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The One Strong Mother Podcast
Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of coffee (or reheat it for the third time—we get it), and join me for candid conversations about the messy, meaningful intersection of motherhood and personal growth.
This isn’t just a podcast about planners and productivity—though we love a good system around here. It’s about what it really looks like to pursue your goals while raising a family, managing chaos, and trying to stay grounded in the process.
Each week, I’ll share stories from my own life, behind-the-scenes lessons from building the One Strong Mother brand, and practical tools to help you stay organized, get intentional, and move forward—even when it feels like you're doing it all with a baby on your hip and laundry on the couch.
Whether you're in the thick of diapers or driving teens to practice, there's space for you here. Let’s figure it out together, one strong mother at a time.
The One Strong Mother Podcast
When I heard my own happiness, everything changed.
What happens when a military mom of five rediscovers her long-lost joy? Pure, unexpected tears.
Something remarkable happened when I reviewed a simple social media post featuring moments from my daily life. The unintentional audio captured something I hadn't heard in years—my own genuine laughter and excitement. There I was, sitting peacefully during a thunderstorm, cheering wildly at my son's first baseball hit, and giggling alongside my kids during their "couch jump party" before our old furniture was hauled away.
This wasn't just any regular moment of happiness. It was evidence of a profound transformation that occurred after implementing what I call "non-negotiables" in my daily routine. After years of feeling overwhelmed by deployments, moves, surgeries, and the constant mental load of motherhood, I had developed systems that finally allowed me to be fully present without that nagging guilt about what wasn't getting done. The most surprising revelation? I've accomplished more professionally in recent months while simultaneously resting more than I have in years.
The journey from perpetual hustle to intentional presence wasn't straightforward or immediate. It required confronting the deeply ingrained belief that sitting down means wasting time, that there's always something more to be done. But what emerged on the other side is a mother who can genuinely embrace the beautiful chaos of raising five children—one who shows up with ease rather than exhaustion. If you're feeling lost in the demands of motherhood, know that it is absolutely possible to find your way back to joy. Want to take the first step? Check out my five-day reset challenge with actionable strategies to implement these life-changing systems in your own home.
If you are ready to find the freedom of showing up without the doom and gloom of the never ending task list and be fully present in the areas you are wanting to... Join here and get exclusive access!!
And last but not least, if you want to see the very reel that made me cry like a baby, you can watch it here...https://www.instagram.com/p/DJFDOfBOfHh/
Ready to take what you’re learning and put it into action?
Explore my favorite resources below 👇
💪 For your health + energy:
Join the Designed to Last Wellness Community — where women rebuild energy, metabolism, and confidence through structure, support, and strategy.
➡️ onestrongmother.com/join-dtl
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Discover The Marra Collective — a done-with-you business ecosystem that helps small business owners scale with automation, AI, and a lean team.
➡️ themarracollective.com
Hey there, welcome to the One Strong Mother podcast, the space where empowering and inspiring moms unite to embrace strength, balance and well-being amidst the beautiful chaos of motherhood. I'm your host, ashley, a military spouse and mom of five walking this incredible path beside you. In each episode, I'll bring you candid conversations, expert insights and heartfelt stories that touch on every facet of modern motherhood. Whether you're sneaking in a listen during a quick coffee break or savoring those rare moments of quiet, together we'll tackle the hurdles, boost each other up and cement our place as the strong, resilient women we are designed to be. Thanks for tuning in and let's dive into today's episode, shall we?
Speaker 2:designed to be. Thanks for tuning in and let's dive into today's episode, shall we? Okay, so I had a moment yesterday that I thought what better way to connect with a community than to just share this really unexpectedly raw and vulnerable moment that I had in my own world. But it was in like all the best ways. I posted a reel on Instagram and I'm getting back, I'm like slowly getting back into content creation, and I stitched together a couple of videos of just honestly, just b-roll of like life lately, and the whole point of the reel was like I almost forgot what this was all about or that this was kind of the whole point. I honestly I can't, I don't know. It made sense on the on the reel, but something weird happened, something so unexpected.
