Tell us a little about yourself and background.
I consider myself from many places but Ireland and Southern California are both where I call “home”. I have familial roots and sentimental attachments to Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, and California that are most prominent. To know me genuinely is to know that I had moved 32 times by the age of 23. I am made of all those experiences with their respective geographic locations as well as all that I have experienced since.
I always loved books, TV and Films. Music was also important very important to me early on. I started writing very young as well. My upbringing was not a typical one. I am however grateful as it made me who I am. I grew up with a deep sensitivity to the world around me. I was always aware of energy in rooms, of tone shifts in conversations, of the unspoken things people carried. That awareness shaped me early. I was athletic, artistic, disciplined, and intensely observant. Those attributes, talents and abilities made me very fortunate and able to endure all that I needed to.
Movement became one of my first languages. Dance trained my body. Theatre trained my expression. Storytelling trained my perception. I didn’t grow up believing I would choose one lane — I grew up understanding that I was here to integrate worlds: physical discipline, artistic expression, and human development. That integration has guided everything since.
How did you get involved in acting?
I have so many things to say! Acting began as curiosity and quickly became necessity. I still play “characters” in everyday life. Acting is intelligence, freedom, and expansion. I realised nearly immediately that I was a ‘born to be’ storyteller.
I was and continue to be always fascinated by human behavior— especially what makes people relatable. I love celebrating the differences between perspectives while simultaneously understanding that we are all an extension of each other. As a young kid, I had a lot of questions about why people seemed to be the way they were. Acting allowed me to inhabit those questions physically. It is one of the few disciplines where you are permitted to fully explore contradiction.
To me, acting is emotional literacy under visibility. You cannot play a character honestly without understanding their internal logic. It is one of the few disciplines where you are permitted to fully explore contradiction because acting does not demand internal consistency — it demands internal truth. Human beings are inherently contradictory. We hold competing desires, layered motives, opposing impulses, etc. Much of personal suffering comes from attempting to deny or suppress these internal conflicts in order to appear coherent or in whatever way may be expected by the context.
In most areas of life, we are rewarded for coherence, predictability, and alignment. We are expected to choose an identity and maintain it. Society prefers streamlined and consistent personalities. Being an actor frees you from that. You are allowed to examine paradox, as acting legitimizes complexity. It perpetuates emotional literacy, requires at least a semblance of relatability, and instills adaptability.
When you embody a character, you must locate the internal logic that makes their contradictions functional rather than chaotic. Acting is about recognizing that the human psyche is wide enough to hold multitudes, and that contradiction is not confusion or weakness, but part of the architecture. You learn that opposing traits often arise from the same root — fear, longing, protection, love, survival. What appears inconsistent on the surface can become appreciated when examined closely. Acting to me is a way of life.
You get to live experiences you would’ve never had otherwise. TV, films, theatre, books— it’s all storytelling. Humans require narrative in order to conceptualize. It’s all enrichment and expansion for the mind. I began doing theatre at 8 years of age. I began training in the performing arts as a child. I began doing TV and Film at 19 as a young adult. I’ll never stop. It’s my greatest pleasure and aligns with my purpose. Everything I do at any moment of any day contributes to my acting. The more you expand as a person— learn, grow, live, witness – the more you have to give to a story.
Describe your most memorable acting role to date.
I played a prostitute held captive in a desert once. I remember that I had sand in my underwear. Any role is significant in its own way. I’m grateful for any opportunities I ever have, always. To perform for a live audience or through the screen is a gift for me. I cherish them all genuinely.
You are involved in quite a bit. Of all of your endeavors, which is the most healing and why?
Healing for me? Working with young people through the arts. It heals me just by witnessing— simply by being within proximity. There is something profoundly healing about watching a child discover that they are not “too much,” not “too quiet,” not “not enough.” When they realize their voice carries weight — literally and metaphorically — something stabilizes in them. That moment never gets old. It heals because it’s honest. It strips away performance for approval and replaces it with presence. But writing is also so healing. My books are healing in written form. Being of service in any aspect of my life, I find to be healing. I live my purpose. My healing is an ingrained practice just from my being present with that intention. I revel in thinking that being healed helps to heal others.
