55. How High-Achieving Moms Find Alignment with Ashley Strong Smith
Alignment can feel elusive for high-achieving mothers who are carrying full plates and full hearts. Many women describe the tension between ambition and motherhood as a constant negotiation, pulling them toward goals, responsibilities, and identities that all matter deeply. But in this conversation with intentional living coach Ashley Strong Smith, something becomes very clear: alignment isn’t born from massive leaps. It emerges through daily, intentional choices that honor the inner voice so many women have learned to silence.
Ashley’s story is filled with unexpected pivots, courageous listening, and a profound relationship with curiosity. Her journey, from PBS professional to teaching English in Tanzania, to becoming a global photographer, author, retreat host, and intentional living coach, reveals a truth modern mothers often forget: alignment doesn’t require drastic change. It requires presence, honesty, and small actions that compound over time.
“Small, intentional daily action compounds to major change, transformation and the realization of your dreams.”
The Early Years: An Inner World That Didn’t Match the Outer World
As she reflects on the years before moving to Tanzania, Ashley describes a season marked by internal conflict—an inner world full of sensation, knowing, and intuition that clashed with the life she believed she “should” be living.
She remembers a younger version of herself who was “so deeply curious” but often acted based on expectations, suggestion, and supposed-to’s. Her inner self felt alive in private—in her apartment, in her journaling, in moments of quiet expression—but didn’t match the life she performed externally.
“The internal and the external didn’t make sense. There was no cohesion, there was no alignment.”
Feeling like the “black sheep” or the “flower child” didn’t help. At times she tried to suppress her true desires to avoid feeling weird or misunderstood. But the quiet voice within her wouldn’t disappear. Even in her mid-20s, she was already practicing something high-achieving mothers forget: listening inwardly, even when it doesn’t match the outer world.
The Call That Changed Everything: Listening to a Voice That Made No Logical Sense
Before she ever bought a plane ticket or quit her job, Ashley felt drawn to Africa through her studies. She unexpectedly fell in love with Africana Studies in college, eventually choosing it as her minor. She jokes about being one of the only petite Caucasian women walking the stage of Black Grad—and feeling more at home there than anywhere else.
This was her first real glimpse of alignment. It didn’t make sense to anyone else, but it made complete sense to her.
The leap to teach in Tanzania came later, after years of ignoring a persistent inner voice. The voice asked her a question that changed her trajectory:
“Are you just existing, or are you fully living?”
Once she allowed herself to answer honestly, everything shifted. Despite a “proper job,” car payments, loans, and an apartment, she began listening.
The moment she arrived in Tanzania, she began to discover her truest expression. She wrote daily, often surprised by what poured out of her. For the first time, she felt seen without any external markers of identity.
“It was the first time in my life everything was stripped away… and for the first time, I was seen for that part of me that had been trying and wanting to come out.”
This chapter affirmed something she carries into her coaching today: women cannot align their lives until they learn to align with themselves.
Why High-Achieving Moms Struggle With Alignment
Many mothers listening to Ashley’s story might think, I could never do that now. And Ashley gets it. Responsibilities, mortgages, children, and schedules change everything.
But she offers a reminder modern mothers desperately need:
“Your greatest responsibility is learning to listen to the inner voice and yourself.”
She believes the energy, inspiration, motivation, and intention needed for high performance in work and motherhood can’t fully flourish when the self is dismissed. And most mothers are pros at dismissing themselves.
Alignment doesn’t require a flight to Tanzania. It requires tiny moments of turning inward—moments that feel accessible even in the busiest seasons.
Small Intentional Actions: The Foundation of Transformation
Ashley’s signature philosophy is simple:
Small intentional actions create the greatest transformation.
Not dramatic pivots.
Not big gestures.
Not starting over.
She shares examples of what her alignment practices look like now—as a mother, entrepreneur, and wife in a fire family with an ever-changing schedule.
Some days her intentional action is as simple as:
Sitting with hot lemon water before coffee
Hand on heart, hand on belly
Three minutes of breath
A bath after her daughter goes to sleep
A cup of ceremonial cacao and quiet reflection
Other days it looks like:
Reviewing her long-term dreams
Setting weekly intentions
Giving herself white space instead of filling it with tasks
Walking in nature every morning after school drop-off
These aren’t dramatic shifts. They are accessible practices that reconnect her to herself—something high-achieving mothers often lose under layers of responsibility.
