Living The Red Life - From Soccer Dreams to Women’s Empowerment

Episode Date: May 11, 2026

After a devastating car accident shattered her dream of following her father’s path into professional soccer, fitness coach and Rise Above Community founder Ashley Caligiuri is forced to rebuild her identity from the ground up. In this episode of LIVING THE RED LIFE, Ashley opens up about overcoming trauma, emotional instability, heartbreak, and self-doubt while transforming fitness into a mission centered on mindset, faith, and personal growth. She shares how strength training, yoga, community, and intentional living became tools for healing and empowerment. Ashley also reveals the mindset shifts that helped her rise above fear, rediscover purpose, and help women unlock their highest potential through discipline, emotional resilience, and self-love.Key TakeawaysWhy physical transformation alone never creates lasting fulfillmentHow Ashley rebuilt her identity after losing her soccer careerThe role faith, fitness, and community play in emotional healingWhy small daily habits create long-term transformationHow leaning into fear can unlock purpose and personal growthNotable Quotes“Choose your hard.”“Your routine gets to follow you.”“You have to lean into fear and befriend it.”“Anybody can have a banging body. I wanted to be relatable.”“If you want to become someone you’ve never been, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done.”Connect with Rudy Mawer:LinkedInInstagramFacebookTwitter

What is your daily mission today? My daily mission right now is to reach as many women as I can to really meet their best selves, fulfill their potential or full potential in life, and reach their highest selves. I mean, I truly, like going back to just not really, I guess, asking how somebody is doing or diving in deeper in conversations. It's like I really just want people to know that like you're loved and there's somebody here to like a safe, like a safe space. And don't be so hard on yourself. I think like the little wins, the small things. Like if it's 30 minutes going out for a walk and, you know, getting exercise and getting fresh air, do that.

That's a small win. Then tomorrow, do that and then add something else and just continue doing like the small compounds. You go to the gym, you work out, you've got your abs. Then what? Then what? You're sexy. Now what? Is it really just physicality or how much of it is emotion your brain where it's like, great, I look like a hunk.

Now what? My name's Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast. And I'm here to change the way you see your life. in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the red life, ditch the blue pill, take the red pill, join me in Wonderland and change your life. Welcome back to another episode

of the Living Your Legacy podcast, the Red Life edition. Joining me today is a woman in power. Quite the powerful woman, a life coach, a fitness coach, coach of life. Oh gosh, Ashley Callie, joining us all the way from Callie, right?

Yes. Hey, look, look what I did there. Welcome to the show. I'm going to the dots. Right on. Thank you. Thanks for having me. It's a privilege.

How do you feel? We literally just finished filming your episode for Women in Power. I feel amazing. I feel relieved that it's over. I feel I'm a perfectionist, so I like wanted everything to be perfect. But I'm really excited to, you know, have everything put together and see it come to life. Put together, come to life. There are so many bits and parts of where do we start.

Let's start where you are today and work backwards. What's your day to day like today? A lot of travel. Cool. I am on the go. which I love, but I love being home at the same time. I recently just moved to Scottsdale, so being in Arizona has been quite the adventure this past year.

But my day-to-day is just really waking up, checking emails. I definitely have like a morning routine. I'm not sure about you, but that's like a thing for me. And that just consists of like getting in the Bible and journaling and then going to the gym, walking my dogs. I got three. I know I'm crazy. I'm like the crazy dog lady.

No way. And then, yeah, I just, I check emails. So check in with my girls. And then I really just, I don't know, it's kind of different as the day goes on further in the day. I have like at least like six hours. That's just a good little routine. Yeah.

Let's talk about some of that's very important. Your dogs. What kind of dogs do you have? My dogs are literally my everything. I love them. I have two Chihuahuas. Of course. They're brothers.

Nice. And they have a funny story. I did, my mom gave them to me. me and I couldn't give them back so I was like I'll keep them and then I have a pit bull and she is literally my everything she's my angel she's the best dog ever I'm sure that you all words are far meaner than the pit bull they act like they are but they literally they no one has a bad bone in them but bobo one of the Chihuahua Bobo and Benji I know they're all beats we got Benji Bobo Bella but Bobo he acts tough and he is the biggest baby out of him all but right on someone's got to

roll the house oh dude so you're a fitness coach. How is the world of fitness today? Expanding. There's a lot of people doing it, which I love so much. But yeah, my business has thrived over the years. I did my first WBFF show about two years ago. And that was fun. Quite intimidating. But we won my pro card. We did that. So that was pretty interesting. But yeah, I mean, we've transformed a lot of girls and, you know, making them feel themselves. When you say transform girls, women, and maybe something, everything in between, is it physical? Is it inside? Is it external? Is it all the above? What is it? What are we doing here? No, I love that.

