Hiiii… it’s been a minute since I published a podcast episode, and I’m SO glad this is the one I’m coming back with. 🎙️

Ashley Wyatt is the founder of Monarch Design Co, a branding and web design studio in Ontario, Canada, and one of my former one-on-one coaching clients. She’s been a founding member of The Art of Becoming since last September… and for the last six months, she’s been working consistently with Sol™, the AI business coach I built inside the program.

And you guys. She is not the same person. (Her words, not mine!! 😭)

We finally sat down to record this conversation after months of “we NEED to make this happen”… and it was worth every reschedule. This is the episode I’d hand to anyone who’s in the messy middle of a rebuild right now and wondering if any of it is actually working.

The before picture (it was NOT pretty… and that’s the point)

A few years ago, Ashley was doing what so many of us have done: taking on whatever she could, burning out on back-to-back VIP days, and pricing herself in a way that… well. After her first mat leave, her bookkeeper sat her down and told her she was 98% not profitable.

Ninety-eight percent.

And right as she started rebuilding? She found out she was pregnant with her second baby. Then they bought their first home (a fixer-upper). Then her husband was let go from his job. Toddler at home, baby on the way, sole income provider, surprise tax bill…

Ashley calls this era her caterpillar mush 🐛 — because a caterpillar doesn’t just grow wings. It builds a cocoon, literally liquefies, and rebuilds itself cell by cell into what it’s becoming.

“Things need to get messy before you gain that clarity and step out in this new built confidence.” — Ashley Wyatt

If you’re in the mush right now… this episode is going to feel like someone finally SEES you.

The after: her busiest summer EVER

Here’s what the other side looks like. Ashley redid her messaging, her positioning, her brand, her website, her offers, her pricing (profitably this time!!), and her team structure… and then she kept planting seeds even when nothing was visibly growing.

A year later? She’s having the busiest summer since starting her business — booked months in advance — stepping fully into her creative director role, bringing on more team support, and getting on discovery calls where potential clients literally reflect her own messaging back to her.

The seeds. The harvest. It’s REAL… it just takes longer than any of us want it to. (We get into why in the episode — including my whole party-invitation theory of marketing 🎉)

What working with an AI business coach is actually like

This is the part I get asked about constantly… and I’d so much rather you hear it from a member than from me. (If you want the full feature-by-feature tour first, that’s the walkthrough episode 👀)

Ashley was already using ChatGPT and Claude to think through business stuff. So what’s different about Sol™? In her words:

“It was very supportive. It would call me on my shit… which was good.”

Because Sol™ isn’t a blank chatbot. Inside The Art of Becoming, you build your future vision and your business plan in-depth first — and Sol™ remembers ALL of it. Your goals, your offers, your nervous-system patterns, how you reacted the last four times life fell apart. So when Ashley uploads a discovery-call transcript, Sol™ doesn’t give generic feedback… it tells her what was and wasn’t aligned with where SHE said she’s going.

Some real examples from her last six months that we talk through in the episode:

• The sick-kid week brain dump 👉 both kids home, work piling up, total overwhelm… one brain dump later she realized nothing was actually on fire, designed her ideal next day (hot coffee in bed included ☕), and made it happen


• Nervous-system check-ins 👉 Sol™ tracks HER unique baseline — so when she logged a 40 after a soccer-field toddler meltdown, it said give yourself some grace (and she did)


• Pricing + packages 👉 working through her margins so nothing slips through the cracks again


• Discovery-call feedback 👉 “this went really well… but that? That’s not aligned with your goal.”

And to be really clear, because we say it in the episode too: Sol™ complements human support — a coach, a therapist, a doctor — it doesn’t replace it. It’s the sounding board that’s there at 9pm on a Tuesday when everything hits the fan and your next call is two weeks away.

The “toxic boyfriend” brand test 😅

My favorite part of this conversation might be when Ashley describes what happens to your brand when you’re mid-becoming. She tells a story about a discovery call with a bubbly, nurturing, light-filled coach… whose website was rigid, dark, and closed-off. Total disconnect.

