Ashley Smith on the Utah Jazz, dance's impact on the youth, and making positive change in Utah

In this week's episode, Utah's First Lady Abby Cox is joined by Ashley Smith (studio owner and director of SMASH Dance Academy) to talk about meeting her husband, Ryan Smith (executive chairman and co-founder of Qualtrics and Utah Jazz owner), their love and passion for Utah, and how the Utah Jazz fandom helps unify the entire state.

Then Ashley opens up about her love for dance, her decision to open a dance studio, and how dance has been and can be an outlet for so many students during rough times in their lives. 

We also dive into the moment when Ashley and Ryan realized that they were going to have the opportunity to become the owners of the Jazz, the amazing responsibility that comes with such an opportunity, and how they've been able to use their platform to help make positive changes in Utah.

To learn more about the organizations talked about during this episode follow the links below:

Encircle: https://encircletogether.org/
5 For the Fight: https://www.5forthefight.org/
Utah Jazz Scholarship: https://www.nba.com/jazz/scholarship

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Join Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox and her friends for timely and candid conversations with fascinating people with unique perspectives in an effort to unite us all through our common humanity. Each week, Abby dives into discussions on topics ranging from education to motherhood to mental health and beyond. 

Abby is an outspoken advocate for “getting proximate” with people who have different viewpoints, and using her platform as Utah’s First Lady to combat the empathy crisis our country is facing. 

Come along with us as we journey to bring courage, compassion and connection back into our homes and communities... and have a lot of fun along the way! THANK YOU for being our friend.