Integrative Coaching · Professional Consulting · Immersive Group Experiences
About
Elizabeth Ashley
Curiosity has always been at the heart of my work.
Hi. My name is Elizabeth Ashley and I'm the founder of Embody First, a practice bringing together psychology, somatic awareness, breathwork, creativity and human connection.
With a degrees in psychology, certifications in somatic psychology and breathwork, and more than two decades of entrepreneurial experience, my work has taken me through many different disciplines. The common thread has always been a fascination with people, how we experience ourselves and one another, and what helps us live more fully.
I've spent years exploring the relationship between what we know intellectually and what we actually experience in our bodies, relationships and everyday lives. That inquiry continues to shape everything I create.
As the founder of Embody First, I design embodied and multisensory experiences that engage more than the thinking mind. Breath. Movement. Sound. Sensory awareness. Visualization. Creativity. Reflection. Relationship.
Each may become part of an intentionally designed experience that engages the body, senses, attention, imagination, expression, relationship, and meaning.
The goal is not simply to deliver information.
It is to create conditions for experience. Conditions where people can become more present, notice more, connect more deeply, and encounter something that may not be accessible through thought alone.
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My Story
Where it all began
As a mother to a child with autism, I wanted to understand how to support him in navigating a world that didn't always meet his needs. I was looking for ways to help him feel more supported in his own experience, with less overwhelm and more room to be himself.
What I discovered along the way changed my life, too.
Through breath, movement, mindfulness and somatic practices, I began finding new ways to navigate my own experiences. I became more aware of how I responded to life, how I showed up in my relationships and how much possibility there was in the ordinary moments of our days.
And somewhere along the way, I started getting excited about living again.
These practices became part of how we lived as a family. Not another wellness routine to keep up with, but practical ways to bring more balance, connection and joy into our everyday lives.
That experience continues to shape my work today.
I know what it's like to go looking for something that might make life a little easier for someone you love, only to discover that the journey changes you, too. And I know the difference between learning about a practice and having it become part of the way you live.
My approach
I believe we are more than our thoughts. And I believe meaningful personal development involves more than simply gathering information about how we should live.
My approach is integrative, drawing from somatic psychology, mindset, breathwork, movement, guided inquiry and reflection. Sometimes the most meaningful place to begin is with a question. Sometimes it's a breath, a movement or a moment of noticing something we've been moving too quickly to see. I don't believe in prescribing the same path for everyone. I'm interested in meeting people where they are, remaining curious and creating space for experiences that invite greater awareness, connection and intentional participation in life.
Knowing something and living it are not the same thing.
How I work
Today, my work takes three forms.
Immersive Group Experiences. I design and facilitate experiences for studios, private groups, teams, organizations and retreats. My work includes a variety of possibilities, from 9D Breathwork journeys to guided experiences incorporating movement, music, connection exercises, visualization and reflection.
Integrative Coaching. I work privately with individuals through an inquiry-led coaching relationship that brings together meaningful conversation, somatic awareness and guided practices. The work follows the person, with opportunities to explore, practice and integrate what they're discovering into everyday life.
Professional Consulting. I collaborate with practitioners and facilitators to develop experiences for their own people. From the initial idea to the participant journey, session design and offer development, I bring together my experience in facilitation, creativity and entrepreneurship to help bring their vision to life.
Different settings. Different people. The same curiosity about what becomes possible through meaningful experience.
The experience behind the work
My professional background includes graduate education in psychology, professional certification in somatic practice, breathwork and mindset coaching, and more than two decades of entrepreneurship.
I bring both the human and practical sides of that experience into my work: understanding people, guiding experiences, developing ideas and creating something that can live beyond the room.
Training + Background
My work is informed by more than two decades of study, practice, professional training, and lived experience across psychology, somatics, embodiment, human behavior, and well-being.