Her analogy? It’s like the boyfriend everyone ELSE can see isn’t right for you… and you’re in it going “well, I’m checking the box of having a boyfriend, so I’m good!” 🙃

If the you that shows up on Zoom and the you on your website are two different people… your brand isn’t supporting you. It’s not getting you where you’re telling everyone you want to go. And if that hit you somewhere in the chest — Ashley is literally who I’d send you to. Her sweet spot is women mid-transformation who need their brand and website to match who they’re becoming, not who they were. 🦋

“Who are you becoming?”

I ask every guest this. Ashley’s answer made my cheeks hurt from smiling:

“I am an agency owner. I am confident, and I am a creative director.”

Not becoming. AM. And then she realized, mid-sentence, that she’s living the exact future vision she wrote before her daughter was even born… both toddlers reaching for berries, hot coffee, the back deck, co-working with friends, managing her team. To a T.

That’s the whole thing. That’s why I do this. 😭❤️

Listen, connect, and (maybe) begin your own becoming

🎧 Listen to the full episode: Buzzsprout · Apple Podcasts · Spotify

💌 Work with Ashley: @monarchdesignco · themonarchdesign.co · book a discovery call

✨ Join The Art of Becoming: doors are open right now and close Wednesday, September 9 at 11:59pm ET… because on September 10, we begin — together — with the live Future Visioning Session. Everything you join before then is bonus time with Sol™. 👉 thealignedbusiness.com/become

Sending you so much love,


xo Kelsey

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FAQ

What is Sol™?


Sol™ is the AI business coach inside The Art of Becoming, Kelsey Kerslake’s program at The Aligned Business®. Unlike general AI chatbots, Sol™ is built around your in-depth future vision and business plan, remembers your full context (goals, offers, patterns, nervous-system check-ins), and coaches you toward the future YOU defined — including lovingly calling you out when something isn’t ali

How is an AI business coach different from ChatGPT?


General AI tools respond logically to whatever you type in the moment, with no memory of your bigger picture. An AI business coach like Sol™ holds your goals, history, and emotional context across every conversation — so its feedback is personal, directional, and accountable to the vision you set. As Ashley put it: it broadens the view and deconstructs things in a way that makes sense specifically for you.

Does an AI coach replace a human coach or therapist?


No. Sol™ is designed to complement human support (The Art of Becoming also includes live calls with Kelsey twice a month) or to support you in seasons when one-on-one coaching isn’t accessible. It does not replace medical, therapeutic, or professional advice.

Who is Ashley Wyatt?


Ashley Wyatt is the founder of Monarch Design Co, a branding and web design studio based in Ontario, Canada, serving service-based (and select product-based) businesses. She specializes in ongoing creative partnership — brand, website, and creative direction for women stepping into a new chapter of their business.

How do I join The Art of Becoming?


Doors are open now through September 9, 2026 at 11:59pm ET at thealignedbusiness.com/become. All members begin their 90 days together on September 10 with a live Future Visioning Session.

How do you rebuild a business after burnout?


In Ashley Wyatt’s case, rebuilding after burnout meant restructuring rather than pushing harder: repricing her services so they were actually profitable, redoing her messaging, brand, and website to match who she had become, bringing on team support so she could step into a creative director role, and then marketing consistently for about a year before the results showed up. She did this with one-on-one coaching from Kelsey Kerslake and, for the last six months, with Sol™, the AI business coach inside The Art of Becoming.

What does nervous system regulation have to do with running a business?


Decisions about pricing, capacity, and priorities are made differently when a business owner is overwhelmed. Inside The Art of Becoming, members log a weekly nervous-system and capacity check-in alongside their revenue numbers, so Sol™ can factor in how they are actually doing that week — for example, telling Ashley to give herself grace on a week she rated her nervous system a 40 out of 100 — instead of giving generic advice.

