm so intentional about just like relationships and like showing up.

SPEAKER_00 16:31

Well, the relationship and the connection is what people don't realize are the most important. I think it's the foundational piece of things, and I don't think a lot of folks go into some of these spaces thinking like, How can I serve someone else? They're not going into the rooms of how can I add value, they're going into the rooms like I want this, I want this, I want this. But at the end of the day, the way you get what you want, and I mean guess it's the ethos of elevate of we elevate by elevating the lives of other people, it's something that we walk out and how we build connection. So I love hearing that because it almost feels mirrored back. So I'm really grateful for you to say that. I want to circle back, we're like, I sound so corporate. I want to circle back. Um, I want to circle back to the word disruptor or disruption, the act of to disrupt something. What are some things in our industry or that sit at the intersections of our industry, whether it be, you know, the intersection of like music and the intersection of sports and culture and finance, all of these things, like what are what are some things that you really wish you, not even wish, that you plan on disrupting? Because I know that if you said if you're a disruptor, it's not like well I wish or like no,

Disrupting Logo-First Status Games

SPEAKER_00 17:43

like this is what I won't tolerate anymore, and this is what I do, and this is why I move differently. Are there particular themes or narratives that you look to disrupt right now?

SPEAKER_02 17:51

Yes, yes. Um, I love you. I'll tear them. You're like, we're going, we're going there. Always. Um, but no, we are in a space where individuals and entities value names, brands, logos, organizations that hold power, and oftentimes they skip over individuals who have like high-level skill sets and capacities. And so to put it plain and clear, I'm an entrepreneur. I'm entrepreneur, former educator, current consultant, and because my name is what's behind me, because my name is what's carrying it, there are people who will look over that and to say, all right, we're gonna put you over here, right? I'm going to box you into this category because you don't have these major corporations behind you, not knowing that the skill set and the power, not knowing that I can pick up the phone at any given time and be on a call with anyone from any major corporation. You know, built out an event in less than two weeks with one of the top cosmetic brands that is now going to honor women and sports and STEM and beyond. And so what I really want to see disrupted is people valuing and honoring the names, the letters of organizations, and not looking at the the work of the individuals who are more than qualified to do the same work, you know, like awards. You want to talk about awards with athletes? Athletes I've worked with list of awards. They have awards that they didn't even think of, imagine, dream of. And to accomplish so many, you know, to have so many accomplishments from so many different angles. That, you know, like from like from a government space, from the sports space, from, you know, the leagues and beyond, that takes a skilled individual, you know, to be able to do that while building out intern programs and tracks, that takes a skilled individual while also building events, you know, and creating, curating spaces for individuals to grow, learn, connect, network, all of those are skill sets that get overlooked when you don't have the titles of major corporations behind you. And I think that it's time to start viewing people for who they are. And the people who don't get it, good. I don't want to be in those rooms anymore.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

Gosh, if these mics were weren't so expensive, I'd be like, drop the mic, throw the mic, or what is the we can clock it. Clock it, but no, guys, there's the I love this influence and I feel so bad that I can't remember his name. Um, but it kind of looks like Michael B. Jordan because they did like this like and he throws his glasses.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

Oh, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:50

I know you tell me that I'll find it and we'll have to drop it. But okay, so I would love to round this conversation out quickly with a little segment that we're gonna do kind of rapid fire. The questions don't come off as rapid fire, but your answer has to be rapid fire. Okay, so it's a legacy and lesson. So I'm gonna hit you with the first three. What's a legacy you want to leave behind?

SPEAKER_02 21:11

Is for people to to serve, to show up, and to listen. To listen.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

What's one belief you used to have that you've now changed? Was that

Rapid Fire Lessons And Legacy

SPEAKER_00 21:25

I had to serve everybody. Ooh, that's good. What's a pivotal challenge that shaped who you are?

SPEAKER_02 21:33

2016, 10 years ago, losing a mother figure to breast cancer. Um, but 10 years later, being able to, you know, acknowledge that her death and her transition is what has shaped me into the woman that I am.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

What habit best fuels your success?

SPEAKER_02 21:52

What habit best fuels my red bull? No, I'm just like different. Run her check. No, what habit? Um, I think my Tenacity, honestly, and I don't know if that's a habit, I think that's more of an adjective, but um what habit fuels my success? I don't come back to me on that one. Let me I know it's rapid fire.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

What advice would you give your younger self?

SPEAKER_02 22:20

Don't change. Like, don't continue to everything that you had a you know, like issue with or problem with, like, don't change. You know, continue to build, disrupt, like, sorry, sorry time. Even I was a cheerleader, varsity cheerleader for three years. I quit my senior year and created jersey girls. We went and got jerseys, we did corny cheers. I wanted freedom and autonomy. And if you go to my school now, there's still girls wearing jerseys, and they don't even know why, you know, they don't know why they're doing it, but that's legacy, you know. So that's what I'm saying. Like, I told myself, continue to continue to walk away, like continue to disrupt the world, these spaces. Do it sooner.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

What's something you're most proud of that others might not know?

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Most proud of is just my journey as a whole, you know, like leaning into all the changes and knowing that so many more changes are going to happen along the way. So just being prepared to embrace it. What's next for you personally and professionally? Professionally. So professionally, I'm really excited about the work that I am doing with Sport for Impact and the Players Coalition. Um, Sport for Impact is an organization, it's an entity that's a fiscal sponsor, you know, for athletes, entertainers beyond who want to go out into their communities to serve. But what you get beyond like that fiscal, you know, sponsorship is an ecosystem of talented individuals with like-minded goals, and the the operating

Sport For Impact And Players Coalition

SPEAKER_02 23:55

team behind it is constantly looking for ways to seamlessly we together the stories to connect the different athletes and to connect the partners. So I'm really excited about just sharing more of the Sport for Impact. And then with the Players Coalition, I'm excited to like really pull these athletes in, like to educate them on the resources that are available to them that's being provided by their leagues, and to let them know that they can lend their voices to major initiatives without them always having to go into their pockets to pay to show up in these spaces.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Your heart behind all of it is just magical to us. Well, before we close out, we have to ask our question What is something, if anything, can our community, anyone that's under the sound of our voices, watching this wherever they're consuming their content, what can they do to show up for you and move your needle forward right now?

SPEAKER_02 24:54

Move my needle forward right now. I think like right now, what I'm really, what I'm truly focused on is building out the ecosystem, building and strengthening the ecosystem, especially around impact. So if their hearts, if anybody is listening and your heart is around impact, especially if you're an athlete or entertainer, let me know so that I can support and assist. Like there's so many resources. There's so many resources out there, and

How To Support Her Mission

SPEAKER_02 25:27

it's time for people to stop being taken advantage of, especially in the sports space. And it's time for them to like truly know the power that their names and their platforms have, and how there's resources that are dedicated specifically to that.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

And there it is, y'all.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Thanks so much for joining us today, Ashley. We can't wait to continue to build and grow with you and watch you flourish and continue to partner together to elevate this world.

SPEAKER_02 25:56

No, I'm excited. We're gonna take over.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

Period.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Talking over straight to the top.