Ashley Judd

“We all need a good listening to. When I hear my fellows on a deep, soul level and witness and validate their reality, I am recruited to their welfare. I am changed.”
"When we are allowed time to process trauma and heal and to disclose its causes at our discretion, we can become effective public advocates."
“Being a girl is neither a crime nor should it be punishable in any way. I am wholly committed in the seat of my soul to work with and for girls and women everywhere, supporting them to be who God intended them to be, which is indeed awesome. Only in this way will humankind progress and heal.”

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“We all need a good listening to.
When I hear my fellows on a deep, soul level and witness and validate their reality, I am recruited to their welfare. I am changed.”

Ashley Judd

Actor, humanitarian, daughter, sister and New York Times bestselling author

Ashley Judd is heralded for her unforgettable performances and tireless advocacy work. From her starring roles in box office hits and award-winning indie films to her sought-after speaking engagements, Judd’s gift for vivid and personal storytelling brings a movingly revealing lens to others’ struggles as she uses her voice to shine an illuminating light on the suffering, vulnerable, and the at-risk.

Judd has traveled the world with her international public health and gender equality work, from maternal health, human trafficking and prostitution, HIV/AIDS and malaria, and more.

She has been working with NGO’s, grassroots organizations, and the United Nations since 2004, and detailed her experiences being in global communities in her New York Times bestselling book, All That Is Bitter and Sweet.

Speaking Availability

Fierce Champion for Equality

A feminist and social justice humanitarian, Ashley is a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, advocating for the sexual and reproductive rights and health for girls and women worldwide. She has traveled to 23 countries, visiting brothels, refugee camps, hospices and slums, learning directly from the vulnerable and resilient and bringing a spotlight to the incredible stories she is told.

What People Are Saying

“Ashley Judd is the rare speaker who balances head and heart, and so inspires us as listeners to do the same.”

Gloria Steinem
“Ashley Judd has a narrative genius that takes us along with her on journeys into the most challenging experiences in the world and through them to the most creative solutions imaginable. She speaks with that rare combination of compassion and challenge. She moves her audiences to action by loving them into being their truest selves. She’s a gem.”

Tim Shriver, President and CEO, Special Olympics
“Ashley Judd is an absolutely magnificent speaker. Her talk on Women, Peace, and Security was perfect: powerful and heartfelt.”

Alyse Nelson, Vital Voices President and CEO