Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Smith.
Hi Ashley, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
For years, I made a career out of helping some of the world’s most successful people find their voices.
I had the privilege of coaching executives and professionals at companies like Google, LinkedIn, Meta, Microsoft, and Delta Air Lines, helping them develop confidence, communicate effectively, and lead with purpose. Before that, I spent nearly a decade in medical and dental device sales, building relationships and learning the power of human connection.
By the world’s standards, I had built a successful career. But somewhere along the way, God began stirring something deeper in my heart.
I began to realize that the very skills I had spent years teaching to some of the most accomplished professionals in the world were desperately needed by women who had experienced some of life’s most devastating circumstances.
Women whose voices had been silenced by abuse.
Women whose confidence had been shattered by addiction, homelessness, trafficking, and trauma.
Women who had spent so much of their lives simply trying to survive that they had forgotten what it felt like to dream.
And I couldn’t shake one powerful question:
What if the very tools I had spent years teaching to successful executives could help women who had lost nearly everything rebuild their lives?
That question planted a seed in my heart that would eventually grow into something far greater than I could have imagined.
A Calling Greater Than a Career
In January 2020, I founded M Perfectly, a nonprofit rooted in one simple but powerful belief: Every woman deserves the opportunity to move beyond her past and build a future filled with dignity, purpose, and hope.
I wanted to create something that would remind women that they don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love, belonging, or a beautiful future.
Because the truth is, none of us are perfect. We all have a story. We all carry wounds, regrets, failures, and experiences that have shaped us.
But our past does not have to define our future.
As I began walking alongside women in recovery, I quickly recognized a significant gap in the services available to them.
There were organizations doing incredible work helping women find sobriety, escape abusive relationships, and secure temporary shelter. But I kept wondering, what happens next?
What happens when a woman leaves treatment but doesn’t have the confidence to walk into a job interview?
What happens when she finds housing but has never learned how to manage a budget?
What happens when she escapes an abusive relationship but still struggles to recognize her own worth?
I realized that getting out of crisis was only the beginning.
Survival is essential. But I believe every woman deserves more than survival. She deserves the opportunity to thrive.
Turning Pain Into Possibility
That belief became the foundation for our signature program, Shine On Sister.
Through education, interactive workshops, personalized coaching, and practical life skills, we began equipping women with the tools they need to rebuild their confidence and create lasting independence.
Our curriculum includes communication, financial literacy, career development, health and wellness, nutrition, and personal growth.
But what I’ve discovered is that the most powerful transformations don’t always happen in the classroom.
Sometimes they happen when a woman looks in the mirror and begins to see herself differently.
When she realizes her voice matters.
When she walks into a job interview believing she has something valuable to offer.
When she begins setting healthy boundaries.
When she finds the courage to dream about a future she once believed was impossible.
I’ve had the incredible privilege of watching women secure meaningful employment, find stable housing, reconnect with their children, and discover a renewed sense of purpose.
And every single time, I’m reminded why God placed this mission on my heart.
Because when we invest in one woman, we’re not simply changing one life. We have the opportunity to change generations.
The Power of One Yes
If there’s one thing this journey has taught me, it’s that God doesn’t always reveal the entire plan before asking us to take the first step.
Sometimes He simply asks us to say yes.
Yes to stepping outside our comfort zones.
Yes to serving someone whose story looks different from our own.
Yes to believing that something beautiful can grow from the most broken circumstances.
When I founded M Perfectly, I certainly didn’t have all the answers. I didn’t know every door that would open, every challenge we would face, or every incredible person God would bring alongside this mission.
But I knew I had been given gifts, experiences, and opportunities that could be used for something greater than myself.
And I believed I had a responsibility to use them.
What began as a desire to share my professional skills has grown into a beautiful community of volunteers, business leaders, educators, advocates, and generous supporters who believe in the power of restoration.
I’ve watched people give their time, talent, and treasures to help women they’ve never met.
I’ve watched women who once felt invisible discover that they are deeply valued.
I’ve watched the ripple effect of one act of kindness become something far greater than any of us could have accomplished alone.
And through it all, I’ve witnessed God’s faithfulness in ways that continue to leave me in awe.
A Bigger Dream: The Ranch of Refuge
As M Perfectly continued to grow, so did my awareness of the heartbreaking realities facing women and children throughout Central Oregon.
