Her Story
About Ashley
Ashley Wilson is the founder of Jaw Analytics and Persephone AI, based in Kingwood, Texas. She began her career after earning an undergraduate degree in risk management and insurance with a minor in history from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2006. Over the next decade, she rose to head of operations at a startup insurance carrier in Louisiana, gaining expertise in building insurance companies, pricing, and working with regulators and actuaries. Inspired to formalize her knowledge in data science, she completed the Harvard Business Analytics Program in 2020 as a graduate with distinction and delivered the graduation speech. In 2019, she founded Jaw Analytics to deliver high-acumen data science and analytics consulting to founders and CEOs who cannot yet afford full data science teams, guiding clients from idea to go-to-market and through scaling challenges. In 2022, she launched Persephone AI, a secure mobile app that enables discreet documentation of intimate partner abuse with time-stamped records for future court use; the app went live in 2024 and is expanding through B2B partnerships with hospitals, shelters, police, and attorneys across five countries. A single mother, Wilson attributes her success to grit, stubbornness, and resilience while balancing family, personal development, and career.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ashley
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to trauma, stubbornness, spite, and grit. It depends on the day, but you need a lot of grit because there's much easier things you could go and do. Especially as a single mom, believing in yourself and pushing through imposter syndrome and self-doubt is key.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
About five years ago, I received coaching from a woman who worked on Wall Street and was one of the first allowed to go remote as a mom in the early 2000s. Her advice was: Ashley, you can do it all, you just can't do it all at once. There's a balance that you need to strike between family, personal development, and career. Find your balance, and you'll find your way.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Sell fast, don't be scared to fail fast. You'll learn the most when you do. Don't spend too long in strategy, start executing. A lot of people that make it in business make it because they were willing to fail and try again. The sooner you get going, the faster you'll find yourself on the other side. I've only arrived where I am now 20 years later merely because I was too scared to fail in my 20s and 30s, so don't sit in that fear for a decade or two.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is believing in yourself. It's one of the hardest things to really be a solid-state sounder and scale. You need to work through a lot of imposter syndrome, self-doubt, fear. Especially as a woman, especially as a mother, and as a single mom whose children depend on you, it can make it harder to trust that you can not be dependent on a W-2.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Always do the right thing. Always do right by people when you can, without absorbing other people's challenges. There's still nothing more expensive than telling the truth. Always keep the door open for others behind you if you can. I'm a big believer in lifelong relationships and helping others.
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