What business do I have starting a business?
I'm 44, a mother, a Vice President at a major non-profit, in short I have plenty of demands on my time. I have built a successful career raising funds for career training programs, adults, children, afterschool programs, ALS, and muscular dystrophy. Why in the world would I add entrepreneur to my resume?
Why would I dare to create an app when I've never coded? Remember, I'm 44. I went to a class my freshman year of college to learn how to set up my email account and send emails. I realize there are tons of people my age and older who are a wiz at coding and all things technology. I'm not a luddite, but I'm not a wiz. I'm just your run of the mill, 'I can do enough with technology to get by' middle-aged woman.
Well, this whole 'starting my own business' journey started at Congressman Rich McCormick townhall in Roswell, GA. I've always been engaged in politics. I've never followed sports teams, but I'm guessing the high I get when I get my 'I'm a Georgia Voter' sticker is the same feeling sports fans get when their team wins at the foosball with the gargantuans.
Let's set the stage for when I spoke out at my first town hall, in February 2025. Trump is president. DOGE is taking a chainsaw to our government. I decided to focus my efforts at this townhall on the SAVE Act. ICYMI: You can click here to read about the SAVE Act.
I knew the town hall was going to be packed, but I had no idea just how packed it would be. I arrived about an hour before the town hall started, and got a seat in the main room. By the time the townhall started, the main room was full, the overflow room was full, and there was at least 100 people outside in the cold watching this townhall on monitors. Remember, we live in Metro Atlanta. We don’t have proper winter clothes!
The McCormick team greeted the guests before we took our seats and asked us to scan a QR code to submit our questions. The team read the questions first and selected who would be called upon to ask a question during the townhall. Throughout the night, McCormick's team would call a person's name and they would stand up to ask their question. A few times, the team would call a name and if they didn't stand up, would say "Oh, they must be in the overflow room. I'll ask their question for them." As the night went on, and we got closer and closer to the end of the town hall, my name was still not called. With about 15 minutes left in the townhall, I turn to my friend, Jess, and say "The next time they call a woman's name, if no one stands up, I'm going to just stand up and ask my question."
This is where I need to apologize to Ashely Brown. I'm still looking for you, and I'm dying to know what your actual question was. But when they called "Ashley Brown" and she did not stand up in the main room, I stood up and asked why he wants to pass the SAVE ACT.
Wearing my "Who would Jesus deport?" shirt, I confronted McCormick for sponsoring this bill and would not let him lie to me that he had not read it. In this interaction, I am shaking, my voice is cracking, and my very southern accent goes up to 11. After the townhall, still shaking and everything in me humming from that experience, my friend and I went to Lola's chips and salsa and then headed home. I posted this on my private social media pages figuring I would get a few 'atta girls' but mainly eye rolls from my conservative family and friends, and that would be the end of my townhall experience.
Little did I know, this interaction would go viral and in one video alone over 18M people saw "Ashley Brown" speak up. One friend who follows Red Wine and Blue Saw an Instagram post where they were looking for little ol' me! I was flabbergasted. I was invited to join a Red Wine and Blue virtual town hall about 'how to show up for a town hall' . So, I spoke for about 4 minutes to a group of 3,000 viewers and I was hooked. Until this moment, I have never had a public social media page. Didn't even cross my mind to have one.
But in answering the Q&A during the townhall, I noticed that things that are second nature to me are things that others want to learn. I have something to share, and talking on the Red Wine and Blue townhall compelled me to share it.
This is when I started my first public page, #makealittlenoise. Inspired by the words of this John Lewis's quote. “We have been too quiet for too long. There comes a time when you have to say something. You have to make a little noise. You have to move your feet. This is the time.” — At the House sit-in after the Pulse nightclub shooting, 2016
Make a Little Noise was my outlet for helping blue dots in red states learn how to make a little noise to live the biggest life. From April 2025 through the late summer, I posted religiously on Make a Little Noise. I enjoyed this outlet, and I hope I helped a few people get more involved in their community. But in June 2025, my 10 year old daughter found a snail, our family took a 10 day vacation to Europe, and Wanderwing was born.