Who is Ashleigh Vaughn? An introduction.

On introducing myself to the Substack community... and the world.

An introduction?

Now, yes, I have been active for about five months on Substack so an introduction feels kinda sorta late. But, in my defense, when I imported my e-mail subscription list of a little over 200, most of those folks knew me already and had been reading along for years so it didn’t feel necessary. I just came on over and started writing. In my first post, “Martyr No More,” I spelled out why I transitioned to Substack from my own blog, where my pen name came from, and what to expect from me here. It’s worth a read.

Now, with over double the amount of subscribers I carried over to the platform with me, and an indirect nudge from Carrington’s piece above, I think now is as perfect a time as any to introduce, or reintroduce, myself to you all.

One of my favorite photos of myself during my annual birthday photoshoot. This was at the beginning of the pandemic so the shoot had to happen at my home.

I am a…

• heart-centered writer.

• Black queer woman.

• mother.

• creative technologist.

• mental health advocate.

• bipolar disorder survivor.

I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH and moved to the Washington, DC area after graduation to attend Howard University. Professionally, I had an eight-year technology consulting career with two of the biggest global consulting firms. And during the pandemic, I pursued my master’s in Human-Computer Interaction, quit my job, and switched my career to county government. You won’t see me talk much about my professional life on here, but just know I’m a big ole nerd for technology and words.

Why I Write.

I have always been a great writer but hated writing for academic purposes. In school, I was besties with my English teachers and praised for my abilities but loathed putting pen to paper for assignments. In college, after a decline in my mental health, I began to journal again after stopping as a teen once my journal had been read without my permission. I used journaling as a release of my silent struggles as I hadn’t yet sought traditional therapy.

Because I did not publicly talk about my mental health issues, on the outside my life looked pretty perfect. Great job, living in a great city, constantly traveling, an active social life. And after one too many “Girl, you livin’ the life up there in DC,” and peers dying by suicide, I decided to start publicly speaking about my mental health struggles. A Facebook rant here, and a few Twitter vents there, until I finally started a blog called “My Happy Journeigh.”

I decided to share my struggles publicly to show others that it is okay not to be okay and that they are not alone in dealing with these things. So many suffer in silence and I wanted to be a voice for those who can’t speak for themselves.

During the pandemic, the challenges of dealing with my declining mental health, my sudden and difficult pregnancy, and working full-time while attending grad school made committing to blogging no longer a desire and I shut it down after five years.

During this time I continued writing and occasionally shared on Instagram but wanted to return to writing publicly again so I found myself here. In this space, I discuss everything from mental health and motherhood, to my writing process and journal prompts I write from.

And I am very happy to be here.

Another favorite photograph of myself with my favorite flower.

In the comments, feel free to let me know who you are and why you write (or read) here in this space.

Thank you for reading ‘here comes the sun.’

A special shoutout to my paid subscribers, I appreciate you all SO much! — GG, Yetti, Jaydeen, Natazah, Erica, Sharie, Melanie, Amara, Rahima, Mariah M., Karen, Kimie, Mariah D., Jayla, and Catherine.

If you would like to support another way outside of a monthly or annual subscription feel free to:

• Buy me a sunflower.

• Purchase a book for my shelf.

• Follow my Instagram.

• Share this or any other post with someone who may need it.