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Full Episode Transcript

Introduction (00:00)

Kelsey: Welcome to The Aligned Business podcast. I’m Kelsey Kerslake, founder of The Aligned Business®, the new program The Art of Becoming, and the new AI coach, Sol™. I am so excited for this special episode with one of my former one-on-one clients, and now Art of Becoming founding member, Ashley W

She’s sharing about her business, her journey, and how she’s been able to work with this new AI program and transform into exactly who she set off to be when we started working together. It’s a really cool transformation, and I can’t wait for you to listen in. I also feel like we have very similar clients — so she’s a perfect person to know if you are in your own becoming, and you want somebody to see all of you and translate that into visuals, marketing, and everything for your brand and website.

She’s incredible, and she brings things together in this beautifully cohesive way where it’s not just about getting a pretty brand or a pretty website — it’s about the ongoing marketing, making sure it’s all actually working for you and truly building your business when you’re ready to take off, grow, and become who you’re meant to be. All right, let’s get into the episode.

Hi, Ashley! How are you?

Ashley: Hi! I’m good — thanks so much for having me.

Kelsey: This has been a long time coming. We’ve been going back and forth for months saying “we need to make this happen,” so thank you for making time in the busiest of weeks. Before I jump in like “I know you!” — why don’t you introduce yourself? Share a little about your business and the wonderful work you do. And if you could, start with where you were a year or two ago, and then where you are now. I’d love to hear the arc of that story.

Meet Ashley + Monarch Design Co (02:17)

Ashley: So hi, I’m Ashley. I’m the founder of Monarch Design Co. We’re based in Ontario, Canada, just north of Toronto. I’ve been running my business for about eight, almost nine years now — which is really crazy to say out loud. It’s been quite an adventure and a rollercoaster. There have been pivots, a lot of ups and downs. We had a big move, welcomed two babies, went through job loss… all the things. But I do feel like I’m coming out on the other side.

I started working with Kelsey around mid-2024 — one year of one-on-one coaching.

Kelsey: And a few months into our coaching, you found out you were pregnant with Charlotte! You were like, “Oh, baby… what do we do now?”

Ashley: Yes! What a wild time. So it was rebuilding through all of that. After I had my son, I was just keeping things going with my business —

Kelsey: Wait, can I pause? I don’t think we said — what IS your business? What do you actually provide?

Ashley: Right! So we offer branding and web design — that’s what we’ve been focusing on — but we also built out a complete template shop for Showit website templates, and we’ve made the pivot into being your full creative partner, fractional CMO. Basically any creative design needs you have, we can help tackle.

Our sweet spot is working with clients ongoing, because your brand and your website are that first step in the transformation — but working together ongoing is where you keep the momentum and consistency going toward your goals, and the next goals, and onwards. It’s been really fun to watch our clients succeed.

When I first started my business, it was very different — it was in stationery. Then COVID happened, the whole pivot, and I went back to my design roots of branding and web design, because a lot of my fellow wedding pros were home and couldn’t work. We worked on their branding and websites, and we saw the direct impact that had on their livelihood. That’s why I went all in on branding and web design.

Now I support mostly service-based businesses (plus a few great product-based ones) through their transformation — they’ve DIY’d or outgrown their current branding and they’re going on to what’s next. And the direct impact on their business, their livelihood, their families… we’ve had clients booking $25,000 projects weeks after launching their new brand, raising their rates by over 138%, growing their teams, moving into physical locations, just having that outward confidence. So that’s me and what we do in a nutshell!

The before picture (05:55)

Kelsey: That takes me right to my first question. Take us back a year or two. What did your business look like — and what did it FEEL like to run? Because you’ve been through exactly what you take your clients through, and I want that before picture.

Ashley: So, I started growing my team very early on with subcontractors — they still work with me today, and I love them, and we’ve added more. I’ve been shifting into this creative director role, which has been really fun. But it wasn’t always that way. It was very much “take on what I could.” I went through a good chunk of time doing a lot of VIP days and burning out, not bringing on the proper support, not pricing myself and my services profitably.

In fact, after I had my son — my first baby — I planned a one-month mat leave and ended up taking three, because I was like, “I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m a new mom here!” And my bookkeeper sat me down and said, “Ashley, you are 98% not profitable. You cannot continue like this.” And I was like… “Okay.”