So it started off as obviously physical. And over the years, especially recently, with Rise Above, it is now everything. So it's like mind, body, soul. So we are really connecting just feeling yourself or feeling your best self from the inside out. And I really love to start with the mind. So I've created a lot of workbooks and tools within my business where people can really dive in a lot deeper. And then we also have health nutrition and a huge community that we all get to support each other in. You're a traditionalist because you're, I'm assuming because you're Italian. So when you say body, I'm assuming the belly. Eating being Cuban or Italian, I'm Cuban, we eat very well.

Talk about how you, how you forgot my life. of questioning, I'm a little burnt out. Yeah, that was my question. Being a traditionalist, you and I very much are raised the old-fashioned way, Italian, we're all about the physicality, not a lot of soul-searching. There isn't a lot of like, how are you?

It's just like, shut up, you're fine, move on. Yeah, yeah. Talk about that. It's actually true. So I never liked that because you always like subside feelings in some way, some shape or form it comes out. And I just, your body's story. a lot of emotions and a lot of things.

And so I just figured out like I never liked living like that. And now I took like an intentional route of doing the quite opposite and asking like, how are you doing or being intentional with, you know, conversations and with my clients and really diving in deeper and figuring out like, why are you feeling like this way, you know? Like usually like you're angry because of X, Y, and Z, you know? So or you're feeling sad. and let's just get to the root. Let's just figure out what's causing you to feel or move this way

and kind of just cut it out and, you know, rise above it. Gosh. See what I did there? Yeah, I totally know what you did there. Let's actually use that segue. Let's talk about rise above. Like, well, what is your daily mission today? My daily mission right now is to reach as many women as I can

to really meet their best selves, fulfill their potential or full potential in life, and reach their highest selves. I truly going back to just not really, I guess, asking how somebody is doing or diving in deeper in conversations. It's like I really just want people to know that like you're loved and there's somebody here to like a safe, like a safe space, you know? And if you want to fill in the gap of like what's what's causing you to, I don't know, just feel like if you're feeling sad or there's like this emptiness inside of you, which I know I had for many years, like why not address it? Why not face it rather than just like living in a certain pattern? And I always say like choose your heart.

You can either stay in the situation you are or choose the road. That's also going to be difficult. But it's going to benefit you. Well, you're in the gym. Are you mostly weight training, cardio, all of the above? So for many years, it's just been like strength training. But now since I've been older, my body can't just do all that. So I'm starting to like Pilates, yoga.

So I really switch up like my routine during the week. Yoga I found has not only been. really helpful for like my muscles and stuff but it's also good for the mind and it just helps you kind of like I don't know get in silence and get comfortable being in silence you know um but yeah I love yoga I think that's like my go to all the time and definitely massages I've been incorporating them like no other right on um yeah let's talk about some things that will learn about your past and the women in power episode what will we learn about you uh you know we've we can talk about the T where traumatic experiences that's that's touch

upon it. Right. Okay. Let's do it. I think we all have traumatic scenarios that go on in our life. I would say mine, I mean, we can go which way you want to go. Like I guess personal, we'll go in the family. Everyone's family is a little messy, but I definitely grew up with a very blessed life. Don't get me wrong. My family is so loving, they're great people. But we all have our own demons that we face and growing up I did have a parent who suffered from alcoholism and there's a lot of violence, a lot of scariness, a lot of the unknown, a lot of there's no, there wasn't stability, especially emotional stability. So I had to navigate life, you know, a lot on my own in some areas and it was very hot and cold. Sure. And that was scary at times, especially being as little

girl. My dad being away, being a professional soccer player and just supporting his amazing career. was great too, but a lot of like loneliness, I guess, and sometimes. So I feel like what helped me, I guess, through those times was really gaining a relationship with God. And I didn't really understand how to do that until I would say I got in a car accident back in April of 2012. And there's like a lot of like synchronicities and weird scenarios that happened in that car accident. For one, I actually crashed the same time I was born, which I think that's just

