Shermin Kruse is a globally recognized author, law professor, and Stoicism expert whose work in empathy, resilience, and leadership has reached audiences from corporate boardrooms to international stages. Born in Tehran during profound social and political upheaval, she began writing at age ten, penning poetry in Farsi as a way of processing life under the pressures of war. Her family later immigrated to Canada, and Shermin went on to earn degrees in philosophy and neuropsychology from the University of Toronto and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

She spent 17 years as a partner at Barack Ferrazzano, representing Fortune 500 clients in high-stakes international negotiations, an experience that became the foundation for her pioneering work in tactical empathy: combining cognitive empathy with strategic action to create lasting impact. She is the author of the acclaimed novel Butterfly Stitching, the transformative guide Stoic Empathy, and the textbook Global Transactions and Regulation.

As founder and executive producer of TEDxWrigleyville, Shermin has produced over 80 TEDx and TED talks with millions of views, delivered three TEDx talks herself, and been recognized as one of the nation’s top 100 Women to Watch by BizWomen Magazine. She is a professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where she teaches Stoic empathy, negotiations, and leadership, and serves on the boards of the ACLU and RefuSHE.

The Calm Inside is her first children’s book. Shermin lives in Chicago with her four children.