I began to see just how difficult it can be for women to escape dangerous situations, especially when they have children, limited financial resources, or nowhere safe to go.
I saw women courageously taking steps toward healing while still facing enormous barriers to long-term stability.
And once again, God began stirring a question in my heart.
What if we could create a place where women and children could find not only immediate safety, but also the time, resources, relationships, and opportunities they need to truly rebuild their lives?
That question became the vision for the Ranch of Refuge.
I envision a beautiful, safe place where women and children fleeing domestic violence, trafficking, and other life-altering crises can experience healing, hope, and transformation.
A place where a mother can finally exhale, knowing her children are safe.
A place where women can receive trauma-informed support, education, and workforce development while surrounded by a community that believes in their potential.
A place where healing isn’t rushed and where every woman is given the dignity of discovering who she was created to be.
And I dream of something even greater.
I envision a model where hospitality and workforce development work together to help sustain the mission. Where women can develop meaningful job skills, gain confidence through real-world opportunities, and build a pathway toward financial independence.
A place where business and compassion intersect, creating opportunities that can sustain the mission for generations to come.
It’s a big dream. An audacious one, really.
But I’ve learned that some of the most extraordinary things begin with what seems impossible.
And I serve a God who specializes in making the impossible possible.
More Than a Mission. A Movement of Hope.
When I reflect on the journey that brought me here, I can’t help but see how beautifully God was preparing me long before I understood His plan.
All those years spent teaching communication, building relationships, and helping people discover their confidence were preparing me for something I never could have imagined.
I once helped corporate executives find their voices.
Today, I have the privilege of helping women reclaim theirs.
And while the settings couldn’t be more different, the underlying truth remains the same:
Every person has value. Every voice matters. And every life holds extraordinary potential.
M Perfectly has never been about fixing broken women.
It’s about walking alongside courageous women who are doing the hard work of rebuilding their lives and reminding them of the strength, dignity, and worth that have always been theirs.
It’s about creating opportunities where there once were obstacles.
It’s about turning painful pasts into promising futures.
It’s about ensuring that no woman feels she has to walk her healing journey alone.
And perhaps most importantly, it’s about creating a ripple effect of hope that extends far beyond the women we serve.
Because when a woman finds healing, her children experience hope.
When she gains independence, her family gains stability.
When she discovers her worth, she begins to see a future filled with possibility.
And when one woman rises, she has the power to inspire another to do the same.
That’s how generations change.
I don’t know every detail of what lies ahead for M Perfectly or the Ranch of Refuge. But I know this: God has been faithful in every chapter of this journey, and I trust Him with the chapters still to come.
My prayer is that one day, when women and children walk through the gates of the Ranch of Refuge, they will know immediately that they have entered a place where they are safe, loved, valued, and worthy of a beautiful future.
A place where their past does not determine their possibilities.
A place where hope is restored, dignity is reclaimed, and lives are transformed.
A place they can finally call home.
And to think, it all began with one simple yes.
The ripple effect is only beginning.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Building M Perfectly has been anything but easy. In fact, some of the greatest challenges I’ve faced have come not from a lack of need, passion, or willingness to serve, but from the heartbreaking reality that the resources available to help women rebuild their lives are often painfully limited.
I’ve witnessed firsthand the desperate need for programs that go beyond immediate crisis intervention. Programs that don’t simply help women survive today but equip them with the skills, confidence, education, and opportunities to sustain themselves tomorrow.
Yet, time and time again, I’ve encountered the same obstacle: The organizations serving women in recovery recognize the tremendous value of our programming, but they simply don’t have the financial resources to pay for it.
Many recovery centers are doing everything they can just to keep their doors open, provide shelter, offer treatment, and meet the immediate needs of the women in their care. With state and federal funding being withheld, delayed, or reduced, these organizations are being forced to make impossible decisions about which services they can afford to provide.
And unfortunately, programs focused on long-term sustainability are often among the first to be sacrificed.
That’s the part that weighs so heavily on my heart.
Because what happens after a woman completes treatment? What happens when she leaves the safety of a recovery center but doesn’t have the confidence to secure employment, the financial literacy to manage her money, or the life skills necessary to maintain independence?
