On more than one occasion, Ashley Merryman has been described as a “force of nature.”

That’s because Ash. finds the best science to help people succeed. She challenges us to think differently about motivation, inspiration, creativity, leadership, parenting—the aspects of relationships that go to the core of our lives. In doing so, she changes how we think and how we act. And then, before we know it, she’s changed the world.

Two-time New York Times bestselling author, Ash.’s taught Olympians and professional athletes how to better perform under pressure. She’s advised Fortune 100 executives on the science of innovation and how to successfully navigate change. She’s coached military leaders on building a winning culture. Laws have been written, scientific fields changed, organizations formed and transformed, conferences established, and more, all on the basis of her work.

Ash.’s book NurtureShock, co-authored with Po Bronson, has become one of the most influential books about children and parenting ever published. On the New York Times bestseller list for more than six months and an Amazon Top Nonfiction 100 book for more than a year, it has been translated into 20 languages.

Their follow-up, Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, was another instant New York Times bestseller with foreign translations around the world. Since its publication, Top Dog has revolutionized the world of elite performance: Coaches of professional sports carry it in their bags. Olympians describe themselves as “Top Dog athletes.”

In 2018, Ash. was asked to serve at the Pentagon for a one-year term (with a civilian rank equivalent to rear admiral) as the Special Advisor for the Chief of Naval Operations, the four-star admiral who serves as the military leader of the United States Navy. During that role, Ash. brought a new focus on how to use scientific evidence to inform culture, leadership, policy, and practice—to help ensure that everyone can succeed to the best of their ability. Continuing this work, in 2020, she then served as Special Advisor for the Department of the Navy’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.

While in these roles, Ash. created The Watch List, a one-of-a-kind, evidence-based approach to prevent destructive behaviors in the workplace. When other programs relegate leaders to a role where they only respond to tragic events after the fact, The Watch List is revolutionary in its approach: It gives leaders an active role in preventing destructive behaviors—identifying the risk factors that make toxic environments more likely to occur. And when leaders do so, they can not only improve the environment, but performance and productivity.

The Watch List is now used by the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.

In 2022, Ash. founded The Sherwood Group, using science-based tools to help leaders become better leaders.

In addition to cover stories and more for Newsweek and New York, Ash. written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN.com, Time, the Guardian, ESPN Magazine, and others. An attorney, Ash. wrote more than 50 pieces on the substance and practice of law for US News & World Report during 2023-2024.

Her media appearances include: CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360; Fox and Friends; CBS This Morning; @KatieCouric; John Stossel; ESPN’s Outside the Lines; HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel; Red Bull’s Visions of Greatness; BBC’s World News and Sports Hour; and NPR's On Point. She is also a contributor to Chronicle Books’ bestselling 642 Things to Write About. (And she once delighted “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O'Leary with an on-air explanation of how science could predict his success, while Stephen Colbert devoted a segment of The Colbert Report to her take on kids and competition.)

Among the honors Ash. has received: She was presented with a Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the United States Navy. She has been a Senior Non-resident Fellow for the Joint Special Operations University, a Poynter Fellow for Journalism at Yale University, and a William J. Clinton Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Arkansas's Clinton School of Public Service. She has received 12 awards for her writing including the PEN Center USA Literary Award, AAAS Award for Science Journalism, an “Audie,” and two Clarions. And her mastery of the science is considered so authoritative that her work’s been cited in more than 1,280 books and journal articles to date. 

Ash. has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts (Fight on!) and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University (Hoya Saxa!).