Ashley was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, when she was 26, she has endured chronic pain which has affected both her professional and personal life.  She went from being super fit and healthy to not being able to cut her own food up, or get dressed. Ashley talks about the power of meditation and how her daily practice has been essential to her recovery. She’s passionate about promoting meditation to reduce stress, lower the risk of anxiety and depression. During this podcast you will get to hear top tips and advice on how you can make small changes to your daily routine which will make a massive difference! Show notes Who is Ashley Hunt? Being lazy growing up Eventually finding fitness through pole dancing Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis  Finding empowerment through exercise and building strength Becoming a pole dancing instructor Taking control of your body and building self confidence and body confidence Why your confidence builds by doing pole dancing The development of her Rheumatoid Arthritis and how it spread throughout her body Going from being a strong, fit, healthy women in January and by April not being able to dress or feed herself How she coped with the challenge and how it impacted on her mental health Suffering through the dark times and using meditation to get through it. Why being in pain is exhausting Why the struggles you go through make you stronger How she started with meditation & why you need to practice it Her top tips for meditation and why you need to start with breathing Her self care routine & why the best thing you can do is to take care of yourself Taking control of your addiction to technology  Her sleep routine before bed and why there is no technology allowed Advice for dealing with negative thoughts Why being selfish is the most selfless thing you can do Her fitness & training routine now Why nothing is more important than her health What she’s learnt from all the struggles Her final words of advice  - Put yourself first, stop, take a breath and make sure it’s in your best interest - put yourself first!!!   Get in contact with Ashley - Via her website and say hi to her on twitter @ashleyhuntwelln   Feeling inspired week after week?  You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast! Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment! Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.  Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you! Want to do more? Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs.