About
Carl J. Ashley
AUTHOR. SPEAKER. WRITING COACH.
STORYTELLER. HEALER.
My Journey Is Honesty.
My Mission Is Healing.
Hi, I’m Carl J. Ashley-published author, public speaker, and writing coach based in Tipperary, Ireland.
Through my books, coaching and speaking. I help people find the courage to tell their story, heal through the process, and inspire others to do the same.
I believe that everyone has a story worth telling- and that story has the power to transform lives.
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My Story
When I was a kid, I got bullied at school. Probably because I loved books. Always reading, always writing.
By the time I was fourteen I'd lost my nana, my gran and my grandad, watched my parents split up, and been moved to a new town, a new stepfamily and a posh grammar school where teachers roared like army sergeants. At least I had football.
By nineteen I was a full-time stoner, checking out of reality as often as possible. Uni in Leeds meant drink, drugs, raves and trying to be someone who could feel loved, seen, heard and accepted. Which of course would never come that way. Nothing was ever enough.
I became a dad on the eve of the millennium, then again eighteen months later. We emigrated to rural Clare with two babies, no money, no car, no job and no savings.
Two more daughters followed, and I became a father of four. Twenty-two years, four kids, four dogs and a few cats later, we separated.
The crash hit me hard. Depression, two bottles of red wine a night, and four years spent writing my first book.
A few weeks after it launched, my dad died. I still miss him and chat to him all the time.
“Carl 1 left the screenplay, Carl 2 entered.”
Then in 2017 I crashed my car swerving to avoid a bus full of monks, and stepped out without a scratch.
I quit the drink, the smokes, the gambling. I cried about fifteen times a day for weeks on end, letting go of all the grief I'd never processed.
Between the writing, the healing work and the tears, the words poured out of me, and I started to like myself. Even love myself.
I haven't seen my children for years due to parental alienation, and I'm still living with the consequences of that loss. But I met an amazing woman who showed me what real love and support felt like.
These days a mug of peppermint tea and some dark chocolate is about as exciting as it gets on a Friday night, and I dedicate my time to helping others heal through the writing process.
My Write Coach clients are people with the courage to do what I did: look at their shit honestly, write about it, let it go, and rebuild.
Carl J. AshleyMy journey is honesty. My mission is healing.
Hi, I’m Carl J. Ashley-published author, public speaker, and writing coach based in Tipperary, Ireland.
Through my books, coaching and speaking. I help people find the courage to tell their story, heal through the process, and inspire others to do the same.
I believe that everyone has a story worth telling- and that story has the power to transform lives.
Still a family man at heart.
what i stand for
Healing
Healing Helping you heal through honesty and self-expression.
Authenticity
Living and writing from truth, not perfection
Connection
Building real connections through story and shared experience.
Empowerment
Empowering you to take control of your story and your life.
Legacy
Leaving behind words that inspire future generations.
My Books
The Power of the Written Word
The Fox and the Scorpion meet Cold Turkey
It’s “Nothing Personal”, right? Following on from Carl’s Corner (his online poetry page) “The Fox and the Scorpion meet Cold Turkey” is the debut book by Manchester-born writer Carl J Ashley. It is likely to be met with a mixed reception and focuses on several themes. Not least his passion for sport – particularly football, and the rollercoaster ride and love affair that is Manchester City Football Club. More pertinently, his irreverent and excruciatingly honest take on the cold turkey experience is more akin to an anti self-help guide, and throughout the narrative we see how his love for fatherhood, travel, philosophy, cricket, and using mindfulness meditation to help deal with addiction and depression, all come to the fore. The reader will undoubtedly also be able to relate to his situation as a humble Englishman dislocated in beautiful, rural Ireland, and enjoy the humour of his tribulations as a door-to-door sales guy, despite having a degree in psychology. Also please beware ; his uncompromising wit and style can be rather crude at times!
