What is A Girl’s Guide to Finding her Happy Pace?

This fun, easy to read graphic novel is a new kind of self-help coaching tool for girls.  Graphic novels make digesting heavy content easier and relatable. Girls can apply these lessons to their lives over and over as they navigate the challenges of the girl world. 

Follow Eva on the journey to finding her happy pace as she navigates teenage life.  She is anxious about friends, judging herself, trying to be perfect, and fit in.  One day, she is the victim of some mean girls and she realizes she is not ok, and crisis ensues. Anxiety and self-doubt set in that prompt her to rethink her whole identity.  Step by step Eva learns how to navigate teenhood and high school, illustrating the 5 core lessons to finding her happy pace.

Life Coach and Sole Girls founder, Ashley Wiles’s mantra is “Find your Happy Pace.” Over the past 6 years Ashley has dedicated her life to empowering, mentoring and coaching girls ages 5 to 12, teens and also the women who role model and raise confident girls.

This guide extends beyond the book, creating an online space called Sole School for girls to receive mentorship from Ashley as well as a guide for mentors to discuss the topics and create a supportive community.

A Girl’s Guide to Finding her Happy Pace outlines life lessons and tools girls will learn to navigate through their teen years in an easy to digest, less than an hour-read, fun graphic novel.

The Guide consists of:

• 60+ pages of  graphics
• Easy to read, relatable comics
• Mentorship and role model advice
• Personal development prompts
• An opportunity to access mentorship, and community – join the Sole Girls!

Learn how to make better choices,  become a better friend, be a happier person and navigate the girl world.

Join the thousands of women and girls whose lives have been transformed by Sole Girls and Ashley’s story, and let their success stories inspire you. As Ashley says, “We are on this journey to find our happy pace, and it looks different for each one of us, but you’re never alone!”

It’s time to invest in girls and help them find their happy pace.   10% of the profits from the sale of this book will be donated to scholarship programs for more girls to attend Sole Girls programs.

Sneak peek of the 60+ page graphic novel ...
 

If you're ready to change lives, impact girls and help girls find their Happy Pace, check out the list of perk opportunities included in this campaign. If you want to learn more about the who, what, why and how, or have time to spare, there's a ton more information included below. If you can share this with anyone, that would be SOLE awesome. Thank you in advance!

What makes me so certain about all this?

Let me share a personal story of a girl I worked with.

Kate and I met at our very first SOLE Girls summer camp in 2013. At the end of camp, we give each girl a certificate that recognizes something the leaders thought she was really great at, in her case, it was "Being a Leader". We present the certificate during a ceremony, and it is a really special opportunity for each girl to shine. When Kate received her certificate, she accepted it and slowly ripped it up while the other girls received theirs. At this point, Kate was not able to accept a compliment. So while we thought she was an incredible leader and helpful to others, she had a million reasons why she wasn’t and was not able to see herself from our perspective. My heart sunk, I hadn’t changed her life in two days (I clearly needed a reality check). However, we managed to convince her to accept a new certificate that we would take to her house especially for her.

After that first summer camp, Kate joined our nine-week program. This time she had all the answers, lots to say, and seemed very confident. But, as soon as it came time to do something that she didn’t feel she was the best at, like running, she was the first one to count herself out. She had a long list of negative things that she believed about herself. One day, while on a run, I decided to ask her (after a few weeks of recognizing her pattern),“Do you think that is true Kate? Do you think it’s true that you are not as great as the other girls because of the reasons you mentioned?”

Kate: “Yes.”

Ashley: “Ok – let’s try something. Repeat after me, “I’m strong, I’m powerful, I’m Kate.”

Kate: “Why would I say that, what’s the point? I’m not very strong, or powerful, I'm just a girl. There are people changing the world, they are powerful.”

Ashley: “Just try.”

Kate (in a whisper and so fast that it was almost indistinguishable): “I’m strong. I’m powerful. I’m Kate. There I did it, that didn’t do anything.”

