July 31, 2025 • 14 mins
Ashley shares the full story in why she left Orlando and the morning show almost three years ago, clears up relationship questions, and sets the stage for what you can expect from Sunny Side.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the very first episode of Sunnyside. That is
so exciting to say. It's Ashley and as a media
and radio professional in the last sixteen almost seventeen years,
you can imagine when you go from being on a
morning show, a very active morning show, getting to connect
and talk with people all the time, to leaving that
and being in management and still being on air to
(00:22):
a capacity. I was missing this connection. I was missing
the long form conversations with you and getting to connect
with you over topics. So that is really what has
created Sunnyside is the fact that I was missing that
connection that I had on a morning show. But I
didn't miss the morning show hours, that's for sure. I
(00:44):
put that on one of my social media teasers because
I was like, I missed the conversations, the connections talking
about things. Because here's what happens when you are an
on air talent and you're constantly thinking of topics for
your morning show. Everything in life becomes something in your
head of like, oh my gosh, that would be a
great thing to talk about on the morning show. Well,
(01:04):
when I left the morning show in Orlando, you can
imagine that became something I had nowhere to take these
things to accept social media, which is fine. But the
podcast was something I have really just had in the
back of my mind for like the last two years
of something that I wanted to create for my own,
to have a podcast of my own, a place and
a community to connect, especially with the place I'm in
(01:27):
now in life is just so different than where I
was a few years ago. So that is what Sunnyside
is all about, and the community we're going to get
to bring together with past listeners that I've had that
have still followed me on Instagram on social media, two
new followers I've had over the last couple of years
that don't even know me from a morning show. They
(01:47):
just know me from my Instagram or my content of
traveling and country music events, whatever it may be. So
I'm very excited to share the space with you and
talk about so many different things in life that we
act experience, whether it be professional workplace setting situations, personal situations,
funny situations, not so funny situations, but truly, more often
(02:11):
than not in my life now I find myself saying,
oh my gosh, that is such a topic I would
talk about with my girlfriends or something happened to me
or a friend this week that we're texting about and like,
this would be a great podcast and we need to
talk about this. That is where this is going to live.
But before I even get into that, I do want
to put a little bow on why I left the
(02:35):
morning show in Orlando, because there's no juicy answer, and
I feel like I left a lot of people in
the dark, and it was not intentional. It was almost
because I had to be And this is going to
be a whole story for everyone who didn't even know
I was on a morning show, right, but almost three
years ago, it'll be three years in November that I
took this job here in Tampa and I left Orlando.
I left the morning show, and it came to a
(02:56):
huge surprise to a lot of people because it was
this established morning show on the air in Orlando and
things were great, like nothing nothing happened. That's what I
definitely want to make sure I get it, like nothing
ever happened there, and I don't think anyone thinks that anyways.
But because there was no closure to the listeners on
the air, it was like, oh, Ashley's just not on
(03:18):
the show anymore. Where'd she go by the way. This
is week after pretty much ten years. So that's kind
of a shock when your morning show host or your
morning show that you listen to changes and there's no explanation.
Mine all stem from just my next career path, my
next career journey that I was wanting. That's why I left.
There was no juicy answer, there was no juicy story
(03:40):
that went along with it. I was so excited to
get approached for a job here in Tampa and it
is the job I have now, and it was really
that next step for me, and I was wanting that.
I was at a place in Orlando that I was like, Okay,
what am I going to do next? Like I had
reached that point in my career where I was like, Okay,
I do like doing morning but I was so involved
(04:01):
on things managerially, on the back end and behind the
scenes that I was growing there. And while mornings was
fun and I liked being a personality on air, it
wasn't where I felt was my strong point and what
I was truly passionate about. It was all the things
I was doing behind the scenes that was taking my
attention away from being on the morning show that I
(04:23):
was getting pulled in the direction of which hence where
I am Now. I am in this position in Tampa
and it'll be three years this November. I love it.
It's home for me. I grew up in Panelas County,
which is over here on the west coast of Florida.
