Build a Business Step by Step | Built on Purpose: What I Did, In What Order
I didn't build this from theory.
I built it from real life.
For the overwhelmed mom who needs someone who actually gets it — not someone who read about it.
"Systems that change lives — because the mom holding everything together and the woman who wants more for herself are the same person. And she deserves support built for her actual reality."
— Ashley Springs · Founder, Defining My Way Academy™
She didn't come from easy.
She came from determined.
For a long time, Ashley's life looked like strength on the outside — and overload on the inside. She was the mom who handled everything. The one people counted on. The one who kept going even when life kept hitting.
Kids. Work. Money. Loss. Grief. Healing. Building. All at the same time. And somewhere in the middle of carrying all of that, she realized something — she wasn't just tired. She was living in survival mode. And she couldn't keep living like that.
"I didn't build this to be relatable. I built this because I lived it — and I know there are women out there doing the same thing, quietly, every single day. You deserve someone in your corner who actually understands what you're carrying."
— Ashley SpringsThat realization didn't come with a roadmap. It came with a decision — to stop waiting for life to slow down and start building systems for the life she actually had. Defining My Way Academy™ was born in that season.
What Ashley has actually navigated —
as a mom, a woman, and a human being.
Ashley grew up in generational poverty. She became a mother as a teenager. She navigated grief — twice, in close succession. She went through divorce. She raised her children as a single mom while building a career, earning four degrees, and eventually moving to a completely new state by herself to give her kids a better chance.
She has navigated financial stress — credit scores in the 500s — and rebuilt from it. She has carried the mental load, the emotional weight, and the daily reality of being the strong one for everyone else while figuring out how to be strong for herself too.
- Generational poverty — first in her family to break the cycle
- Teenage mother — raised her children while building her career
- Single mom — navigated parenting alone through multiple hard seasons
- Grief — twice, in close succession, and kept going
- Divorce — and rebuilt her life from the inside out
- Financial rebuilding — from credit scores in the 500s to homeownership
- First-generation college graduate — four times over
- First-generation homeowner
- Moved to a new state alone to give her kids a better chance
First-generation college graduate — four times over
BS in Special Education · MS in Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment · Ed.S. in Educational Leadership & Administration · MS in Finance. Not because the path was clear — because she made it clear, one degree at a time, while working full-time and raising her family.
Financial rebuilding — from stress to stability
Ashley didn't just study personal finance. She lived the stress of money uncertainty as a single mom and rebuilt her financial foundation from the inside out — which is exactly why the financial lane of The Right Lane Method™ hits differently. It's not textbook. It's personal.
"I didn't push through because it was easy. I pushed through because I HAD to — and because I knew there were others out there like me who deserved someone in their corner who actually understood what they were carrying."
— Ashley SpringsWhy Ashley built a method — not just a mindset.
After years of watching women try to fix everything at once and burn out, Ashley built a structured framework that starts with one question: which lane needs your attention first? The Right Lane Method™ covers all 5 areas of a woman's life — and it builds around her actual reality, not a generic plan.
Every woman moves through three phases.
You're never guessing where you belong. The Right Lane Method™ meets you in your current season and moves with you.
Emotional clarity, self-reconnection, and starting-over support. Before building anything, we slow down and reset the foundation.
Time systems, planning tools, financial habits, and routines that actually fit real life — not an idealized version of it.
Financial stability, income pathways, and purpose-driven growth. Because you deserve more than survival mode.
This isn't a brand.
It's a calling that became one.
Ashley doesn't believe women are meant to disappear inside responsibility. She doesn't believe strength should require self-abandonment. And she doesn't believe survival mode should be anyone's permanent home.
She believes women — especially moms — deserve peace in their minds, stability in their homes, confidence in their decisions, and the freedom to build lives that support them too.
"I didn't build this to be another 'empowerment' account. I built this to be the support I wish had existed for every mom I watched disappear into the weight of everyone else's needs. You deserve systems built for YOUR life. That's all this has ever been about."
— Ashley Springs · Founder, Defining My Way Academy™The professional foundation
behind the personal work.
Ashley's educational and professional background isn't just impressive on paper — it directly shapes how The Right Lane Method™ was built. Her training in finance informs the finances lane. Her background in curriculum and instruction shapes how the resources are designed. Her leadership experience explains why the systems actually hold.
Education
- MS in Finance — Walden University
- Ed.S. in Educational Leadership & Administration — Walden University
- MS in Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment — Walden University
- BS in Special Education — University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Professional experience
- Special Education Teacher
- Dean of Students & Instruction
- Principal Intern
- MTSS Specialist — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (2nd largest district in NC)
- Education Program Consultant — NCDPI (statewide, 200+ charter schools)
- Founder — Defining My Way Academy™
The mom and the school leader
go home to the same house.
Ashley built two brands because she lives two realities — and so do the people she serves. Both sides share the same philosophy: the right systems, built around your actual life, change everything.
For Moms & Women
School Leadership
What it sounds like
when the method works.
"Ashley helped me become more organized and more financially stable. Ashley is an awesome teacher and the information she provides will help you grow and reach your goals in life. She's the best!"
"She meets you where you are. She is intentional to listen and understand your goals so that her support is individualized. I learned several strategies to improve my finances and became more informed about opportunities and resources!"
Start where you are.
We'll figure out the rest.
The best first step is always the free Right Lane Check-In — 2 minutes, no pressure, and a clear picture of exactly which lane needs your attention first.
Take the Free Check-In → See All Ways to Work With MeJoin The Becoming House — $29/mo