Ashley: “Cool, yes you are. Try again.”

Kate: “I’m strong, I’m powerful, I’m Kate.”

Then all of a sudden she stopped running and broke into tears.

Ashley: Oh shoot! What did I do now?

Others started to pass us and when we finally got going again, we continued to the end of the run in silence. At the end of the session, she stayed behind after everyone else had left.  She gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, “I’m strong, I’m powerful, I’m Kate.” Each week after that she repeated it, slowly and very quietly at first, but each week she became a little bit more confident. When it came to the last week, we used our training to complete a five-kilometre run, and her anxiety was running high. In the end, Kate burst through that Finish Line with her hands up in the air and yelling, “I’m strong, I’m powerful, I’m KATE!”

Now, Kate is a role model for other girls, she mentors younger girls! She is a leader, and while she still has anxiety, the more she connects inside to the possibility of awesomeness, the easier it is for her to manage.

Why Crowdfunding? And how can you help?

Crowdfunding will help determine the demand and assist with sharing Ashley’s message.

All contributions will be put toward the printing of more books and help with the creation of the online community. Any surplus will be put towards PR and video documenting the Happy Pace Movement to inspire more girls around the globe to find their unique voices, love themselves, make better friendships and have more fun being active.

There's a number of different perk offerings, many which include a copy of the A Girl’s Guide to Finding her Happy Pace and memberships to sole school - a mentorship space for tween and teen girls taught via online videos on teachable.  Ashley has even included a few coaching packages and a keynote speaker offering.

Check out the options and feel free to message Ashley directly with any questions or specific requests. Whether you're able to purchase a book in advance or not, it would be extra cool if you shared this with those you care about!

Who is Ashley Wiles?

Ashley is a 3 x Ironman finisher, a 70.3 Ironman World Championship finisher, a mental health advocate, a Tedx speaker, a Life Coach and a Mental Health advocate.  She is also the founder of award-winning social enterprise Sole Girls which is licensed across Canada and in Australia.

Ashley will never forget the first time she saw Amanda Todd’s video,  a girl who at the age of 15 committed suicide due to mental health, cyber bullying and some mean people.   As Ashley had personally been experiencing anxiety and depression, abuse, and had self-isolated,  for the first time in a long time, she realized that she wasn’t alone.  She was surprised and terrified to find so many women and girls were suffering the same as she was.  She realized that she didn’t want to suffer anymore, and more importantly that she didn’t want other girls to suffer as she had or Amanda had.

She moved back to Canada and dove into the research, asking some big questions: Who are girls, Why were girls suffering so much, What were the factors that helped girls be happy and healthy and how had we fallen so far away from that.  Growing up in the age of the Spice Girls “girl power”, Ashley knew that Girl Power needed an upgrade, and she was the girl to do it.

She committed to positive mental health and saw the changes happen to her mind quickly. She wanted to help as many girls as possible navigate their paths, to include positive mental health, living healthy active lives, staying in sports and finding mentors and role models.   Before she knew it Sole Girls had a waitlist and Ashley knew she wasn’t alone.  Other people, parents, teachers, principals, girls knew something was missing in our communities too.

 Ashley believes that lifelong happiness and well-being must be built on a foundation of self-love, support, and health and that this is possible for everyone. Through her award-winning programs for girls at SoleGirls.org and her leadHERship programs for women, Ashley has helped over 5000 girls, teens and hundreds of women navigate their lives and find their inner awesome.

BONUS (at the bottom of this page): Ashley invites you to read WHY she's so inspired to lead a life of total awesomeness - and why she wants you to do the same.

What people are saying about Ashley and A Girl’s Guide to Finding Her Happy Pace?

