Why I Do What I Do (And how I’m grounded.)

Why I do what I do

We hear a lot in the entrepreneurial world to start with “why.” Why do you do what you do?

Ashley shared on the blog that her why focuses on freedom, and the ability to make this amazing move to Montepulciano, Italy.

But I don’t dream about starting over somewhere new. I dream about staying. A cozy little home, my beautiful family, and the same rhythms that bring me peace and stability. I want a home that holds us, that rejuvenates us, and one that steadies us on even the hardest of days. I want stability that feels consistent and comforting - something that will be a launchpad for adventure, but be ready to welcome us back when we’ve had our fill.

That’s the life I’m building, and the reason I do this work.

The Work Has to Support the Life

Fifteen years ago, my life didn’t feel steady, even though from the outside, it looked fine. I moved a lot, I’d always moved a lot. I grew up all over this world, and in my early adult years, I took a lot of contract positions in the IT field. I was working 60 hours a week, trying to fit in life around my work, and always feeling like there were never enough hours in the day.

A successful day for me was measured by whether or not I was able to get everything done, and everyone had what they needed. But what about what I needed? There was always a quiet question running in the background: what if I can’t hold this together?

It wasn’t dramatic, it was slow and constant. Exhausting my resources every day to keep the infrastructure of life in motion, but missing out on the things that make it worth building at all. We don’t always name that kind of scenario, but you feel it in the way that you start your mornings already feeling behind, and you end your days bracing for tomorrow.

That shapes how I see everything now. The work has to support the life. Not the other way around.

Why Home Matters So Much To Me

My home is the nest where my family thrives. Having that strong foundation is what gives each of us the confidence to leap into the world without a safety net - because we know home will catch us at the end. It’s always a soft place to land in the Richardson house.

For my whole life, I’ve loved making memories, and gathering with the people I love. I host dinner parties, and game nights, I live for Souper Saturdays in the fall, where we make a different soup every Saturday and watch as much college football as we can, and I wash my sheets every Sunday, knowing that I’m going to start Monday mornings rested, in line-dried sheets, ready to tackle the week fresh and feeling steady and strong.

Ashley says it’s because I’m a Cancer. I don’t know much about the stars, but whatever it is - it’s written on my very soul. We throw birthday parties around here, we host Christmas dinner, and sometimes we make up holidays, like Souper Saturday, because I love anything that calls my family back to the nest, so I can pour into them.

What Rooted Authority Is Built On

Ashley and I met because she reached out looking for home organization. But Ashley and I became a duo when I reached out to her for help launching my home organization business in Chicago. After 10 successful years of helping women feel the same peace in their homes as I do, I was making a move to a city that I loved, and really stepping into my next chapter.

But how? How do I launch a company in a city where I only know the people in my… nest? It was daunting and a little overwhelming. So, I called in the expert. I knew what I could bring to the table, I’m good at what I do. But how do I tell people that I’m here? How do I shape my messaging so that my words would land?

When it comes to marketing, I felt like I was just blindly casting my rod into the sea of social media, trying to emulate things I’d seen other people do, but not really having any solid direction. I also had no idea how to know if what I was doing was even effective.

Ashley quickly taught me about algorithms and data, about not being afraid to show up authentically (flaws and all,) and about speaking directly to the people that needed to hear what I have to say.

I build for stability. I’m always looking for the structure, the repeatable process, the system that will hold when life gets loud. Ashley builds for expansion. She sees how things connect, how they grow, and how they create momentum.

Both of these things matter. A business that grows without structure will collapse, and a business that’s perfectly structured but invisible won’t move at all.

What Coaching Has Taught Me About Stability

The women we work with are capable, driven, and smart. They’re not struggling because they aren’t trying hard enough. They’re struggling because they’ve been handed systems, strategies, and expectations that don’t fit the way they actually live or think.

So everything feels just slightly out of reach, all the time. Home can feel chaotic, schedules impossible, and business inconsistent, no matter how hard they try.

What we do is build from the ground up. We start by getting clear on who they are and what they actually want, not what they think they should want. Then we invite them into the Rooted Authority nest (some call it community, but this is my blog post.) We create that solid home base and give strategies that allow these incredibly talented women to leap into the world, because there’s a path (Ashley) and a net (Me.)

The Real Reason

So why do this work?

It’s not because I’m good at it (I am.) It’s not because I love organizing or systems, or watching things come together (I do.) But I do it because I know what it feels like when you life doesn’t feel steady, and I know what it feels like when it finally does.

I want a home that feels calm. I want a business that supports my family feeling safe, supported, and held.

And I want the women that I work with to have that too, in whatever way that looks like for them