Beyond the Title: 12 Questions with Ashley Rodriguez

Ashley Rodriguez

Co-Founder & CEO, Carbon World Health

Ashley Rodriguez is the co-founder and CEO of Carbon World Health, a Wisconsin-based health and wellness organization focused on helping people take a more proactive approach to their health. Alongside her husband, Dr. Nestor Rodriguez, Ashley has helped build Carbon from a shared vision into a growing organization centered on prevention, longevity, and personalized care. As a healthcare entrepreneur and operational leader, she is passionate about building teams, creating meaningful experiences for clients, and challenging the traditional reactive model of healthcare. Ashley is also a wife, mother, and advocate for women navigating leadership, family, ambition, and personal well-being.

01Built to Last starts with a strong foundation. What is the foundation your leadership is built on, and how do you return to it when things get shaky?

My leadership is built on relationships, hard work, and doing what I believe is right even when it isn't the easiest decision. CWH was built from the ground up, and that has taught me that leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about showing up, making difficult decisions, learning from one another and keep moving forward.

When things get shaky, I go back to my “Why.” I remind myself why we started Carbon, the people who depend on us, the clients whose lives we impact, and the bigger vision we are building. I also lean heavily on my faith. It helps me remember that I don't have to control every outcome.

02Where do you come from, and how do your roots keep you steady when leadership gets hard?

I'm from Clinton, a small rural town in Wisconsin. This is where I learned early on that hard work, relationships, and your word matters. Growing up in a small community taught me to be resourceful, to work for what I wanted, and to never feel like something was beneath me. Those roots still shape the way I lead today. No matter how much Carbon grows, I never want to lose the willingness to roll up my sleeves, work alongside my team, and remember that people are the heart of everything we do. When leadership gets hard, which it does, I think about where I came from, what my husband and I've built, and remind myself that I've never needed the perfect circumstance to move forward, just determination, trust and faith.

03What's a piece of advice that has stood the test of time for you, the kind you still come back to years later?

“Don't make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances.” Business and life both have seasons where everything feels overwhelming. Some of the worst times to make a decision are when you're operating out of fear or frustration. I've also learned growth rarely feels comfortable while you're in it.

04What's a book, quote, lyric, or scripture that has stayed with you and shaped how you lead or live?

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

There have been so many moments in building Carbon where I couldn't see exactly how everything was going to work out. Sometimes the vision was much bigger than the resources, circumstances, or answers we had in front of us.

It reminds me that I don't need to have the entire road mapped before taking the next step. Work hard, make thoughtful decisions and trust God with the pieces I can't control.

05What's something you've had to rebuild after it broke or fell apart, and what did that teach you about building things that last?

We've had to rebuild Carbon more than once. Teams, systems, finances and even my own expectations of what the business was supposed to look like. There have been moments when things I thought were solid weren't, and I had to decide whether to walk away or rebuild them differently.

What I've learned is that rebuilding isn't failure. Sometimes it gives you the opportunity to create something stronger because you know where the weaknesses are. It also taught me built to last can't depend on one person, one employee or one revenue stream. It needs strong people, strong systems and a big purpose when things get difficult.

06What's one question every leader should ask if they want to build something that outlasts them, and why?

“If I wasn't here tomorrow, could this continue without me?”

That question forces you to look at whether you've actually built a business or simply created a job that depends on you. I'm still working on this myself. Building something that lasts means developing leaders, creating systems, sharing knowledge and trusting other people to make decisions. Ultimately, I want Carbon to become something much bigger than any one person, including me.

07Who are you actively preparing to carry this work forward, and what are you doing to set them up to succeed without you?

For me, it's not about preparing one person to replace me. It's about developing a team of people who understand the vision and feel ownership over where Carbon is going.

As we grow, I'm learning to delegate more, create better systems, and communicate the “why” behind decisions, and give people room to lead instead of always stepping in and doing it myself. That can be difficult for an entrepreneur because Carbon has been my life for over the past 12 years. I know the real measure of what we built will be whether it can continue to grow and impact others without needing me in every room and decision.

08When leadership feels heavy, what do you turn to (music, travel, culture, faith) that restores you and keeps you feeling like yourself?

My faith first. When life and leadership feel heavy, I have to remind myself that I'm not supposed to carry everything alone or have all the answers. My husband, he's not only business partner, but he's my better half. He usually is the one that can keep me grounded. He also recognizes when I need a break from work. We love to work out together, travel the world, dance and hang out with friends and family.

09When you think about the legacy you want to leave, what do you hope still stands long after you've moved on?

I hope Carbon is still standing, growing and changing lives, but I hope my legacy is bigger than the name on the building.

I want people to remember how they felt when they were part of what we built. I want our clients to feel that we genuinely cared about helping them become healthier, stronger and more confident versions of themselves.

Personally, I hope my family sees that you can start somewhere small, dream much bigger than the circumstances, work incredibly hard, keep your faith and build something that creates opportunities for other people along the way.

10What's a small daily habit or discipline that has compounded into something meaningful over time?

For me, it's a combination of small things that all come back to intentionally taking care of myself. Every day, I try to make time for myself, whether it's working out, reading or doing something that feels like self-care.

I've learned I can't continually pour into my business, my team and my family if I'm not taking care of myself.

One of the most important habits I've slowly developed is making time each day to read the Bible and spend time in God's word. Those small daily disciplines keep me grounded and remind me that taking care of myself physically, mentally and spiritually makes me a better leader and a better person.

11What's a moment in your life where the music playing in the background ended up meaning more than you expected, a song that showed up right when you needed it, or made an ordinary moment stick with you?

Dance has been a love of mine since I was very young, so music has always been more than something playing in the background. It has been a way for me to let go and build confidence.

12What's a tradition in your life or family that you hope lasts for generations?

My husband is Latino and from El Salvador, and through him I've been introduced to more traditions than I ever could have imagined. Over the years, those traditions have become some of my favorite parts of our family. I love what New Year's Eve has become for us, from eating 12 grapes for good luck to carrying empty suitcases around the block in four feet of Wisconsin snow. Those moments have created memories that no one can take away from us.

We've also created traditions of our own. Every Valentine's Day, we have a family dinner where we make homemade cards and gifts for each other. I've been doing this with my kids since they were little and it's something that has remained incredibly special to me as they've grown. I hope my children carry these traditions forward with their families someday.