Ashlyn Gunderson | Canada's Ultimate Challenge Bio

NAME: Ashlyn Gunderson
OCCUPATION: Podcaster
AGE: 33
HOMETOWN: Lethbridge, Alb.

Ashlyn is a podcaster, entrepreneur and mom of two from Lethbridge, Alberta, who believes that elite fitness and family can go hand-in-hand. A former fitness model and a bikini competition coach, she's used to juggling big responsibilities and thriving under pressure.

Whether she's conquering a challenge or empowering others, Ashlyn approaches everything with passion, resilience and a drive to succeed.

What's driving you to take on Canada's Ultimate Challenge?

Being on reality TV has been on my bucket list for over a decade. In 2020, after multiple years of auditioning, my husband and I were cast as alternates for The Amazing Race Canada, which was later cancelled due to COVID. 

When casting picked up for TARC post-COVID, we were again in the running to be cast for the show. In early 2022, 10 months after the birth of my first daughter, I received a call telling me I had failed my medical exam and would be ineligible to race. This is how I found out that I was pregnant with my second daughter.

I believed my shot at competing in a reality TV show was toast. I would be a mom of two young girls under two and working full-time to recover my business post-COVID. 

When the opportunity arose 1.5 years later, against all odds, I had to take it. The full-circle moment was pretty special. 

What unique skills will set you apart from the competition?

I was born to work out, make new friends, compete, talk a lot and make social content. As an athlete, podcast host, coach and business owner, lots of my character traits made me a good fit for Canada's Ultimate Challenge. 

I am a little older than the majority of the cast. I've experienced a little more life, maybe a handful more challenges, more training time, more failures. I have a business, two small kids, a life partner and a lot to leave behind to come on a show like this. 

All the things that may make me a less ideal candidate for a competition reality show to some, are all the reasons I wanted to do it. To all the self-sacrificing moms who bottleneck their own goals because they are "just a mom" right now, I want to show them that two things can be true: You can chase your dreams AND be a great mom; the two are not mutually exclusive. 

How did you gear up for Canada's Ultimate Challenge?

I knew grip strength and swimming were two things that were not in my repertoire of strengths. I monkey barred, rope climbed and got myself, with great resistance, swimming, for the first time in my adult life. 

My kids enjoyed many summer mornings getting pushed in the stroller up and down the hills in my city and many a day at our cabin lakefront learning to swim with mom. 

What do you fear the most in the competition?

I feared being placed in a position where I needed to pull through for my team and I failed them. Personal defeat was one thing, but letting down my teammates had me all sorts of scared. 

What's the toughest thing life has thrown you and how did it prepare you for this challenge?

In late 2019, I experienced two miscarriages in attempts to conceive my first child. Four days following the loss of my second baby, my stepdad, at only 49 years young, was taken in for a routine surgery which turned horribly wrong. 

Twelve weeks following the death of my stepdad, COVID shut the world down. My thriving business of six years was drained financially and on the brink of bankruptcy. Two years of routine shutdowns and a large financial audit nearly wiped out everything my husband and I spent the entirety of our 20s creating. 

Working through grief and loss, birthing two babies in back-to-back years (one born at home on the floor of my bedroom), receiving no paid maternity leave, overhauling a business out of debt and still managing to keep my mental health and marriage intact proved to me that I can handle hard things. 

Who is your favourite player from past seasons?

I have to go with fellow mama and Season 2 winner Whitney Beers. I liked that she spoke her mind, she was authentic, she took the lead, and she showed other moms watching (like me!) that it's OK to chase your dreams and goals, even when you have babies back at home! 

What's a random fact that people would be shocked to learn about you?

I am an introvert. Although I love people and sure love to talk, I really become most energized when I get time alone. 

Canada's Ultimate Challenge comes to CBC Gem on Thursday, March 6.