Speaker 2:I get really like self-conscious about posting on social media anyways and so I, being in my true Ashley self, went back to check to make sure that the reel was working and everything was normal, like sound and you know, the music playing and all the things and all of a sudden I found myself just in absolute tears, and again, not in a bad way, but these were just like holy crap. This moment of overwhelm hit me because what I did not realize this was completely unintentional, but the videos that I stitched together. I did not turn off the sound to these videos. There was three different videos and I'll share what those were and I'm going to kind of break down like each one and why. And I'll share what those were and I'm going to kind of break down like each one and why why it made me emotional. But, um, I realized in a moment's notice that you could genuinely hear the joy in in and feel the joy and I am. I'm sorry I'm going to get emotional during this episode because it just hit me so hard and it is like a true testimony to why the mission of One Strong Mother in this planner is so important to me, because I realized in a moment's notice just how deeply it was affecting my own life. Sorry, I did not think that if I waited, I really thought if I waited a day and like sit on these emotions, that I would not get emotional. But you know what, I'm here and it's raw and it's very vulnerable for me, but in all the best ways. So I think that we're just gonna have like a weird random emotional mom moment together and you can cry with me because it is like just pure joy. I this.
Speaker 2:These last couple of years have not been the easiest and I deeply, deeply lost myself in stress and chaos and surgeries and deployments and moves and jobs and struggling to know exactly who I was Shoot. I did not want to cry today, but here we are. It makes it so much more real because these are like deep rooted this is. I have been working so hard to heal this part of me that got so utterly lost, and the systems and the planner is part of that healing and it is a true testimony as to why it works and and it is help from like mental health providers that helped me put this planner together. So, um, and this is not an episode to truly promote the planner, but it is more a testimonial and review of my own product and and having this abrupt moment of realizing it was working on such a deeper level than what I realized it was working on.
Speaker 2:So buckle up, because here we go, so we're going to break down the reel. It was three videos. It was just supposed to be basic B-roll. That was just a couple of clips from my life lately and some text over the top. So the first video was me sitting out on the front porch watching some videos that I was actually attending, like a live marketing event on Zoom, and it was thundering outside and I love sitting out in storms. I'm a true southern Texas girl and so sitting out in thunderstorms is my jam and it is like the most healing and beautiful and I just had to take advantage of it because, listen, I quit my job. That was breaking me and why not enjoy and take advantage of a slow, thunderstorming morning when you have the opportunity to? So that was joy.
Speaker 2:Number one was reflecting on a moment that my soul got to smile. Like I could feel the healing in that moment in that video and just the atmosphere outside. And being out on that front porch is probably my favorite spot In this house since we've moved back to Texas. It was a beautiful moment of being able to reflect, of like this is what the goal is. It's not that I don't want to work, it's not that I want to be lazy. It's, in fact, it's quite the opposite. Like I very much love having purpose and having something that drives me and gives me something to feel fulfilled and help other people on a daily basis, but being able to slow down and not drive myself into the ground.
Speaker 2:That was a big part of the planner, was setting those intentions and non-negotiables each day so I could stay focused and truly let myself slow down. And so going back and watching that video and just really reflecting on the vibe outside and the rain and like watching it, watching it wash down the road and looking at my flower bed right in front of me, and it just like truly soaking in a moment of nature and doing what our bodies are designed to do and sit outside and just breathe and just let your soul rest for a minute. I don't do that very often, and it's something that I've been a lot more intentional with, because I don't always feel like I'm allowed to do that, and that's not coming from anyone in the world, except for my own internal dialogue of if you're sitting down and there's still things that need to be done, you're wasting time. I don't know if you're someone that struggles with this, but I struggle deeply with this unspoken pressure that I put on myself as a mom that there are always things that can be done, and so really allowing myself to slow down and breathe has been a huge, huge chunk of implementing systems and processes. That's the whole goal of this is to be able to still reach for the stars, but doing it with grace and with a slow mentality, because moving the needle forward does not mean being in hustle mode all the time. Moving the needle forward does not mean being in hustle mode all the time. So that was just a deeper reflection on video number one.
Speaker 2:Video number two is the one that hit me the deepest and this is the one, and it's such a happy video. Gosh dang. I was not planning on crying this whole episode, but I think that these are such tears of joy that I didn't realize that I needed to cry and let out for a long time. So maybe this is just more of. I don't even know at this point if I'm going to publish this video because I'm crying so hard. More of like diaries, an audio diary versus journaling in my own personal journal.
Speaker 2:But the second video is of my 12 year old who has fallen in love with the sport of baseball. I'm going to gather myself for a second. He has fallen in love with the sport of baseball and I grew up playing softball pretty much my whole life. I played summer league and then I was the varsity pitcher when we got into high school and it was like it's one of my favorite sports and I love the sport, I love going out. So to have one of my kids that has fallen in love with the sport has brought me so much joy.
Speaker 2:However, comma, I don't always. Again, it comes back to having five kids is a special kind of chaos and it is a lot of organizing and splitting up chores and dinners on the road and just so much chaos. If you have kids that play sports, you understand what I'm talking about. If you don't have kids yet that play sports, buckle up, because it is a special kind of busy season and it's worth every minute of it. But that doesn't mean that, as moms like I tend to put a little bit extra pressure on myself and I don't always slow down to embrace the present moment, in the now, and that is something that I have intentionally worked on, and so that has come again. I'm going to tie it back into the non-negotiables I have found, and I think this is why this video hit me so hard when I went back to reflect on it, because you can hear the joy.