It's that little I always say. I always describe it
as that little thing that dangles off the left coast
of Florida, the Peninsula. Yes, that's where I grew up,
(04:46):
born and raised. My family's all here, so you can
imagine getting approached about this job that was becoming available.
I will describe that story for you because I think
it's important because I feel like that was also a
turning point in my life and my confidence and who
I was person that so many people are either seeking
to hit that point, haven't hit that point, or if
(05:07):
you have hit that point, you know exactly what I'm
talking about. And it's finding that confidence of realizing I
can do this, Like wait, I'm being proached about this job.
Somebody else finds that I am capable of this job,
hence them approaching me about it, And I was so
ready for that next role, and I'm so glad I
went for it. It's one of those moments in life
(05:29):
that was pivotal for me, and it was because I
quote unquote took a risk, even though it wasn't that
risky because I was fully capable of doing the job,
but I needed to believe in myself. And so when
this all happened, there was never an explanation that happened
on the morning show in Orlando, because basically, because I'm
so close to Orlando. In Tampa, it's only a two
(05:51):
hour drive, but the station I'm at now basically reaches Orlando.
And in the competitive market, even though we weren't a
official competitors like Ratings, which were not even going to
go down that rabbit hole. They don't even count towards
each other. But because I was coming so close, I
think there's always that fear of if somebody says where
they're going, then we risk losing our listeners to where
(06:14):
that person is going. You know, that's just kind of
a standard thing, almost like a non compete that a
lot of people have with their jobs and going across
the street to the competitor quote unquote. So that's why
there really was no closure, and I understood it professionally
now of course, I had family members that were just
like what that is so wrong. I can't believe they
didn't even tell anyone that you were leaving, or they
(06:36):
didn't tell anyone what happened, because nothing happened. It was
my choice to leave the show. I had a great experience,
incredibly great experience there was that was a risk for
me because I was leaving something that was great. I
had great coworkers, I had great leadership. I had a
great team around me. I had great clients who I
(06:57):
endorsed for years. That was a you know, source of income.
I had a great income. But I was ready for
that next challenge professionally, and so that is why I'm
here now in Tampa and I have been here now
almost three years this November. So I know that was
maybe a lot of the detail, but I feel like
it was important because a lot of people would still
reach out to me, like a year and a half
(07:18):
after I had left Orlando and say where did you go?
Like what happened? Are you not on the morning show anymore?
And it was crazy to me because here I was.
I had moved on, I had taken this other job.
But nothing was ever said or done to explain why
I left or even said hey, yeah, no, she's no
longer on the show, Like it was completely ignored. It
was crazy. I haven't even thought about it that much
(07:40):
until right now talking about it. But it was a
pretty wild situation in a very public position and role
on a morning show, just kind of being like falling
off the face of the earth and no one hearing
anything about it. So that's how that went. There's no
hard feelings. There never was from the very get go,
like I knew how that's how it was going to
go down, and it was done very respectfully professionally. I
(08:04):
still have so much respect for the leaders over there
I talk to frequently. I see a lot of people
still because we're in the same industry and what I'm
doing now, I love. I'm in Tampa, I'm home. My
family's here again, like I mentioned earlier, and gosh, yeah,
you want to get into the personal changes it also happened. Ah.
(08:26):
I don't know if that's laughter out of oh man,
like I know I need to face this and tell
this story, but also out of respect for everyone involved,
like I laugh, But truly, no, divorce is not fun.
Someone doesn't get married and think they're gonna get divorced.
So to bring up to speed on that, Yes, I
was married in twenty twenty. What I thought was, you know,
(08:50):
like a good relationship, and I think that I just
was wrong, and again, out of respect for everyone involved.
