259: From Startup to Strategy: How to Spot Strategic Gaps & Lead with Confidence with Ashley Wright

Leading Women in Tech Podcast

Are you missing the strategic blind spots that could unlock your next big move?

What if the key to leveling up your leadership wasn’t in working harder—but in thinking more strategically?

In this episode, we sit down with serial entrepreneur and strategy expert Ashley Wright, who shares how to spot the hidden gaps that slow teams down—and how to shift from reactive mode to confident, forward-thinking leadership.

With stories from her time at General Mills, launching an AI-driven startup in the green industry, and guiding founders through major pivots, Ashley brings a rare mix of big-picture vision and tactical insight. Whether you’re leading a team or building your own thing, this episode will help you lead with clarity, context, and purpose.

"You can either live your life trying to make someone else's dream happen, or live it trying to make yours happen." — Ashley Wright

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How to identify strategic gaps before they become roadblocks
• What “Why me? Why now?” means—and why every founder needs to answer it
• How to make confident decisions from a place of opportunity, not fear
• The role of AI in niche industries (and why humans still matter)
• How to lead diverse teams with authenticity and clear deliverables
• What it looks like to play to win instead of playing catch-up
• The mindset shift that turns early-stage chaos into long-term clarity

🎧 Loved Ashley's insights? Take 5 minutes to reflect: Where are the strategic gaps in your work or team?

**Useful links**

• Connect with today’s guest, Ashley Wright:
  • Connect with Ashley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleywright3/
  • Follow Plantista:
    • On Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/plantista-fire-wise-ai-landscapes-for-all#/
    • Web: https://plantista.ai/
    • On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getplantista/
• Ashley’s current read:
  • Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World by Eliza Reid
• If you are ready to uplevel your career, get unstuck or you are simply ready to unlock those leadership time-management techniques then join us in my monthly career & leadership coaching program exclusively for women in tech: https://www.tonicollis.com/academy
• Catch the show notes, and more details about today's episode here: https://tonicollis.com/episode259
• Check us out on Youtube.
• Join the Leading Women in Tech community in Slack where we discuss all-the-things for women’s tech leadership, covering everything from early-career leadership to C-level executives.