Ask Ashley

Ashley Russo
  • 4.2 (5)
  • Entrepreneurship

In Ask Ashley, Founder, Thoughtleader and award-winning media personality Ashley Russo sits down with leaders who bring purpose and humanity to business. Each episode explores how people navigate uncertainty, lead with empathy, and create meaningful change in their organizations and lives. Listeners gain practical insights on resilience, leadership, and financially confident decision-making amid disruption. This podcast is brought to you by Ask Ashley. If you’re interested in building a confident, purpose-driven wealth plan, reach out to Ashley at ashley.russo@nm.com.

  1. 16h ago

    Why Andrew Khouw Founded the Port of Seattle's Disability ERG

    Disability rarely gets talked about at work, so people hide it and code switch when they clock in. Andrew Khouw decided that had to change. Andrew is a Program Manager in the innovation department at the Port of Seattle and co-founder of Port DEN, the organization's Disability Equity Network. He is also a dad to two kids, including a son with profound autism, and he brings that lived experience into the community he built for the roughly 2500 people who work at the port. He talks with Ashley Russo about caregiving, safe spaces, and staying hopeful. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Ask Ashley 00:43 Meet Andrew Khouw 01:37 A fourth career and the job lottery 02:18 Co-founding the Disability Equity Network 03:40 How his son shaped the work 05:00 Why meetings are virtual 07:06 Spotting gaps and bringing them to HR 08:11 Creating a sense of safety 09:46 Finding patience for long term community 11:22 Filling your own cup 13:07 Showing up while on leave 13:33 Finding balance 14:27 Using AI as a research tool 16:28 One thing he would tell his younger self 17:37 Closing thanks You can follow Andrew Khouw here: LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/in/andrewkhouw/ Learn more about Port of Seattle: Website - https://portseattle.org

    Why Andrew Khouw Founded the Port of Seattle's Disability ERG

  2. Oct 30

    Niki Madison-Woodburn: A Like Is Not the Same as a Hug

    Diversity headline numbers get people in the door, but they say nothing about who gets developed, who gets useful feedback, and who moves up. Niki Madison-Woodburn, Senior Talent Management & Inclusion Program Manager at Lattice, works on the systems behind that gap, looking at the whole employee lifecycle so growth is clear and measurable. She talks with Ashley Russo about the people plus AI approach at Lattice, a quarterly storytelling activation that builds common ground across teams, managing anxiety by silencing the noise, and the company kickoff moment when a colleague told her she saw Niki light up like never before. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Ask Ashley 00:43 Meet Niki Madison-Woodburn 01:40 Where owning your uniqueness took root 03:05 Curiosity and the move from customer success 04:12 Priorities across your 20s, 30s and now 06:36 When the work got hard and finding the spark again 08:07 Past headline numbers to equitable systems 09:34 Looking at the whole employee lifecycle 10:12 People plus AI and solving the real problem 12:11 Building common ground through storytelling 14:17 Grounding yourself, anxiety and silencing the noise 16:04 The company kickoff moment she lit up 19:07 Helping others past their hesitation 21:22 What she would pause and what she would accelerate 23:17 Advice to her younger self You can follow Niki Madison-Woodburn here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-madison/ Learn more about Lattice: Website - https://lattice.com

    Niki Madison-Woodburn: A Like Is Not the Same as a Hug

  3. Oct 23

    Alex Anderson on Building a Kinder World, One Person at a Time

    Alex Anderson launched the first AI chatbot at Pushpay and spends her days on the exact point where automation meets people asking for help. She talks with Ashley Russo about keeping human empathy in the loop when customers reach out, and why she believes no company has cracked a fully automated support experience yet. Alex is a Senior Customer Insights and Experience Specialist at Pushpay, and her route there ran through Child Protective Services, technology recruiting, and a flag football startup. She carries the oldest-sibling instinct into her work: open doors, meet people where they are, help one person at a time. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Ask Ashley 01:02 Meet Alex Anderson 01:27 Growing up fast as the oldest sibling 03:15 Taking her sister in the week before her wedding 05:11 Believing the best in people and paying it forward 05:50 From Child Protective Services to forensic science 07:42 The path to Pushpay and transferable skills 09:07 How Pushpay funds real world mission work 11:01 AI, human empathy, and responsible support 13:14 Designing customer experience without friction 14:35 Refocusing the women's ERG on core pillars 15:39 Supporting parents and moms at work 18:04 Change happens one person at a time 19:06 Advice to her younger self You can follow Alex Anderson here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-anderson22/ Learn more about Pushpay: Website - https://pushpay.com

    Alex Anderson on Building a Kinder World, One Person at a Time

  4. Oct 16

    Building Community and Measuring What Matters ft. Lacey Elliot

    Lacey Elliot spent a decade as a makeup artist before entering tech at 30, and she carries both worlds into her work. She is GTM Enablement & Strategy Leader at SoundHound AI, where she built out a pre-boarding customer experience team that saves a minimum of five thousand dollars a week on net new deals in North America and rolled out nearly four training courses in her first year. In this conversation with Ashley Russo she talks about a difficult divorce, learning to let herself fail, using Claude to scale her team's work, and why she still believes no robot can replace human touch. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and introductions 01:12 Growing up as the funny youngest of three 03:15 New York, makeup artistry, and a decade of deconstruction 05:30 Marrying an artist's background with a later start in tech 07:35 Building community and creating enablement tools 10:15 Where Lacey lands on AI and human connection 12:12 We don't let ourselves get bored anymore 13:01 Measuring results, ROI, and personal satisfaction 17:04 Honesty without kindness is cruelty 18:59 What suffering taught her about empathy 20:23 Gratitude in lack and in plenty 23:20 Creating space for vulnerability on a team 24:33 One thing she would tell her child self You can follow Lacey Elliot here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceyelliot/ Learn more about SoundHound AI: Website - https://soundhound.com

