What happens when the business you built no longer fits the life you’re living?

In Lesson 4 of my 7 Lessons in 7 Years series, I’m sharing the moment I realized my business was competing with my life and why motherhood forced me to rethink what success actually looks like.

For a long time, my business looked successful on paper. I said yes to opportunities, filled my calendar, and proved I could handle more. But when life changed, everything shifted. My capacity looked different. My priorities changed. And the structure I’d built no longer supported my real days.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why pushing harder isn’t always the answer

• How motherhood reshaped my definition of success

• What it really means to build a supportive business

• Why ambition doesn’t disappear—it gets clearer

• How to restructure your work to fit your current season

If you’re feeling stretched thinner than expected, juggling work and life, or wondering why what used to work doesn’t anymore—nothing has gone wrong. You’re simply being invited to build differently.

This episode is a reminder that success isn’t about how much you can juggle—it’s about how supported you feel while doing the work.

Episode Links

• Showit Template Shop: https://themonarchdesign.co/shop
• Website: https://themonarchdesign.co

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themonarchdesignco

Showing up confidently online doesn’t start with perfect photos — it starts with clarity, connection, and permission to be seen.

In this episode of The Self-Made Life Podcast, Ashley sits down with Susy Robson, a brand photographer and marketing strategist who helps entrepreneurs feel confident in front of the camera and connected to their audience.

With over 15 years in marketing, Susy shares why brand photography is about so much more than “pretty pictures” — and how intentional photos can support your website, content, visibility, and growth.

In this episode, we cover: • Why confidence is built through action, not waiting • Common mistakes business owners make with brand photos • How to prep for a brand shoot without the stress • The power of community over competition • Why hiding behind your logo is costing you connection

If you’ve been nervous to show your face, book a shoot, or put yourself out there — this conversation will meet you right where you are.

✨ Resources & Links Susy on Instagram: @susyrobsonphoto Brand Photography Guide Linked here!

This episode is a candid 2025 business reflection—the kind that happens after a year that stretched you in ways you didn’t see coming.

I’m sharing what last year really looked like behind the scenes: navigating motherhood with two under two, rebuilding my business during postpartum, being the sole income provider for my family, and realizing that the structure that once worked no longer fit the life I’m living now.

As we step into 2026, I’m no longer chasing more. I’m choosing better.

In this solo episode, I talk about:

• What 2025 taught me about resilience, capacity, and sustainability

• Why being booked doesn’t always mean being profitable

• How support at home and in business changed everything

• The shift toward a micro agency model and stepping into a creative director role

• What’s staying, what’s changing, and how I’m building differently in 2026

If you’re in a transition season—where what used to work doesn’t fit anymore—this episode is for you.

Listen in, reflect alongside me, and take what you need as you head into your next chapter.

Episode Links

• Website: https://themonarchdesign.co

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themonarchdesignco

Ever feel like you’re running a business, raising kids, and still somehow expected to keep up with social media?

In this episode of The Self-Made Life Podcast, Ashley sits down with Kat Tepylo Murphy, founder of Social Kat Media, to talk about what content creation actually looks like in real life — not the curated version we were sold years ago.

Kat is a mom of two and a social media strategist who helps small business owners sell more and scroll less. Together, we talk honestly about motherhood, postpartum mental health, self-funded mat leave, and how to create marketing boundaries that protect both your energy and your time.

Inside this conversation, we cover:

• Why screen time often skyrockets postpartum (and how to reset it)

• Simple screen-time boundaries that actually work — even if you work in social media

• Why likes and views don’t equal sales (and what matters instead)

• Easy content ideas that don’t require constant filming or editing

• How batching content can make social media feel lighter and more manageable

• What it looks like to build consistency without burnout

If social media feels heavy, overwhelming, or like another unpaid job, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

• Instagram: https://www.socialkatmedia.com

• Podcast: Social Goals

Learn more about Kat’s membership for small business owners who want support, strategy, and accountability without hiring a full social media manager.

• Website: https://themonarchdesign.co

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themonarchdesignco

Are you stuck between the girl boss hustle and the soft life era, wondering how you’re supposed to show up online while also raising tiny humans and running a real business?

In this episode, Ashley sits down with social media strategist and host of The Consistency Corner, Ruthie Sterrett, for part two of their conversation on content, consistency, and marketing in the messy middle of motherhood and entrepreneurship.

