Daily Inspiration: Meet Ashriel Huber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashriel Huber.

Hi Ashriel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Have you ever felt anxious or worried? Have you ever overthought everything going on around you? Have you ever worried about what people think and say about you? After the kids have gone to bed at night, have you stayed up late…dreaming of doing more and helping more but nothing ever actually changes?

If you said, “Yes, that’s me!” while awkwardly raising your hand and looking sheepishly around (hoping you weren’t alone) then cheer up, my hands waving like a flag! It’s those very thoughts that started my journey of transformation and created the business I have today.

You see, I went through a season that was incredibly low and downright miserable…because of MY STATE-OF-MIND.

We cannot change the outside circumstances but we can change how we SEE them and the meaning we give them. This long, low state of seeing and feeling things led to me getting help from a trainer to start thinking differently. Becoming passionate about the transformation of my own thoughts and life, I became a Personal Trainer for Thought Patterns. I use my podcast, book, and courses to help Christian mamas and women retrain their brain with a foundational connective thought work out as well as situational “work outs” to better see and experience their lives.

So how did it all get started and how did I end up here today? Well, it’s confession time, and I was nervous for today. Like, sweaty palms, racing heart, ‘what am I doing here Lord’ nervous to share today how I got here. Not just “here” in my fuzzy pajamas surrounded by brain research, gnome artwork, and a manuscript covered in red marks but “here” in my stage of awkward entrepreneurship and serving.

You see, something started two years ago. I felt like God called me to write. I was in the middle of a meltdown because I had finished reading a Charles Martin trilogy (he’s one of my favorite fiction authors) and he wrote his protagonist as an author who used his books and influence to help so many people because there’s so much hurt that needs hope wrapped around it.

So, when God, at noon on a normal Friday, said write a book and I blinked at him, teary eyed, and was like, me God? Why me? That sounds nicer when I hear it today but guys, the reality is I was blubbering and battling the whole idea until I finally looked around, realized my overwhelming feelings weren’t changing the calling, and blew my nose and started the process.

The great news is that I started, big high five there because that’s the hardest part, to go from dreaming to actually doing. I was writing the fiction book. But I missed the mark on the second half of what needed to be done-knowing HOW was I going to use the book to help?

But the process of learning how to write better and edit got me dreaming and as I finished the book, I started the Called and Curious podcast. Each week I wanted to give people a different way to see things and to take action on what we learned.

But there was a problem with the podcast and the community and I couldn’t put my finger on it. What was I doing here? What was the point of all this? Why should I keep going for just me and my handful of loyal listeners? But I did, I kept going, kept researching, kept trying to find ways to help others shift their thinking and go try something in their day a different way or think about themselves a little differently.

But I had no “this is exactly who we are and this is what we do” message. So I just kept making episodes that seemed helpful but with no real plan or reasoning why. And it was good, the podcast episodes worked on overcoming fears, getting through struggle gaps, the 2 words to use to get more compliance with requests, how not to ruin your child with the wrong kind of praise and lots of topics to think about and see things a little differently to slightly shift your day’s experience for the better.

But there was still a problem and this is embarrassing to admit. The podcast wasn’t doing and helping how I had dreamed it could and would. I’d wanted to “help everyone” but in reality, my message was diluted because it wasn’t niched on a real group of people and their real problems.
Now you’ve probably noticed by now how I struggled with being strategic and mapping out a marketing plan and just went for tactics? Well guess what? You got it, I had a new tactical idea! Yes, certainly this would be the tactic that would light people up and move the needle on my business and get the word out there about “work outs” for thoughts.

I was going to write a short, free e-story using all my knowledge, research and expertise from early childhood. I’d pull out the brain facts and share my mama and teaching experiences that helped transform the behaviors and learning outcomes in my class.

To better understand this stage of the journey, let me tell you a story of Allison. Allison was a shy kindergartener, very sweet, no big behaviors but she struggled to remember some of our lessons and had a hard time socially. About mid-year, we began our space unit. The year before we’d done the lesson from the packet to practice learning the planet’s names in order. During testing time, some of the kids remembered them all but most missed a lot.

This year would be different, we were going to try something new to get different results. So, I hauled giant spray-painted cardboard cutouts of planets into the classroom. (To give you an idea of size, the sun and Jupiter were bigger than the children.) I also had all the children write ice, rock, and dust on a bunch of pieces of paper and crumple them up for asteroids. Each child was given an item, either the sun, a planet, or an asteroid for the asteroid belt between mars and Jupiter. I would turn on space music and the planets, sun, and asteroids would dance around the classroom until the music stopped and they had to line up in order. They loved it! We ditched the curriculum packet that day and played the game for a half an hour.

