About Wendy

For well over a decade, Wendy Merrill has been committed to helping lawyers and law firms to enhance their profitability and impact through innovative alignment and engagement strategies. Since 2012, she has worked with thousands of professionals and firms around the world providing practical guidance and proven techniques designed to facilitate smart and sustainable growth. In addition to StrategyHorse, Wendy is also the co-founder of The Savvy Advocate, a unique associate training program that improves the retention of top talent. A published author, Wendy wrote her first book, Path to Impact: The Rising Leader's Guide to Growing Smart, in 2019. She is an internationally known speaker and facilitator, accomplished growth strategist, and coach. 

The road to StrategyHorse was a long one, filled with various personal and professional challenges. 

Wendy has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and prior to pursuing her passion for revolutionizing the legal industry, she spent over 18 years in the insurance and risk management field. In her free time, you'll usually find Wendy at the barn with her beloved retired racehorse, Allora. She also treasures time spent with her family and traveling throughout Italy.

A native of the Greater Washington, D.C. area, Wendy now resides

 in Monkton, Maryland, with her husband and 3 children.

When Wendy was four years old, she sat on her first pony. It was 

love at first sight, and she began her lifelong obsession with 

horses. When it came to starting her own consulting practice, she wanted a name that was memorable and told a meaningful story, 

and StrategyHorse was born.

Those who are unfamiliar with horses often find them intimidating, even scary, as their size and their speed can make them appear threatening. Ironically, horses are actually prey animals, which means they are always vigilant and hyper-alert looking for potential threats to themselves or their herd. Their instinct for self-protection can make them spook at a blowing leaf or even a shadow. Despite their size, they are physically quite fragile and can - and do - get injured all the time. For horse lovers, it is precisely this sensitivity that fuels our passion. To enjoy a relationship with a horse, there must be an establishment of trust. The horse must trust the human to keep him safe, and conversely, we must trust our horses to keep us safe. 

Horses are highly intelligent and majestic creatures that when 

properly understood, cared for, and supported, achieve remarkable things. There are many parallels between attorneys and performance horses; to reach their full potential they both must feel supported, appreciated, and safe. 

Horses lend us the wings we lack. - Anonymous