Nothing happened, like nothing super serious happened there other than
we were just not a good match. And I don't
know if it was after marriage that all of that
just kind of started coming out when you're actually kind
of like having to face the harder things in life
(09:11):
and marriage where we just weren't compatible. But I will
say I am so grateful that everything was amicable with
that divorce, nothing but respect. In the end, I wish
him nothing but the best, and I wanted him to
find happiness. Hope he found happiness. Everything was amicable. And
this is like kind of personal, but I feel like
(09:33):
here we are, this is my podcast, and we should
just talk about it because you might be able to
relate everything was amicable in that divorce, that it was
so simple because we didn't have any kids together, and
we shared nothing when it came to a bank account,
like we didn't have any assets shared together. I didn't
ask for anything. I didn't want anything. I was at
the point where I was just like, I just want
(09:56):
to be happy, and you know, I know this is
not how things are supposed to be, so let's just
move on. And it was a very simple divorce, so
that being said, again, you know, it was nothing but
wishing the best for him. And now again that was
back in twenty twenty three. Never in my life did
(10:18):
I think I would find or even have a second
chance at marriage that I was even going to entertain,
because you know, you get divorced and you're like, there's
no way I'm going to find somebody quick like. And
at that point, I was already thirty five, thirty four,
thirty five when I got divorced, so you're like, okay,
(10:40):
and you're you're not really into dating, so I wasn't
really looking. But as you have it, I have a
best friend that I've known since fourth grade, and she
knew I went through my divorce. She knew somebody she
knew was going through divorce, and she thought we would
be the perfect people to meet each other and that
we were perfect for each other. She knows us both
(11:01):
inside and out, and she's like, just give it one date.
And that's how I found my husband now, who is incredible.
He's amazing. I'm so blessed, I'm so grateful. I also think,
you know, how I mentioned earlier that people don't go
into marriage thinking about divorce. I absolutely did not. He
didn't either, he was married before. And we both will
(11:22):
have conversations and I'm definitely gonna have him on an
episode here at some point down the road, because we
talk about it all the time, about the level of
communication and respect and having the hard conversations that we
have and how different that is from our previous marriages,
and again but respect for both people. And we're cordial
(11:43):
with his ex wife as well, because he does share
a son with him, and I'm a bonus mom. Now, yes, surprise,
if you didn't know that, it's great, But I will
tell you this marriage is so successful and loving and productive,
and it is a true partnership that I think I
was always seeking. I remember getting married the first time
and somebody saying, Okay, well, you know, like you guys
(12:06):
are now partners in life, and you need to be
each other's partners. You're on each other's team. And unfortunately
I didn't ever get to that point in my first
marriage that never happened. I never felt that partnership. Now
I totally know what someone means when they say that,
and that's what I was wanting so badly, and I'm
so grateful that I have it now. But it definitely
(12:27):
does come down to the communication and the respect and
also too, I remember somebody telling me, and this might
have been like in a marriage course, and it was
something like, just because you get married, you can't expect
that that person now knows your every thought, action, want, need,
you know. But I think a lot of times we
do put that pressure on our significant other once we
get married, of like, Okay, we're married now and they're
(12:49):
they're supposed to know everything that we want, need, and
we're never vocal about it, or we don't. We don't
share our frustrations or things that make us uncomfortable, things
we might need to do address. You know. Again, this
is something we'll get into another episode, but I wanted
to bring it up because that is where I am
now and I am so grateful for it. The crazy
(13:11):
story about my husband, his name is TJ. And we
grew up not even kidding about a mile and a
half two miles from each other, never knew each other.
He is forty one, I'm thirty seven. So even though
we went to the same high school, we never knew
each other. It would have even cross paths because as
I was an incoming freshman, he had graduated. So we
were never in school at the same time together, but
(13:33):
grew up in the same community know so many of
the same people. My brother knew his grandmother shots of
story for another Time, which I think is so special
because I never got to meet his grandmother and he
was so close with her, but my brother got to
meet her. Like these crazy connections. So I am so
excited for Sunnyside. This is going to be such a
(13:53):
great opportunity and place and inspiration for you to come
to just about normal conversation things that are going on
in our lives. There's gonna be opportunity to discuss what's
going on with these conversations with you on social media,
which I love if you're not already following us on
Instagram at Sunnyside with Ashley as we build this new community.