Guess what? Every child in my class knew the order of the solar system. And you remember Allison? She remembered too. Turns out, her nervous system and brain needed the mind-body workout to help her better process information and feel better. We did more gross-motor cognitive groups and I watched her knowledge and confidence grow, she felt more empowered and CONFIDENT. She left my class transformed, not just ready academically, but socially, emotionally and spiritually and I 100% believe it’s because we trained her thought patterns differently, through simultaneously exercising her brain and body, and we got different results

You see, I’ll try and humbly say that was a pretty good teacher and I loved teaching but I’d discovered that year a little secret about the mind and body and how working both of them simultaneously would help my children learn and retain knowledge better. We’re pretty big on brain research in the early childhood field because the brain undergoes remarkable rapid growth and development during that time. I won’t get on my soap box about the importance of the right approach and education during the early childhood period but know that everything we pour into them in and they experience in those years helps shape their ability to think, learn, and interact with the world around them-whether negatively or positively.

But it got me thinking of the verse in Proverbs 4:23 that says, above all be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life. That verse is true and it is also slightly terrifying. That the thoughts in our heads right now are shaping our day and our future. That’s a problem because a lot of us have false thoughts, or lies, like weeds that pop up in our brains and we think, oh it showed up here so it must belong. But a lie is a lie and just because you didn’t plant it there, doesn’t mean the enemy didn’t sew that seed, that lie of comparison or shame or limitations, that’s now popping up like an annoying little thought weed in your brain. But if you leave it there, ignore it, if you let it stay long enough, that weed gets bigger and stronger and starts creating a path in your brain that becomes a belief and all those thoughts and belief control not just your life, but the meaning you give to your life and how you’re experiencing it.

Now I’m a home-grown neuroscience nerd and I thought, hey if we can better shift how kids are thinking and experiencing something, can’t we do the same thing for our thoughts for ourselves? I drooled for a year over neuroplasticity (our stretchy brains that can reorganize itself and grow) and neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons and pathways and where those new neurons pop up in and what they do) and the little e-book began to write itself. In fact, it grew into a proper, full-size book just bursting with “ah-ha’ moments and relatable stories and REAL strategies for shifting our perspectives.

But while writing the book, I got annoyed. I felt like every book out there on mindset or positivity lacked two things. One, they lacked EFFECTIVENESS and SUSTAINABILITY I don’t believe for a minute you can “make yourself happy” or try a positive affirmation one day as a magic pill and be happier and all of these books would say things like, put your phone down or get off social media and say a mantra. And while it worked for a short term, nothing really changed.
Because phones and outside input are circumstances and we can’t always control our circumstances and that nice mantra works until something hard or challenging comes at me in a day. Then watch me rip up the mantra, shove back to where it came from, and go back to how I’ve always thought and behaved.

And two, the books offered NO REPEATABLE PLAN TO CREATE A HABIT I didn’t like that there wasn’t an actual process or plan or framework to actually do something. Because I would read a book on ‘having better thoughts’ and then put the book down and nothing changed. I needed a process to follow so I could actually have a sustainable habit of working out and training my thoughts which would lead to more sustained time in a higher, clearer state of mind that’s calm and peaceful.

We’ve all heard that our lives are just a total of our habits, but that was the problem, thinking better thoughts is not a habit most of us have, and the human brain is wired to look for danger and the negative first so we’re not going to magically start thinking better thoughts because our brains are patterned, we have neural pathways that we travel over and over again and they become our thought patterns and beliefs. If we don’t have a habit or a process to make over our thoughts, they just stay stuck in the same patterns.

I realized we needed to see differently, just like Allison needed a different approach to think, feel, and act better. I wanted grown up people to love their life, to love learning, and to have their life shaped by love. But I didn’t want this book to be like the others, it couldn’t just say, be positive, love more, and high five people. It couldn’t be a one-and-done experience because that wouldn’t help people, nothing would really change. (While I do think if we all got cardboard cut-outs of the solar system and did that activity as a group every day, we’d be real experts on the planetary order and probably be in a higher state of mind, it’s not super practical or sustainable.)

I created a connective-thought framework “work out” that uses faith (because nothing changes without the power of Christ) and neuroscience (because it helps us understand how it’s actually working in our brains) to create a ridiculously simple “work out” process to let God “work in” us and help energetically shift your state of mind from low to high and think better thoughts.