If we only fund the rescue but fail to invest in the restoration, how can we expect the cycle to change?
I’ve sat across from program directors who desperately want to offer Shine On Sister to the women they serve. They see the need. They believe in the mission. They understand the impact. But when it comes time to fund the program, their hands are tied.
And as the founder of a small nonprofit, I’ve found myself caught in an incredibly difficult position.
How do I turn away women who desperately need what we offer simply because the organizations referring them cannot afford to pay?
How do I continue expanding our reach when the demand for our services far exceeds the financial resources available?
How do I build something sustainable when the very systems designed to support vulnerable populations are struggling to sustain themselves?
There have been moments of discouragement, exhaustion, and uncertainty. Moments when I’ve questioned how we would continue moving forward. Moments when the weight of the need felt so much greater than our capacity to meet it.
But I’ve also come to understand something incredibly important.
A lack of funding does not mean a lack of value. And a lack of resources does not diminish the worth of the women we’re called to serve.
If anything, these challenges have only strengthened my conviction that we must rethink how we approach recovery.
We cannot continue measuring success solely by whether a woman completes treatment, finds temporary shelter, or makes it through another day. Those milestones are incredibly important, but they cannot be the finish line.
We must begin investing in what comes next.
In education. In employment. In financial independence. In healthy relationships. In confidence. In community. In the practical tools that allow women not only to rebuild their lives but to sustain the progress they’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Because true transformation isn’t simply helping someone out of crisis.
It’s equipping them so they don’t have to return to it.
This is one of the reasons the vision for the Ranch of Refuge has become so deeply personal to me.
I dream of building a model that doesn’t rely exclusively on government funding or the financial capacity of already-struggling recovery organizations. A place where mission-driven hospitality, workforce development, community investment, and philanthropy work together to create a more sustainable future.
A place where women aren’t denied opportunities for long-term success simply because funding has run dry.
I would be less than truthful if I said this journey hasn’t stretched me. It has tested my faith, challenged my perseverance, and required me to find courage on days when I felt I had very little left to give.
But every time I begin to feel overwhelmed by the obstacles, I’m reminded of the women we’re serving.
Women who have endured circumstances far more difficult than anything I’ve faced in building this organization. Women who continue showing up, fighting for their families, reclaiming their lives, and choosing hope even when the odds seem stacked against them.
If they can find the courage to keep going, how could I possibly give up on them?
I often return to the words of Nehemiah 6:3:
“I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
Those words have become a reminder that meaningful work rarely comes without opposition, obstacles, or sacrifice.
And while I don’t have every answer or know exactly how God will provide for the next chapter, I remain steadfast in the belief that this work matters.
Because behind every funding challenge is a woman waiting for an opportunity.
Behind every budget shortfall is a mother fighting to create a different future for her children.
And behind every closed door is a life that deserves another chance.
The need is too great, the lives are too valuable, and the possibility of generational transformation is too important for us to stop now.
So we keep showing up. We keep building relationships. We keep inviting others into the mission. We keep looking for creative solutions and sustainable partnerships.
And above all, we keep believing.
Because I refuse to accept that a woman’s opportunity for lasting recovery should be determined by whether an already-underfunded organization can afford to invest in her future.
These women deserve more than a temporary solution. They deserve a pathway to lasting success.
And that is a mission worth fighting for.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
If there’s one thing I hope to be known for above all else, it’s my love for Jesus and my desire to love others the way He so graciously loves me. Not perfectly, because I fall short every single day, but intentionally, wholeheartedly, and with a heart that seeks to extend grace, compassion, and kindness to everyone I encounter.
Before I’m a founder, an executive director, or a woman with big dreams, I’m a wife, a mama, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. And while I am deeply passionate about the work God has called me to do, my greatest ministry begins right at home.
My husband, Olin, and our three children are among God’s greatest gifts to me. They are my joy, my grounding, and some of my greatest teachers. I want my family to know a love that is steadfast, forgiving, patient, and full of grace. I want our home to be a place where laughter is abundant, mistakes are met with compassion, forgiveness comes freely, and everyone knows they are deeply loved, not because of what they accomplish, but simply because of who they are.