(14:15):
I know I've kind of already been out there for
years based on my radio career and social media, but
this is such a fun new opportunity where it's really
just me and the guests and the friends and family
we bring onto the podcast. So thanks for joining us,
Thanks for joining me on this very first episode of
Sunnyside
This is the very first episode of Sunnyside. That is
so exciting to say. It's Ashley and as a media
and radio professional in the last sixteen almost seventeen years,
you can imagine when you go from being on a
morning show, a very active morning show, getting to connect
and talk with people all the time, to leaving that
and being in management and still being on air to
(00:22):
a capacity. I was missing this connection. I was missing
the long form conversations with you and getting to connect
with you over topics. So that is really what has
created Sunnyside is the fact that I was missing that
connection that I had on a morning show. But I
didn't miss the morning show hours, that's for sure. I
(00:44):
put that on one of my social media teasers because
I was like, I missed the conversations, the connections talking
about things. Because here's what happens when you are an
on air talent and you're constantly thinking of topics for
your morning show. Everything in life becomes something in your
head of like, oh my gosh, that would be a
great thing to talk about on the morning show. Well,
(01:04):
when I left the morning show in Orlando, you can
imagine that became something I had nowhere to take these
things to accept social media, which is fine. But the
podcast was something I have really just had in the
back of my mind for like the last two years
of something that I wanted to create for my own,
to have a podcast of my own, a place and
a community to connect, especially with the place I'm in
(01:27):
now in life is just so different than where I
was a few years ago. So that is what Sunnyside
is all about, and the community we're going to get
to bring together with past listeners that I've had that
have still followed me on Instagram on social media, two
new followers I've had over the last couple of years
that don't even know me from a morning show. They
(01:47):
just know me from my Instagram or my content of
traveling and country music events, whatever it may be. So
I'm very excited to share the space with you and
talk about so many different things in life that we
act experience, whether it be professional workplace setting situations, personal situations,
funny situations, not so funny situations, but truly, more often
(02:11):
than not in my life now I find myself saying,
oh my gosh, that is such a topic I would
talk about with my girlfriends or something happened to me
or a friend this week that we're texting about and like,
this would be a great podcast and we need to
talk about this. That is where this is going to live.
But before I even get into that, I do want
to put a little bow on why I left the
(02:35):
morning show in Orlando, because there's no juicy answer, and
I feel like I left a lot of people in
the dark, and it was not intentional. It was almost
because I had to be And this is going to
be a whole story for everyone who didn't even know
I was on a morning show, right, but almost three
years ago, it'll be three years in November that I
took this job here in Tampa and I left Orlando.
I left the morning show, and it came to a
(02:56):
huge surprise to a lot of people because it was
this established morning show on the air in Orlando and
things were great, like nothing nothing happened. That's what I
definitely want to make sure I get it, like nothing
ever happened there, and I don't think anyone thinks that anyways.
But because there was no closure to the listeners on
the air, it was like, oh, Ashley's just not on
(03:18):
the show anymore. Where'd she go by the way. This
is week after pretty much ten years. So that's kind
of a shock when your morning show host or your
morning show that you listen to changes and there's no explanation.
Mine all stem from just my next career path, my
next career journey that I was wanting. That's why I left.
There was no juicy answer, there was no juicy story
(03:40):
that went along with it. I was so excited to
get approached for a job here in Tampa and it
is the job I have now, and it was really
that next step for me, and I was wanting that.
I was at a place in Orlando that I was like, Okay,
what am I going to do next? Like I had
reached that point in my career where I was like, Okay,
I do like doing morning but I was so involved
(04:01):
on things managerially, on the back end and behind the
scenes that I was growing there. And while mornings was
fun and I liked being a personality on air, it
wasn't where I felt was my strong point and what
I was truly passionate about. It was all the things
I was doing behind the scenes that was taking my
attention away from being on the morning show that I
(04:23):
was getting pulled in the direction of which hence where
I am Now. I am in this position in Tampa
and it'll be three years this November. I love it.
It's home for me. I grew up in Panelas County,
which is over here on the west coast of Florida.
It's that little I always say. I always describe it
as that little thing that dangles off the left coast
of Florida, the Peninsula. Yes, that's where I grew up,
(04:46):
born and raised. My family's all here, so you can
imagine getting approached about this job that was becoming available.