Speaker 2:So this video is of him getting his very first hit, which is something that he has been working. So, hit during a game, I should preface. He hits all the time in batting practice, but there was just this like mental block for him and he just he was like mom, I don't, this is the first season that he's getting to play an actual with an actual baseball team. And so he was like mom, I just don't want to finish the season with a zero batting average and every game like we would have this pep talk in the car of like this is it? Like you just have to visualize it. And, ironically, in this particular game, when I look back on it, he made a bet with me in the car. He was like mom, this is, this is the game that it's going to happen. If I get a hit and I make it safe to first base, you owe me $10. And I just laughed. I was like you have yourself a deal, absolutely. I will never forget turning on my camera and I looked at my husband and I said this is gonna be the one and I just I knew that it was gonna be the one. I don't know how I knew, but I just knew.
Speaker 2:And hearing that sound off the bat and just the instant like overwhelming sensation to scream and cheer and, just god, like I, just I love the sport. So of course it hits deeper because I love the sport, but just watching him get to play the sport and something that he was working so hard for, but, more importantly, when I listened to this audio on the reel and realizing that I didn't turn the volume down but I could hear the joy in my voice that has kind of been absent for a while, it was a deep moment of reflection of what I'm doing and what I'm working on and the things that I have implemented in my life are working and I'm able to show up and be a lot more present. And I'm able to show up and not have this doom and gloom over my head, of like once we get home. I'm not sitting here pretending like life isn't chaotic still because it is but these systems and processes have allowed me to show up with so much more ease, just like sitting on the front porch and knowing like I'm still getting one of my non-negotiables done for the day, but also like it allows me time to just rest. This is the same concept as being able to show up to a baseball game and not even be remotely stressed about what wasn't done, what wasn't completed, because even after the game is over, my non-negotiables were completed. That day I remember, in fact, like they were very specific and very intentional and I was I did get them done, and so to be able to show up and then to look back on it and hear the true joy it wasn't forced, it wasn't a fake celebration, it was absolute, pure, raw and vulnerable joy, and that just has been missing for a while because of the cards that life dealt us. They didn't always feel fair, but they have shaped me into and forced me into learning the things that I've had to learn and implement things in my life. And now that is kind of what One Strong Mother has developed into. So I will forever be thankful for those down times and those hard times, but to know wholeheartedly that I'm going to the other side of it and finding the light and finding the joy and genuinely, like you can hear my heart smiling in these videos Just like, oh, what a testimony this is for me. And then video number three is much less.
Speaker 2:I don't know. You have to know the backstory. I'm sure that some moms are going to see it on Instagram and probably think that I've let my kids be little hooligans in the house and that's okay. But the backstory is my kids are constantly getting yelled at for jumping on the couches and we, as a military family, we have not and, having five kids, we have not invested a lot in like really fancy, nice, super expensive furniture. We've always had like secondhand furniture and just it's. We've just never spent money in that area because we didn't want to be stressed about chocolate milks ruining our couches, you know. But anyways, we do still try to take care and take pride in the things that we have, and so I my our kids are constantly getting in trouble. Well, they knew.
Speaker 2:So we finally decided that we were ready to buy a nicer set of furniture and it was getting delivered the next day, and so we had told our two youngest um, just as a funny, like special treat, that they were welcome to jump as much as they wanted to on the old couches, and so that's what you're seeing in this, in this video. It's the last clip of the of the reel. Um, they were so excited to come home after school and they I was sitting at the table and they were they ran in the garage door and they asked me still, like, is it time for the jump party? And I told them in that moment I was like, yeah, you better go jump your little hearts out because the couches are about to get picked up and go to the dump. And so, and then that's kind of when the like, I decided to take out my phone and film it because they were like it was just such a moment of joy and it was worth documenting, um, and you can see them like kicking their little shoes off and jumping up on the couch. And again, this is a moment, like you can hear the giggles. I didn't realize, like it was on accident, that I left all the audio turned up on these videos and now I'm forever thankful that I did, because I probably would not have emotionally hit me the way and forced me to reflect the way that it did. And I just love, like you can hear me laughing and you can hear their little giggles. Love, like you can hear me laughing and you can hear their little giggles and I like I don't know why it hit me as deep as it did, but it was just so beautiful to me that, uh, again my non-negotiables were done for the day, my heart was at peace, my mind was at peace because I was done and so there was nothing left to do except for be present with my kids.
