BusinessWest & Healthcare News: Business & Health Talk Podcast · Audacy

Joe Bednar Interviews the owner of Ohana School of Performing Arts, Ashley Kohl

·23 min·1 clip

Ashley says a landlord gave her a month to leave in March 2019 while she had more than 100 students in recital rehearsals.

1. Business West & Healthcare News: Business Talk Podcast centers on Joe Bednar’s conversation with Ashley Kohl about Ohana School of Performing Arts and a major expansion in Chicopee. 2. Joe Bednar, editor of Business West, hosts; Ashley Kohl is the founder and owner of Ohana School of Performing Arts, and her business decisions drive the discussion. 3. The episode asks how “obstacles are detours in the right direction” shaped Ashley Kohl’s career, studio model, and decision to buy a building. 4. Ashley says the phrase came from Gabrielle Bernstein, whose book helped her trust events that felt frightening and unstable. 5. She recounts missing So You Think You Can Dance, then auditioning for Mass Appeal a month later and getting that job. 6. She says six years in television ended when her marriage was “really toxic” and she wanted a different life. 7. Ashley describes doing a story about kids of all abilities in a dance class, then realizing she was meant to work with children through dance. 8. She says becoming a business owner in 2016 was scary because she was not financially ready and was still learning how to run a company. 9. In March 2019, her South Hadley landlord gave her until April 1st to leave because the building had been sold and would be demolished. 10. She says the 2019 move happened while more than 100 students were deep into spring recital rehearsals. 11. Ashley says the pandemic forced Ohana to close its physical doors and shift to virtual dance education that many families did not want. 12. She says the studio waived tuition, relied on available funding, and still lost about 60% of its student base and 40% of revenue. 13. Ashley says the rebuild came from marketing plus a stronger focus on a “safe space” where people could connect with one another. 14. She says Ohana was built for inclusion because she was bullied in middle school and found safety at a performing arts high school. 15. Ashley says the name “Ohana” means family and reflects a place where no one gets left behind or forgotten. 16. She says the studio takes attendance by making eye contact so each person knows their presence matters. 17. Joe’s interview style stays warm and personal, with many questions drawn from earlier Business West coverage and live events. 18. Ashley’s tone is reflective and earnest, and the conversation moves from business stress to family, values, and long-term planning. 19. Best for listeners interested in small-business resilience and youth arts programs. 20. Not for listeners looking for hard financial analysis or industry data.

As heard by us

A school story shaped by bullying and the effort to build a safe, inclusive place for others.

Ashley Cole's story lands because it begins with something plain and hard: bullying, and the choice to turn that experience into a school built around safety, acceptance, and connection.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

A thoughtful look at how a performing arts school became a place of belonging and resilience for kids.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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