Ashley Bendiksen

As a former at-risk teen turned youth specialist, Ashley deeply relates to teenage life and knows what young people need to hear. Adolescence isn’t easy. From self-doubt and anxiety to peer pressure, relationships, social-emotional struggles, adversity, and trauma, many students feel alone, overwhelmed, powerless, and even hopeless. This often leads to negative coping habits, constant comparison, and a failure to see one’s true potential.

To combat this, Ashley delivers the life talk every young person needs. Combining teen-relatable storytelling with research-backed practical advice, Ashley equips students with foundational skills needed to be resilient, embrace setbacks, and overcome challenges, as well as navigate everyday life and thrive. She empowers students to take ownership of their choices and recognize that, no matter what, they hold the power to achieve their dreams and shape their own lives.

Learning Outcomes:

• Hope, expanded self-belief, perseverance, and determination
• Strategies to build emotional resilience and self-advocacy
• Healthy coping tools to navigate stress, peer pressure, and mental health struggles
• Role of healthy relationships in resilience and well-being
• Shifting negative self-talk into confidence-building thoughts and actions
• Practical CBT-based tools for self-management and empowered choices

At 14, Ashley was excited about her first relationship – until it became abusive. This started a cycle of unhealthy relationships and choices that harmed her socially, mentally, and academically. Sadly, Ashley’s story isn’t unique. In the U.S., 1 in 3 teens experience dating violence, often in the form of emotional abuse, digital monitoring, and coercive control.

But it’s not just romantic relationships. Toxic friendships, family, peer pressure, and unhealthy social dynamics can also take a toll – impacting a student’s mental health, safety, and academic focus. Many teens stay silent, dismissing red flags as “just drama” without realizing the long-term consequences. However, these can become adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that significantly impact their present and future well-being.

As a survivor turned expert, Ashley takes an empowering approach – equipping students to recognize red flags, embrace green flags, and redefine the relationships in their life through renewed self-advocacy. Students learn to set boundaries, protect their well-being, speak up for others, and seek support when in need.

Learning Outcomes: 

• Recognizing what makes relationships healthy vs. harmful
• Awareness of teen dating violence and common red flags to spot
• Prioritizing green flags as the foundation of healthy relationships
• Role of boundaries for mental health and academic success
• Specific steps to seek help, plus tips to support a friend
• UPON REQUEST: Sexual assault prevention and consent education

As a college student, Ashley faced devastating harm – relationship trauma, domestic violence, and sexual assault. But perhaps the hardest part was losing herself in the process. This is something students on every college campus can relate to.

Whether in their own relationships or those of their peers, toxic and harmful behaviors are all too common. In fact, college-aged students face the highest rates of relationship abuse and violence. Even more troubling, these behaviors are becoming normalized, directly damaging one’s self-esteem, mental health, focus, and goals. Addressing this is not only critical for safety but central to student success.

Ashley’s story inspires, empowers, and leaves a lasting impression, making her a must-have speaker for any campus committed to fostering safe and healthy relationships. This engaging and relatable conversation helps students to recognize red flags, prioritize green flags, and equips them with skills to take action in their lives, on campus, and in their communities.

Learning Outcomes:

Customized to align with your event goals

• Understanding abuse and power-based violence on campuses
• Recognizing red flags and emotionally abusive relationships
• How to build healthy relationships and detox from toxic ones
• Reclaiming your life, authentic identity, and self-worth
• Bystander intervention skills + how to support a friend
• Consent, Title IX, and sexual violence prevention
• Trauma-informed response skills for campus faculty/staff

The majority of youth-serving adults have never been trained on one of the most significant factors shaping student success: trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

In every community, students face adversity – whether through abuse or neglect at home, dating violence, or other forms of harm. Without early intervention, these experiences can profoundly impact a student’s development, behavior, mental health, and ability to learn. However, with the right awareness and trauma-informed skills, educators can become lifelines – unlocking the potential of every student to navigate challenges, build resilience, and achieve positive outcomes.

Blending both her lived experience and field expertise, Ashley leaves an indelible mark on how adults support youth. As a teen, Ashley couldn’t identify one trusted adult she could turn to, nor did the adults around her recognize she was at-risk. Today, she introduces a proactive, preventative approach to ensure that every student is seen, supported, and set up to thrive.

Learning Outcomes:

• Powerful role of educators and caring adults as lifelines to all youth
• Deeper understanding of trauma, abuse, ACEs, and their secondary impacts
• Adopting principles of universal precaution, building systems that benefit every student
• Proactive steps to build trust, psychological safety, and safe/supportive environments
• Early warning signs to look for, plus simple intervention and referral strategies
• Trauma-informed approaches to build resilience and drive positive outcomes