"As a Recreation Therapist, it makes me so happy to see more education tools coming out around empowering young women to self manage their physical and mental health. The five key lessons described in "A Girl's Guide to Finding Her Happy Pace" provide valuable takeaways that can be implemented into daily life. I can see this book being used in various youth movement and mental health programs around the world." -Meghan Burrows, Recreation Therapist and Performance Coach.

“ The whole idea of a Happy Pace blew my mind. Getting to learn from Sole Girls has been the greatest honour of my life.  Sole Girls taught me how to listen to myself and others in a way that I never had before. Ashley taught me how to live my life from a place that is authentically me, using my values. She taught me how to change the negative voices in my head to voices that empower me. She taught me what real love, support, and community look and feel like. By being a role model for me, she taught me how to be a role model for girls.  Every girl needs Sole Girls, and this book!”  - Annika Macfarlane, Teen soleteer and now Sole Girls Coach

“After my first session of soleteering (mentoring) for Sole Girls, I was hooked. Sole Girls and mentorship helped me pull my life together as a teen, and create goals. I started going for runs if I felt stressed out. Ashley came into my life when I needed her most, she brought Sole Girls to me and it saved me. Now, I don’t believe in saying, “I can’t” because I know there is always some way.” Maddie - teen soleteer and now 4th year university student UBCO

“I met Ashley when she began her journey with Sole Girls. {My daughter, Amanda Todd, had left us only months before}. Her experiences, she realized, were the same as many others and knew she was not alone in this world.  Girls will benefit from Ashley’s passion and experience. This book will be a wonderful tool to allow girls to gain insight into their own self-worth and be the best person they can endeavour to be.” -Carol Todd mother of Amanda Todd and  advocate against cyberbullying

" As a Mom of a tween in her second year of middle school this book really resonates with me! We all know how important communication is with any relationship and A Girl's Guide To Finding Her Happy Place demonstrates a healthy, open dialogue between mentor and young lady! It also presents a great opportunity and catalyst for parent/child conversation on topics that otherwise might remain silent. I am looking forward to introducing it to my daughter!"
-Vanessa Jensen, Ironman athlete, and mom 

"As a teacher of tween and teen girls I have seen the same patterns over and over that existed when I was their age and have only increased with the use of social media. This book helps girls to understand that they are not alone in navigating the girl world and that there are so, so many strategies to help you find your inner awesome! I would make this mandatory reading for all girls in my classes."
-Veronica May, Teacher Langley BC

"A Girl’s Guide to Finding Her Happy Pace tackles the messy highs and lows of today’s Girl World, including bullying, social media, rejection, friendship, mentorship, and understanding values. This book brings to life the power that simple practices, like relationship-building and conversation, can have on helping girls discover and live within their confident, true selves. The Guide also makes mental health an approachable topic, modeling healthy ways to engage girls in navigating real teenage challenges. As a teacher, I recommend this book for tweens and teens and the people who love and support them: parents, teachers, mentors, school counselors, youth group leaders, and beyond!" 
Sara Russell, Teacher and Master Coach

BONUS: A personal message from Coach Ashley, "Do you want to find your happy pace?"

Did you know that Girls drop out of sport 6x the rate of boys, and they don't drop out for lack of skill. Girls drop out because of these 4 reasons.

1. Financial Reasons 2. Social Belonging  3. Health Issues 4. Lack of ROLE MODELS!!!!

I’ll never forget entering high school.  Everyone standing in their little groups and I knew no one.  It was terrifying. Trying out for a team… terrifying. Not making the team… mortifying.  Where did I go to talk about this embarrassment? I was lucky that I was part of another team outside of school and also that I had at least 1 role model/mentor in my life, otherwise I surely would have dropped out of sport. 

Why are sport and role models and mentorship so important for girls?

Why Sports?

Youth who get extra physical activity in school do better in reading and math and have an increased ability to absorb knowledge and to learn things,

It helps with behavioral issues in the classroom.

Solves a lot of interpersonal issues because they have an opportunity to get that energy out.