like crazy. And weirdly, like, I mean, with the injuries that I got were I broke my ankles, I couldn't walk for a while. So it's like, I kind of feel like I was like reborn in a sense because I had like, you know, learn how to walk again and just kind of like take it from the ground up. And I literally lost everything in my life at that time when I got on that car accident. I mean, like down to my dog. It was a craziest thing. So it was like a fresh start, new beginning. But I would say that was a huge traumatic pivotal point in my life for sure was my was my car accident. Yeah, I like to identify that as my personal opinion as like almost like an ego death. Like that happened to be.

We spoke about that on your and you think like there's a moment where like that version of yourself needs to die off so the real self can ascend. Yeah, it's so true. Do you feel like that that's something you experienced and currently experiencing? I think we all have ego deaths more than we like actually know. Like it's not just like one or two. that's like constant, but definitely I think I genuinely, I don't even know how to explain my cracks. Yeah, I would say yes, of course. But like I think that scenario was something that was a huge redirection in my life.

You know, I thought, you know, I thought I had plans to, you know, go try out for the U.S. national team for soccer and play pro and, you know, carry on my dad's legacy and follow his footsteps. and that was a dream of mine. And when I got in that car accident, all of that was kind of swept and taken from me. So starting all over and really rediscovering and figuring out like what's my sole purpose here, like what am I doing here on earth

when I literally should have died in that car accident? It was just so traumatic. It was very, I guess, an experience. Yeah. It was like a huge rediscovering aspect of like, who am I? You know what they say like when professional athletes like retire and they like just don't know what to do with their lives. I literally could relate to that. Like I, you know, I wasn't there at the professional like rape but yeah. I mean, I did play at a very

elite level but just the mindset and just figuring out like who the heck am I like what am I going to do with my life. Yeah, especially when they when they're training you time compression and all these things that happen so intensely week after week now is gone. Yeah. Now you're like great I'm I'm trained to kill but I have nothing to shoot at. Yeah. Basically you know and it's just like I guess I like brought myself, like my identity was like a soccer player and like that's all I knew literally. And now it's like, what do I do with my life? Like I'm going to wake up and I guess that's where the gym came in. You know, something that saved me. And I was like, all right, let's, I need something to like, give my adrenaline pumping or something. You know, you go on the field and you're just like,

all right, beast mode. Let's go. As a person that's on literally on the field playing soccer or football, what's the, what's the big deal about soccer? Sorry if I sound completely like an asshole when I asked that. I'm like, what's the big deal? I mean, no one's really asking that. So I'm like, how do I answer that? What's the deal with soccer? Soccer is just such a great. I think any sport, I'm such a sport girlie, but I think just being in a sport in general is so healthy for the mind. And it teaches you so much, like, discipline on and off the field. And, um, but I mean, soccer is amazing.

Soccer was not big really back when I was little. And when my dad was like playing, you know, my dad was the first American to play, you know, in Europe and stuff. And so obviously out in Europe was like, you know, football's like crazy out there. But, you know, in his era and like me at Ham era, you know, my dad's era, that's like when soccer started getting really big in the United States. But I don't know, man, don't be hating on soccer. I'm not hated.

I'm not hating. I actually appreciate it. I just like the theater of drama, of soccer. No, it's all good. Yeah, man. So how are you motivating and changing women today? Is it just like hit the gym or is it like 45 minute deep? deep dive taking notes and like all the above you know I think it started I love like modeling and

fitness modeling is like always kind of like my go-to sure um and my body has kind of been like a marketing tool I know it's weirdly to say but no I know exactly I mean yeah and I just I guess I started I wanted to be more relatable like I wanted people to know like yeah okay you have a bang and body but anybody can have a bing in body you know like just work towards it kind of thing um but you know I just think through social media and just, you know, sharing my story, being authentic. And I guess, honestly, being relatable is like the biggest key word. I think everybody is to me equal. Like, we all get to be whoever we want to be.

And I think we all have a, we all have a certain gift and we're all special in one way. Right on, right on. Talk about training. I don't do anything close to training, but I am eager to get back to the gym. But I'm only in the gym when I know I'm going to be on camera, I've got to do something where my vessel is my money making. Yeah. I'm semi-retired, but how do I get back into it?

