I’m an author, speaker, ministry leader, and longtime collegiate volleyball coach with more than 2 decades of experience in athletics, recruiting, leadership, and mentoring student-athletes. My speaking focuses on character, leadership, resilience, faith, purpose, and what it takes to succeed without compromising who you are. As the author of “Saved to Serve—Called to Lead” and “When Character Matches Capacity,” I bring a straightforward, relatable approach built on real experience. I speak to athletes, coaches, schools, churches, women’s groups, and organizations looking for a message that challenges people to lead with character, live with purpose, and make an impact.
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Write a reviewPrice range: $350-1500
Languages: English
Gig length: 30 - 90 minutes
I’d describe my speaking style as practical, conversational, and engaging. I don’t rely on hype, gimmicks, or motivational clichés. My goal is to leave people with something they can actually use long after the event is over. Whether I’m speaking to athletes, coaches, business professionals, church groups, or leadership teams, I combine real-world experience with practical strategies and honest storytelling that audiences connect with.
Every presentation is customized to the audience, the event, and the organization’s goals. I can deliver keynote presentations, workshops, breakout sessions, leadership trainings, panel discussions, or Q&A sessions. My topics range from leadership, character development, and team culture to faith, resilience, overcoming adversity, women in leadership, recruiting, and personal growth.
Audiences can expect an interactive experience rather than a lecture. I encourage reflection, ask thoughtful questions, share real examples from coaching, ministry, and business, and provide practical takeaways that people can begin applying immediately. I want attendees to leave challenged, encouraged, and equipped with clear next steps instead of simply feeling inspired for a few hours.
Event planners can expect professionalism from start to finish. I communicate clearly before the event, arrive prepared, tailor my content to the audience, and work to make the planning process as easy as possible. Whether the audience includes students, educators, coaches, executives, ministry leaders, or community members, my goal is to deliver a message that is authentic, relevant, and memorable while serving the objectives of the event.
Ashley McDonough is an author, speaker, ministry leader, and former collegiate volleyball coach who has spent more than a decade helping people develop both character and performance. Whether she’s speaking to athletes, coaches, business leaders, churches, schools, or community organizations, Ashley is known for delivering practical, honest messages that challenge people to grow with integrity, resilience, and purpose.
Professionally, Ashley serves as a Senior Volleyball Recruiting Coach with NCSA/IMG Academy, where she has guided thousands of student-athletes and their families through the college recruiting process. Her coaching career also includes 13 years of collegiate volleyball coaching at the NCAA Division I, Division III, and junior college levels, giving her firsthand experience in leadership, team culture, recruiting, and personal development.
Ashley is the author of Saved to Serve, Called to Lead and When Character Matches Capacity, books that emphasize a simple but often overlooked truth: talent may create opportunities, but character determines what people can truly be trusted to do with them. Her writing and speaking blend lessons from athletics, leadership, and faith into practical principles audiences can apply immediately.
Beyond athletics, Ashley leads Bible studies, FCA Huddles, and leadership groups while speaking regularly on faith, perseverance, servant leadership, mental toughness, purpose, overcoming adversity, and building a life rooted in integrity. Her presentations are straightforward, conversational, and filled with real stories rather than clichés or motivational hype.
Ashley holds an MBA, a bachelor’s degree in social science, and graduate studies in Christian ministry. She is also an ordained ministry leader and brings a unique perspective shaped by experiences in coaching, education, business, ministry, and personal adversity.
Popular speaking topics include leadership, character development, sports culture, recruiting and college athletics, women in leadership, faith in everyday life, resilience through hardship, and building healthy teams and organizations.
Whether she’s standing in front of a church congregation, a room of coaches, a student leadership conference, or a corporate audience, Ashley’s goal is always the same: to equip people with practical tools that strengthen both their character and their capacity so they can lead with conviction wherever they have been called.
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My approach to leadership and communication has been shaped by the work of Jon Gordon, Tony Dungy, and John C. Maxwell. Like each of them, I believe success is built on character before results, servant leadership over self-promotion, and the conviction that the greatest influence we have is through the way we invest in other people. While my perspective is also grounded in my own experiences as a coach, educator, author, and ministry leader, their emphasis on integrity, purpose, and leadership has had a lasting impact on both my writing and my speaking.
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