In March, I spent the month writing about remarkable women throughout history in celebration of Women in History Month and how jewelry has often served as a symbol of identity, strength, confidence, and personal expression.
Those stories inspired something unexpected.
They reminded me that the qualities we admire most in the women of history are not confined to the past.
Because strong women aren't just found in history books.
They are all around us.
They are business owners, mothers, professionals, leaders, and women who quietly carry a tremendous amount of responsibility every day.
I design jewelry for these women.
I'd like to introduce you to one of them.
This is Ashley Sanders.
Ashley is a therapist, a mother of five, an artist, an adventurer, and the founder of Kaleidoscope Therapeutic Services, a practice dedicated to helping women, adolescents, and children navigate trauma, healing, and personal growth.
But what inspires me most about Ashley is not simply what she does.
It's who she has become.
There was a season in her life when everything she thought her future would be changed in an instant.
The path ahead felt uncertain. The weight she carried was immense.
Yet she kept moving forward.
For her children.
For herself.
For the life she believed was still possible.
Along the way, she held tightly to a word that became a promise:
Kaleidoscope.
A reminder that even when life breaks apart into a thousand pieces, those pieces can be gathered, transformed, and made beautiful again.
That belief carried her through years of growth, healing, and education.
Today, it lives on through the practice she founded, helping others find their way through difficult seasons and back to themselves.
When asked what gives her strength, Ashley's answer is simple:
"My faith in a God that is bigger than me."
And perhaps nowhere is that faith, love, and belief in the future more visible than in a piece of jewelry she asked me to create for her daughter.
The Compass Necklace was designed as a graduation gift.
A symbol of where her daughter has been, where she is headed, and the love that will always guide her.
Inside the box was a message from a mother to her child:
"No matter where you go, with love and trust in God, you will always be exactly where you are meant to be. And I will always be here."
I have always believed jewelry carries meaning far beyond what we see on the surface.
Sometimes it marks a celebration.
Sometimes it honors a memory.
Sometimes it reminds us who we are.
And sometimes it becomes a promise we carry with us.
That is what I see in Ashley.
A woman who chose faith when fear would have been easier.
A woman who rebuilt.
A woman who continues helping others find their own path forward.
When asked how she hopes people remember her, she said:
"I hope that long after I'm gone, people will remember me if only as a reminder in their own lives of how wonderfully-made and amazing they are. And that they are courageous enough to be who they were created to be."
Those words feel especially fitting.
Because Ashley's story isn't simply about overcoming difficult circumstances.
It's about what becomes possible when we continue moving forward with faith, purpose, and hope.
It's about trusting that even life's broken pieces can become something beautiful.
And perhaps that's what this series is really about.
The women around us every day who quietly choose courage.
The women who keep moving forward.
The women who become who they were meant to be.
This is Her.