Like, how do I just start? You know, you just start. Genuinely, I even have a hard time doing it. Like, you, I think at one point, like, I think being intentional is so important in life. And I think you can kind of get caught up in the pattern of, like, for instance, right now, like, I've been traveling. I've been on the go a lot. I've actually fallen out of my routine. And just recently, I told myself, my routine gets to follow me.

Like I don't neglect my routine. And I think that also has to deal with like a self-love and like situation too. We're like some or self-sabotage maybe, you know? And I think we kind of constantly just battle that throughout life. And that's totally fine. It's fine. It's not like it's a bad thing. It's just go back to the tools and go back to what you know.

I think that's the best way to get back into it. And don't be so hard on yourself. I think like the little wins, the small things. Like if it's 30 minutes going out for a walk and, you know, getting exercise and getting fresh air, do that. That's a small win. Then tomorrow, do that and then add something else and just continue doing like the small compounds. Right on. Yeah, small compounds. How much of the physical is really just mental? Like a lot of folks will spend maybe months, years at the gym and they'll see no results because their mindset's not right. Yeah. I think it's definitely mindset of everything. I mean,

anything is mindset. But if you're not seeing results, I would definitely take a step back. And I think it's all nutrition to be honest with you. That's true. Like you shouldn't be in the gym for more than like, I don't know, for me an hour and a half. Like, what are you doing? Yeah. I mean, I see people on there for like two, three hours. I'm like, pro, like, what do you have, what are you doing? I don't, I want to be in there and get out. But that's just me. I mean, sometimes it's fun to like see your friends. Sure. You know, you get your little gym buddies in there and stuff. But yeah, no, I got stuff to do. Right on. Right on. You know, I don't want to live in the gym. Give me, give me proper etiquette for someone that, that doesn't quite live in the gym, but is part of your routine. Like, what's the proper gym etiquette? Like,

Like to you personally. For a woman. For a woman, period. Because I will tell you, if the girls got the headphones on and she's in her leg zone, please don't come up and try to like get our number, like ask us out. Like, let us just be in our zone. Try to find like another way. But I would definitely say Jim Adequit would be putting your weights away, you know?

And like, let's all be nice to each other and do that. And just wiping down everything. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, I would just make sure you're in your own lane. Yeah. Okay, cool. Yeah. I'm sure there is so many,

everything's social media today, obviously. So everyone's in the gym and they're, you know, they're racking their weights or doing this, but there's always phones everywhere. Everyone's filming their routine and it's like, you know, there's, like, hard.

You don't know, like, where to walk sometimes. Yeah, I just walk. Yeah, that's the etiquette. They can cut it out. Do you, like, kind of just not look at each other's camera here? Like, how do you just stay authentic without being a salesperson constantly in the gym?

Oh, like, while you're filming? I thought you meant someone else is filming because I'm like, I'll totally peek and be like, Okay, what's up? Yeah, for sure. Well, yeah, because you're... I genuinely just say, just have fun with it.

Like, it's if you're just, like, talking to your friend or you're just like, make the camera your friend, I guess. You know what I mean? Yeah, have fun with it. Like, just be you. It's not like you should be really... And you're not selling anybody. You're really just here to educate people and help anybody

who doesn't know what to do. And, you know, it's their first time. I have so many clients. Actually, majority of my clients have always been, dude, I'm so scared to go to the gym. I don't know what to do. Like, I just go to cardio. I'm like, dude, I was there too, but just ask.

Like ask for help. Like, don't be scared. Like, it's okay that you don't know anything. More than anything, people are going to want to help you and teach you. So just take the help. I love the fact that you've already set the primer. So gym culture. So you go to the gym, you work out, you've got your abs.

Then what? You got your abs. Then what? You're sexy. Now what? Is it really just physicality or how much of it is emotion your brain where it's like, great, I look like a hunk. Now what?

