Gabby Carrier has carved a name for herself within the sports industry. Adventurous, courageous, environmentalist and fearless, Gabby continually strives to not only better herself, but also the people and community in which she lives. Gabby follows her heart and blindly takes the leap of faith to see where life takes her. Gabby is our #WCW because of her effortless determination to never give up on her dreams.
1. What's your story? What makes you unique?
I want to start off by saying everything I have, and everything I am is because of my two incredible single parents. They have taught me to value honesty, adventure, faith and a passion for life that drives me daily. I wouldn’t be anywhere without them. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia where I had a happy childhood and four wonderful years at Georgia College and State University. I have lived in four cities in the past six years - currently working for Major League Soccer in New York City
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2. What motivates you?
I’d have to say that the thing that motivates me the most is time - and the fact that we have so little of it on this planet. Stuart Scott said, “It’s how you live, why you live and the manner in which you live.”
At the end of the day, we’re all just walking each other home. Every day is a new opportunity to experience vulnerable moments and the risk of love; opportunities to learn from each other, listen to each other and believe in each other; opportunities to leave the world better than we found it.
3. Who is a hero of yours?
In #SportsBiz: Sam Ponder, Katie Nolan, Rachel Nicholls – the list goes on and on. Not only do they strive in a male-dominated field, these women are some of the best in the business.
In general: Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, for always encouraging people to be in nature, be personally responsible, and to simplify.
4. Give us a road map of your career. How did you get to where you are today?
I had a passion for sports at a young age – not necessarily for playing, but for watching people accomplish their dreams, and observing people from all over the world unite for a game. I can watch almost any sporting event with contentment, and often shed a tear at the beauty of the game.
My parents always said if you do something you love, you never work a day in your life. When the time came around for me to focus on what I wanted to do for a living, I knew I wanted to work in sports. After I made that decision, every choice I made revolved around that dream. I wrote for the sports section of the newspaper, hosted a sports radio talk show, was a field reporter for my college news station and was the PR Chair for my college wakeboard team.
These extracurricular activities prepared me for my semester-long full-time communications internship for the Philadelphia Flyers. Once I had a taste for working for a professional team, I was hooked.
I moved out to Denver, Colorado after graduation. I did not have a job, but I knew where I wanted to live and what I wanted to do. I did not have any contacts in Denver, so I reached out to a member of every sports team in the area’s Communications department and picked up a part-time job with the Colorado Rapids (while working two other part-time jobs to make ends meet). At the time I worked for the Club, Major League Soccer was converting all of the team websites from the old platform to the new Drupal platform, so I volunteered to spearhead this monumental project. I learned quickly what it took to do a website migration, and I loved it. I wasn’t the only one that noticed. Following the migration- Major League Soccer had an opening in their Digital Club Services department and my name was brought up. I quickly jumped at the opportunity, packed my bags and moved to New York City. The rest is history.
5. What's your future plan? Your goals?
Professionally, I hope that my future is, and will always be in sports. I would love to be the head of a digital department for a team (preferably NHL or MLS), that is a pioneer in the digital space.
Personally, I have a way too long bucket list, so it would be great to accomplish as many of those things as I could.
More importantly, what we do for ourselves is fleeting, but what we do for others is eternal. I am determined to leave this world better than I found it. I would like to contribute by preserving the environment for future generations so they can enjoy it as much as we have, as well as giving back to causes that I am passionate about such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
6. If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?
Kevin Durant once said, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” My advice would be to find something that you are passionate about, put all you’ve got into making that dream a reality, and don’t be afraid to relocate.
Work hard every day. Trust yourself. Be present. In the meantime, be empathetic and kind to people along the way.
7. What is something you feel strongly about (a cause, belief, etc.)?
I am deeply driven by my faith. I truly believe that we were all put on this planet for something bigger than ourselves, and that God equipped us in advance for what he wants us to do. He doesn’t show us the full picture, and he is just as interested in the process as he is the destination. The process is what is going to make us into the people that we are, so the destination doesn’t break us. Therefore, I believe if we build on the right foundation, there will be a strength within us that will get us through and prepare us for the future.
God wants our lives to be moving forward into the mission he has chosen for us. In order for us to move forward in our mission, we must prepare ourselves with a solid foundation. We must trust in him and continue to grow both mentally and spiritually, because who we are becoming is just as important as who we will be.
8. What's one of the coolest things you've ever done?
Oh man, this is a tough one. I have been blessed with so many incredible once in a lifetime experiences at such a young age. I must say skydiving, summiting Longs Peak – the tallest mountain in the Rockies, and hiking the Grand Canyon take the cake.
9. Anything we haven't asked that you'd like to talk about.
I would just like to say a big thank you to Meredith Dean for giving me this opportunity. Continue to break the glass ceiling, my friend.
I’ll leave you with an oldie, but a goodie, “of all of the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir
