Ashley Borjon is multifaceted. She’s a podcaster, independent music producer and composer, business entrepreneur and mentor, world traveller, funny, smart and so much more. In this interview I speak with Ashley about that “so much more” facet of her identity as a person and businesswoman.
Working in various fields has given Ashely an outlook on life and work that’s uniquely hers. She’s worked in spa services, education, freelance journalism and for various nonprofit and for-profit centuries. Having a spirit of adventure and not being afraid of taking risks, Ashley turned to podcasting after becoming intrigued with Korean pop music during a very difficult time in her life.
In April of 2019 she created An Album a Day (A3Day), a podcast focused on the history of Korean pop music – or K-pop as it’s most commonly known – as a genre, and the history of individual groups and artists themselves. Demonstrating a deep knowledge and genuine interest in the music and culture gained through on the ground research during multiple visits to South Korea over several years, Ashley became known as an authority on the subject leading to a career as a professional consultant for Korean and American companies. And as it’s nothing to overlook, A3Day has also gained a significantly sized following within the K-pop fandom community for her fun and engaging personality.
After 5 years and 7 seasons of An Album a Day, Ashley made the difficult decision to place the podcast on extended hiatus due to health concerns. Though it was of course an extremely difficult decision, it was the right one. Putting her physical and mental wellbeing first allowed Ashley to take a step back and reassess where she wanted her life to go and as a result, she founded The Worker’s Workshop, a business mentorship initiative to give professional coaching advice to people looking to transition to a new career and path, the same way Ashley did.
Interestingly enough, while An Album a Day has been on hiatus, it’s been nominated for The Sonic Bloom Award in two categories: the Innovator Award, and People’s Choice Award. But that’s not all. In November of 2023, she won a pitch competition for SURE at the University of Houston for The Worker’s Workshop.
During our discussion we spoke about Ashely making her mental health a priority and having it be a focal point in her work as a podcaster with the KPSN Podcast Festival – a special initiative to bring K-pop and K-drama fans together to raise mental health awareness – and the role it played in discontinuing the podcast and beginning a new career path. We also spoke of how these specific decisions she’s made are paying off dividends in the form of recognition for her work with multiple award nominations. We also spoke about if she would ever go back to podcasting perhaps for a special occasion, and what’s next for her.
Carolyn Hinds
Freelance Critic, Journalist & Podcaster
African American Film Critics Association Member, Tomatometer-Approved Critic
Co-Host & Producer So Here’s What Happened! Podcast
Bylines at http://Authory.com/CarolynHinds
Twitter & Instagram: @CarrieCnh12
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