I certainly don’t get it right every day. Motherhood and marriage have a beautiful way of humbling us! But I pray that when my children look back on their childhood, they don’t simply remember what their mom accomplished or the organization she built. I hope they remember how deeply she loved them, how fiercely she believed in them, how faithfully she prayed for them, and how she always made room for grace.
I want my family to receive the very best of my love, not just what’s left of it after I’ve given to the world.
That same love is what fuels my passion for serving others.
I’m Ashley Smith, the Founder and Executive Director of M Perfectly, a faith-rooted, for-impact organization based in Central Oregon. Our mission is to equip women overcoming addiction, homelessness, domestic violence, trafficking, and other life-altering circumstances with the education, opportunities, and resources necessary to achieve long-term success.
Before founding M Perfectly in 2020, I spent much of my career coaching executives and professionals at companies like Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Meta. I specialized in helping people find their voices, communicate with confidence, and recognize their potential.
But somewhere along the way, God began stirring something deeper in my heart.
I started wondering what would happen if I took those same skills and invested them in women whose voices had been silenced by trauma, abuse, addiction, and circumstances beyond their control.
That question became M Perfectly.
Today, through our signature Shine On Sister program, we provide transformational education in communication, financial literacy, career readiness, health and wellness, personal development, and practical life skills. But our work goes far beyond a curriculum.
We believe helping a woman escape crisis is only the beginning. Equipping her to build a life she can sustain is where lasting transformation happens.
What sets M Perfectly apart is our commitment to walking alongside women beyond their immediate circumstances. We don’t see women as problems to be fixed or statistics to be measured. We see mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends with extraordinary potential and stories that are still being written.
We believe in restoration over judgment, relationships over transactions, and long-term transformation over temporary solutions.
And while I’m proud of the programs we’ve developed and the women we’ve had the privilege of serving, what brings me the greatest joy isn’t an organizational milestone.
It’s witnessing a woman begin to believe in herself again.
It’s watching a mother regain custody of her children. It’s celebrating a woman receiving the keys to her own home, securing meaningful employment, or discovering that her past doesn’t have to dictate her future.
Those moments remind me why this work matters.
Our next chapter is an ambitious one: the Ranch of Refuge, a vision to create a safe haven for women and children fleeing crisis. A place where housing, healing, education, workforce development, and community come together to create a pathway from trauma to triumph.
Building M Perfectly has been anything but easy. There have been financial challenges, closed doors, moments of exhaustion, and seasons when the need has far exceeded our resources. But through it all, my faith has remained my anchor.
I’ve learned that God doesn’t always call us to what’s comfortable or convenient. Sometimes He calls us to something so much bigger than ourselves that we have no choice but to depend on Him.
But I’ve also learned that my calling to serve others should never overshadow my calling to love and nurture the family God entrusted to me.
My greatest accomplishments won’t be measured solely by the number of women we serve, the programs we develop, or whether we successfully build the Ranch of Refuge. They will also be found in the quieter, ordinary moments of life.
In the conversations around our dinner table.
In cheering from the sidelines at my children’s games.
In the laughter, the hugs, the prayers before bedtime, and the everyday moments that become the memories we treasure most.
In choosing to love my husband well, to encourage him, to walk alongside him through life’s joys and challenges, and to continually invest in the marriage we’ve been blessed with.
Those moments may never make headlines or appear in an annual report, but they are among the most meaningful investments I will ever make.
And perhaps that’s what I hope people recognize most about me.
Not that I’m a successful founder, a strong leader, or someone with an ambitious vision, but that I am a woman who deeply loves Jesus and genuinely desires to reflect His love in every area of my life.
I want my husband and children to experience that love in the way I show up for them. I want my friends to know they can count on me. I want the women we serve to feel welcomed, valued, and worthy. I want the stranger I meet at the grocery store to walk away feeling a little more seen and encouraged.
I want the woman experiencing homelessness to feel just as loved and respected as the CEO sitting across from me. Because in God’s eyes, their worth is exactly the same.
Jesus never reserved His love for those who had it all together. He moved toward the hurting, the forgotten, the marginalized, and the brokenhearted. He met people right where they were and offered them hope.
That’s the example I aspire to follow, whether I’m sitting in a boardroom, leading a workshop, gathering with girlfriends, or simply being a wife and mama at home.
If there’s anything I’m most proud of, it’s not what I’ve built, but the relationships God has entrusted to me and the opportunity to love people well.