They talk about late school drop-offs, babies who need emergency baths before recordings, and the pressure to “should” all over your marketing… and then shift into a grounded plan for building a social media strategy that actually supports your business goals without burning you out.

You’ll hear about:

• Why social media alone is not a strategy (and what to focus on instead)

• How to define the job of your social platforms so you can ignore the noise

• Ruthie’s 5 C’s framework for consistent marketing in busy seasons

• Top, middle, and bottom of funnel content (and where Instagram fits)

• How to measure success beyond likes and viral moments

• What to outsource when you’re tired of doing it all yourself

This conversation is especially for founders who serve moms, creative entrepreneurs, and anyone tired of trying to keep up with every trend while juggling real life.

🎧 Start with part one over on The Consistency Corner, then pop back here for part two. Find + Connect with Ruthie: www.theconsistencycorner.com https://www.instagram.com/theconsistencycorner/ https://www.instagram.com/ruthie.sterrett/ Networking for Founders serving moms in business

Our Website:

www.themonarchdesign.co

The Monarch Experience

VIP Days

Freebie - 50 Instagram Prompts & 12 Canva Templates

Instagram:

@monarchdesignco

@selfmadelifepodcast

Struggling with your pricing? Feeling stretched thin but still worried about raising your rates? This episode is going to hit home.

In part three of my 7 Lessons in Seven Years series, I’m opening up about the money patterns that held me back in business—and the ones that helped me finally build something sustainable. I’m talking pricing fears, undercharging, shifting into profit-focused offers, the tax surprises that knocked me flat during maternity leave, and how I rebuilt my financial systems so I could support my family without drowning in stress.

If you’ve ever wondered: • “Who am I to charge more?” • “What if raising my rates scares people off?” • “How do I plan for taxes as a self-employed creative?” • “How do I make sure my offers actually make money?”

…this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air.

I’m breaking down what changed for me, what I wish I learned sooner, and the pricing and money shifts that helped me serve clients better and pay myself properly.

Hit play for an honest conversation that’ll help you rethink the way you charge, save, and grow—without the financial fog. Our Website: www.themonarchdesign.co The Monarch Experience VIP Days Freebie - 50 Instagram Prompts & 12 Canva Templates Instagram: @monarchdesignco @selfmadelifepodcast

If you’ve been feeling the pull to shift your business—or you’re already mid-pivot and questioning everything—you’re not alone. In this episode, Ashley opens up about the twists, turns, and reinventions that shaped her seven-year journey from calligraphy and wedding stationery to brand design, web design, VIP Days, and now mentoring other creatives.

She shares the real behind-the-scenes of closing her Etsy shop, walking away from offers that looked successful on paper, building a business through a pandemic, moving to a new city, and navigating two maternity leaves while growing into a creative director role.

You’ll hear: • Why your first offer isn’t meant to be your forever offer • How to recognize when something no longer feels like you • What shame and fear can teach you about alignment • How to update your messaging when you're shifting direction • Why thoughtful pivots often lead to your strongest season yet

If your business feels “off,” this conversation will help you trust your intuition, create space for what’s next, and make aligned moves without second-guessing yourself.

Feeling ready for clarity or support as you navigate your own shift? Explore Ashley’s 1:1 mentorship sessions for creative entrepreneurs who want more direction, confidence, and alignment in their next season.

Our Website: www.themonarchdesign.co 1:1 Mentorship Calls to support your next chapter The Monarch Experience VIP Days Freebie - 50 Instagram Prompts & 12 Canva Templates Instagram: @monarchdesignco @selfmadelifepodcast

What really happens when you build a business from scratch while juggling life, moves, motherhood, burnout, and the kind of growth you only understand in hindsight?

In this episode of The Self Made Life Podcast, Ashley shares the first lesson in her “7 Lessons in 7 Years” series: start before you’re ready.

She walks through the early days of Monarch Design Co.—from learning calligraphy at her dining table to selling custom pieces on Etsy with zero systems, no website, and not a clue where it would lead. You’ll hear how messy first steps, one small project, and unexpected referrals quietly snowballed into a real business.

If you’ve been waiting for the “right moment” to launch something, this episode is your sign to move— scared, unsure, curious… and still moving.

Our Website: www.themonarchdesign.co The Monarch Experience VIP Days Freebie - 50 Instagram Prompts & 12 Canva Templates Instagram: @monarchdesignco @selfmadelifepodcast