Ashley Marie Tonkins

I attribute my success to being called to this work by God. My dad has always reminded me that it's never you, it's always Him. Everything that you do in life, everything that has been given to you, it's all God. You need God in everything that you do. He's the one that established all things. He's the resourcer, the guide, the protector. This reminds me that it's not self-doing, but it is God's doing in everything that I do. So I don't boast in self, but I boast in God, knowing that He's the guide and the one that has directed my footsteps. My parents gave me the foundation and the principles of the Word of God, which directed me in the path that I am on. My pastor has also been instrumental in my spiritual walk, helping me understand my niche and sharpening the woman that I am today. My solutions don't come from me, they come from my Heavenly Father, who gives me the solution for those that are seeking the answer.

The best career advice I’ve ever received has come through the guidance of my parents and my pastor, who have served as important mentors in my life. Through their spiritual support, they helped me gain clarity, stay grounded, and identify my strengths and professional direction. My involvement with my church, Revelation Church LA in Simi Valley, has also played a key role in shaping my values and helping me find my niche.

You have to be called to something. Don't just do it because you want to. You have to be chosen for the assignment that's been given to you. Everybody wants to touch certain things, or be a part of this, or do that, but if you're not called to it, you can't survive it. There's a level of patience that is needed in the environment of a coach. Not even just patience, but you have to be able to be transparent, be raw at times. Because, again, everyone has a story, and the story in itself is the development of who you are becoming. Not everybody's called to be a coach. Not everybody's called to be a therapist. Not everybody's called to be someone in politics. There is a purpose and an assignment for your life, and whatever that purpose and assignment for your life is, that's the avenue and that's the road that you should travel. If God has called you to being a coach, you'll recognize it. You'll see it. There are signs of it. Because coaches are solution-driven people. They always have a solution. And my solution doesn't come from me, it comes from my Heavenly Father, who gives me the solution for those that are seeking the answer.

My professional values center on the belief that everyone has a story to tell. I've always been very helpful, a team player in every way, and I've always wanted to see someone succeed in life. I value seeing someone be the better version of who they know that they can be. I'm always helping someone to get to that place where maybe they have a moment in their uncertainty, and they want to get to that place of their true purpose, their true calling. They may need someone to help guide them. I've always just been that person of value, in a sense, to see the bigger picture concerning the person, even when they couldn't see it, even when they were drowning. The value in all of that is just being able to help people find solutions to the answers that they seek. I also believe deeply that you have to be called to this work. Not everybody's called to be a coach. If you're not called to it, you can't survive it. This work requires patience, transparency, and being raw at times, because everyone has a story and that story is the development of who you are becoming.