She Knew There Was More
Ashley’s Journey From Fine to Deeply Fulfilled
Published on March 26, 2025
Chapter 1: The Arrival
I’m so excited to introduce you to one of my superstar clients—let’s call her Ashley.
She lives in Orange County, California, and I’ll never forget the moment I pulled into her neighborhood last December. I was driving from Newport Beach, the sun was setting over the Pacific, palm trees swaying in golden light, and Christmas lights shimmered on every house like a dream. I arrived at her home tucked just behind Laguna Beach, where a grand set of gates slowly opened as I waited outside.
There she was—standing on the front porch with her stepdaughter, in front of a crisp white home with floor-to-ceiling windows and airy, open layout that looked like something out of a design magazine.
“I was shocked when I walked into this house for the first time too,” she whispered as she closed the massive front door behind us.
“And I can’t believe you’re actually here!” she added, her eyes bright with joy. We had spent dozens of hours on Zoom since July 2022. But this was our first time seeing each other in 3D.
She welcomed me into her spacious kitchen where the ocean shimmered in the distance. A pool sparkled just beyond the glass doors. In the open living area, a piano stood quietly in the corner. “My stepdaughter’s learning to play,” she smiled.
Moments later, her husband walked in—calm, grounded, warm. He looked me in the eyes and said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. You’ve helped more than you know.”
We sat down for tea, chatting about their life, my visit to LA, and the quiet magic of full-circle moments.
But to truly appreciate the beauty of that day, we have to go back—to where it all began.
Chapter 2: The Knowing
Ashley didn’t come to me completely broken—but she was certainly lost.
She came to me with a quiet knowing that there had to be more.
More alignment.
More authenticity.
More impact.
More soul in how she lived, loved, and worked.
On paper, her life looked “fine.”
She had a stable job in the insurance industry—nothing glamorous, but enough to keep things afloat.
She had recently walked away from an engagement that everyone around her once celebrated—an act of deep self-honor, though few understood it, especially because she was in her 30s.
And on the side, she was pouring her heart into tutoring kids and teens—her true passion, though it still lived in the margins of her life.
And so, beneath the surface, something was stirring.
She had outgrown the version of herself that tolerated fine.
She had outgrown the environments, the conversations, the small talk, and the safe choices.
She was done pretending.
Done settling.
Done shrinking her joy to fit into a life that no longer reflected who she was becoming.
By that point, Ashley had been quietly following my work for nearly three years.
“Every word you write,” she told me, “feels like you’re speaking straight to my soul.”
So when she reached out.
It wasn’t a cry for help.
It was a soul-led decision.
A moment of radical clarity: It’s time to rise.
Chapter 3: The Becoming
What unfolded over the next two years wasn’t a reinvention—it was a homecoming.
A slow, intentional, sacred return to the truest, most radiant version of Ashley.
She began claiming space.
Not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, energetically.
She stopped apologizing for wanting more.
She raised her standards—not just in relationships and career, but within herself.
She left the job that didn’t light her up—not from a place of burnout, but because she knew she was meant to thrive.
She moved out of her parents’ house—not in rebellion, but as a declaration of sovereignty.
She gave herself permission to be the woman she had only let herself imagine in quiet moments—the woman who leads, who serves, who inspires.
Her tutoring business evolved into a powerful brand.
She became known. Respected. Referred.
She hired a team.
She built a ripple of transformation.
And in the middle of all this expansion—love arrived.
Chapter 4: The Relationship
But not just any love.
The kind of love that met her high standards.
The kind of love that celebrated her power, her vision, her heart.
He came from a completely different world—wildly successful and accustomed to a life of comfort and possibility.
Ashley, on the other hand, grew up in a ghetto in New Jersey.
Her roots were forged in resilience.
She had witnessed struggle from a young age. She had built her character in the face of adversity.
She had learned how to survive—and then, how to thrive.
A few years earlier, she would’ve thought he was way out of her league.
She would’ve convinced herself that someone like him could never love someone like her.
But this time, she didn’t shrink.
She didn’t question whether she was “enough.”
She let herself belong.
Their relationship, like all real ones, wasn’t effortless.
It was growth.
It was refinement.
It was the dance of two powerful souls choosing to meet each other again and again.
And they did.
They got engaged.
Married.
And now, they’re preparing to welcome their first child into a life built on truth, trust, and intention.
During her wedding speech, Ashley stood in front of her loved ones and said, “Without Ruta, I don’t know if I would’ve ever let myself have all of this. She saw me before I could see myself.”
I wish I could have been there in person.
Chapter 5: The Legacy of Choice
What moves me most about Ashley’s story isn’t what she created—it’s how she created it.
She didn’t wait to be rescued.
She didn’t operate from scarcity.
She wasn’t trying to be “fixed.”
She simply decided to rise.
She realized that her life, as “good” as it looked, was meant to be extraordinary.
That her work, as meaningful as it was, was meant to be revered.
That her love, as deep as it felt, was meant to be divine.
Ashley is the kind of woman I created Redefining Success for.
A visionary.
A bold, authentic leader.
A woman who refuses to dilute herself for comfort or accept a life that’s 80% aligned.
She didn’t wait for a breakdown to claim her breakthrough.
She simply followed the inner knowing that more is meant for me—and she allowed herself to receive it.
Chapter 6: Invitation
If you’re reading this and you’re already “doing well” but secretly crave a life that feels exquisite, not just efficient—this is your invitation.
You don’t have to burn out to change.
You don’t have to fall apart to rise.
You don’t have to settle to be safe.
You get to expand simply because your soul is asking for it.
Ashley did.
And her life is proof of what happens when a woman (or anyone, for that matter) dares to redefine success on her own terms—and refuses to settle for anything less.
And it will be my absolute honor to walk alongside you into the most magical, magnificent, and exhilarating chapter of your life.
Much love,
Ruta
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