I will describe that story for you because I think
it's important because I feel like that was also a
turning point in my life and my confidence and who
I was person that so many people are either seeking
to hit that point, haven't hit that point, or if
(05:07):
you have hit that point, you know exactly what I'm
talking about. And it's finding that confidence of realizing I
can do this, Like wait, I'm being proached about this job.
Somebody else finds that I am capable of this job,
hence them approaching me about it, And I was so
ready for that next role, and I'm so glad I
went for it. It's one of those moments in life
(05:29):
that was pivotal for me, and it was because I
quote unquote took a risk, even though it wasn't that
risky because I was fully capable of doing the job,
but I needed to believe in myself. And so when
this all happened, there was never an explanation that happened
on the morning show in Orlando, because basically, because I'm
so close to Orlando. In Tampa, it's only a two
(05:51):
hour drive, but the station I'm at now basically reaches Orlando.
And in the competitive market, even though we weren't a
official competitors like Ratings, which were not even going to
go down that rabbit hole. They don't even count towards
each other. But because I was coming so close, I
think there's always that fear of if somebody says where
they're going, then we risk losing our listeners to where
(06:14):
that person is going. You know, that's just kind of
a standard thing, almost like a non compete that a
lot of people have with their jobs and going across
the street to the competitor quote unquote. So that's why
there really was no closure, and I understood it professionally
now of course, I had family members that were just
like what that is so wrong. I can't believe they
didn't even tell anyone that you were leaving, or they
(06:36):
didn't tell anyone what happened, because nothing happened. It was
my choice to leave the show. I had a great experience,
incredibly great experience there was that was a risk for
me because I was leaving something that was great. I
had great coworkers, I had great leadership. I had a
great team around me. I had great clients who I
(06:57):
endorsed for years. That was a you know, source of income.
I had a great income. But I was ready for
that next challenge professionally, and so that is why I'm
here now in Tampa and I have been here now
almost three years this November. So I know that was
maybe a lot of the detail, but I feel like
it was important because a lot of people would still
reach out to me, like a year and a half
(07:18):
after I had left Orlando and say where did you go?
Like what happened? Are you not on the morning show anymore?
And it was crazy to me because here I was.
I had moved on, I had taken this other job.
But nothing was ever said or done to explain why
I left or even said hey, yeah, no, she's no
longer on the show, Like it was completely ignored. It
was crazy. I haven't even thought about it that much
(07:40):
until right now talking about it. But it was a
pretty wild situation in a very public position and role
on a morning show, just kind of being like falling
off the face of the earth and no one hearing
anything about it. So that's how that went. There's no
hard feelings. There never was from the very get go,
like I knew how that's how it was going to
go down, and it was done very respectfully professionally. I
(08:04):
still have so much respect for the leaders over there
I talk to frequently. I see a lot of people
still because we're in the same industry and what I'm
doing now, I love. I'm in Tampa, I'm home. My
family's here again, like I mentioned earlier, and gosh, yeah,
you want to get into the personal changes it also happened. Ah.
(08:26):
I don't know if that's laughter out of oh man,
like I know I need to face this and tell
this story, but also out of respect for everyone involved,
like I laugh, But truly, no, divorce is not fun.
Someone doesn't get married and think they're gonna get divorced.
So to bring up to speed on that, Yes, I
was married in twenty twenty. What I thought was, you know,
(08:50):
like a good relationship, and I think that I just
was wrong, and again, out of respect for everyone involved.
