Corporate Burnout? Why Grant Writing is the Perfect Pivot
About this episode
Ashley shares her journey from a corporate job to grant writing, highlighting the challenges and pivotal moments along the way.
Ashley couldn't wake up on a Wednesday and say “let's get the motorcycles out”. Her husband had retired early. She was still trapped in a corporate job. Something had to change. So she started looking. Took a travel writing course at community college. Then stumbled into a grant writing class. Found a book with a unicorn on it. Read it and thought “I can do this”. What happened next is a story about career change, transferable skills, and the kind of patience nobody warns you about. Ashley came into grant writing with zero nonprofit experience, a corporate project manager who had never written a single grant. She googled terms during meetings. She asked every question she was afraid to ask. And she made one strategic move that changed everything. Two small grants later she had a full time grant writing job. But the part of this story that stays with you has nothing to do with grants. It has everything to do with her dad's motorcycle, a rally called Sturgis, and a promise she made when she inherited his bike.
More episodes of The Grant Writing Unicorn Podcast
- Alarming trends in grant writing in 2026
- Which Grant Writing Program Is Right for You (And Why We Rebuilt Ours)
- From Unemployed to 6 Employees: Christy's Grant Writing Journey
- Grant Reviewers Skip These Applications—Here's Why
- Why Writing Skills Are Your Secret Career Weapon!
- You Are Enough: How I Built a Grant Writing Business From Zero
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Grant Writing Unicorn Podcast podcast page.