I just think it's a lifestyle. Like, for me, I brought it into like a lifestyle. Like, I just want to feel mentally good. Gotcha. I definitely, you know, that's actually really good question or just what we're on topic with because after I did my first show, I can totally see how it could like get in your head and you can have like, what is that, like body dysmorphia or whatever? Or you just so hard on yourself. Oh my gosh, I was like getting that. I'm like, hold on. Like I need to remind myself that I look great and I feel good. And I started like being really hard on myself. And so it actually took the fun and the love of going to the gym away from me. And I had to like find that relationship to be on. honest with you. I'm still working on finding that relationship with the gym. It's not as bad as anymore. But now it's like it's part of just my lifestyle. It's like what I love to do. It's, you know,

I just, it makes me feel good. So why not do it, you know? I got to ask, because it's at a lot of times that I speak to a fitness coach that with your, with your celebrity status on the internet's. I got to ask like, how does it work next? Like are people in the gym, be men or women, are you all just like cultivating and hanging out with you. Like, oh, I'm not going to date anyone unless they go to the gym. Or what do you look for for the men that are that are listening and too shy to speak to women like you that are fully like in their mind, in their physicality, they're 100%. I mean, in the past, I've dated a gym rat, a few.

And it's just not my go-to. I want a man. Like, are you asking like what I'm like... I'm asking for you as a woman. Like, what am I looking for a man? Like what you're looking for a man? Like are you just strictly now that you go to the gym, you have this lifestyle. I want to just someone who can match.

Right. Just all around. That's just not all about the gym. Genuinely, I think that's just, no offense, just a little boring. Yeah, right? Like I don't want to live in the gym like all the time. Like I just want it to become like a lot. Like I said, like lifestyle, feel good.

You know, it's something you can share in common with, obviously. But, you know, it's not an all, all, you know, that's it kind of situation. But, yeah. I don't really overthink that too much, I guess. I'm not like, he needs to go to the gym. He must go to the gym. I mean, technically, yeah, like, I want you to like, somebody has to take care of themselves.

You know what I mean? Like, that's a huge aspect. That's an important thing. But, yeah, you don't have to live in the gym. Yeah, right on. How do you keep yourself unique when it comes to social media? Everyone's in the gym filming themselves and they've got like their three tips to do something.

But how do you do you? Good question. Honestly, what I really love to do is making more like motivational, like, videos and stuff and something that, I've either could relate to what I'm personally going through in my life that I kind of need a reminder or

I've kind of like already gone down that path and I just feel like it's a good message to kind of get across. So like I guess what is it called you? Like you're the genius when it comes to filmy is like cinematic. Cinematic, yeah, yeah. So like cinematic filming. Oh cool.

That's like what I love to do the most. So maybe that's like what I'm different. Yeah, like tiny little Nike ads like motivational. Yeah, I just I love the motivational cinematic dramatic stuff, whatever you want to call it, but something that's going to catch someone on the emotional aspect. I think that's like really important. Talk about

last couple questions before we wrap up. Talk about Les Brown and finding your tribe and finding a mentor. Love Les Brown. Yeah, he's helped me in probably one of the biggest struggles besides my car accident. I would say there was

a time that I was very in love with somebody and we broke up and went home and things got very messy at home. So my life was just totally turned upside down. And I got introduced through with Les Brown on YouTube and I would feed my mind with what he would tell me every day. And the one thing that stuck to me as I was on this new journey and this healing journey

and reinventing myself and rediscovering myself, you know, he said, if you want to become someone you've never been, you've got to do something you've never done. And I literally live by that every day. And that just hypes me up because I'm like, hell yeah. Like I want to be someone I've never been like or I want to become better. I got to do something different. I got to do something I've never done. You know?

And obviously that's going to bring like a lot of fear. But that's a good thing. I think, you know, you have to lean into fear. You have to befriend it because there's a lot of like blessings and great things on the other side of that. Cool. And you also have to be courageous. So right on.

Be courageous and lean into fear. Be courageous and just do it. Yeah. Yeah, right on. What are, what's the easiest way folks can discover you and learn more about you? Honestly, Instagram is the best way to reach me. So Ash underscore Callie on IG. But yeah, just slide in the DMs and ask away.

Let's be friends. Right on. Well, gosh, Ash, Callie, that was such an amazing afternoon. Happy Friday. Yeah, happy Friday. Thanks for happy me. Yeah, yeah. And enjoy your time here in Miami.

Oh, I will. And I'll see you at the Mastermind, I hope. Yes, yes. I will definitely be getting my ticket. I'll see you there. I'll introduce you to Rudy. Yay. All right.

Well, that concludes another episode of the Living Your Legacy podcast, the Red Life Edition. That's Ash. I'm Ray. Good night.