How I Got Here: Ashton Mathai, Associate Director of Content

Keep up with Ashton on LinkedIn!

What did you think you were going to be in elementary school or high school?

If you asked me this question really young (5 or 6), I would have said a nurse or a stay-at-home mom. Shoutout to my own stay-at-home mom who inspired me — and actually, later became a nurse.

Later, my answer shifted to a librarian or a writer... or a librarian who is a writer. I've always known that I'd be writing one way or another. Librarian is still on my list, though. Maybe a retirement activity?

Did you study PR? If so, why? If not, what did you study?

I did not study PR. Contrary to my answer above, I took a look at my side hobbies and my near-perfect English score on my ACT and said... "I should be a doctor."

(In my defense, anatomy was my favorite high school class and still fascinates me to this day.)

LOL. So I was pre-med until my sophomore year of college and I realized I did not enjoy my labs or my biology class like I thought I would. So I decided to study what I loved – English – but thought it would only be a hobby. Then, I tacked on a business and graphic design minor, which led me to Marketing.

How did you make your way to Carve?

Fresh out of college, I accepted a job at an enterprise financial software company that I had interned with in college. (Fun Fact: My dad also worked there – so we had family street cred.) About a week into the job, COVID hit. 

I worked there until 2022 when I found Carve on LinkedIn and thought an agency position would be pretty cool. I was right – it's pretty cool. Every day, I get to hear inspiring stories and advice from founders and CEOs who worked hard and chased their dreams. Plus, I love my team.

What do you do today at Carve?

Woof – ask me a harder question ;)

Primarily, I work with the executives of our client companies by managing their LinkedIn strategies, speaking events, and more. I help integrate that work with larger PR and content strategies. For example, using what I learn to come up with solid pitch ideas for media. 

I manage Carve's LinkedIn (follow us!) where I showcase our "secret sauce" and spotlight our team doing great work. I also lead our Carve Wellness Committee!

There's a lot more I do within all of that, but you get the point.

What is the coolest project you've ever worked on - anywhere?

In my time here at Carve, I've gotten to produce a client's dream podcast. It involved women talking about their success and drinking fine wine. I didn't drink wine (too busy taking notes!) but it was fun to learn about it. I also got a lot of advice from the podcast conversations about my career and pursuing my dreams.

I also got to lead a fundraiser once – the main event was a Nerf Gun War. All the proceeds were donated to the Special Olympics. That was pretty awesome, too.

What is the career accomplishment you're most proud of?

This is hard because I've still got a lot of career ahead of me to make big waves. So far, it's becoming the Associate Director of Content here at Carve. 

What is your superpower?

If I want something badly enough, there's no stopping me. Has that worked against me before? Absolutely. But it's powerful when it comes to getting somewhere I want to be in life.

What would you love to learn more about?

I love learning about how my favorite authors write their stories. It's no easy feat.

If you were asked to teach someone how to do something in 5 minutes, what would it be?

How to companion plant their garden! Plant chives with your tomatoes to enrich the flavor and deter common pests, or don’t put dill next to your bell peppers — advice like that.