Healing on the Open Road

When I left what I thought was my dream job and left behind the toxic, gaslighting environment that came with it; I also left a relationship that was equally damaging. The double ending left me hollow, sad, and unmoored.

But endings, even the most painful ones, are also beginnings.

I had recently discovered something that would become my lifeline: the open road. Solo road-tripping gave me something I desperately needed, independence, adventure, confidence, curiosity, and the reminder that I was capable of more than just surviving!

So I packed my car and set out, determined to build something from heartbreak. Something that was mine. Something meaningful.

The Journey Begins

My travels took me over the Southwest, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and southern Colorado. I stopped in towns I’d never seen before, met artists and vendors with decades of wisdom, and began sourcing pieces that felt as wild and unique as the road itself.

I quickly learned the jewelry market was quite saturated, which initially felt disappointing and discouraging. I also knew that no one else had my story. No one else had my lens. If I could keep going, keep pouring love, devotion, creativity, and energy into this vision, then I knew something special would grow.

Every mile on that road stitched me back together. Every mile healed a piece of me.

Nashville and the Big Idea

It wasn’t until I reached Nashville, TN (bachelorette capital of the U.S) that the heart of what would become Bloom and Glow revealed itself. Everywhere I looked, groups of women were celebrating weddings with joy, sisterhood, and glittering attention.

But I couldn’t help but ask: what about all the other milestones in a woman’s life?

 - What about the moment I walked away from a job that was abusive? 

 - What about the moment I chose myself after a breakup?

 - What about when I got sober in 2010?

 - How about when I earned my Bachelor’s AND Master’s degrees while working full time?

 - What about building my own business from scratch, or healing deeply in therapy, or driving across the desert to find myself again?

None of those were celebrated the way my marriage had been, and why the HELL not?!!

That realization hit me like lightning: I would build the brand that celebrates women’s REAL milestones. Not just the socially sanctioned ones like weddings and babies, but the everyday victories, the hard-won healing, the steps toward freedom and joy.

Because it's all special. Isn’t it?

The Glow-Up Lesson

My time on the road taught me that healing itself is worth celebrating. Choosing yourself is worth celebrating. Solo travel, business ownership, sobriety, education, therapy, growth, and courage are all worthy.

Bloom and Glow was born from the miles, the tears, and the moments of discovery. It’s more than jewelry. It’s a reminder that your milestones matter, and you deserve to be celebrated.

So here’s to every mile of YOUR journey, the ones that break you open and the ones that bring you back home to yourself! I know that if you’ve found us, we have something that’s just for you and your journey!

With love, Ashly Ulrich

Owner/Founder Bloom and Glow