Movement Built for Real Life
Ashley Dicks is an entrepreneur, health and fitness coach, and co-founder of Wrenn & Rae, based in Edwardsville, Illinois.
Alongside her husband, Ashley helps families step outside, move their bodies, and build healthy habits together so fitness becomes part of everyday life, not another demand competing for time and energy.
Their work is grounded in a simple belief: health does not require perfection.
It is built through consistency, shared experiences and movement that can coexist with children, careers, and real-life schedules.
Through Wrenn & Rae, Ashley and her husband design intentional products that remove friction and make movement easier and safer.
Their signature LED running belt bags were created specifically for busy parents and everyday athletes fitting workouts into early mornings, dark evenings, and full lives.
Through Wrenn & Rae Fit, Ashley coaches clients one-on-one and within a supportive community.
She offers structured training plans, realistic nutrition guidance, and accountability: helping people train for races, rebuild strength, lose weight, and feel confident in their bodies again, without extremes or quick fixes.
They live this work as parents themselves and now help others build a healthier, more active life they are proud to pass on.
A Business Born From Lived Experience
Wrenn & Rae did not start as a business idea.
It started with exhaustion and intention.
As new parents, Ashley and her husband were tired, but deeply motivated by something bigger.
As they returned to movement and outdoor fitness, they began noticing a gap in the market: products that looked good but didn’t truly serve real people.
Safety was often an afterthought.
Functionality was compromised for aesthetics.
And few products considered how parents and everyday athletes actually move through their days.
They felt called to build something better.
Something where functionality came first.
Where safety was built in.
And where movement felt accessible, not intimidating.
At the same time, they wanted their children to grow up watching them create something meaningful, rooted in health, integrity and service.
This business was born from both lived experience and deep intention.
Building Without Burning Out
One of the hardest seasons in Ashley’s journey was bringing their very first LED belt bag to life.
They were turned down countless times.
They faced destroyed products, failed samples, design flaws, and constant revisions to get the safety, durability, and functionality right.
There were nights spent working until 2 or 3 a.m., troubleshooting with manufacturers and reworking designs only to wake up hours later and head to full-time jobs.
Quitting would have been easier.
And there were moments when they questioned if it was worth it.
But their “why” was always bigger than the setbacks.
They believed in what they were creating.
They knew there was a real need for safer, more functional fitness products designed for real-life conditions.
And they wanted their daughters to see what perseverance looks like when something truly matters.
Two years later, that same product line is now carried by major retailers including Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
Just as importantly, they never sacrificed their family in the process.
The business grew around their life, not at the expense of it.
That season tested everything: patience, confidence, energy, and belief.
But it shaped the foundation of Wrenn & Rae proving that something meaningful can be built without burnout or losing sight of what matters most.
Scaling With Integrity
Ashley’s greatest challenge is balance.
Wrenn & Rae is growing through product development and retail expansion — requiring careful inventory decisions, safety standards, timelines, and pressure to scale quickly without compromising quality.
At the same time, Wrenn & Rae Fit remains deeply personal.
Coaching requires presence, energy, and intentional connection.
Clients are trusting Ashley with their health, confidence, and lives and she is committed to ensuring that care never feels rushed or diluted.
The work now is honoring both sides.
Building systems so growth does not come at the expense of impact.
Ensuring products remain thoughtful and safe.
Ensuring coaching stays personal and supportive.
And ensuring family always comes first.
Success, for Ashley, is not measured solely by numbers or retailers but by how well she shows up for the people she serves and the life she is building at home.
The Inner Edge of Leadership
If Ashley is honest, the biggest obstacle right now is herself.
She is still working full time in pharmacy, running both arms of the business, and trying to be everything for everyone.
She cares deeply about her clients, her products, her family and that makes it difficult to let go.
She tends to carry too much on her own.
Part of that comes from wanting things done well.
Part of it comes from not wanting to disappoint anyone.
But she recognizes that doing everything herself eventually becomes the bottleneck.
Her background in pharmacy taught her responsibility, precision, and care traits that helped build this business.
Now, those same traits are asking her to grow in a new way.
To trust others.
To build systems.
To allow support.
Stepping back, she’s learning, does not mean caring less.
It means leading better and building something sustainable for the long term.
That growth is uncomfortable.
And it is exactly where she is right now.
At Reignelle, we center stories like Ashley’s to remind us that health, leadership, and growth do not have to come at the cost of family or self.
We believe wellness should fit into real life not demand perfection, extremes, or burnout.
Ashley’s work reflects what we stand for: integrity-led growth, thoughtful creation, and businesses built around people, not pressure.
These are the stories of women who choose alignment over hustle, sustainability over speed, and impact that lasts beyond metrics.
This is health and leadership done the right way grounded in care, intention, and a life worth living.