Nothing happened, like nothing super serious happened there other than
we were just not a good match. And I don't
know if it was after marriage that all of that
just kind of started coming out when you're actually kind
of like having to face the harder things in life
(09:11):
and marriage where we just weren't compatible. But I will
say I am so grateful that everything was amicable with
that divorce, nothing but respect. In the end, I wish
him nothing but the best, and I wanted him to
find happiness. Hope he found happiness. Everything was amicable. And
this is like kind of personal, but I feel like
(09:33):
here we are, this is my podcast, and we should
just talk about it because you might be able to
relate everything was amicable in that divorce, that it was
so simple because we didn't have any kids together, and
we shared nothing when it came to a bank account,
like we didn't have any assets shared together. I didn't
ask for anything. I didn't want anything. I was at
the point where I was just like, I just want
(09:56):
to be happy, and you know, I know this is
not how things are supposed to be, so let's just
move on. And it was a very simple divorce, so
that being said, again, you know, it was nothing but
wishing the best for him. And now again that was
back in twenty twenty three. Never in my life did
(10:18):
I think I would find or even have a second
chance at marriage that I was even going to entertain,
because you know, you get divorced and you're like, there's
no way I'm going to find somebody quick like. And
at that point, I was already thirty five, thirty four,
thirty five when I got divorced, so you're like, okay,
(10:40):
and you're you're not really into dating, so I wasn't
really looking. But as you have it, I have a
best friend that I've known since fourth grade, and she
knew I went through my divorce. She knew somebody she
knew was going through divorce, and she thought we would
be the perfect people to meet each other and that
we were perfect for each other. She knows us both
(11:01):
inside and out, and she's like, just give it one date.
And that's how I found my husband now, who is incredible.
He's amazing. I'm so blessed, I'm so grateful. I also think,
you know, how I mentioned earlier that people don't go
into marriage thinking about divorce. I absolutely did not. He
didn't either, he was married before. And we both will
(11:22):
have conversations and I'm definitely gonna have him on an
episode here at some point down the road, because we
talk about it all the time, about the level of
communication and respect and having the hard conversations that we
have and how different that is from our previous marriages,
and again but respect for both people. And we're cordial
(11:43):
with his ex wife as well, because he does share
a son with him, and I'm a bonus mom. Now, yes, surprise,
if you didn't know that, it's great, But I will
tell you this marriage is so successful and loving and productive,
and it is a true partnership that I think I
was always seeking. I remember getting married the first time
and somebody saying, Okay, well, you know, like you guys
(12:06):
are now partners in life, and you need to be
each other's partners. You're on each other's team. And unfortunately
I didn't ever get to that point in my first
marriage that never happened. I never felt that partnership. Now
I totally know what someone means when they say that,
and that's what I was wanting so badly, and I'm
so grateful that I have it now. But it definitely
(12:27):
does come down to the communication and the respect and
also too, I remember somebody telling me, and this might
have been like in a marriage course, and it was
something like, just because you get married, you can't expect
that that person now knows your every thought, action, want, need,
you know. But I think a lot of times we
do put that pressure on our significant other once we
get married, of like, Okay, we're married now and they're
(12:49):
they're supposed to know everything that we want, need, and
we're never vocal about it, or we don't. We don't
share our frustrations or things that make us uncomfortable, things
we might need to do address. You know. Again, this
is something we'll get into another episode, but I wanted
to bring it up because that is where I am
now and I am so grateful for it. The crazy
(13:11):
story about my husband, his name is TJ. And we
grew up not even kidding about a mile and a
half two miles from each other, never knew each other.
He is forty one, I'm thirty seven. So even though
we went to the same high school, we never knew
each other. It would have even cross paths because as
I was an incoming freshman, he had graduated. So we
were never in school at the same time together, but
(13:33):
grew up in the same community know so many of
the same people. My brother knew his grandmother shots of
story for another Time, which I think is so special
because I never got to meet his grandmother and he
was so close with her, but my brother got to
meet her. Like these crazy connections. So I am so
excited for Sunnyside. This is going to be such a
(13:53):
great opportunity and place and inspiration for you to come
to just about normal conversation things that are going on
in our lives. There's gonna be opportunity to discuss what's
going on with these conversations with you on social media,
which I love if you're not already following us on
Instagram at Sunnyside with Ashley as we build this new community.
(14:15):
I know I've kind of already been out there for
years based on my radio career and social media, but
this is such a fun new opportunity where it's really
just me and the guests and the friends and family
we bring onto the podcast. So thanks for joining us,
Thanks for joining me on this very first episode of
Sunnyside
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