The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) has named Ashley Black its Top Inventor and Business Innovator of the Year for 2019. The announcement came from New York on July 2, 2019. Black is a bestselling author, TEDx speaker, entrepreneur and the inventor of the FasciaBlaster tools. She is also a co-author of a peer-reviewed, published study on those tools. IAOTP said it chose her because of her leadership and commitment to her industry.
However, only a handful of IAOTP members in each field receive this distinction. Honorees are selected for their career results, education, leadership, years of experience, affiliations and community work. All of them are invited to the group’s annual gala at the end of the year.
From illness to a business
Black has spent more than 20 years working on fascia care for Olympians, pro athletes and Hollywood celebrities. After years of that work, she founded the company behind the FasciaBlaster, a myofascial tool. According to the release, it became one of America’s fastest-growing companies.
She was born in 1973 in a small Alabama town. As a child she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. As a result, she spent years in and out of doctors’ offices. Doctors told her she would need a wheelchair by age 25. Instead, she developed her own ways to manage flare-ups and pain.
By testing ideas on herself, Black concluded that much of her pain came from restrictions in fascia. Fascia is the connective tissue that wraps and runs through every organ, joint and muscle. She then combined soft tissue therapy, fascia stretching, body mechanics and core activation into a holistic method for wellness, sports performance and recovery. The release credits her with helping create a new field she calls Fasciology.
Her clients have included players from the NBA, PGA, NHL and MLB. Olympians and winners of the Oscar, Emmy and Grammy awards also used her methods. She has since added new tools and related products and has sold more than a million items worldwide.
Books, talks and research
Her book, The Cellulite Myth: It’s Not Fat, It’s Fascia, debuted at number one, ahead of The Girl on the Train while that film was in theaters. Black has spoken at medical conferences around the world. Her work was also presented at the International NSCA Conference in Madrid, Spain, and she gave a TEDx talk. In addition, she hosted Billionaire HealthCare on VoiceAmerica, worked as a career coach for the University of Houston and once owned TANK (Training Athletes Neuro Kinetically).
Recently she co-authored a study on the FasciaBlaster tools. According to the release, it found that they improved cellulite and remodeled the fibrotic tissue beneath it. The release says these findings give hope for a range of medical issues.
Black studied engineering at Auburn University. While there, she was a gymnast and captain of Tiger Paws, the university’s dance team.
IAOTP president Stephanie Cirami said the decision was easy for the panel, calling Black brilliant, humble and gracious. Black will be honored at the group’s annual gala at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. For 2019 she is also in the running for a TIP (Top Industry Professional) Magazine feature and the Empowered Woman Award. Back in 2016, the FasciaBlaster earned her a nomination for Inventor of the Year from the USPTO.
Black credits her success to perseverance, mentors and passion for her work. Outside the office, she likes to travel and spend time with family. She hopes to keep teaching people everywhere about fascia, so they can live better lives.
