About Us

The Heart Behind Held & Home

My name is Allyson Smith, and I created Held & Home with the hope of building something that could bring people together, encourage others, and most importantly, glorify God.

For most of my life, softball was a huge part of who I was. I was blessed with the opportunity to play Division I softball for four years at UAB, but throughout those years, the Lord taught me so much more than how to be an athlete.

For a long time, I relied on softball for my happiness. When I wasn't playing or wasn't receiving the encouragement I wished I would have, I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to be perfect. I cared so much about what my coaches thought, how I was performing, and even how I looked doing it that eventually, I felt like I had lost touch with who I was. Not only as a player, but as a person.

Anxiety became normal for me, and sometimes isolation felt easier than facing everything I was feeling.

But even in some of those hardest moments, the Lord was working on my heart.

Softball showed me how many people were watching and looking up to me, not simply because of how I performed, but because of the position I had been given. I started to understand that I was there for a reason much bigger than my talent or what happened on the field. God had given me a place where I could glorify Him.

That changed so much for me.

I began to understand that everything I do and everything I am is meant to glorify Him. I don't have to be perfect to be worthy. I don't have to earn my purpose through accomplishments, approval, or performance. I want others to see that God is faithful even in the middle of anxiety, pressure, uncertainty, and the seasons that don't make sense.

Perfection was never meant to be carried by us.

Jesus already carried what we never could. Because of Him, we are left with promises that are so much greater than anything this world could give us. The promise that He will never abandon us. That He will give us strength. That we are forgiven. And ultimately, the promise of eternal life with Him.

That truth is where the name Held & Home comes from.

When I look back on my life, I can see how God has held me through every valley I have walked through. Through those valleys, I've grown a relationship with Him that has given me the assurance that my home is not here. It isn't found in accomplishments, a sport, material things, or anything else this world can offer. My true home is with Him for eternity.

Held in the waiting, Home in the promise.

Those words aren't just a saying for this brand. They represent the promise I get to live with every single day.

On September 4, 2025, I lost my grandmother, someone I loved very deeply. Losing her and experiencing that separation on this side of eternity put so much into perspective for me. It lit a fire in my heart to stop waiting on the dreams God had placed there and to create something that would allow me to continue sharing His message and glorifying Him even after my time on the softball field was over.

And that became Held & Home.

Of course, I love clothes. I love shopping. I love finding pieces that make you feel beautiful and confident. But my prayer for this store reaches so much further than that.

I pray that Held & Home brings people together. I pray that it reminds people that we are held by God through everything we walk through. I pray that it encourages us to love others well, gives women confidence in what they wear, and, above everything else, glorifies Him.

I don't want this to just be a place where you come to shop. I want it to be a place where you feel welcome exactly where you are. A place that reminds you that you don't have to have everything figured out. A place that points back to the truth that through every season, every valley, every waiting period, and every unknown, you are already held. And one day, we will be Home.

Held in the waiting, Home in the promise. 🤍

— Allyson
Founder of Held & Home