Tell us about your book, “The Art of Solo Travel,” and what you hope your readers will uncover after completing it.
I do hope it inspires people to travel in general. Travel in any regard is beneficial. The Art of Solo Travel as I intended is not about tourism. It is about learning, self-trust, and perceptual refinement through experiences of external and internal discovery. When you travel alone, you remove familiar regulatory anchors — no social buffering, no identity reinforcement, no external validation loops. What remains is you, your perception, your ability to navigate uncertainty, and the appreciation that comes only from being truly present in each moment.
I hope readers uncover that they are more regulated, more intuitive, and more capable than they believe. Solo travel is initiation. It teaches you that your body can be home anywhere.
What do your retreats consist of?
My retreats are immersive regulatory environments that very in location and setting. They combine: Sacred geography, Nervous system calibration, Creative embodiment, Whole-self Wellness, Reflective integration, Emotional Literacy, Travel, and more! There is land immersion in the mornings, transmission and discussion mid-day, embodied exercises in the afternoon, and salon-style integration in the evenings. It’s not information-heavy. It’s state-heavy. People leave with clearer perception, not just new ideas.
In what ways are falcons most fascinating and how did your relationship with them begin?
Falcons are raptors. Raptors are fierce precision embodied with extraordinary abilities. They are so present and focused without tension. Their sight is incredible. The speed they’re capable of blows my mind. They operate in extraordinary silence and with such definitive clarity. Watching a bird of prey work recalibrates your understanding of attention. I feel connected to my wild feminine self when I’m working with these birds.
I love history and I love learning. My relationship with them began through fascination with ancient practices — falconry is one of the oldest partnerships between human and animal. My first hunt was in the highlands of Scotland. Falconry demands patience, steadiness, and respect for wild intelligence. I’ve worked with a variety of falcons, owls and hawks. You don’t control a bird like that. You partner with them. Harris Hawks are my favorite to hunt with because they can understand hunting as a collaborative endeavour. Other Raptors are solo hunters. I’ve hunted with Harris Hawks in a way that incorporates the aide from another falconer, that other falconer’s Hawk, and a ferret. Yes, a ferret. We all work as a team. I love it. Then everyone gets to eat. There’s a lesson in that.
Dance Masters Performing Arts Studio: Let’s talk about it.
We have a variety of classes and offerings. Please visit our website for further details on our class schedule. Dance Masters was built to be more than a studio. It’s a developmental ecosystem. We intentionally cultivate a safe and welcoming environment. We don’t just teach choreography. We teach regulation under visibility, discipline without suppression, expression without chaos, teamwork without loss of individuality. We value hard work and commitment, yes. We also prioritize expressing encouragement, support, and celebration. The arts are a training ground for emotional literacy. That philosophy shapes the curriculum. We are building a thriving community — not just performers.
Working with young people, what have you learned about yourself, and how do you approach helping them build confidence, discipline, and self-expression?
Working with young people reveals your blind spots quickly. They are perceptive. They know when you’re grounded and when you’re posturing. I’ve learned that leadership is nervous-system transmission more than verbal instruction. Real leader lead by being the example. To build confidence, we rehearse it. To build discipline, we structure it. To build self-expression, we make it safe.
I’ll include a direct quote from my book ‘Arts as the Way to Emotional Literacy’ – “Confidence is frequently mischaracterized as belief or mindset. In practice, it is an emergent property that arises from repeated experiences of tolerating activation, attempting action, encountering difficulty, and successfully recovering. Confidence is not the absence of discomfort but familiarity with navigating it.”
Confidence is not a speech we give. It is repeated exposure to experience and visibility without collapse. Confidence as a creative, is not the eradication of failure— it is the understanding that the concept of failure is a maladaptive construct that has no relevance in the arts.