That was around the time I started working with you to rebuild. And then I found out I was pregnant with my second — my kids are 22 months apart. So I basically had to rebuild, restructure, and take a better look at all the ins and outs of my business to make it profitable.

During that time, we also bought our first home, and my husband was let go from his job a few months after we moved in — and it was a fixer-upper. We had a toddler at home, another one on the way. It was a crazy time, and I’m really grateful to have been able to work with Kelsey through it.

The caterpillar mush 🐛 (08:15)

Ashley: It was through that whole process of the crumbling… if anyone’s aware, caterpillars go through this whole metamorphosis, right? They build a cocoon, they actually liquefy and turn to mush, and then their cells rebuild into what they’re becoming, and they emerge as this monarch butterfly. I feel like I had to live through the crumbling and the caterpillar mush to emerge on the other side.

That’s just to say: things need to get messy before you gain that clarity and step out with this new built confidence — a new chapter, a new era, whatever you want to call it.

When I was off with my daughter, I planned three months and ended up only taking three weeks, because — just craziness. I was still the sole income provider, I got hit with a big tax bill… it was nuts. But I had some time to really think and rebuild better. I saw what wasn’t working, and I worked on my messaging, my positioning, did a brand refresh, redid my website, rebuilt my offers, my team, all of that support — and restructured everything so I could step into more of that creative director role, bring on team support, and attract those aligned, ideal clients.

Kelsey: Through your own process! And profitable pricing, and hiring your team in a way that actually supports the profit of the business — that was huge. And oh my gosh, the mush… I just remember that time. My heart was giving you so much love, but it was like — how much can one person handle, week after week? And similarly, I was going through my own ish. It’s really cool to see how you persevered. You became the mush, but you also knew the other side was coming — that you would be emerging. Even when you couldn’t see it on paper, you kept believing: “This is who I’m becoming, this is what I’m working towards, it WILL happen as long as I keep going.” You’re such a testament to that belief.

Planting seeds → the busiest summer ever (10:51)

Ashley: I think it was last summer — things were just not happening, and I kept asking, “Why aren’t they happening?” And I had to remind myself: I’m planting the seeds, and I’m trusting that they’ll grow. I don’t know when, or how much, but I did the work. And now I’m seeing it all come to fruition — I’m harvesting.

This summer has been the busiest summer I’ve had since starting my business. We’re booking months in advance, which is what I dreamed of, and we’re bringing on additional support. It feels really good. It feels in alignment. The people on my calls are telling me yes ON the calls, or they’re literally reflecting my messaging back to me in their inquiries. It’s incredible to see that full-circle moment.

Kelsey: And it’s WORKING. All those things you worked on so in-depth — you made it happen. So many people are like, “I tried that, it didn’t work, next.” But hearing you say it took a year to really sink in… you have enough proof now. This person said this, that person booked, and you’ve been doing it for a full year — so now you have that confidence of “this is my working plan.” And of course everything in the world pivots and shifts, but at this point you’ll SEE it before it’s too late. That’s such a gift, because a lot of us don’t even know what it feels like to be in that solid, foundational state.

Ashley: And I see that with my own clients. We take them through that transformation — we can see clearly what’s not working, how to get them to the other side, and what the other side looks like. On calls, I can literally share my own experience, because I recently went through it.

Kelsey: It can be really scary to be in the before and have belief in the after when you’re not there yet. That’s where everybody gets stuck — that’s the crux of any change. You have to believe that future thing is possible for you, and take actions in alignment with it, and it’s so scary when you haven’t built that muscle. Although I think for us entrepreneurs who’ve been through so much… you start to trust the muscle. “Yeah, that’s scary — but it’s never NOT worked out as long as I keep going. So let’s keep going.”

What is Sol™? (And how it’s different) (14:05)

Ashley: And I think that’s what has been really helpful in working with Sol™, too. It acts as a sounding board, reflecting back everything I’m going through — where I was, where I am now — and it’s really helped shift my confidence and mindset. I told you the other day: I’m not the same person. I feel so much more confident just going through these things and working through them. It’s really cool.

