AUde to Women

Ashley Merrill, Founder & CEO of Lunya

Ashley Merrill, Founder & CEO of Lunya

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” 

Hey Ashley, what did 2018 mean for you and Lunya?
Growth!!! 2018 has been like sitting on a rocket ship. Brick and mortar stores, twice the team, lots of growth and learning personally.    

What is your favorite way to wind down at the end of a long day?
Lunya on, Bengal Spice tea and Netflix comedy.   

What makes you feel empowered?
Choices. The choice to be a career woman or to be a full time mom is an example of a decision that enables me to feel empowered and in control of my own destiny.

What is the best advice you ever received?
Be the change you want to see in the world.   

What women have influenced/inspired you most in your life? 
There have been so many. There is a woman named Carrie Kirkman who I call from time to time. She has run many companies and often takes on impossible “fix it” turn around jobs. She has an amazing outlook and inspirational attitude.

In what ways are you seeing women supporting other women in your industry? 
Being a woman today has been a really let up for me in business. The frequent narrative of women backstabbing or competing with one another couldn’t be further from the truth in my experience. There are times that I’ll call someone I don’t know who is running a business and hit them up with questions. There is a common mission among women in business and it's to see each other succeed and I have never had a woman turn me away. I do my best to return the favor to other as well. I think there is a real sense of camaraderie out there right now.

We proudly dedicated our Square Edition to Ashley.