As Chairperson of Digital Business Ireland, 28-year-old Ashley McDonnell has added multiple feathers to her (probably Dior) hat, not least overseeing the body's first in-person conference this week.
Taking place in Dublin's RDS and featuring representatives from Microsoft, Huawei, the Richmont Group and more, Business Beyond Borders explored the opportunities in technology and luxury, from inclusive technology to the role of the arts and humanities in tech.
We caught up with McDonnell in between speeches, and chatted about mentorship, self-care practices and more.
She chaired a panel of female entrepreneurs during the event, with Edel Lyons of The Rag Revolution, Helena McMahon of skincare and supplement brand Seabody, Niamh Tallon of Her Sport, Oonagh McCutcheon of .IE Digital and Breige Grogan of Little rock Digital.
During that chat, the women turned to the importance of mentors, both being one and seeking them out.
"The two themes that constantly came up were confidence – so building confidence in women, bringing them in to boardrooms from an early stage in their careers, giving them platforms – and secondly it was mentorship, and I think they go hand in hand."
"It can be very daunting and it can be very hard to find a mentor if you don't have the confidence to ask somebody to be your mentor! And I've been in that position myself as well. Even now there are people I'd love to ask to be my mentor. It's hard to just go and do it.
"You have to just say that the worst that can happen is that they say no, or that they can't do it now but you will find someone that has the time for you and be able to give you the guidance that you need."
She points to mentorship programmes such as Her Global, an Irish start-up, that she took part in herself.
As for what McDonnell does to keep her busy schedule balanced and her mind clear, she has a strict self-care routine she's been cultivating for years.
"I'm very disciplined when it comes to my morning schedule so I always meditate in the morning, even if it's a 10-minute meditation, I'm gonna do it. I've been doing that for years now.
"I also use a gratitude journal every day. No matter what happens to me during the day I'm like, it's fine, I'm grateful for my life!" she laughs. "It gives perspective and it makes you realise that we're very fortunate and there's so many things we can be happy about."
Finally, she says, "Every evening phone's on flight mode. I'm quite disciplined with that. I have to have a cut-off point where I'm like, okay, no more phone, and I enjoy some peace or sleep or something!"
Listen back to the full interview by clicking the video above.
