Who We Are

Ashley has spent more than 15 years working at the intersection of systems and people—building programs that don’t just sound good on paper, but actually work when it matters most. She is known for translating complex policy into plain language, pairing rigorous data with human stories, and driving reforms that expand access without compromising safety or standards.

Most notably, Ashley served as Project Director for the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, where she led the creation of the first-ever 24/7 national phone and text line for pregnant and postpartum individuals. With $6 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, she built the hotline from the ground up—designing operations, training programs, crisis protocols, and public-facing messaging to meet the urgent needs of women and families navigating mental health crises. The hotline launched under the Biden Administration and quickly became a trusted, nationwide safety net for people who had long been overlooked by the healthcare system.

Previously, Ashley served as Vice President of Public Affairs at Crisis Text Line, where she oversaw government affairs, communications, partnerships, and international expansion. During her tenure, she advocated Congress and the FCC to expand crisis texting into the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, making it easier for people—especially young people—to access help discreetly. She also led global campaigns with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and led Crisis Text Line’s media strategy during COVID generating more than 500 media stories, including coverage in CNN and The New York Times.

Across every role, Ashley has demonstrated a rare ability to create lasting public health impact. Her work has expanded access to care for young people, LGBTQ+ communities, and BIPOC populations; strengthened crisis infrastructure; and reshaped public narratives around mental health, motherhood, and help-seeking. She focuses not on short-term wins, but on building systems that endure.

Ashley founded Therapy Without Borders to address one of the most persistent—and solvable—failures in the mental health system: state-based licensing rules that disrupt care when people cross state lines. Her work through the organization is sharply focused on advancing interstate licensure compacts nationwide and ensuring they are fully enacted, operational, and effective. She approaches this issue not as an abstract policy debate, but as a public health imperative with real consequences for continuity of care.

In addition to her advocacy work, Ashley is a Senior Director of Marketing and Public Affairs at Brave Health, a virtual mental health provider that serves the Medicaid population. She is also the author of Everything Is Going to Be OK and writes and speaks frequently about mental health, policy, and modern life.

Ashley lives in Pennsylvania with her family. She is open about her lived experience as a mom with Major Depression—an experience that informs her leadership and strengthens her advocacy.


Contact Ashley Womble, MPH
Founder, Therapy Without Borders