Weekly Rhythms That Make Alignment Practical
Ashley structures her week with intention, using rhythms that support creativity, focus, motherhood, and rest. Mondays become “Intentional Ignition Mondays,” where she sets intentions, goals, manifestations, and affirmations for the week ahead.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays combine yoga, coaching calls, meetings, and deep work.
Fridays are reserved for white space—coffee dates, facials, and breathing room.
Nature is woven in daily.
These rhythms are not rigid. They’re supportive. They give structure to the things that refuel her and create emotional capacity.
“I do something so that I can quiet out the outside noise and listen to the inside noise.”
How Mothers Can Start Living More Intentionally Today
Ashley’s message is clear: motherhood doesn’t eliminate the possibility of alignment—it increases the need for it.
She encourages mothers to:
Start small — one intentional action each day.
Get curious — ask what truly matters to you right now.
Be honest — identify what feels aligned and what doesn’t.
Simplify — remove what is draining you.
Add support — rituals, nature time, planning tools, community connection.
Intentional living isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence.
Picture from @ashleystrongsmith_ Instagram.
The Planner Designed for Women Who Want to Stay Aligned
Ashley recently launched the Fall in Love with Yourself and Your Life 2026 Planner, a tool designed to make intentional living tangible, simple, and sustainable.
It includes:
Year-end reflections
Monthly ignitions
Weekly intentions
Habit tracking
Guided reflections
Inspirational passages
Space to track dreams, rituals, and alignment
She created it because she knows women need more than motivation; they need structure, clarity, and a grounded way to stay connected to themselves all year long.
Why This Conversation Matters for High-Achieving Mothers
This episode is ultimately about giving mothers permission to:
slow down
reconnect
listen inward
soften
create small rhythms that support them
release the pressure to transform everything at once
Ashley reminds women that alignment is possible even in full seasons. It’s not about doing more, it’s about doing what matters with intention.
Featured Quotes
“Small, intentional daily action compounds to major change, transformation and the realization of your dreams.”
“The internal and the external didn’t make sense. There was no cohesion, there was no alignment.”
“It was the first time in my life everything was stripped away… and for the first time, I was seen for that part of me that had been trying and wanting to come out.”
“Your greatest responsibility is learning to listen to the inner voice and yourself.”
“I do something so that I can quiet out the outside noise and listen to the inside noise.”
Final Thoughts
As Ashley’s story shows so beautifully, alignment isn’t some dramatic reinvention or a perfectly mapped-out life plan. It’s a quiet, daily homecoming. It’s choosing to hear yourself again, even when life feels unbearably full. It’s allowing curiosity to lead you to the places where your inner world finally matches your outer one. And for high-achieving mothers especially, it’s remembering that your inner voice isn’t a distraction from your responsibilities… It’s the anchor that helps you hold them with more steadiness, clarity, and compassion.
Throughout the episode, one message kept rising to the surface: small, intentional daily actions compound into real transformation. Whether it's a cup of lemon water before the rush of the day, a quiet walk in nature after school drop-off, or claiming a few minutes to sit with your own thoughts, these tiny moments matter. They’re the micro-habits that allow mothers to reconnect with their truth, regulate their nervous systems, and return to their families more resourced and grounded.
Ashley’s journey is a reminder that living intentionally isn’t about abandoning your life; it’s about actively shaping it to support who you’re becoming. It’s about creating rhythms that nourish your energy, routines that protect your presence, and practices that remind you of your power.
If you're craving alignment, real, lived alignment — start gently. Start small. Start with one intentional choice today. Because those little choices? They’re the ones that quietly change your life.
Connect with Ashley Strong Smith
Website: ashleystrongsmith.com
Instagram: @ashleystrongsmith_
Ashley Strong Smith is an Intentional Living Coach, author, photographer, and host of the Living an Intentional Life Podcast. She helps women live with more courage, authenticity, and purpose through her coaching, membership, mastermind, and retreats. A former PBS professional turned global photographer and educator, Ashley’s journey from Tanzania to Lake Arrowhead shapes her grounded approach to intentional living.
Pictured is Ashley Strong Smith
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