Discover ASH + AMES our jewelry partner for the Orange Rose campaign
ASH + AMES is a “next generation” jewelry brand that empowers female artisans, gives back to developing countries and inspires women to launch their own independent businesses.
Shop the ASH + AMES Orange Rose Candle here.
We’re excited that they’re partnering with us to support the Orange Rose Campaign. We asked co-founders Amy Nobile and Trisha Ashworth about the work they do to elevate women’s lives both here in the U.S. and around the world.
Every Mother Counts: Everyone has a story about how motherhood has inspired or motivated them and why Every Mother Counts’ mission is personal to them. What’s your mom story?
Amy: Professionally speaking, Trisha and I both feel that Every Mother Counts mission to empower women is parallel to what we do at ASH + AMES. We are all about supporting and celebrating women. On a personal level, I have a birth story that’s identical to what Christy went through. I hemorrhaged unexpectedly after having my daughter. Had I been somewhere other than a medical facility, I wouldn’t be here today.
Amy and Trisha: We’ve been close friends for 20 years and business partners for 11. We had children around the same time and we both found motherhood challenging but in very different ways. We both felt guilty about the choices we were making and we felt judged by other moms. We felt like we had to be perfect and the expectations we set for ourselves were completely out of whack. We ended up feeling really alone in motherhood. Yet every woman we talked to in mothers’ groups or around town would wax poetic about how beautiful, shiny and wonderful motherhood is and we knew we weren’t getting the full story. So, we interviewed hundreds of mothers about their experiences and wrote the first of three books, “I Was A Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids.” (Chronicle Books, 2007) It became a best seller and mobilized communities of women all over the country who craved information, support and answers to the questions, “Who am I besides a mother and wife?’ What’s my next chapter? Can I really prioritize myself?”
Later, when we were trying to decide what we would do next, we traveled to Haiti on a volunteer trip. The minute we landed, our DNA shifted and we knew that somehow, Haiti would be part of our next venture. We saw female artisans creating beautiful bracelets from cow horn, and it sparked the idea for ASH + AMES. Now we work with artisans from Tel Aviv to India, to Paris. We give back 100% of proceeds from the jewelry made in Haiti. And we use social retail as our business model to provide women a platform to launch their own ASH + AMES businesses around the country. It allows flexibility so women can work when they want and share in our mission to empower other women.
Every Mother Counts: How did you connect with EMC?
Amy: As a social retail business, we have Ambassadors in key cities including LA, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Dallas. One of our Ambassadors, Jodi, threw a couple of trunk shows on behalf of EMC. Any time someone hosts a trunk show they have the opportunity to donate 10% of whatever is sold to the charity of their choice. Soon after, Christy and I were working out next to each other in New York and we just started talking. I told her about ASH + AMES, and we realized we’re like-minded women with similar missions. There’s such authenticity about EMC and they attract partners that have the same mentality.
Every Mother Counts: How has motherhood affected your life, business and community?
Amy and Trisha: For both of us, motherhood has been the heart and soul of our journey as business partners. We had no idea that becoming mothers would evolve into a mission to help women become entrepreneurs and live their best lives.
Every Mother Counts: What do you hope the Orange Rose campaign will do for mothers, your colleagues and clients?
Amy and Trisha: What we love about the campaign is the symbolism of the blooming rose and the cycle of life. It’s a symbol that anyone, whether they’re a mother or not, can understand and embrace. It inspires everybody to think about the future of motherhood, the wellbeing of mothers everywhere and the quest to keep mothers healthy. We love partnering with EMC because their team is on an unwavering mission to help women globally.
