July 3 2013
Author Ashley Merryman Helps Us Master the Art of Competition in "Top Dog"
Award-winning science journalists Ashley Merryman and Po Bronson made headlines in Sept. 2009 when they released “NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children.”
Indeed, their anti-parenting manual is an insightful exploration of themes and issues that transcend children’s (and adults’) lives: intelligence, racism, civility and aggression, honesty and deception, morality and kindness, peer pressure, risk-taking, and the growth of family relationships.
Their new book, Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, which was released in Feb. 2013, is another fascinating exploration that is chock full of research and keen analysis.
We traveled to Merryman’s home in Los Angeles for our podcast interview, where we talked about:
- The difference between the way men and women compete.
- Her thoughts on Sheryl Sandberg’s hit book, “Lean In.”
- Why some women choose not to compete—and what that means for society, and the future.
- The impact that her work as a speechwriter in the Clinton administration had on her understanding of what it means to win and lose.
- The insights she gained from Chapter 6: “The utter importance of pillow fights.”
- And much more!
Download our powerful one-hour podcast now!
- Click here to listen to our interview with Po Bronson.
- Click here to read our review of “Top Dog,” our covers story in the July 2013 issue of Be Inkandescent magazine.
- If you are a parent, you’ll want to learn more about Merryman and Bronson’s previous bestseller, NurtureShock.
- And don’t miss our interview with Merryman on why creativity scores are falling.
More about Ashley Merryman
Ashley Merryman is an author and public speaker who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University.
Before launching her writing career, Merryman was a litigation attorney and a speechwriter in the Clinton Administration. Here in LA, she also directs an all-volunteer tutoring program for inner-city kids. For her civic involvement, Merryman received commendations from both the Clinton and Bush Administrations.