We have a really special episode today–our very first guest interview!!
Ashley Strong Smith is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, coach, writer, podcast host, ceremony-grade cacao facilitator, retreat host, and photographer who has spent years learning what it really means to slow down, honor the season you're in, and build a life that actually reflects your values. Her message couldn't feel more timely, and this is a conversation we think a lot of you will want to hear right now too.
We talk about the pressure women and entrepreneurs feel to constantly produce and grow, what it actually looks like to honor a slower season without feeling like you're falling behind, the difference between habits, routines, and rituals, and how small intentional daily actions compound into massive transformation over time.
About Ashley Strong Smith
Ashley Strong Smith is a deeply curious soul who believes that although this life is finite, we are infinite in our capacity to grow, heal, create, and become. A multi-passionate entrepreneur, coach, writer, podcast host, ceremony-grade cacao facilitator, retreat host, and photographer, Ashley supports women in remembering who they are, reconnecting with their hearts, and creating lives that feel deeply aligned, intentional, and truly their own. Through her work, she helps women understand the why behind their thoughts, actions, feelings, and truths, so they can live more intentionally, authentically, and in alignment with their soul's truth.
Topics We Cover
- How Joanna and Ashley met through a mastermind and a shared Nashville hotel room
- Why Ashley made the decision to end her podcast after almost four years
- What it means to honor the season you're in versus forcing yourself into the season you think you should be in
- Ashley's powerful personal story of her life imploding across every category at once and what it taught her
- The difference between slowing down and being intentional (and why you can't have one without the other)
- How to trust a slower season as an entrepreneur without feeling like you're losing momentum
- Tips for new moms trying to balance business and presence in those early months
- Moving through the senses as a practice for being more present in everyday moments
- How guilt shows up for women whether or not they have kids and what to do about it
- Ashley's weekly schedule broken down by day type: content creation days, meeting days, and writing days
- Why holistic lifestyle habits like sleep, movement, and nourishment support your creative output
- Habit stacking and why adding habits to existing habits works better than building new ones from scratch
- How rituals bring intention and presence to the things you're already doing
- Ashley's heart-centered foundation: eight questions to reconnect with your values and your why
- Where to start if you want to live more intentionally but have no idea where to begin
- The power of pausing between the doing
Time Stamps
00:23 – How Joanna and Ashley met: mastermind, Nashville, and a shared hotel room
01:12 – Ashley's philosophy on clothing as a reflection of internal truth
06:25 – Why this conversation matters for entrepreneurs who are used to pushing and producing
07:25 – What it means to honor the season you're in
08:00 – Why Ashley made the decision to end her podcast after almost four years
11:24 – Is it more about slowing down or being intentional? (The answer: both)
12:10 – How to trust a slower season without feeling like you're falling behind
12:27 – Ashley's powerful personal story: when her life imploded across every category at once
15:44 – What she learned from being brought down to her bones
16:40 – One small adjustment to start creating more stillness in your life
17:09 – Dianna's personal share: ignoring nudges while preparing to become a mom for the first time
17:36 – Tips for new moms trying to balance business and presence in those early months
19:07 – Moving through the senses as a practice for being more present in everyday moments
21:10 – How guilt shows up for women whether or not they have kids
22:41 – How presence softens guilt
23:36 – When one thing is succeeding, another thing is failing — and why that's okay
24:54 – How to continue nurturing your dreams while honoring your current capacity
25:30 – Ashley's holistic approach to structuring her days
27:00 – Ashley's weekly schedule broken down: content creation days, meeting days, and writing days
30:37 – Why this schedule took three years of finessing to get right
31:00 – Small intentional daily action compounds into major change
32:03 – Habit stacking: why adding to existing habits works better than building new ones
33:57 – The difference between habits, routines, and rituals
35:10 – How rituals bring intention and presence to the things you're already doing
36:57 – Where to start if you want to live more intentionally
37:27 – The power of pausing between the doing
38:10 – Ashley's heart-centered foundation: eight questions to reconnect with your values and your why
39:44 – Where to find Ashley and her free Heart-Centered Foundation Guide
40:48 – Random question: If you could only eat from one fast food restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Where to Find Ashley
Instagram: @ashleystrongsmith_
Website: ashleystrongsmith.com
Podcast: Living an Intentional Life
Free resource: Creating a Heart-Centered Foundation Guide
Links & Resources Mentioned
Dianna's copywriting studio: Rise Copy Co. — website & launch copy for creative women in business: risecopyco.com
Joanna's web design studio: Joanna Moss Creative — custom Showit websites & Website in Two Weeks: joannamoss.com