Discipline is embodied identity and the commitment to being most fit for service as it pertains to what I call Whole Wellness or simply ‘Thriving’ — this encompasses all that is a healthy body, mind, and spirit. If I identify as a dancer, I know a dancer practices regularly. I am a dancer because I dance. Dance is a practice that includes physical moment of the body. One needs a healthy mind to have a healthy body. We know that a healthy body contributes to a healthy mind. You align your awareness to this with the intention to do right by your body and mind and you take actions that feed your soul. Understanding the power of choosing your identity reveals that discipline isn’t a chore, its simply your lifestyle. The ownership of the practice and the mastery then becomes innate. Learn to enjoy the journey of learning and you’re living your best, most aligned life. Be the dancer.
Expression is freedom and an essential element in what makes something creative. All artistic environments require this. Therefore, there is nothing to fear by being as you feel called to be in the moment. No consequence of any significance exists in an environment that nurtures such safety and the purest celebration of human experience. This is the nature of the performing arts. I speak a lot about this in my most recent book mentioned above.
Explain your nonprofit, Builders of a Better World.
Builders of a Better World exists to empower children, families, and communities through creative education grounded in emotional intelligence, self-discovery and the intention to thrive. We integrate dance, theatre, and music with social-emotional learning as well as nervous system regulation and the power of embodying a state of flow. We provide scholarships, access, and programming in under-resourced areas as well as the general community.
Our belief is simple: a better world begins within. When a child or adult learns to regulate, express, and understand themselves, their ripple extends outward. Building a Better World is an inward to outward process. We are building emotional literacy as infrastructure. The arts are the experience and produce the artifacts.
There is quite a bit of turmoil happening in the world today. Why is taking a hands-on approach most beneficial?
We must be the change. Hands-on with the right intention is to be a positive influence that has direct contact or outreach. With regards to any referenced turmoil, abstract outrage does not reorganize reality. Hands-on work directly changes conditions. The world needs stabilized nervous systems. I hope to help with that. It builds competence and creates tangible shifts in communities. When you act locally — teach a class, fund a program, mentor a child — you are not performing morality. You are altering developmental trajectories. Impact scales from proximity. Influence in this context is being that which you’re hoping things become.
What is your secret to managing all of your endeavors? How do you avoid burnout?
Regulation, self-care and navigating from a state of clarity. Intention is everything. I intend to be my best while doing my best, and I adjust when I stop enjoying something. I listen to my body and I keep my ego in check. I do not rely on adrenaline to sustain output. I prioritize nervous system coherence. If I am dysregulated, I don’t make the most beneficial decisions. I have learned my patterns. Burnout often results from misaligned pacing and unprocessed activation. I always move deliberately. I protect recovery windows. I remove unnecessary noise and pressure. I understand how to embody clarity. Clarity reduces exhaustion and ensures efficiency. Self-care is non-negotiable. I prioritize my physical and emotional health. I write books and lead workshops around all of that.
What are your top 5 favorite martial arts films?
1. Enter the Dragon 2. The Last Samurai 3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 4. Warrior 5. Ip Man
I’m going to throw a few names out there. Say whatever comes to mind.
A) Odin
Wisdom earned through sacrifice. Archetypal perception. My wolfdog — He is my son.
B) The Knowing
Weird project. Aliens, cowboys, and blow-up dolls.
C) Marissa Merrill
Life collaborator. Fellow artist. Long-time friend.
What else can we expect from you throughout 2026?
Expanded retreats internationally. Greater integration of performance and human development work. Film projects! Scaled access to arts-based emotional literacy programs through Builders. More book publishing! All the Podcasts. Building a Thrive Tribe.
What change do you hope to see over the next decade?
Greater emotional literacy at scale. More non-judgement. Less reactive decision-making. More perceptual stability. More embodied leadership. Less ideological rigidity. We do not need louder voices. We need regulated ones. Unified consciousness and healing by proximity. A greater belief in magic and miracles. Thriving healthy happy beings in all forms.
Lastly, how can one keep up with you via social media?
Instagram and YouTube are currently the most active platforms. My work lives at the intersection of art, authorship, nervous system mastery, emotional literacy, leadership, and creative development. Please read my books and follow the podcast journey. We can inspire each other to be all that we need to thrive. You can find everything centralized through my websites. Join the Thrive Tribe.
Follow Ashlieya Mariano @ashlieya_ on Instagram or visit her online at www.ashlieya.com.
Photo By Alyson Berg
Q+A By Tyrone Davis