Kelsey: For people who don’t know what Sol™ is — Ashley was one-on-one coaching with me, and as I was going through my own health issues, I stopped offering one-on-one because I physically couldn’t take on clients. As I let my contracts expire, that’s when I had the seed for The Art of Becoming — my way of still using the philosophies, trainings, and ways I’ve coached people, but turning it into a program held online and in an app… AND building an AI business partner and coach completely designed to remember everything you say, take a (maybe scary!) amount of notes about you and your transformation, and hold your future vision in front of everything.

Ashley was one of the first people to say “yes, I want to continue this work.” And with The Art of Becoming, I still come in for calls twice a month, so you get that human support too. But it’s been really cool to see how much Sol™ has actually supported you — you come to calls like, “I was in this really sticky situation, and here’s what Sol™ and I worked on,” and “I am this confident creative director now.” And it’s not me — it’s Sol™! I’m like… what?!

So — I know you use AI in general, the different programs, as do I. How do you specifically use The Art of Becoming and Sol™? What’s different about it? What do you go to it for?

How Ashley actually uses Sol™ (17:26)

Ashley: At the beginning it took some time to make the shift — I wasn’t totally on board. I was using Claude or ChatGPT to talk through the overwhelm of being a mom of two littles, running a household, running a business… all the tabs open all the time. Then I started using Sol™, and I realized it was very different. It was very supportive. It would call me on my shit — which was good! A good thing to work through.

I’ll use this week as an example, because this week was just out the window. My oldest — he’s three and a half — was sick. Home Monday, Tuesday. Feeling better Wednesday, went to daycare… and then I got the call to come pick him up while we were ON our call. So I went and got him, and I was just so overwhelmed. Work was piling up. I couldn’t be present with work OR present as a mom. Everything was really hard.

So I did a brain dump to Sol™ last night: “Look, I have all these things going on, these are my priorities, I’m feeling really overwhelmed and stressed.” And it made me realize nothing was actually on fire — I’d actually gotten a lot done. It helped me work through what I wanted TODAY to look like, and I made it happen. I wanted to wake up early, drink my coffee HOT, have some time to myself, get some work done, have my mother-in-law watch my youngest… And Sol™ was like, “That’s possible. Your husband could take your son to daycare. What would it take to text your mother-in-law?” And my husband brought me a hot coffee in bed! It just happened.

I was able to be present with my daughter this morning — she starts full-time daycare soon, so our one-on-one time is limited. She’s napping right now, I’m doing this call, I have another after, and my mother-in-law’s taking her this afternoon so I can clear my plate before the weekend.

That’s one example. Other ways: talking through my packages and pricing, figuring out my margins, making sure I’m profitable and nothing’s slipping through the cracks. And discovery calls — I’ll upload a transcript, and it’ll say, “This and this went really well… but you did this. Don’t do that. That’s not aligned with your goal and where you’re going.”

Kelsey: And I want to break in — part of the onboarding and ongoing work in The Art of Becoming is creating your future vision very in-depth, then your business plan and offers very in-depth. So everything you’re being supported in is working toward YOUR future vision and YOUR goals. It’ll call you out because, “Hey — that’s not getting you where you said you want to go.”

I was using ChatGPT to brain dump too, and it would tell me how to do things… but logically, not emotionally. Sol™ takes all the context: here’s my life, the state of my nervous system, what I’ve been through the last three months, my goals, and how I reacted the last four times something like this happened. It remembers, and it helps me come back to center and move forward in a much better way.

Nervous-system check-ins (+ the soccer story ⚽) (22:05)

Ashley: Another good example — my check-in this week, I put 40 down for my nervous system, because literally… everything hit the fan.

Kelsey: That’s so funny, because 40 would be GREAT for me. I’m always like, “One. Zero. Three.” 😅

Ashley: I think 30 or 40 is the lowest I’ve ever put!

