Aug 28, 2023
This week Ivy Slater, host
of Her Success Story, chats with her guest, Adrienne
Smith. The two talk about Gridiron Queendom’s inspiring
mission, the importance of women supporting women, and the joy that
comes from doing what you love.
In this episode, we discuss:
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How Adrienne became involved in the world of sports, and how her life trajectory changed because of it
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Why she attributes so much of her journey to the act of women supporting women
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How her triumphs on the field assisted her in business ventures and networking
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How she took the idea of a football-themed card game, developed it, and later partnered with the NFL to bring us Blitz Champz
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How her business pivoted during Covid
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Where Gridiron Queendom is today, and what Adrienne has learned along the way
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Why she says that preparation equals opportunity
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Tips from Adrienne on building your business
Adrienne Smith is founder of Gridiron Queendom with a mission to create more opportunities in football and professional sports for women and girls. Adrienne and her work have been featured on Today Show, Forbes, and in a new, iconic ad campaign for the milk industry’s Team Milk!
Adrienne is also the creator of the award-winning football-themed card game Blitz Champz—bringing the excitement and joy of football to kids and families in a fun, action-packed and educational way. This past fall, Blitz Champz partnered with NFL FLAG to deliver the excitement of the game for youth participants at the Patriots Regional tournament in Taunton, MA, and NFL teams including The Houston Texans and The Las Vegas Raiders have featured Blitz Champz at youth football clinics.
As one of the best-performing wide receivers in women’s football history, having won two gold medals and four national championships throughout her women’s tackle football career, Adrienne knows a thing or two about what it takes to compete—and win. This past summer, Adrienne and her team, The Boston Renegades, were flown on The New England Patriots’ private plane to Canton,OH where they won their third straight and sixth overall national championship. Adrienne and her team have been winners of national championships in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2021. In addition to her role with the Renegades, Adrienne has been a member of the U.S. women’s national flag football team, winning three silver medals in international competitions.
The Patriots have said of Adrienne, “She cannot be stopped,” and the Times Union has called her “The face of women in football.” In addition to her work as a sports star, she has also appeared in popular TV shows such as Orange is the New Black.
Adrienne's professional career began in Japan, where she worked as a translator and Coordinator of International Relations for the Japanese Board of Education. During her two years in this position, Adrienne produced and co-hosted a local television show geared towards educating Japanese people about American culture. She earned her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School in Media & Entertainment; and her Bachelor’s degree in Japanese and Film, with a pre-med concentration, from Washington University in St. Louis. She is currently based in New York City.
Website: https://www.blitzchampz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrienne.smith.39904
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriennethe10/