Bey’s Dance Captain Ashley Everett Spreads Her Dance and CBD Magic
From Southern California to New York and the rest of the world, Ashley Everett has performed on every major stage. Now she is leading with love and setting the stage on her own terms with dance and beyond.
“Girl, just go for it. Have fun and show who you are. They just want to feel some magic,” Everett tells BLACK ENTERPRISE when we asked her to advise 16-year-old Ashley, then an Alvin Ailey dance student.
Today, the longtime dancer, who became Beyonce‘s captain at only 19, is showing up as her most authentic, genuine self in various arenas and ventures. While Bey’s “Renaissance” tour begins Wednesday, Everett is also pouring time and energy into herself, including hosting workouts on FitChoreo by Ashley Everett and running a lifestyle business.
The co-founder of CBD company Cachet Brands spoke with BLACK ENTERPRISE about the rebranding process with her boyfriend and business partner, Jay, and her love for travel.
Additionally, Everett shared that she is gearing up for her inaugural Bali trip this October 7 to 13. She is inviting anyone who wants to travel exotic and make experiences and memories in a magical place with an abundance of beaches and breathtaking views.
How would you describe your personal brand?
I am authentic and lighthearted and genuine. I always try to lead with genuine authenticity. Also knowledge, my expertise and what I know in this from my experience, and just happiness and feeling good, leading with love.
How do you encourage your team to focus on their mental health as well as their fitness?
I always try to remind everybody if they’re feeling overwhelmed, just take a step back. Breathe, prioritize breathing, and just remember what’s important to you, and come back home.
In the dance world, what challenges among athletes/creatives have you witnessed?
As an athlete myself, I’ve been through my fair share of injuries, but I’ve also seen a lot of them. CBD is one of the best things that I’ve tried that is a natural form of relief and recovery, and it’s beneficial for all ages too. We actually have a lot of older customers who love our products because they have Alzheimer’s or their wrist ache and their hips ache and their backs, and they get some of the best sleep. So, it’s all ages. Yeah, I just feel like CBD is really, really beneficial in the recovery and relief world, especially in dance.
Let’s talk about Cachet Brands.
Cachet Brands was born during the pandemic. A lot of people were dealing with anxiety, stress, depression. We’re stuck inside. We didn’t know what was going on in the world.
My boyfriend, Jay, and I, would go run outside, and we would do exercises. We had the opportunity to go into the CBD world, and we were like, “OK. CBD is great because people, not everybody wants to participate in THC, and be like, ‘Whoa, I’m high.’” But CBD offers those exact same benefits without the effect and the mental fuzziness. So, we really started doing our research, and we decided to go in and create our small baby. It was the baby brand. It was about five products, and Cachet Brands was born. It’s a CBD-based brand to offer relief and help with recovery, and pain and stress, and just help you relax. All the Rs. Relief, relax, recovery, all of them.
It is very self-funded and self-done and self-ran in this household. That’s why it’s a little small business, but yeah, we know how to do everything on our own now because it’s hard to rely on people, because we have been through that, of the bad people that just let you down sometimes.
I understand you’re currently rebranding.
We are currently rebranding, and we’re switching up our products and making it less ingestive and more external. We’re going to be doing more whipped butters, body oils, and muscle rubs. We have a scrub. And then, I think we’re still going to keep our gummies because those are a big hit that people like.
We’d love to expand and go into all the avenues because I’m involved in so many different things as a person myself.
When did your love for travel begin?
I would travel every summer to go train at a different dance program and stay, like I was in college. Even actually growing up too, when I think about it, when I was really young, we had a motor home growing up, and we would drive down to LA and visit my grandma and stay on the beach in our motor home
I always loved to travel, and touring allowed me to do that all over the world, and work and make money and make experiences and meet people and just do incredible things and get those experiences. It was so amazing. And now that I’m older, I really appreciate traveling for me. Now, I really appreciate travel for myself.
What’s next for you?
I am planning a mentorship-type program where younger girls or boys potentially can come experience and learn and really just invest in their careers. We’ll be doing everything from photo shoots to training and private and group workshops and dance. How to write your resume, how to carry yourself in a room. All of the preparation when it comes to becoming an entertainer.