I hope my children grow up knowing that success isn’t measured by titles, recognition, or accomplishments, but by faithfulness, character, generosity, and the way we treat others.
I hope they see a mama who isn’t perfect, but who is willing to apologize, extend forgiveness, show compassion, and continually grow in her walk with Jesus.
And I hope they understand that the greatest thing we can do with our lives is love God and love people.
At the end of the day, I don’t need to be remembered for what I’ve built.
I want to be remembered for how I loved.
If my husband knows he was cherished, my children know they were deeply loved, my friends know they were valued, and the women I’ve had the privilege of serving know they mattered, then I will consider my life richly blessed.
Because for me, success isn’t measured by what we accumulate or accomplish. It’s measured by the lives we touch, the love we give, and the light we leave behind.
My greatest desire is that when people encounter me, whether in my home, my community, or through M Perfectly, they experience a glimpse of Jesus.
And if I can leave behind a legacy of faith, a family rooted in love, and a ripple effect of hope that continues long after I’m gone, I can’t imagine a more beautiful life.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I believe the nonprofit and recovery industries are standing at a significant crossroads. Over the next five to ten years, I anticipate we’ll see a fundamental shift in how organizations serving vulnerable populations operate, fund their missions, and measure long-term success.
For decades, many recovery centers and social service organizations have relied heavily on state and federal funding to sustain their operations. While these resources have been instrumental in providing critical services, we’re seeing just how vulnerable organizations can become when government funding is reduced, delayed, or redirected. The need for services doesn’t disappear when funding does. In fact, in many communities, the demand continues to grow while the resources available to meet it become increasingly uncertain.
I believe the organizations that will thrive in the next decade will be those willing to rethink the traditional nonprofit funding model.
Recovery centers and nonprofits will need to become more entrepreneurial, innovative, and intentional about developing diversified revenue streams rather than relying predominantly on government dollars. This could mean cultivating stronger relationships with private investors and philanthropic partners, developing corporate partnerships, implementing earned-income opportunities, and creating social enterprises that generate sustainable revenue while advancing their missions.
I also believe we’ll see a greater emphasis on collaboration rather than competition. Too often, organizations are working tirelessly to serve the same vulnerable populations while operating independently with limited resources. Imagine what could happen if we began pooling our expertise, sharing resources, and creating more coordinated pathways toward lasting recovery.
Another significant shift I hope to see is a movement away from measuring success solely by immediate crisis intervention and toward long-term sustainability and generational transformation.
Helping someone achieve sobriety, escape an abusive relationship, or find temporary shelter is incredibly important. But what happens next? Are we equipping individuals with the financial literacy, career skills, confidence, healthy relationships, and opportunities necessary to maintain their independence? Are we addressing the barriers that could lead them back into crisis?
We cannot continue investing exclusively in helping people survive without also investing in their ability to thrive.
This philosophy is at the heart of M Perfectly and our vision for the Ranch of Refuge. We’re exploring a model that brings together safe housing, education, workforce development, and hospitality-based revenue opportunities. Our hope is to create a financially resilient organization where mission-driven business activities help support the very women and children we’re called to serve.
I envision a future where nonprofit organizations are not simply asking, “How much funding can we raise this year?” but also, “What can we build today that will help sustain our mission for generations to come?”
Of course, government funding and charitable generosity will remain important. But I believe a healthy organization should be supported by multiple sources of revenue, allowing it to withstand economic uncertainty without compromising the quality or continuity of care.
Ultimately, I hope the next decade brings a greater commitment to prevention, collaboration, innovation, and long-term outcomes. A future where organizations are empowered to think beyond traditional funding structures and where the people we serve have access to more than temporary solutions.
My greatest hope is that we move from a system that primarily manages crisis to one that creates lasting pathways out of it.
Because the true measure of our success shouldn’t simply be how many people we help today, but how many lives and generations are positively transformed because of the opportunities we create for tomorrow.
Pricing:
- $500 provides one woman in recovery with access to 40 hours of transformational, skills-based education, equipping her with the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools to rebuild her life, achieve independence, and create a pathway toward lasting success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mperfectly.org
- Instagram: There are two m.perfectlyme and ranchofrefuge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067137267139
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/81966525/
