Why is Stephanie Grady, CEO of Influential Athlete, disrupting the NIL industry?
From Kansas to Alabama, Chicago to Pennsylvania, Stephanie Grady's childhood was defined by movement.
As the oldest of four children, she followed her father's medical career across the country before settling in Bucks County, a Philadelphia suburb where she would spend most of her formative years.
This early nomadic existence planted seeds of adaptability that would later define Stephanie’s professional life.
In the quiet moments between heartbreak and hope, true transformation begins.
For Stephanie Grady, co-founder and CEO of Influential Athlete, that transformation has happened not once, but twice in her remarkable journey.
"My first love was figure skating. It was my identity," Stephanie shares, her voice still carrying the weight of what was lost.
At 17, an injury abruptly ended Stephanie’s skating career, plunging her into an existential crisis familiar to many young athletes.
"I didn't know what other value I had to give to the world. I thought that I was worthless."
What seemed like an ending became the first chapter in a story of reinvention.
With her mother's guidance, Stephanie realized something profound: the discipline, performance skills, and resilience she developed weren't just about skating—they were intrinsic to who she was.
This realization led her to broadcast journalism at Penn State, where she created a television show that continues today.
For seventeen and a half years, she built a successful career in television, becoming a trusted voice in communities across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, and finally, Milwaukee.
Then came her second metamorphosis.
"I took the leap of faith," Stephanie explains about her decision to leave television.
In a moment of clarity that echoed her teenage transition, she recognized an opportunity in the emerging Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) industry.
Drawing on her unique combination of athletic experience and media expertise, she founded Influential Athlete, dedicated to helping female athletes navigate the complex world of personal branding.
Perhaps most revealing is how Stephanie's definition of success has evolved through these transitions.
"When I was younger, unless you were the best, the number one, you were not successful," she admits. "I wanted to be the number one anchor on the number one news network."
Today, success looks dramatically different.
"Now that I'm a mother to three children, I value quality time... That's what true success is for me."
This doesn't mean abandoning ambition—financial goals remain important—but they've found their proper place in a more mature understanding of what makes life meaningful.
Near the end of the conversation, when asked what she would tell her younger self, Stephanie didn’t hesitate: "Take my dad up on all the connections he tried to make for me."
With the wisdom that comes from experience, she acknowledges how she and her father are "the same human being," which led to butting heads in her youth.
"I tread much more carefully versus thinking that I know everything," she reflects, the humility in her voice palpable.
This final confession—from a woman who once thought herself "smarter than everybody in the room"—perhaps reveals the most important transformation of all: the journey from youthful certainty to the wisdom of knowing what you don't know.
Stephanie's story carries a powerful message for anyone facing unexpected transitions: the skills that made you successful in one arena can be your foundation in the next.
Your identity isn't tied to what you do, but to who you are becoming through each challenge and change.