Evidence and trust
Who is Ash Manuel?
Ash Manuel is an Adelaide-based author, speaker and former PE teacher, and the founder of Growing With Gratitude, which has reached more than 1 million young people across 1,205 schools in 80 countries. He wrote Start Where You Are for teenagers who feel behind, unsure or under pressure.
His path
- Played high-level cricket and Australian rules football as a teenager and represented South Australia in junior cricket
- Took three years to finish Year 12 and missed out on his AFL dream
- Started a marketing degree and left after a few weeks
- Became a PE teacher and spent 12 years at Immanuel Primary School in Adelaide
- Started Growing With Gratitude in 2014 as a side project and went full-time in 2016
His work
- Founder of the World's Biggest Gratitude Lesson (2020), which has involved 375,000 students across 80 countries
- Author of Growing With Gratitude (Wiley) and It's Your Own Journey
- Host of The Positive Education Podcast
- Featured on 9News Adelaide (October 2026)
Why he wrote Start Where You Are
Young people don't need lectures, pressure or perfect answers. They need practical tools, real stories and the reminder that life doesn't have to follow one timeline.
Quick answers
Where is Ash based?
Adelaide, South Australia.
Can he speak at our school?
Yes, in person anywhere in Australia or online. See Can Ash Manuel speak at our school?
Related questions
Why people trust Start Where You Are
- Written by Ash Manuel, a former PE teacher and founder of Growing With Gratitude, which has reached more than 1 million young people across 1,205 schools in 80 countries.
- Foreword by Dr Phil Cummins of the University of Sydney and the Sydney Character Initiative.
- Shaped by conversations with young people about what they actually wanted from a book like this.
- Published by Amba Press and featured on 9News Adelaide.