You Are the Expert: Ashley Cruz Arata on Self-Advocacy and Starting Over

How many times have you been told everything looks "normal" while you know something is off? It can happen at the doctor's office, and honestly, it happens in business too. My guest Ashley Cruz Arata got tired of accepting "normal," and that decision changed the direction of her life and her work.

Ashley spent a decade in big tech at Amazon, traveling nonstop through the pandemic with no boundary between work and life. After her own health journey, she trained as an integrative health practitioner, started helping friends on the side, and eventually turned that work into her business. Today she helps women dig into the root causes of hormone issues.

This episode isn't medical advice, and neither is this post. But the lessons Ashley shared about trusting yourself and starting something new apply far beyond health.

Trust what you know about yourself

Ashley was raised to follow the rules and do what the experts told her. For a long time, that's what she did, even when she kept feeling worse. A turning point came when one of her own providers was honest that they had done everything they could with the tools they had, and suggested she look into other options.

Her message to women now is simple: "You are the expert on your body." She knows she needs nine hours of sleep to feel her best. Her husband is fine on six and a half. Neither one is wrong. They just know themselves.

I see the same thing with the women I work with. You know when a season of business feels wrong, even if the numbers look fine on paper. That instinct deserves your attention.

Try this: Write down one area of your life or business where you've been told "it's fine" but it doesn't feel fine. That's your starting point.

Ask better questions, respectfully

Ashley was clear that advocating for yourself doesn't mean throwing out the experts. She described integrative health as combining the best of both worlds, with deep respect for the people who have dedicated their lives to care.

What changed for her was wanting to be a more informed participant. She wanted to ask better questions and feel some control again. I had my own version of this when I became a mom. I learned that I know things about my body and my kids that a professional only sees in a snapshot.

Try this: Before your next important appointment or meeting, write down three questions you want answered. Bring the list. Don't leave until you've asked them.

Remember that later isn't guaranteed

In 2024, Ashley and her husband lost both her father-in-law and her stepfather. That loss made her look hard at how she was spending her days. She said something I haven't stopped thinking about: "We are all running out of later." She was careful to say she meant it to be motivating, not morbid.

That line is a gentle push to stop waiting for the perfect moment. The side project you love, the family trip, the boundary you keep meaning to set. Those things don't have to wait for someday.

Try this: Pick one thing you've been putting off until "later." Give it a date on your calendar this month.

Take comfort in the discomfort

When I asked Ashley what it was like going from corporate to running her own business, she said she felt liberated. She also admitted there were plenty of things she didn't know yet, from tech to email marketing.

She compared it to her health journey. Both times, she had to learn new things to solve a problem in a new way. She said she "just took comfort in that discomfort of knowing this means that we're stepping into the next chapter."

I love that reframe. Feeling uncomfortable doesn't always mean you're on the wrong path. Sometimes it means you're growing into the person your business needs. The tech and the back-office pieces can be learned, and you don't have to figure them all out alone.

Try this: Name the business skill that makes you most uncomfortable right now. Then choose one small step to learn it, or one person to ask for help.

Listen to the full episode

Hear Ashley Cruz Arata's full Mess to Mission story, from big tech to building a business around the work that lights her up: Listen on Apple Podcasts

You can connect with Ashley on Instagram at @ashleycruzarata.

Ready for systems that feel like Sunday?

Starting something new is uncomfortable enough without the back office keeping you up at night. Systems Sanctuary is where I help women set up simple, steady systems so they can focus on the work they're called to do. Join the waitlist at lindspaulson.com/table.