Then I scooped up my crazy stories and real examples to finish writing the book Love Moves. It’s a gorgeous little guidebook and “work out” plan in your pocket for Christian mamas and women to rid their minds of weedy lies and grow more beautiful thoughts about their experiences.

So many of us live in our anxious thoughts and think it’s normal-it’s not and there’s another way. I love Philippians 4:6-7 the MSG translation where it says, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.” It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Using God’s love and looking for the good with gratitude using powerful questions and a dual mind-body exercise, our brains can start pruning the lies and old thought patterns and create new neural pathways to spend more time thinking and feeling clearer and better. The book is called Love Moves (small plug, it comes out spring of 2025!) and it’s a small book with a big impact. It was also during the creation of that book that I officially became a Personal Trainer for Thought Patterns. And the book will be a powerful tool for my business and mission that I can give to women to start intentionally changing their thought patterns

Inside, it maps out the framework so we have a real way to start “working out” our thoughts. The framework is short, easy, and repeatable, and when it becomes a habit, you can watch it transform your thoughts and your experience in life. It’s a game changer and I’ve been doing the process every day since I created it and the results are mind blowing.

I’ve thought, prayed, eaten too much ooey gooey butter Jeni’s ice cream, and now I’m on a mission: help women think better, feel better, and do better.

So many people spend time and energy on work out plans. We know the importance of physical exercise and how it helps our brains and bodies and try and put effort into being physically active, but what about a “work out” for our thoughts? What if we have a habit of exercising our thoughts every day, what would our brains look like in a month? A year? A lifetime?

Because what you think shapes your life–what you think creates how you feel, and how you feel creates how you behave. I thought of the kingdom women around the world, I thought of you, who also needs a simple daily mind-body process to “work out” your thoughts, bodies, and spirit” and to do it with a community going with you, cheering you on. And I want that, I want all women to have the tool to transform their thought patterns to go from cluttered, incapable, and unworthy to calm, clear, and confident with just one “Love Move” a day to grow more beautiful thoughts for a more beautiful life.

You have my confession now. I’ve pulled back the curtain, you can see the mess, a sloppy pile of mermaid scales, neuroscience, podcasts, and e books, all scattered like crazy confetti over my life. But at the heart of it is love. I love to teach. I love the brain. I love Jesus. And I want to help women become who God created them to be and think and feel better along the way.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
You know how some roads are meant for rolling down the window, propping a foot up, and just letting the free and easy breeze play with your hair? Well, true talk here, the road to creating a company and community for “thought exercises” for kingdom women was more like traveling a bumpy forest road with rocks, trenches, and so many confusing potential routes.

I felt God was calling me to really work with women on their thought patterns, the thing that keeps us stuck from feeling better and doing better. And it’s great to know and believe we’re called to shine bright as mamas, as entrepreneurs, and as keepers of the hidden Oreo stash, but if we’re stuck in our old thought patterns and our old way of thinking and doing things, then nothing can truly change in our lives.

I was afraid and held back. I clutched some of my old beliefs and went weakly forward. I told myself people wouldn’t see me or think of me as a Personal Trainer for Thought Patterns or they wouldn’t like my voice on the Called and Curious podcast, or they wouldn’t believe me that they could change their thoughts and feelings and buy the book Love Moves, or I would be a huge failure and left in my fuzzy pajamas while simultaneously sobbing and eating the contraband Oreos.

So I did things quietly, half-way, and with little direction and boldness. I was diluted in my messaging, my marketing, and my kingdom-impact. It was like a boulder in the middle of the road on this journey. But, like many boulders in our life, God has a way of either crushing them or moving us in a different direction.

Recently, God smashed “the boulder” and said to “be bolder” and to not shy away when the need is so great. He helped redirect my attention to who this was all for and how it could help. It wasn’t about me. Sometimes we have to get over ourselves so we can truly surrender and step into being and doing what we were made to do.

I can 100% guarantee that you will encounter struggles and challenges on the way towards your callings. But it’s how you CHOOSE to think and feel in those challenges that will either keep you rooted and stuck in negativity, incapability, and worry or help you become positive, resilient, and confident.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
There’s something a bit odd but fabulous about sticking your arm out to introduce yourself and say, “Hi! I’m Ashriel, a Personal Trainer for Thought Patterns.” For some, I just get “the look” but for others, it’s that lightbulb moment of realizing that those “ugly” thoughts that keep them feeling less than are not true and they don’t have to keep them.

