My Identity Crisis

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

– William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II

In my last post, I mentioned that I’ve been blogging for ten years – yep, an entire decade!

I began as AshliMontgomery.com and then I had a bit of an identity crisis. It was a good one, to be sure, but a moment of crisis, nonetheless.

After seven years and 118 posts, I decided that I needed to rebrand. To my astonishment, I had built up a faithful following, and I felt that my readers needed more – more pages on the website, more to find, more to read, and especially more Coach as he was, and still is, my most popular topic.

So, I researched colors and fonts, hired a character illustrator on Etsy, bought a new domain name, a new hosting package, and new website template.

And on December 21, 2018, I turned off AshliMontgomery.com and turned on MeAndCoach.com.

Three years and 118 posts later, and I’m back at it…renaming my rose, and hoping that it will still smell just as sweet.

I love being the Me in Me & Coach. It will always be me and Coach!

But as I open this new chapter of life as a full time author, as I publish books under a pen name that honors three very special women in my life, and as I build a community and foster friendships with my readers, I think I need to be my own brand. I need to stand on my own merits and use my own name.

One Hat, Two Hat

I often say that I’m a professional hat model. I wear a lot of hats! Not literally, but figuratively, I like wearing a lot of hats, and I do not like to take them off. In fact, I pretty much refuse to set any of them to the side.

I wear a wife hat, two mom hats, a daughter hat, a sister hat, a cousin hat, and a Crazy Aunt hat. I wear this set of hats at all times. You don’t see them – they’ve been cloaked with invisibility – but they are there, securely fastened on my head and shoulders. I wear them with pride and with deep, abiding love.

I wear a friend hat, a neighbor hat, and a volunteer hat. These are hats I wear for my local community, hats that resemble those of public servants and service personnel. I receive tremendous joy from wearing these beautiful hats.

I wear hats for quilting, yoga, gardening, house cleaning, cooking, pet owning, Mah Jongg playing, book reading, book recommending, and book writing. These are my fun hats, and I have a blast wearing them!

I wear a big, purple hat labeled #ENDALZ. This hat is very heavy, and it breaks my heart. I wear it anyway.

All my hats look different in a plethora of shapes and sizes. Each one sits at its own angle, wears its own way. They each have a unique style, a specific feel. Some are soft, some are structured, some are messy, some are classic, some are plain, some are vibrant. No two are the same.

Except me.

I am the same.

I am the same foundation, the same being under every hat that I wear.

I am the same chatty girl who was continually told to be quiet in elementary school, junior high, high school, college, and graduate school…living proof that some lessons take longer to learn. I am the same bossy girl that likes to take charge of a project, an event, or even an organization. I am the same emotional girl that tears up sitting on the couch with my husband, spending time with my kids, and reading meaningful stories.

I’m the common denominator, the common factor.

So, I guess that makes me the brand.

Hence, I am back to AshliMontgomery.com – and I’m excited that you are here with me!

I’m still wearing all those many hats, still sharing my favorite things. The only difference is the website address and these pretty new page layouts.

I’d love to hear what you think, so please explore. Click on the page links, visit the bookshop, and browse the blog. Then send me an email, share the page online, or simply comment below.

The doors are always open!

With love and hugs,