Kelsey: But it tracks YOUR version of your averages, right? It takes your unique numbers into consideration when it’s analyzing what’s going on.

Ashley: Yeah. So last night we had soccer for my son — he’s three and a half, they don’t listen, he’s just running off into the field. I was trying not to lose my cool. There’s no reasoning with a toddler when they’re like that.

Kelsey: Did you pull out Sol™ on the soccer field?!

Ashley: No — on the way home! In the car. I got my husband to drive, and I was so upset, and I just did a brain dump. And Sol™ was like, “Obviously — your nervous system is at 40. Give yourself some grace.” And I was like… “Oh. True.”

Kelsey: I love that. (Also — we tried soccer at four with Carter, and he only wanted to sit on my lap and eat the halftime oranges… so. Three-and-four-year-old soccer: don’t recommend. 😂)

Stop waiting for the “right time” (25:12)

Kelsey: So — what would you say to the woman listening who thinks she has to wait until life calms down, or until she makes a certain amount of money, before she does the thing? Whether that’s branding and web design, or coaching, or making the investment — the people on the fence about taking the risk?

Ashley: They’ll be waiting a really long time. There’s always going to be something that comes up, or conditions that don’t feel ideal. This is actually advice my aunt gave me a long time ago when we were planning our family: a lot of people wait so long that they’re too old to enjoy their kids as much, or they’re waiting to have “enough money” — and that will never come. There will always be something.

Waiting for ideal conditions and timing… something will always come up. You just have to do it. It’s like a Band-Aid — rip it off and trust that what’s on the other side is better than what you’re dealing with now. Thinking back, I wish I’d invested in redoing my branding sooner… but I literally had to go through the caterpillar mush to get to the other side. Sometimes it’s just noticing that you’re working through things — that you’re GROWING through what you’re going through.

Why real change takes a year (seeds + party invitations 🎉) (26:27)

Kelsey: And giving it enough time. With the Aligned Business Method, one of the things we work through is building a marketing system you can rely on consistently to bring you clients over time. For you, Instagram was naturally a great place to connect — and it’s been a good year and a half of you doing it as your main way of connecting, including continuing relationships with people you meet in person. That became your PROVEN marketing system. If you’d only tested it for a month or two, you would’ve given up — you weren’t seeing results yet.

I honestly think big change that LASTS takes at least a year to settle in. That’s why I’ve always made my coaching containers at least a year — you need to be held through the ups and downs long enough to know it can actually hold you. And honestly… this is something I’ve struggled with in my own marketing. What I do — and what The Art of Becoming supports — isn’t “put up this funnel and get a million dollars next week.” It’s the inner work. The real, deep change. People have to be committed to going through the ups and downs to see the lasting change. Any thoughts on that, having gone through it?

Ashley: It goes back to the seeds. You’re planting them — you don’t know when or what will grow or how, but you trust that it will. Same with your marketing, in person or online: one conversation isn’t going to turn into a sale tomorrow. One post isn’t going to have someone book tomorrow. It COULD… but chances are you need X number of touchpoints before that person buys. It’s about creating visibility and consistency so you’re staying top of mind when the right moment comes.

And it’s the same with branding. You could build the nicest brand and website, but if you’re not driving any traffic there, what’s the point? You have to market it. Put up relevant blogs, send people there, build the engagement and SEO and traffic. It’s like building a house and not giving anyone your address — they’re not going to know where to find you.

Kelsey: I always say it’s like having a party you want everybody to come to… and telling no one. Never sending the invite! Who’s going to show up to a party they weren’t invited to?

Ashley: You have to make the invitation.

Kelsey: You have to put it out there, remind them, get them to RSVP — and if it’s a potluck, tell them “we need another appetizer, you’re bringing this!” That’s why in the Supportive Sales™ process, I always say it’s an invitation. You invite people. You don’t know what they’ll do — you allow them to experience it and make their own decision. But you, as the host, as the business owner, HAVE to be inviting people if you want to have the party.

