Wiseman grew up in Washington, D.C. with her two younger siblings and parents Steve and Kathy. She attended Occidental College in Los Angeles where she began studying Martial Arts with a fellow student James Edwards, whom she married in 1996. By the time she graduated with a BA in Political Science in 1991, Wiseman had earned a second degree blackbelt in Tang Soo Do karate.

Wiseman and Edwards moved back to Washington, D.C. after graduating, where she began to teach martial arts to young women. After hearing the young girls' questions about social issues they faced, and watching them become empowered by martial arts, Wiseman was inspired to begin working in youth empowerment and leadership-building.

After spending over a decade speaking with girls about the complex social issues they face including boys, cliques, gossip, social hierarchy, and self-image, Wiseman wrote and published Queen Bees & Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survives Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends & Other Realities of Girl World. The book gives suggestions on how parents can better understand and help their daughter navigate the social atmosphere of what Wiseman refers to as "Girl World." It includes candid quotes from girls that Wiseman interviewed, and, since its release in 2004, has become a New York Times Best Seller.