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What happens when your industry is under threat and your community’s future is uncertain? How do you continue to deliver great work when the ground beneath you is shifting?
In today’s episode of The M Word, Ashley White UI, Web Designer, and Front End Developer (Ashley White Design), joins Jennifer Mulchandani for an engaging conversation about resilience, empathy, and navigating the unpredictability of freelance work. Ashley shares her experiences of staying creative and responsive while facing significant personal stress, including the risk of her husband losing his job and the ripple effects on their community.
“Believe it or not, some freelancers don’t even respond to emails…You’ve got to do the work.”
Whether you’re leading a marketing team, running a nonprofit, or juggling the realities of small business life, this conversation is a reminder that showing up on time, with care, and with real solutions still goes a long way.
5 Key Takeaways
- Empathy is a crucial business skill, especially when clients and communities face real uncertainty.
- Responsive communication builds trust. Simply responding to emails and following up sets professionals apart from freelancers who disappear without notice.
- Accessibility in design is no longer optional. Designing with seniors and disabled users in mind results in better user experiences for everyone.
- Use data to validate your design decisions. Making choices based on actual user data helps to justify design decisions to clients.
- While AI can save time, it can also be unsettling.
About Our Guest
Ashley White is a freelance web designer and developer with a passion for creating accessible, user-focused websites. With years of experience serving nonprofit and business clients, she brings not only technical expertise but also thoughtful communication and problem-solving to every project. Her approach is grounded, collaborative, and always rooted in empathy — a value she considers essential in both business and life. Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn or visit her website. Read her favorite book, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, or Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
