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Get It Girl! with Ashlee Marie Preston: Overcoming Adversity and Inspiring Change
We’re thrilled to announce the latest episode of Get It Girl! on LatiNation. This week, we have an incredibly special guest joining us: Ashlee Marie Preston. If you don’t know Ashlee yet, let us introduce you to this powerhouse journalist, storyteller, and founder of the nonprofit You Are Essential.
Who is Ashlee Marie Preston?
Ashlee Marie Preston is a true trailblazer. She’s an American media personality, journalist, activist, and the first trans woman to become editor-in-chief of a national publication, Wear Your Voice Magazine. She was also the first openly trans person to run for state office in California.
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Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Ashlee moved to Los Angeles at 19, where she transitioned and faced significant challenges, including homelessness, sex work, and drug use. But she turned her life around and rose to public attention after confronting Caitlyn Jenner in 2017 over her support for the Trump administration. That moment went viral and showed the world Ashlee’s fearless commitment to her beliefs.
Ashlee is deeply involved in the Los Angeles trans community, working with several organizations, including Los Angeles Pride and the Human Rights Campaign. She was also a campaign surrogate for Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential run. Beyond her activism, Ashlee founded the nonprofit “You Are Essential,” which supports grassroots organizations helping vulnerable communities.
Get It Girl! The incredible journey of Media personality and activist Ashlee Marie Preston
In our latest episode, we dove into Ashlee’s inspiring journey. We asked her how she found the strength to overcome her past and become an editor-in-chief and her answer was powerful: “The beauty of that journey is that I’ve transmuted that darkness into light for those who are navigating the shadows of a similar reality. So when I say I just wanted it to mean something, really it’s an opportunity for other people to know that they aren’t alone and that you have the capacity to turn your life completely around.”
We also discussed her historic run for office and the importance of political involvement, especially in an election year. Ashlee then shared, “There are moments where I have to constantly remind myself not to place that period where the universe intended for there to be a comma. There are moments where I actually get to a place where – I’m okay with being a trailblazer in that way – but I sometimes run out of things to aspire to or things to push toward to, or I’ve done it for so long that I’m like ‘I’m not seeing the result that we’ve been fighting for all these years.’ And not just me, my ancestors, all these generations of, especially, women. I come from a very matriarchal family.”
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And added, “So we are moving into this age of the divine feminine where we are seeing women really feel empowered to really stand up in a very bold and unapologetic way. Yet, as we step up, we see the resistance of the old paradigm and patriarchal power in the ways in which they try to shut us down. So I’ve had to remind myself, in those moments where I feel absolutely defeated, and I feel there is no way we can overcome this, and something will turn or there just be this glimmer of hope and I’m like ‘this is not the end of this, this is just a chapter of a much longer story’.”
Ashlee also talked about her nonprofit “You Are Essential” and its mission. She said, “Who’s healing the healers? Who’s caring for the people caring for the people? There is no one that I felt could actually come to my aid or care for me because people were navigating their own crisis or their challenges. What I realized at that point is that we needed a community that was much more intentional about creating a culture of care.”
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In addition to the hosts’ with Ashlee, we tackled a pressing issue: the meta-algorithm. Is it biased against people of color? Our co-host Aliyah Orozco brought her insights on how algorithms might be shaping our experiences in ways we don’t fully realize:
“In some ways, it allows people to not get the full opportunities. I was reading an article, and if they put an ad out with a black woman, they’re only going to primarily push that to black users. And let’s say you work at a company and you put out a listing for a job, they are really only pushing it to different people. So the majority of janitorial jobs only go to black women, and other types of jobs will only go to white men. It should be an opportunity for all. I could be breaking equal rights protection because not everybody is getting the same opportunity.”
We also explored how identity and politics play a role in Ashlee’s life, making this episode a rich conversation filled with wisdom and insight. Plus, to wrap up the show, our fellow host Carolina Trejos sat down with Valentina Ferrer for an inspiring segment you won’t want to miss.
We’re excited to have powerhouse activist Ashlee Marie Preston on the couch with us today, sharing her journey! Tune in now at the LATV App+!
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