Simplifying life, business, and tech—one chaotic week at a time.
Life, work, and parenting can feel messy—but chaos doesn’t have to win. I’m Ashli Smart, and each week I share practical tips, quick wins, and real stories to help busy parents, small business owners, and professionals take control. From AI hacks and productivity tips to parenting and marketing strategies, Smart Chaos helps you simplify your week, stay sane, and maybe even enjoy the chaos a little.
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Episode 9: TikTok Reminded Me of Someone I Lost
The people who helped raise us don’t always share our last name.
This episode wasn’t planned.
I checked my email, saw one of those “people you may know” messages from TikTok, and the name in the subject line stopped me.
Yenenesh.
Yenenesh passed away, but before that, she was an Ethiopian international student who became my mom’s assistant and, somewhere along the way, became something like a big sister to me.
Seeing her name sent me back to a whole part of my childhood I hadn’t thought about in years: growing up around a college campus in Defiance, Ohio, my parents’ work, international students who became family, the cafeteria, the Hive, wingdings 😂, and all these people who helped shape my life without technically being relatives.
Then I called my mom.
She reminded me of a memory I’d forgotten from the last time Yenenesh visited us in Texas. And sitting in my house is an Ethiopian teapot she gave me during that same visit.
Suddenly, I realized something:
When we lose someone, none of us gets to keep the whole person. We each keep our little pieces of them. And when we share our stories, sometimes we get to put some of those pieces back together.
This one is emotional. My voice cracks. I’m remembering things in real time.
But maybe that’s exactly how this episode needed to be.
Because sometimes an algorithm thinks it’s showing you someone you may know...
and instead, it reminds you of someone who helped make you who you are.
This is Smart Chaos.
14 Sept 2026
S2E8: Nobody Actually Knows What They’re Doing
Nobody actually knows what the fuck they’re doing.
Not your boss. Not the executive sitting at the head of the table. Not the parent who looks like they have everything figured out. Not the person making the big career announcement on LinkedIn.
And definitely not me. 😂
For years, I thought adulthood meant eventually reaching some magical point where I’d just…know shit. I’d know how to parent. I’d know exactly where my career was going. I’d walk into rooms feeling completely confident. I’d understand money, relationships, houses, motherhood—and apparently why my grass keeps dying.
Turns out, there is no orientation. Nobody gives you the binder.
In this episode of Smart Chaos, I’m talking about how freeing it has been to realize that most of us are simply making the best decisions we can with the information we have.
I get into motherhood and the absurdity of Junie thinking Mama knows everything, why senior leaders became much less intimidating once I realized they’re figuring things out too, what working in AI has taught me about expertise, and how my definition of confidence has completely changed.
Because maybe confidence isn’t:
“I know what I’m doing.”
Maybe it’s:
“I don’t completely know what I’m doing, but I trust myself to figure it out.”
And THAT is a version of confidence I can actually live with.
So if you’ve ever looked around and thought everybody else somehow got the adulthood instruction manual you missed…
This episode is for you.
We’re all experts at something.
We’re all beginners at something.
And apparently, we’re doing this shit in real time.
4 Sept 2026
S2E7: I Never Thought I’d Be Somebody’s Mom And Somehow, I Have a Whole Son
S2E7: I Never Thought I’d Be Somebody’s Mom And Somehow, I Have a Whole Son
There are moments lately when I look at Junie and think…
How the hell do I have a child?
Like…a whole son.
A real person who talks to me, has opinions, asks for Band-Aids, says “oh my goodness,” gives me kisses, and moves my hand back to his face when he wants me close.
And somehow, I’m his mama.
In this episode of Smart Chaos, I’m talking about the absolute mindfuck of watching your baby turn into a little person right in front of you.
I never grew up dreaming about motherhood. I didn’t have baby names picked out. I didn’t picture this life. And because becoming a mom took its own journey, these ordinary moments sometimes hit me even harder.
There was a time when Junie was just an idea. A hope. Something I wanted but couldn’t guarantee would happen.
And now he’s here…
having full conversations with me.
Asking for what he needs.
Showing affection.
Making jokes.
Becoming himself.
And honestly, it is both beautiful and a little heartbreaking.
In this episode, I talk about:
What it feels like to suddenly realize, “Oh shit, I have a son”
Watching a toddler’s personality and language explode
The difference between caring for a baby and getting to know a person
Why the tiny moments hit harder than the big milestones
The weird sadness that comes with watching your child need you less
How motherhood has changed the way I think about time
Why I’m trying to stop rushing toward the next stage and actually be here for this one
Motherhood is wild because you can think:
“Please stop touching me.”
and
“Please stay this little forever.”
at the exact same time.
And somehow both are true.
I don’t know if I’ll ever fully get used to saying it…
but yeah.
I have a son.
And that is still absolutely fucking wild.
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