Ashley Lynn Priore – Wild Business Growth Podcast #318: Chess for NFL Teams, Queens Gambit & Queenside Ventures

Take risks. That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth podcast guest, Ashley Lynn Priore. Ashley is the Founder & CEO of Queens Gambit and Queenside Ventures. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Full Transcript
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth podcast Summary

Episode 318: Ashley Lynn Priore – Chess for NFL Teams, Queens Gambit & Queenside Ventures

Ashley Lynn Priore, the Founder & CEO of Queens Gambit and Queenside Ventures, joins the show to share her journey from 4-year-old chess prodigy to teaching girls and NFL teams chess, life, and entrepreneurship skills. Hear how to start a business while you’re in school, start multiple businesses, take risks, work with professional sports teams, and Ashley’s top chess tips. This episode covers everything from The Queen’s Gambit to Tom Brady. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How did Ashley start playing chess at age 4
• What’s the hardest part of competing in chess tournaments
• When did Ashley realize chess would be helpful in the real world
• How do you start a business as a teenager
• What did Ashley learn from Queens Gambit that fueled Queenside Ventures
• How do you get better at chess
• What can NFL players learn from chess
• Who’s an NFL player Ashley was starstruck by

Connect with Ashley at QGChess.org, QueensideVentures.com, and on LinkedIn.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Chess
  • [0:27] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:36] Connect with Ashley at QGChess.org, QueensideVentures.com, and on LinkedIn
  • [2:57] Cleveland Browns
  • [2:59] Shoutout, The Habers!
  • [3:20] The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix
  • [3:38] How did Ashley start playing chess at age 4
  • [4:05] Smallville on The CW
  • [5:50] What’s the hardest part of competing in chess tournaments

• The Queens Gambit & Queenside Ventures Story
  • [8:14] How do you pronounce Queens Gambit
  • [8:40] When did Ashley realize chess would be helpful in the real world
  • [10:07] Magnus Carlsen
  • [10:46] Susan Polgar
  • [12:00] Bobby Fischer
  • [12:28] Pitt aka University of Pittsburgh
  • [12:49] Nonprofit
  • [14:42] Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS)
  • [14:55] How do you start a business as a teenager
  • [15:48] Intergenerational Diversity
  • [16:42] Entrepreneurs
  • [17:15] What will you actually use that you learn in school
  • [18:10] RAPP Dallas
  • [18:42] What did Ashley learn from Queens Gambit that fueled Queenside Ventures
  • [21:04] How do you work with NFL teams as clients (National Football League)
  • [21:41] Who is Tom Brady
  • [24:22] Tampa Bay Buccaneers aka Bucs
  • [26:15] “Sahaana Durgam on Empowering People through Sports” on Queen Me!
  • [27:08] What can NFL players learn from chess
  • [27:39] What is a dendrite
  • [27:55] Alzheimer’s, Dementia
  • [28:55] Speed Chess aka Fast Chess
  • [29:47] Larry Fitzgerald
  • [30:27] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Ashley
  • [30:29] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [31:23] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• The Pawn-usual: Chess Tips
  • [31:59] What’s Ashley’s top chess tip
  • [34:28] How do you get better at chess
  • [34:40] Lichess.org, Chess.com
  • [35:14] Move by Move by Maurice Ashley
  • [36:21] Connections, Wordle, The New York Times aka NYTimes aka NYT
  • [36:54] How do you win chess games quicker
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [40:12] What was accurate about The Queen’s Gambit
  • [40:41] What are the pros & cons of going to college in your hometown
  • [41:10] Duquesne University
  • [41:54] Who’s an NFL player Ashley was starstruck by
  • [42:42] The Roast of Tom Brady
  • [43:12] Brett Favre
  • [43:44] Connect with Ashley at QGChess.org, QueensideVentures.com, and on LinkedIn
  • [44:43] What are Ashley’s Final Thoughts
  • [45:26] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [45:34] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Ashley
  • [45:38] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [45:42] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [45:49] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [45:54] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding and professional-looking podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Ashley Lynn Priore on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And play some speed chess with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!