Husband: Reed

Children: Finn, 3; Everett, 2; and Riggs, 12 months

Occupation: Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and Owner of Bright Start 

Hobbies: Reading, exercising, spending time outdoors with family and friends, trying new restaurants

Ashley McInnis has built a life in New Orleans filled with family, career, and community. Originally from southern New Jersey, she and her husband, Reed, chose the Crescent City as the place to raise their family, drawn by his roots and the support of nearby loved ones. A busy mom to three young boys, Ashley leads a thriving speech therapy practice, Bright Start, which she launched while expecting her first child. She embraces the city’s vibrant culture, tight-knit community, and lively traditions while expertly managing the joys and challenges of parenting, growing her business, and exploring New Orleans’ parks and restaurants with her family.

WHAT DOES A NORMAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

ASHLEY: The morning is very crazy. My kids are usually up between 6:45 and 7 [a.m.] Then we are getting them ready for school, [and] we’re in the car usually by 7:20. I usually will do school drop-off for the toddlers, because my husband works from home, and Riggs stays home with a nanny. I will typically work out before all that happens. I will either head off to see patients, [or I’m] treating in the morning. I head to my clinic to do admin. I go pick up my kids between 3 and 3:30 [p.m.] and then start a crazy afternoon of parenting. [The kids] go to bed at seven. and then if I don’t have a dinner or something that evening, I will finish up some work, spend some time with my husband, and then [we’re] early to bed.  

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST REWARDING EXPERIENCE IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

ASHLEY: Starting Bright Start. I started Bright Start when I was pregnant with Finn. I really just wanted one SLP to cover my maternity leave, and that’s how we got started. Now we have 21 providers on our team. We are meeting the needs of the community, so I feel like that’s my most rewarding and humbling experience. We pretty much hire based on referrals or word-of-mouth in the therapy community in New Orleans. We also hire based on the needs of the community. It’s been really cool to see. And then also getting to serve so much of the greater New Orleans area. We primarily work with birth to three, but then we see kids all the way up to 18. I think right now we have almost 500 patients that we see, so it’s rewarding to be able to serve a variety of different populations and demographics all the way from Lafayette to here and beyond.

HOW HAS BEING A PARENT INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU APPROACH YOUR WORK?

ASHLEY: We work a lot with the birth to three population, and I currently have those ages at home, so I feel like at times, I’m at the advantage [of] having all of these child development tools in my work kit–to use from the parent side and therapy side! I tend to use sensory, speech, and toy strategies from work and carry that over into the home, my mama brain, and perspective to not only help guide my parents of the kiddos that I work with but then to understand the perspective of the child from not just a therapy standpoint. Also, just understanding that kids are kids–[at] both work and at home–and that takes a lot of patience from all sides, and sometimes both avenues are a work in progress.

WHAT ARE SOME JOYS AND CHALLENGES OF BEING A MOM? 

ASHLEY: Oh gosh–I mean the joy certainly outweighs the challenges just because I try to see the positive in most situations–even during some of the harder days or bigger emotions. But the way my kids light up about the world–from school to seeing their loved ones get home from work or come for a visit, to a new craft or toy. I love experiencing life with my husband and my kids. Getting to try new museums and parks and vacations with them to spending a whole day at home doing whatever and getting some really good quality time in can be so fulfilling as a mom. 

I would say [the] challenges right now are giving everyone enough time and attention they need. With three under three and a business, life is busy. So finding those pockets of time in the very busy week to get in quality time to make sure everyone’s needs are met–to juggling the busy schedule. It takes a village, and I have a good one, but there are still days and weeks [when] life is crazy. So trying to manage that and of course, navigating the big emotions and unpredictability of having babies and toddlers. Working on that as a unit in our family definitely ebbs and flows with each week. and then navigating some bigger things like allergies and sickness [are also challenges.] 

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PARENTING STYLE?

ASHELY: Consistent, routine-based, and structured.

WHAT’S ONE LESSON YOUR CHILDREN HAVE TAUGHT YOU?

ASHLEY: Small potatoes: not everything is a BIG DEAL and we are teaching them that too. By the third [child] it’s like… someone is playing in the mud, and I can’t get to them right now because I’m with the baby… so he will just have to be in the mud a second. [Also,] to let go… I’m still working on this, but [I’m] learning that not everything is perfect, and that’s okay.

HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN A WORK/LIFE BALANCE?

ASHLEY: One is the field/setting I am in. I started Bright Start when I was having my firstborn to help step back and be with my kiddos. Now since it’s grown, my responsibilities have become larger, but so has my village of helpers with my family. We have a lot of family nearby that is always willing to help, a nanny for the day-to-day, my two older toddlers are in school full-time, and then a babysitter roster for those important date nights. [I have] a lot of to-do lists and a really awesome, supportive team at work along with my supportive and patient husband at home. 

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF BEFORE BECOMING A PARENT?

ASHLEY: To give others grace when it comes to family commitments.

Quick Q’s

  • Dream vacation destination… Bora Bora.
  • My current favorite TV show/movie… Christmas Romcoms & Selling Sunset.
  • Favorite girls night out… Dinner & drinks EARLY, somewhere cutesy and in bed by 9.
  • One thing I can’t live without… Snuggles from my boys! …and coffee.
  • Something I’m looking forward to… Christmas & anniversary trip.