Exercise increases the concentration of both dopamine and norepinephrine, as well as other brain chemicals. a dose of exercise is like taking a bit of Ritalin or Adderall, it’s similar to taking a stimulant.

Even a little bit more movement makes us happier (yay mental health)

Why Role models and mentors?

Mentors give advice and help brainstorm - they act as a confidant that you can unload your problems with. They’ll listen, help you dissect exactly what’s bothering you, and provide support as you think of solutions together.

Mentorship is all about forming a great relationship centered around a mutual passion. While there are plenty of similarities to friendship, it is much more than that.

They may be the person who relentlessly boosts your self-esteem and confidence until you feel brave enough to stop over your own boundaries, or the person providing the knowledge you need to grow.

Some more staggering stats: 

45% of teens say they are online almost constantly, but over 25% of girls in grades 7-12 say they have been the victims of cyber bullying. 

Navigating the Girl World

Like all girls, I have lived through the girl world, the friendships, the body image struggles, the anxiety, being cut from the team, the trends, the drama, the expectations and all the feels. I had always thought that when I was an adult, I’d finally get to make the rules, run the show… but it turns out there were just more rules: different game, same story.  

Maybe you can relate. Your girl world might be slightly different but however you grew up, you did grow up and had to learn to navigate the lessons somehow.  Sometimes the hard way.

Why create the Girl’s Guide to Finding her Happy Pace?

My goal in writing this guide is to create an easily digestible and relatable tool for girls to help navigate tween and teenhood and maybe even beyond. I want it to be so easy to read that girls keep coming back to it as they learn the lessons in their own lives and relate it back to the story. We all learn life lessons, but wouldn’t it be nice to know some of the core lessons in advance? This book will create a space and a community for girls to understand themselves, which really benefits those around her. We all know a girl in our life who matters, whether it was a mother or a daughter or a sister or a friend.  It’s time to give that girl a very simple tool that she can use for the rest of her life and share with others.

So, welcome to a new kind of self-help book. It’s not a long-winded novel about what not to do and how to be better.  It’s a comic book, for girls, one that all girls deserve to read and have access to. Half the population.

Getting a grip on the Girl World is particularly important now because of the rising numbers of girls’ suicide, declining participation rates in sport, and staggering self-worth statistics.  

But there is a reason for hope. On the other end of the spectrum, there are women who want to be role models, who have overcome the challenges, the haters, the reasons to drop out and they want to share. Put simply, linking tools and mentorship to girls, and keeping girls in sport is a powerful combination that can change—and possibly save— lives.

Being a girl doesn’t have to include all the drama and stress. There are ways, as you’ll see throughout this book, to be the most awesome person you know.  Finding your happy pace is really about learning, and realizing who you are and who you want to be.

So what about today?

Today, I am honored to have built a strong community at Sole Girls of Women who can be vulnerable with each other, who have become lifelong friends because of Sole Girls and who strive to live their best lives being the role models that girls need. I am still learning too. In my professional life, I’ve evolved from a life coach to the founder of the an award winning social enterprise that has affected thousands of girls, to an international speaker, author and Happy Pace Seeker. I’m honored to have the ability to help people every single day, now that’s SOLE awesome!

Beyond my Sole family and career, one of the most important aspects of my well-being is my mental health. I continually strive to understand my ego, challenge my beliefs and learn as well as apply the hard lessons that help me grow.  And at the end of each day, I ask myself: “What did you love today and what did you learn today?”

I know we are all capable of finding our Happy Pace. That is, while I believe that we can all find it at our own pace, we don’t have to do it by ourselves. Now that you’ve found this book, you have found your community—your sole sisters. No matter what, you are not alone. We are here to encourage and support each other to be the happiest, healthiest versions of ourselves.

So, hands up if you’re ready to find your Happy Pace? Click on over to the best perk for you!

PS - a huge thank you to all those that have supported me and Sole Girls on this journey. It's been quite the ride and it's only just beginning!