    Building Community and Measuring What Matters ft. Lacey Elliot

  5. Oct 9

    Why Humans Won't Be Replaced by AI

    A six figure salary can arrive without any family playbook for what to do with it. Betty Woods, Global Program Lead on the Scaled Success team at Miro, talks with Ashley Russo about growing up multicultural in New Jersey, leading Miro's black excellence community, and pushing back on branding that missed the mark. She makes the case that AI is a tool for brainstorming and strategy while human conversation gives the ideas that matter, and she shares why she started working with a financial planner to plan around stock options and care for her family. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Ask Ashley 00:54 Meet Betty Woods of Miro 01:05 Family, heritage, and community 02:12 Her grandmother's strength 03:21 Growing up with an LGBTQ plus mom 04:55 Being the only one in the room 05:22 Bringing empathy to work and the black excellence community 07:21 Five years at Miro and what keeps her invested 09:08 Diverse groups and the use of AI 12:42 Why humans won't be replaced by AI 14:33 Balancing the day job and side pursuits 17:32 First-time wealth builders and stock options 20:04 Advice to her younger self You can follow Betty Woods here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettywoods Learn more about Miro: Website - https://miro.com

    Why Humans Won't Be Replaced by AI

  6. Oct 2

    Mentorship, Tech, and Giving Back with Jahmai Brown

    Jahmai Brown was failing every class with 55s across the board, smoking weed before school, and drifting through the hallways with no sense of direction. A principal, a report card that went home to two disappointed parents, and a mentor named Mr. Washington who told him straight what his life could become changed the path. Jahmai Brown, IT Specialist at BuzzFeed Inc., talks with Ashley Russo about the Harlem mentoring program that refocused him, the summer school exam that stood between him and graduation, and the ERG work that brought Thurgood Marshall Academy students into BuzzFeed for Black History Month. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Ask Ashley 00:43 Meet Jahmai Brown 01:19 Growing up in Harlem and finding Thurgood Marshall Academy 03:03 The mentors and Brothers on a New Direction 07:56 Turning 55s into a turnaround 11:51 Two disappointed parents and a wake up call 14:27 Missing graduation and the summer school exam 16:12 From soul food kitchen to a tech career 20:30 Leading the ERG at BuzzFeed 22:55 Black History Month and bringing students back to school 28:00 One thing he'd tell his younger self You can follow Jahmai Brown here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahmaibrown6824b1126

    Mentorship, Tech, and Giving Back with Jahmai Brown

  7. Sep 25

    Daniel Torres on Family, Debt, and Building Community at Docusign

    Daniel Torres paid off roughly $40,000 in student loans and credit card debt, then taught himself to invest by running his own accounts alongside a fully managed one to see if he could match it. He did. Daniel is a Strategic Customer Success Account Manager at Docusign, born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn, who watched his father build businesses from mowing golf courses to wholesale, put a family car payment on his own credit card during the 2008 crisis, and now leads Docusign's Latinx ERG as culture co-chair. He talks with Ashley Russo about family, money, and what he can control at work. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome and introducing Daniel Torres 02:00 How his father's businesses shaped his drive 04:09 His mother's path from stay at home mom to legal assistant 06:19 The credit lesson his parents passed down 07:52 Moving to Florida and stepping in during the 2008 crisis 10:00 What sacrifice for family taught him 11:33 Carrying community into his career 14:29 From ERG member to global culture co-chair 17:33 Finance as common ground across communities 19:14 Paying off debt, saving, and learning to invest 23:16 Facing tech layoffs and controlling what you can 27:31 Advice to his younger self You can follow Daniel Torres here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-torres-217a6214/ Learn more about Docusign: Website - https://docusign.com

    Daniel Torres on Family, Debt, and Building Community at Docusign

  8. Sep 18

    Steven Holt: Keeping the Human Experience at the Center

    Empathy and business results pull in the same direction, and Steven Holt has spent his career proving it. Steven is a Human Resources Business Partner at Apple whose path ran through Google DeepMind, Tesla, Archer Aviation and Uber, and started with a year each in Ukraine and Moldova at 18. He lost his father to brain cancer at five, grew up in a single parent home of four kids, and now works alongside AI while guarding what makes people human. He talks with Ashley Russo about all of it. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Ask Ashley 00:59 Steven's start in Ukraine and Moldova 02:23 A stroke of luck: seven and a half years at Google 04:19 Tesla, Archer Aviation, Uber, and joining Apple 05:38 Why move through so many companies 07:23 Growing up in the Valley in a single parent home 10:16 Holding empathy alongside revenue goals 13:11 Using AI without losing your own thinking 17:45 Keeping the employee experience real 20:26 Team Human and the human experience 23:40 Staying grounded through hard things 27:32 What he would say to his younger self You can follow Steven Holt here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-j-holt/

    Steven Holt: Keeping the Human Experience at the Center
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

4.2
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

In Ask Ashley, Founder, Thoughtleader and award-winning media personality Ashley Russo sits down with leaders who bring purpose and humanity to business. Each episode explores how people navigate uncertainty, lead with empathy, and create meaningful change in their organizations and lives. Listeners gain practical insights on resilience, leadership, and financially confident decision-making amid disruption. This podcast is brought to you by Ask Ashley. If you’re interested in building a confident, purpose-driven wealth plan, reach out to Ashley at ashley.russo@nm.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Ashley Russo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2025 © Russo Wealth Management
  • Show Website
    Ask Ashley

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