“If you don’t build your dream, someone will hire you to build theirs”.
And that is exactly what Ashley Smith is doing. She is running after her DREAMS and giving back while she does it!
Meet Ashley Smith
1. Tell us a little bit about you and your family.
Hi there! My name is Ashley Smith. I have been married to my husband, Spencer, for a little over 4 years now and we live in Kennesaw, GA. He and I met a little over 5 years ago at a tailgate for the GA FL game in Jacksonville, FL where mutual friends were meeting up. We did not really say much to each other then, but a month later he joined our crew in Athens for the GT tech game, and from that night on we talked every day since, got engaged within 10 weeks, and married within a year. I know, I know, we do things fast around here. Haha!
We have two sweet little kiddos, Hudson who is 2.5 and Skylar who is almost 8 months old. We also have two dogs, Carter and Macy. They were our babies before the real babies.
My husband works in management for an IT software development company and I am a retired middle school Spanish teacher, turned at-home fitness coach and small business owner.
2. What inspired you to create The Be Brand?
Yeah, so The Be. Brand came to life because of a passion for fostering empowerment and confidence in young women.
BE BOLD. BE WELL. BE YOU. That is our mission statement.
Our hope is that every woman would feel bold enough to take control of her dreams and do something about them. That she would find wellness in body, spirit, and mind so she can be the best version of herself. That she would find the confidence to simply BE whoever she wants to be, because being YOU is absolutely perfect.
I have always loved fashion and graphic apparel. Especially as a health and fitness coach/stay at home mama. I often live in workout attire for my “uniform”. So shortly into my career as a fitness coach when we began having kids, I quickly realized that I loved the idea of helping women feel confident in their every day busy chaos with cute clothes and ways to cover up the un-washed hair on the days we just don’t have time to do anything with it.
One of the best by-products of coaching women on their health and fitness journeys is seeing them find a new sense of confidence in themselves. So much of where the Be. Brand came from is wanting to celebrate that victory!
I wanted women to feel brave enough to “BE BOLD. BE WELL. BE YOU.” And express themselves confidently!
3. I know a portion of the proceeds go to “I Am That Girl”, can you tell us more about the organization and what made you choose this specific one?
We spent time searching for an organization whose values and core purposes were similar to ours. After much deliberation, we choose to donate a portion of our proceeds to an organization known as I AM THAT GIRL. Their passion for empowering young women to find inner confidence, kindness, and beauty really spoke to The Be. Brand’s mission.
I AM THAT GIRL has an online community of 250,000, and over 170 local chapters spanning across 22 countries.
The organization is a community, a support system, and a movement inspiring girls of all ages to love, express, and just be who they are—flawed and brilliant and the best versions of their authentic selves. I Am That Girl’s mission is to combat the negative influences many girls face by giving them a safe space to connect and have honest conversations about things that matter.
Greener, the Co-Founder of I AM THAT GIRL, states that this organization operates on the assumption that meaningful conversations and a spirit of kindness and generosity towards each other will help all of us—including guys—to move beyond insecurity. The end goal is a culture that empowers everyone to be themselves every day.
When choosing an organization, this one just seemed PERFECT. It tugged at my heart the minute we found it and I immediately thought back to when I was still in the classroom and mentoring young women in high school and middle school and speaking love and empowerment into their hearts through my teachings and in between classes when they would stop by just filled my heart with so much joy. Every girl NEEDS that in their lives!
4. You are what we would call a “mompreneur”, what has been the biggest struggle to get you where you are now?
Well first off, let me start by saying I really cannot believe that you are even asking me this question right now! haha. If you would have told me that I would be a “mompreneur” just a few years ago, I would have first said “what the heck is that?!” And then I also would have just laughed because honestly, I never believed I could do anything other than teach in a classroom and I really loved it too!
But honestly, when we decided to expand our family outside of just dogs, I wanted to stay home with our kids and wanted to continue to bring in an income for our family because working is something that brings me a lot of joy and purpose.
As a mom of 2 kids, 2 and under, the biggest struggle for me has ben overall balance and margin in all that I do. When you are a work from home mama, you day never begins or ends, it’s just all a big blob of time that you have to sort through and prioritize and decide how you are going to use it.
So as a type-A, want to do it all, but also wanna just snuggle with my babies, but also wants to run a successful company, it can be a bit tricky to dial it back and choose the important things over everything.
So yeah, balance. Balance between mommin’, as I call it, and business is the tricky part for me. But id never trade it for a second. I love the mompreneur life!
5. When you aren’t working, what is your favorite thing to do?
When I am not working, my favorite thing to do is honestly, spend time with my little tribe. I love the days we pile in the car, pack the diaper bag up with plenty of diapers and changes of clothes, etc. and we just go OUT. Could be to run errands and then window shop, then get some lunch, and then to the park, the kids nap in the car, and then we keep going. A big long trip of just living out of the car for the day and we always have such a blast and it’s a lot of quality time with my hubby which I love. 
6. You have a lot on your plate with your business and family, what helps you with time management?
Waking up EARLY and using NAP TIMES like they are GOLD! haha. Starting my day off BEFORE my kiddos wake up is one of the best things I do to keep myself sane and get things done!
7. What is your biggest piece of advise for those wanting to pursue their passions?
GO FOR IT. Do not live in fear of failure or “what ifs?” because they will rule your life. Seriously! If it were not for the push of my hubby to stop being a baby about not knowing everything there was to know about being an entrepreneur, I would not be where I am today.
I am such a fearful person. I like to know everything about everything BEFORE I dip my toes in. And guess how often I used to do anything about it? NEVER! I never gave myself permission to dream or even try anything new until November 4, 2014 when I decided to take a leap of faith and a year later I became a full-time mompreneur from home, making substantially more of an income than I was as a teacher and chasing dreams and passions that I finally let come to the surface.
So yes – biggest pieces of advice….
– Get out of your own head and stop letting fear define you.
– Believe in yourself and in your dream. Its never stupid if it means something to you.
– Give yourself some credit. You CAN do hard things. You CAN make a difference. Your ideas ARE good ones.
– Just DO SOMETHING. Put one foot in front of the other and just start DOING.
– Be humble in your message. Be bold in your mission.
– Its okay to fail. OWN IT and don’t be ashamed. No one is judging you and if they are, they don’t matter anyway.
8. What is the best way to contact you if our readers want to learn more?
Ah that makes my heart skip! Thank you so much for this opportunity! If anyone wants to know more about the Be. Brand or just about what I do as a self-made mompreneur, they can follow either of my instagram accounts at: @thebebrand, @ashleysmithfitness or email us at the Be Brand here: hello@thebebrand.org. Thank you so much!
Want to nominate someone ordinary doing EXTRA-ordinary things? I would love to interview them!