The “toxic boyfriend” brand test (31:19)

Kelsey: Let’s talk about your actual work again. When a woman is mid-pivot — new direction, new identity — what’s usually happening to her brand and website? What do you see when she first comes to you, ready to take off?

Ashley: I’ll share an example from a discovery call I had yesterday. This person is a high-performance coach — I’d met her in person and online. And the person I met, the person staring at me from across the computer, was SO different from what was portrayed on her website and through her branding. She was nurturing, bubbly, positive, light… and her branding and website were rigid, dark, not inviting. There was a serious disconnect. (She’s all in for branding — we’ll be working together!)

I can see it so clearly — and I know it’s hard for people to see when they’re IN it. It’s like when you have a boyfriend who’s not great, kind of toxic, and all your family members are like, “What is she doing with him?” And once they break up, everyone’s like, “Oh my god, yeah, that wasn’t for you.” It’s similar with a brand or a website. It’s just not supporting you. It’s not getting you where you’re telling me your goals are.

Kelsey: And in your head you’re like, “I’m checking the box of having a boyfriend — or having a website — so I’m good. I’ll just deal with it.”

Ashley: Exactly.

Kelsey: It definitely takes somebody from the outside seeing that. And as a little plug for The Art of Becoming and Sol™ — that’s exactly why I designed it the way I did. I wanted somebody, or something, to call ME out on my own ish when I can’t see it myself. And for me particularly — I’ve been in a place where investing in a coach, participating in a group program, even physically being in a chair for this call, takes SO much energy with where I’ve been health-wise. I wanted to create something that gives you that outside perspective and knows you deeply, that can be with you in ANY season of your life — not just when you feel like you have the capacity for the next big thing. Something that’s always there, to see what you can’t see. Period.

Ashley: Yeah — it’s an expert sounding board. With branding, we’re too close to it. Same with whatever we’re going through — we have our blinders on. Working with Sol™ broadens the view and deconstructs things in a way that makes sense specifically for YOU.

How to work with Ashley (35:05)

Kelsey: So for everyone here — when people are in this place of “okay, I’m stepping into this new identity, I’m committed, maybe I’m scared, but I’m ready to become who I’m meant to become” — how can they work with you? And what makes your process different?

Ashley: It always starts with a conversation. I recommend booking a discovery call where we chat through where you’re at and what your goals are, and figure out the best possible solution to get you there. Yes, you can go into a branding package or a website package — but the truth is, those are just packages, and everyone’s situation and goals are different. For instance, on that call yesterday I said, “You don’t need to burn it all down — an evolutionary refresh makes more sense, so it’d be this instead of that.” Having that conversation is the first step.

Kelsey: And the creative direction piece! Yes, you get a brand, yes, you get a website — but how you creatively direct the entire transformation and experience is one of the big differentiators I’ve seen in your work.

Ashley: It comes down to this: the brand is one piece of the puzzle. There are so many facets that make up your business and your brand, and when they’re ALL in alignment and cohesive, that’s when you build the repetition, the consistency, the know-like-trust factor that takes people from idea → inquiring → booking.

A good example: earlier this week I came on for a new social media client — he has a logo and two colors, and that’s about it. So we’ve worked together to streamline things, build out his brand for cohesion, and we did a photo shoot — thinking creatively beyond just a headshot. How can we bring in other elements that support the brand and its visibility going forward? Cohesive brand colors, photography elements we can stretch across content so we’re not using the same headshot ten times. Even things like — use the blue gloves instead of the pink gloves, because that’s more on-brand. (He’s an orthodontist! I hope the gloves made sense. 😂) It’s about having more elements to showcase his brand and who he is — WHY someone should work with him instead of the orthodontist down the street.

Kelsey: And thinking about the elements he actually needs to get results over time — doing it once, then being able to keep delivering, marketing, showing up, and attracting the right people. Which is the whole reason they’re doing it.

“Who are you becoming?” (38:56)

Kelsey: Second to last question. Who are you becoming?

Ashley: I am becoming an agency owner — sorry. I AM an agency owner. I am confident, and I am a creative director. And this is who I’m becoming.