My background includes:
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Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Auburn University
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Master of Science in Psychology, Auburn University
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Certified Somatic Therapy Practitioner
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Certified Soma+IQ Practitioner
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Certified 9D Breathwork Facilitator
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Trauma-Informed Specialist
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Mindful Parenting Coach Certification
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Transformational Mind–Body Coaching Certification
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Additional training and study in breath, movement, nervous-system regulation, guided awareness, embodied practice, and experiential work
My academic background gives me a strong foundation in psychology and human behavior. My somatic training brought that inquiry into the body and the lived dimensions of human experience. Today, those disciplines come together through Embody First in the design of immersive group experiences for well-being and connection.
I am a professional member of the International Breathwork Foundation and an EMPA-insured practitioner.
While I am not a licensed mental health professional, my work is grounded in trauma-aware, body-based and nervous-system-informed practice and offered within clear ethical and professional boundaries. I am not a licensed mental-health professional, and Embody First experiences are not psychotherapy or medical treatment.
Let's work together
Whether you're looking for personal coaching, planning an experience for your people or developing something of your own, I'd love to explore what we can create together.
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Most Recent Certifications + Professional Memberships
Continuing Education & Professional Mentorship
As a dedicated professional in somatic practices and trauma-informed healing, I am committed to continually deepening my expertise & understanding to provide the most effective and transformative experiences for my clients. To uphold this commitment, I actively invest in my own professional and personal growth through ongoing education, mentorship, and advanced master classes with leading experts in my field as well as areas of personal interest. I am currently mentored by and currently hold private memberships and attend ongoing training with the following professional educators, mentors, & membership communities:
Soma+IQ™ Practitioner Membership- I am an active member in the ongoing professional collective dedicated to advancing nervous system care through somatic science, intuitive bodywork, and evidence-based breathwork techniques. This membership supports my continued growth as a trauma-informed practitioner through advanced trainings, collaborative mentorship, and evolving research in body-led healing and integrative breathwork.
The Centre For Healing- Ongoing Somatic and trauma informed education.
The Embody Lab- Ongoing training in somatic therapy modalities such as: Applied Polyvagal Theory, Embodied Movement, Trauma-Informed Therapy, Parts Work, Somatic Psychology, The Science of Wellness, Attachment Theory, Body-Mind Centering, Meditation, Plant Medicine Education.
White Tiger Qigong- Ongoing training in Qigong.
Club Qigong- Ongoing training and personal Qigong practice.
Body-Mind Centering® (BMC®) - is an integrated approach to transformative experience through movement re-education and hands-on repatterning. Developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, it is an experiential study based on the embodiment and application of anatomical, physiological, psychophysical, and developmental principles, and utilizes movement, touch, voice, and consciousness. This study leads to an understanding of how the mind is expressed through the body and the body through the mind.
9D Breathwork Global Facilitator Network - Member of the
professional collective of certified practitioners trained in trauma-informed breathwork, sound therapy, and subconscious reprogramming through the 9D Method. This membership provides ongoing access to advanced facilitator resources, continuing education, and collaborative support to deepen the impact of each journey, ensuring my sessions remain safe, current, and deeply transformational. I no longer practice this modality but I am certified and trained to do so.
A beautiful and practical online community for women where the work centers on emotional awareness, spiritual practice, and living from deeply held, heart-centered values. Participating keeps me in continual personal reflection and alignment so that the work I offer others grows from lived practice, not just professional training. It’s one of the ways I stay grounded, resourced, and attuned in both my life and my work. There is community for both life and business.
David Ghiyam Spiritual Wisdom & Transformation-
Kabbalah explores the deeper patterns of the universe and the inner work of becoming a more conscious, compassionate human being. Its principles invite continual self-reflection, responsibility, and spiritual growth.
This path has been deeply formative for me for many years. These principles shape the way I work as a practitioner. They continually remind me that real healing and growth emerge from within, and my role is to help create the conditions where people can reconnect with their own clarity, resilience, and inner guidance.
Institute for Coaching Mastery-
Centering on conscious transformation and deeply relational coaching,
Alyssa Nobriga's methodology, taught through the Institute for Coaching Mastery, integrates somatic awareness, emotional processing, mindset work, and unconscious pattern recognition to support lasting change in people’s lives.