Adrienne Smith talks about how she balances sports, education, work, and pursuing one's calling in life.
Written by Mike Vardy
I’ve always wanted to interview a football player for the podcast.
Thanks to Adrienne Smith, I got my chance.
Now this conversation was recorded before the Bengals had their stellar run to Super Bowl LVI, so when I talk about my football fandom you’ll find that I’m not as elated about my team compared to where they’re at now. (Adrienne has a bit of a history with the Bengals as well, which she reveals during our conversation.)
As an athlete, Adrienne has won two gold medals and four national championships in the sport of women’s tackle football. Adrienne has also represented the U.S. in the sport of flag football, having won three silver medals in international competition. Whether on the field or off, Adrienne’s personal mission is to “empire” (empower+inspire) others – a concept she strives to incorporate into all of her endeavors.
As an entrepreneur, Adrienne, an MBA graduate of Columbia Business School, is the co-founder of Harlem Hip-Hop Tours (a company dedicated to edutainment field trips for schools and youth groups), the founder of Gridiron Queendom (an enterprise dedicated to women and girls around the world who play or are fans of American football), and the creator of Blitz Champz (a super fun, football card game that reinforces math skills for children in grades 3-8).
When it comes to media, Adrienne is a multi-hyphenate (writer, actress, and producer) with experience that runs the gamut from producing and hosting a television show in Japan to developing film and television properties for the U.S. market.
During our conversation, Adrienne talks about how she fell in love with football, what a typical day for the very productive Adrienne Smith looks like, how precise she gets with allocating time for her tasks and projects, and how Adrienne keeps her intentions illuminated – including inventing a game that helped her give back to the game of football, Blitz Champz.
There are some great takeaways from our conversation. I hope you enjoy it.