“Beyond Brands: Building Digital Identity from the Inside Out” — A Conversation with Ashley Paston, Founder of NURA Studio

In an era where everyone’s chasing followers, Ashley Paston is building something deeper: digital identity with soul.

As the founder of NURA Studio, a brand-tech agency merging storytelling, AI, and personal development, Ashley is helping founders, creators, and bold thinkers design brands that are not just beautiful — but transformational. Her approach goes far beyond logos and content. It’s about inner work, energy, and authenticity — fused with data, design, and digital precision.

We sat down with Ashley to explore how NURA is redefining brand-building in the age of AI, and why self-awareness may be the most powerful business strategy of all.

✦ Ashley, tell us — what is NURA Studio, in your own words?

NURA is part agency, part mirror. It’s where branding meets personal alignment. Most people build companies based on trends. We help them build based on truth.

We design digital brands — websites, campaigns, visuals — but every project starts with one question: who are you, really? Once that’s clear, we layer in strategy, AI tools, and storytelling systems that align with that essence. The result? Brands that feel alive — because they are.

✦ That’s deep. What inspired you to take this approach?

I burned out in the agency world. We were building brands for people who didn’t know what they stood for. Pretty websites. Dead inside.

Then I realized: most branding problems are identity problems. So I started blending brand strategy with self-inquiry, breathwork, design systems, and eventually — AI.

When clients began crying on strategy calls — not because they were sad, but because they felt seen — I knew we were onto something. That’s how NURA was born.

✦ How does AI play into your process?

AI is not just a tool — it’s a translator. We use AI to turn the raw essence of a founder into systems: landing pages, launch funnels, social content, email flows — all infused with their real energy.

Imagine doing a voice-memo journaling session, and then our AI turns that into your website copy. Or taking your handwritten vision and generating a full brand concept. That’s what we’ve built.

We also use custom GPT prompts to train founders to self-reflect better, faster. The goal is clarity at scale.

✦ What kinds of clients come to you?

Founders in transition. Coaches who’ve outgrown their old identity. Creators pivoting to new platforms. Women building legacy brands. Men stepping into deeper purpose.

They’re not looking for hype — they’re looking for resonance.

We work best with people who know they’re meant for more — but need help translating that feeling into a brand that actually communicates it.

✦ Any favorite client success story?

So many. But one stands out — a spiritual mentor from Portugal who had zero digital presence. We guided her through a 10-day “identity-to-brand” sprint.

By the end: she had a clear brand essence, AI-generated visuals, full website, course funnel, and a 6-month content map. But more than that — she owned her voice for the first time.

Three months later, she had clients in six countries.

That’s the magic — when the inner meets the outer, the brand becomes a movement.

✦ What are you building next with NURA?

We’re launching the “Soul OS” — a digital brand operating system powered by AI and guided self-inquiry. It’s a framework for solo founders to build their brand from soul to strategy.

We’re also building a collective — a global network of designers, mentors, technologists, and healers who believe business can be a tool for spiritual evolution.

This isn’t just branding anymore. It’s a new model of leadership.

✦ One last thing: what’s your message to today’s entrepreneurs?

You don’t need to shout louder — you need to tune in deeper.

The future belongs to brands with a frequency. If you’re clear inside, everything else aligns: your voice, your visuals, your velocity. That’s the new strategy.

Ashley Paston isn’t just building brands — she’s tuning frequencies. Through NURA Studio, she’s giving visionaries the tools and space to remember who they are — and build businesses that reflect that truth back into the world.