About Ashley

Hi, I'm Ashley.

Coach, brand strategist, and — if we work together — one of your biggest fans while you build something you're genuinely proud of.

I work with coaches, creatives, and entrepreneurs who know they're meant for more — and are ready to stop circling and actually build the thing. I love this work because every person I work with is trying to do something real, something that matters to them, and getting to be part of that is genuinely the best. I'm strategic and warm, direct and encouraging — a thinking partner who's also really, truly in your corner.

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My Story

I didn't stumble into this work — I needed it first.

For years, I had a vision I couldn't quite put into words and a drive I didn't really know what to do with. I knew I was capable — I could feel it — but I kept running into the same wall: I couldn't clearly explain what I did, who I was for, or why someone should choose me over anyone else. It was frustrating in the way that things are frustrating when you care a lot and can't quite make it work.

So I did what most people do — took courses, followed formulas, tried on other people's voices and strategies and approaches, and quietly wondered why none of it quite fit. And honestly, for a long time I thought the problem was me. It wasn't. It was that I was trying to build something on a foundation that had never really been laid.

The turning point wasn't a better strategy or a smarter tactic. It was getting genuinely honest with myself — about who I was, what I actually stood for, and what I wanted to build and why. Once that clicked, everything else started to fall into place in a way it never had before.

I went back to school, got certified, and started working with clients — first one, then ten, then well over a hundred. And across all of those conversations, I kept seeing the same pattern: the people who broke through weren't the ones who found the best strategy or the cleverest marketing angle. They were the ones who finally got clear on themselves first, and let everything else grow from there.

That's what I'm here to help people do. And after years of 1:1 work, I built Brand With A Plan so that same foundational process could be available to anyone ready to dig in — wherever they happen to be in their journey.

What I Believe

A few things that shape how I work with every client.

Clarity before strategy.

The flashiest strategy in the world falls flat if the foundation underneath it isn't solid — and the foundation I'm talking about is knowing yourself, your message, and your real reason for doing this work. So that's always where we start, and everything else builds from there.

Your voice is the asset.

Trends come and go, algorithms change overnight, and what works on social media today is irrelevant by next year. But a brand built around your authentic voice and your genuine perspective? That's the one thing no one else can replicate, and no platform update can take away from you.

The whole person shows up.

Business clarity and personal clarity aren't two separate things — in my experience, they're the same thing. When you know who you are, what you value, and what you're actually building toward, your business gets so much easier to navigate. That's always the work underneath the work.

How I Work

Warm and direct. Strategic and human. I don't think you have to choose.

I genuinely care about the people I work with — like, really care. I'm in your corner, I'm rooting for you, and I will celebrate your wins with you enthusiastically. And I'm also not going to tell you what you want to hear when what you actually need is something different. Honesty is just part of how I show up, because I think that's what real support looks like.

My approach weaves together years of coach training, psychology, and brand strategy — because in my experience, your mindset, your message, and your methods all have to be working together for any of it to actually stick.

I work with what's actually true for you, not a one-size-fits-all template that someone else made famous
I hold high expectations because I genuinely believe in what you're capable of — sometimes more than you do at first
I bring structure without rigidity — there's a clear path, and there's also lots of room to be a real human being
I believe the real growth happens between our sessions, in the moments when you choose differently — and I'll be cheering you on the whole way

Training & Credentials

Here's the training behind what I do — and what it actually means in practice.

ICF Certified

Associate Certified Coach (ACC)

Credentialed by the International Coaching Federation, which is the recognized global standard in professional coaching. ACC certification requires 125+ hours of coach-specific training and 100+ hours of real client work — so not a weekend course, and not self-designated.

Whole Person Coaching

Certified Whole Person Coach (WPCC)

An integrative methodology that draws on Positive Psychology, Somatic Psychology, NLP, Developmental Psychology, and Attachment Theory. What that means in practice is that I work with the whole person — not just your strategy, but the mindset and nervous system stuff too, because they're all connected.

Specialized Training

Trauma-Informed Coach

Certified in trauma-informed coaching practices — which means I understand how past experiences can quietly show up in present-day business decisions (and they do, for most people), and I know how to work with that with care.

Mindfulness

Certified Meditation Teacher

Certified in mindfulness and compassion-based meditation, which genuinely shapes how I work — I help people slow down and make decisions from a clear, grounded place rather than from fear or urgency. And yes, sometimes we do a short meditation in a session when things feel knotted up. It helps more than people expect.

Academic

Master's Degree (MA)

Graduate-level training that deepened my understanding of human behaviour, communication, and the psychology of how people think, grow, and change. You won't hear me cite it directly very often, but it's quietly underneath everything I do.

"Anyone can be a coach, but not everyone can help you see your fullest potential. That's what Ashley did for me, and I am forever grateful."

— Erin Pride, Dance Education Consultant

A Little More Personal

And a few things that have nothing to do with business.

I'm a relatively new mom, and I'll tell you — it's given me a whole new layer of appreciation for what it feels like to rebuild your identity around something new. The vulnerability and the joy and the absolutely chaotic logistics of it. If you're in any kind of major life transition while doing this work, I really do get it.

I'm in Boulder, Colorado, which I love. I'm a voracious reader and honestly a pretty slow thinker — I need time to really sit with something before I know what I believe about it. What I'm good at noticing is patterns, the connections between things that seem unrelated, and the gap between what someone says they want and what they're actually hungry for underneath. That last one tends to be the most useful thing I bring to this work.

I built Hellohappen because I wanted to create something that gave people real, tangible results — not just a feeling of inspiration that fades by Thursday. A decade in, that's still what I care most about.

In Their Words

What clients say about working together.

Donations up 30×.

"She has revolutionized the way we conceptualize our business and the professionalism with which we present it. I can honestly say it has changed the course of our organization."

Kat Slater — Executive Director, Solid Ground for Africa

First $10K month.

"If you want to own your skills and change directions to truly be fully seen for your expertise, Ashley can help you. She has a unique ability to help you see what's possible."

Jenesis Rose — Business Coach

Crystallized in 90 minutes.

"Something I had struggled to do for 3 years, we crystallized in 90 minutes. Ashley is in the coaching space to make a genuine difference — and you can feel it."

Kristina — Program Design Consultant