Speaker 2:Noah had baseball later that night. It was a busy evening and like they were so excited to have an empty living room and have a dance party, like they had talked about a dance party. They had talked about bringing the beanbag in so they could play video games and lay on the beanbag, like. But I was completely at ease and that's what I will remember about this moment is being able to embrace the giggles. That's what it's supposed to be in this time in their life and they're not going to look back.
Speaker 2:I don't want them to look back and remember my mom was always busy. My mom was always so stressed out. My mom was trying to do the best she could. We know that but she always was working and never played with us completely at peace with them and and fully embrace a moment of laughter and and pure chaos. To be completely honest, because it really truly wasn't that much longer after I filmed that that the people showed up to take the couches away and even then, like it was just, it was just shenanigans, like that is what you get with my crazy family is just shenanigans. My kids are always. They are very, extremely well behaved, they're extremely disciplined in certain areas, but then other areas like they can be pure chaos sometimes, and so you kind of just never know. Like it's just a bunch of shenanigans and I am finally learning how to embrace an unhustle culture myself, I think is the best way to put it. Um, and ironically.
Speaker 2:Ironically, with all of that being said, uh, I weirdly have achieved more in the last couple of months than I have in the last couple of years. I am further into my business than I've ever been. I am hopefully finding out that I just landed the job of my dreams, because that's always been a goal is to build this brand and build a career. That I am hopefully, hopefully, fingers crossed I will keep you updated on that one. But nonetheless, like I have been more productive and achieved more in the last couple months than I have in the last couple of years. But I have rested more in the last couple of months than I have in the last couple of years. I have let myself take naps, I have let myself be at ease, I have given myself permission to find peace, knowing and resting and knowing when there are, like there's still other things that could be getting done, but giving myself the permission to rest because at the end of the day, my non-negotiables were done.
Speaker 2:If you take anything from this, I just want you to know that, from one mom to another, and from a mom that was so utterly lost, it is possible. It is possible and if you are someone that struggles with this, it is so, so, so possible to rest. It doesn't matter what age your kids are. It is possible Like you don't have to be tired all the time. There are going to be times that you're tired. There are going to be times that sometimes your non-negotiables take longer and are a little bit harder than other days, but nonetheless, like it does not have to be go, go, go all the time, and it is okay to give yourself permission to giggle and laugh and be at ease, even when you know there's other things that could be done.
Speaker 2:If you've stuck with me this long through this episode and you didn't run at the sound of me crying, I just want to say thank you. There is like that's pretty much it. I just like it was such a deep reflection and I felt I felt like it was really important to record an episode on this Just to really more so document, like even within my own life, like I see it working, I feel it working and what a what a beautiful, what a it. I don't think I realized how deeply it was working. I knew it was working because I have had more free time, but I don't think I realized just how deep it actually was working. Before I end this episode, I do have something really exciting to share with you.
Speaker 2:I actually created a little like mini reset challenge for the planner. It is before you purchase the planner, like if you're curious to check out like kind of what the systems are a little bit of behind the scenes. I created a mini version of the planner. It is like a daily to-do list, like a PDF printable. This is actually like where I started with everything. I would print this off and laminate it so I could just kind of like wipe it clean every day and write myself out.
Speaker 2:And it does have a spot for like your top three priorities, so your non-negotiables, and then an area off to the side, so it's not just like a blank page for you to write this stuff on. There's other things. So it's a really cool to-do list and it is like what got me started into the habit. So it was really just like phase one for me. And then the planner goes much deeper and, as always, I'm going to push the planner because it has a beautiful little mini course within the planner with QR codes for audio lessons on how to use each section of the planner and refer back to. So as long as you have your planner with you, you can scan those QR codes and listen to any lesson. None of them are longer than five minutes, so they're very short, very simple and easy to listen to, but it helps you get the most out of the planner when you do go that route. So if you are interested in this very exciting new mini reset challenge, I am going to link the page below and you will have the opportunity to sign up for it, and it will be a five-day reset where you get emails in your inbox for five days giving you action steps to take to start the process of the One Strong Mother project planning methods. So if you're interested, check out the link in the description and get started with the reset challenge. In the meantime, thank you for listening to me cry Sorry that I got emotional.
Speaker 2:I'm not sorry that I got emotional. It is a beautiful experience to be able to be vulnerable and know that you are healing and you are becoming the version that you have wanted to be for a long time, but you didn't always quite know how. So I am not sorry for getting emotional, and if this connected with you, I'm so happy. And if it didn't connect with you, thanks for listening. So until next time, don't forget to be one strong mother.