Meet the women behind the passion

CO-FOUNDER
Brianna, a proud Pacific Northwest native, began her professional journey in the corporate world, where she spent 15 years climbing the ladder of success. It wasn't until she became a mother that she began to question the cost of giving over 100% of herself to a career that left little room for her own well-being, her children, or her partnership.

Years passed before she recognized a deeper truth: the version of success she had been chasing wasn’t aligned with who she truly was, what she valued, or the kind of example she wanted to set for her children. That realization became the catalyst for change. Brianna made the bold decision to leave behind the corporate grind and create something entirely her own, Ash & Rise.

At the heart of Brianna’s work is a belief in the power of connection, especially the transformative connection between women. She credits her growth to the female mentors, friends, and cheerleaders who helped guide her path through self-discovery and professional reinvention.

The Ripple Theory was born out of a need Brianna couldn’t find elsewhere: a space where all the parts of her could coexist. The ambitious professional. The overwhelmed but fiercely loving mother. The community-minded leader. And the little girl still searching for belonging. Since that space didn’t exist, she built it with her dear friend Shannon!

CO-FOUNDER
Shannon’s story has never followed a straight line. Every time life has shifted, career, motherhood, purpose, she’s felt a pull to reimagine what’s next. Creation has always been her compass.

She’s walked more than one path. From corporate project manager to stay-at-home mom, from founder of a children’s clothing company that grew from her kitchen table into a global brand, to educator, mentor, and eternal entrepreneur. She’s built multiple businesses, each one an evolution of her creative spirit. Today, she brings it all together through VESL Studios, her boutique creative house devoted to making women’s ideas impossible to ignore.

Shannon has always believed that women’s ideas deserve to take up space and that when we create boldly, we expand what’s possible for everyone around us. Her work centers on guiding women through the in-between spaces of identity and ambition, the moments when life starts whispering that it’s time for something more. That belief is also what sparked The Ripple Theory, co-founded with her friend Brianna after many coffee conversations about finding real connection and depth in a noisy, digital world.

Shannon is most herself when she’s outside on a mountain or knee-deep in creative flow. She believes depth will always matter more than reach & that being truly known by a few changes you more than being noticed by hundreds ever will.