Partner SeriesFebruary 17, 2026

Ashley Petschow on Choosing Presence, Wellness, and a New Kind of Success

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For Ashley Petschow, closing a thriving restaurant wasn’t an ending—it was a recalibration. As a single mother of five, she reached a point where professional success no longer outweighed the cost of missed dinners, constant stress, and time lost during her children’s most formative years. Pivoting into a work‑from‑home wellness business allowed her to realign her passion for people with a life built around presence, personalized health, and a non‑toxic home—values she has lived for over a decade through partnerships with companies like Melaleuca. Today, Ashley’s work is less about hustle and more about healing—helping families restore balance, confidence, and peace while proving that stability and motherhood don’t have to be at odds.

Hi Ashley, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story with our readers. You’ve built and closed a successful restaurant while raising five children — what ultimately led you to pivot into a work‑from‑home wellness business, and how did that decision change your day‑to‑day life as a mom?
For the past year I have been feeling the stress of time. Time I was giving my restaurant, work, and time I was not giving my family. It was breaking my heart to work 12 hour days and not be home for dinner with my kids. The restaurant was thriving, but my home was falling apart. Every morning was a rush to get out the door, drop the kids at school and bring the babies to the restaurant. Even though the babies were with me, we were not having fulfilling quality time together. I knew the only way to change this was to find a legitimate work from home job that would financially support my family, I’m a single mom and bills do not stop. But running a successful restaurant that pays the bills was not a fair trade for the fleeting moments of growing kids. Timing was everything. I opened the restaurant 8 months pregnant with my first son, my two pre teen daughters by my side learning customer service to the max.

In the beginning over the next 6 years, we made a lot of memories in that restaurant. But after having two more babies, the days became a blur and my multi tasking was maxed out. I started looking for alternative options in October of last year, I met an online coach In November and she introduced me to a Norwegian health company that is just having its kick off in America, now. I immediately fell in love with the company, the products and their values. I knew this is where I wanted to share my energy. 5 days later my landlord gave me a 45 day eviction notice because he sold the property, and I knew this was confirmation to move into my next entrepreneurial adventure. It has been one month since I closed my restaurant doors and began to establish a work from home online business, and it was one hundred percent the best decision I have made as a mom. I am still pouring my passion of experience and creativity into my business, but my kids are always first and foremost. There is no more rushing, no more stress. This has been the answer to many late night prayers.

Your business has multiple layers, from supporting other moms financially to helping families improve their health — what has been most meaningful for you as you’ve watched others experience real transformation through this work?
My passion is people. I love people. I loved creating an experience for people at my restaurant and introducing people to health through food. I feel that I’ve been able to shift that love to focus on what truly matters. The products and business side really go hand in hand with my values of helping others, so it’s all rewarding. I know the stress a mom carries when she has to choose work or her home, and being able to offer a solution is so so rewarding. The products in this business that I am introducing to customers are so life changing, it’s why I wanted to be a part of this innovation. These products don’t just reach one target market, they are making an impact on children, retired, men, women… all over the world. Being able to take away someone’s pain or balance their hormones to feel their best is extremely rewarding. I’m offering solutions for problems that many doctors can not address.

You’re deeply focused on personalized wellness, especially around hormones, inflammation, and overall health — why is a customized, one‑on‑one approach so important to you when working with clients?
Again, it’s about the people. My passion is not to build an empire or be seen, my passion is seeing individuals where they are at, addressing their concerns and walking them through a solution. Every client has a story unique to their circumstances and every client deserves to be treated that way. I’m helping woman get through the menopausal systems, taking a very real and scary situation and making it bearable.

I’m helping people with broken bones walk away from pain they’ve been riddled with for months. I’m helping people with migraines, finally feel relief. Moms can help their kids with adhd and anxiety feel peace. I am healing skin issues from the inside out focusing on the gut. We are balancing the brain, heart and gut, if these are functioning to the best possible capacity, you wake up feeling motivated and alive.

Creating a non‑toxic home environment is another major part of your mission — what inspired you to prioritize this, and how have small changes made a big impact for families you work with?
I originally started my journey with non-toxic home products 12 years ago. My daughters were 5 and 3 and one day I came home to find my daughter in the cleaning cabinet playing with a bottle of bleach. That terrified me. That was the aha moment that we should not be sharing our home with a death sentence. But I still was not sure where to start. My 5 year old also suddenly got eczema and the creams my doctors gave her not only did not fix the problem, they were painful. So I started investigating the harsh reality of cleaning, laundry and bathroom products. The tests that were being done to prove the dangers of these chemicals was mind blowing, and we are bringing this into our home!? We are poisoning our own skin, bathing our babies in garbage, setting the air on fire with cancer causing invisible demons. And that’s when another mom at my daughter’s preschool introduced me to Melaleuca, an American based company that specializes in cleaning products made from a plant that has natural antibacterial fighting agents. I have used their laundry, kitchen and bathroom products products for 12 years. They have skin line that cured my daughter of eczema.

The products smell amazing and fill my house with life and promote wellness. They are concentrated which saves money and helps the environment to fight waste. I order on line and thus box of goodness shows up at my front door. So many people either don’t know the dangers of cleaning products or they don’t know where to begin. I helped a friend who struggled with fertility for years, transform her home products, and within six months she was pregnant. Every mom I meet that has a child with skin issues gets my rundown on a solution. These moments are priceless to bring hope where people have given up. I feel like the transformation to a nontoxic home is just the added bonus to a life of wellness. This part does not feel like a job because I have used their products for so long, I’m not selling anything, I’m just truly excited about offering a solution that will change lives.

Looking back on this season of transition, what would you say to other moms or entrepreneurs who feel like they’re constantly choosing between their family, their health, and financial stability?
Don’t. Don’t do it, if there is ever a question between your kids and anything, the answer is family. When we became a mom, we became a different force, we are not meant to survive these years, we are meant to thrive through them, be present, be leaders, be a community. That’s what these companies have given me. Freedom and stability. Families come to me because I have answers, not because I’m trying to sell them in ideas. People have watched me first hand open a restaurant, work in public with a week old baby strapped to my chest, they have seen me go through a marriage separation and they have watched me persevere and provide. This is a testimony that we can create success even when things seem impossible. And all I want is to encourage others to find that balance which ultimately is the path you peace after chaos. Don’t be afraid. Move forward with intention. If it doesn’t feel right in your mama bear radar, there’s a reason. We should be present in our families every day life, no one is going to do that except you. And I promise that raising a child that knows how important that was for you, will be the biggest accomplishment you will ever achieve as an entrepreneur.

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