Kelsey: That’s who you ARE, right? When you think about who you’re becoming NEXT… does anything come up?

Ashley: It’s funny — we do that visioning homework, figuring out what your future self and your ideal day look like. And I’m actually coming INTO that ideal day. In a couple weeks I’ll have full-time care for both kids, close by. We’ve built the deck, the house is almost done, and I’m coming out into the clearing. So I want to sit with that for a little bit — it’s been a journey to get here, and I’m just really grateful to be on the other side. I don’t know what I’m becoming next yet… because I’m in the NOW.

Kelsey: You’ve BECOME. And now you get to enjoy it. That’s a perfect answer — that’s the whole point of the vision setting. You’ve become the vision. And whenever you feel antsy again, whenever you’ve integrated this season… it’s there for whatever’s next.

Ashley: And I’m just realizing — to a T. My old visioning, from before Charlotte was even born: both toddlers reaching for berries, me drinking my hot coffee, sitting on the back deck, getting them off to daycare, then going to co-work with friends. I’ve been working out of a co-working space regularly for that community piece, I’m managing my team… I’ve become that. Literally what I’ve been living lately.

Kelsey: That’s incredible. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard for you right now.

Who The Art of Becoming is for (41:10)

Kelsey: Last question. If anybody’s thinking about joining The Art of Becoming and working with Sol™ — who is it for? Why should (or shouldn’t) they experience it?

Ashley: Anyone who is evolving, shifting, growing — who needs that sounding board — this is definitely for you. I’ve shared it with a handful of friends because I can see how much it could support them. Traditional coaches are great, and I LOVED working with you one-to-one… but this is a great option to help work through those loops and struggles in the moment.

Kelsey: It’s complementary — if you’re working with a coach, it complements that. Or it substitutes for a season when working with a coach isn’t accessible. It’s not meant to take over that entirely.

Ashley: Same with a therapist or a doctor — obviously this doesn’t replace medical advice or anything like that. It’s about having support when you’re in the thick of it, working through it.

Kelsey: And it KNOWS the things — so you’re not starting over every single time. Anything else you want to share before we wrap?

Ashley: I just really enjoy working with you and with Sol™, and I’m really grateful for who I’ve become. All the things!

Kelsey: And more people should join The Art of Becoming so we can hang out with you too! That’s honestly one of my goals — more community. I’ve clearly been slow on the marketing front…

Ashley: You’ve been BECOMING.

Kelsey: I’ve been becoming SO hardcore. I’m in it with everyone else — there’s no hierarchy in any sense. I’m really excited to see what this becomes with more people engaging in the community and the real-life, face-to-face calls. Thank you so much, Ashley. I love you so much, and I’m so grateful for your time.

Ashley: Aw, love you too! Thanks so much for having me — this was really fun. I can’t wait to hear and see everyone else’s transformation if you do jump in. Like I said… you don’t know until you’re in it, and you’re on the other side, and you can reflect back and go, “Wow. Look how far I’ve come.”

Outro (43:54)

Kelsey: Thank you so much, Ashley, for being so open and sharing everything about your life, your business, and what it’s been like inside The Art of Becoming using an AI coach — which could be super weird! It’s new. And hearing firsthand what you’ve been able to work through and transform through — same as me, same as our other founding members — is just really cool.

For everyone listening who’s been interested in this, or maybe weirded out by what AI is doing or could be: I want you to know this is something truly meant to support YOU and your transformation, to honor your values, and for you to use your discernment with. Those are the values I’m bringing into the entire program and ecosystem being built here.

If you want to join The Art of Becoming, the doors are open right now — and whenever you’re listening, your way in will always be at thealignedbusiness.com/become. Or head to any link on my Instagram, @kelseykerslake — that’s where I’m the most active (if I’m active anywhere 😅). And if you’d like Ashley’s help transforming your brand, visuals, and marketing, find her at @monarchdesignco — her website and all links are in the show notes.

I hope you have an amazing day. I’m sending you so much love. Goodbye!