Usually the first question I get is, “What exactly is a Personal Trainer for Thought Patterns?” Great question, and just like a physical trainer helps you build strength, I specialize in strengthening your mental resilience and transforming your thought patterns.

In 2023, God put a big, hairy, scary calling on my life to wake up, write a book, and to stop sitting in my own low-state thoughts that left me feeling anxious, worried, and ineffective for the kingdom of heaven. I had my own mindset trainer that helped pull my thoughts out of the weeds and helped equip me to grow more beautiful thoughts so I could be free from the chains of cluttered, overwhelming thought-patterns.

While life isn’t perfect these days, and won’t be this side of heaven, I can tell you that my state-of-mind is most often in the higher, clearer state. The place where my thoughts are rooted in the fruit of the spirit and I have peace and confidence in my work, my day, and myself. And I’m proud of that. I’m proud that I don’t just tell women there’s a better way, I’ve lived the transformation myself. Oh, I still have tough moments, especially in this journey of building and creating to serve more, but I work out those thoughts and feelings pretty fast these days. And this life-changing experience inspired me to become a Personal Trainer for Thought Patterns for YOU!

My mission is to help you break free from your chains of negativity that keep you feeling anxious, less-than, and ineffective and replace them with God’s empowering truth along with practical “work outs” to start energetically shifting your state-of-mind. I’ll help you see things differently.

When you repeatedly focus on love and gratitude with perspective-shifting questions, you’ll strengthen the pathways in your brain to feel “happy”. I want you to go from buried thoughts to a beautiful life and I’m here to help you get there.

The Called and Curious Company is known for its faith, love, and neuroscience-based thought-pattern shifting programing:

>>Of the tools we provide, our Love Moves foundational connective thought framework of SMRM, is the flagship daily habit designed to change your neural network and to give you more time in a higher state. Check out our free 1-page Love Moves guide to start your daily “thought work outs” to start thinking and feeling better.

>>Follow and listen to the Called and Curious Podcast weekly to get new ways of seeing things, perspective shifts, what God says about things, and mini “situational thought workouts” to help you exercise your mind in a given situation for better outcomes.

>>Sign up for our monthly newsletter to hear a curious story and how it affects you today. Discover the thought patterns hidden in the story and get ready for a personal reframe, so you can know how to use the information to change your thoughts and be more successful. Get some joy juice in your inbox so your fueled to take action!

>>Get serious about your thoughts and thinking and feeling better with our transformative courses. We offer a blend of free courses to help you get started in your journey to think and feel better. We also offer a morning routine deep course that harnesses the power of the the Love Moves SMRM framework and helps you build a powerful habit. It’s called “A W.O.W. Morning: For a Blessed and Beautiful Day. If you’re a kingdom-woman and want to grow a better experience in life, than this is the must-have course to change your mornings and create a life of value that doesn’t just feel good, it does good.

>>Connect with other Love Movers who believe they’re called and are curious about their own thoughts so we can rise up and shine together. Head to the Love Moves Facebook group and we’ll grow better thoughts together.

>>Get ready to pre-buy the book Love Moves when it comes out in the spring of 2025! (Honestly, I just want you to “experience” it, to read it and USE the “work out” so if that means grabbing it from the library or borrowing it from a friend, then let’s do it!)

Do you like how you think? Does it make you feel good and empowered to do what needs to be done? Are your thoughts and feelings true, are they what God says? You see, at the Called and Curious Company, we have a lot of programing ready and willing to charge into your thoughts to change them but it starts with a choice. Are you willing to put in the work to transform your thoughts and your life?

Let’s reshape your thoughts so you can embrace a mind filled with peace, purpose, and confidence!

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I have TWO pieces of advice for anyone starting out:

1. Buy a book on strategic planning and read it. First. Before you do anything else. Have a plan to follow moving forward so you don’t get lost in the journey. This also saves you the heartache of trying tactic after tactic but not having and growth or change because you were just throwing one idea after another, hoping something worked. Hope is not a strategy. Get yourself a tactical plan for what you’re going to do and why.

2. Be awkwardly obedient. If you’ve been given this idea or calling, then it’s yours. You either be obedient and do it or you don’t. You do nothing and someone else will probably come along and pick it up and make something out of it. Instead, with armpits sweating and your strategic plan paper wobbling in your shaking hands, do the next right thing. Awkward obedience is still obedience and step on the path forward toward the life you dreamt up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.calledandcurious.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calledandcurious/