Stephanie McMahon joined ESPN's Hannah Storm for a special edition of Face to Face live from the eighth annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit on Tuesday. McMahon, the chief brand officer of WWE, discussed finding her voice, work-life balance and owning her destiny.
Here are a few gems from the conversation:
On the power of women
I never saw gender as a barrier. I grew up with a mother [Linda McMahon] who was the CEO of WWE. I didn't know anything but [seeing women in power]. As women, we have to be that voice in the room. All women are forces of nature, and I believe in their power. I believe that for my three daughters.
It's a family affair
I always saw myself working for the family business. I just didn't know how. I interned for a while, and then I went on to become an account executive. And of course, I was on the talent team for a while. However, I truly fell in love with the creative side and storytelling. So I went on to join the writing team. Two weeks in, the head writer quit, so I got the opportunity to head up the creative team. I know it's a privilege to have worked with my family, specifically with my father [WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon] and my mother. I absorbed everything I could. Oh, and yes, he's Vince at work and dad at home.
Building a brand
We have an ecosystem of content. For example, we have an upcoming 30 for 30 film by ESPN on WWE [legend] Ric Flair [which comes out on Nov. 7]. Additionally, in [2016], we rebranded our women's division. They were previously called "Divas" and are now called "Superstars," just like our male athletes. With this process, we started training the women the same as the men and giving them more attention.
On "me" time
My husband and I, [WWE Superstar Triple H], work out at midnight. We do it after the kids go to sleep. That's the only time we have to ourselves, so we make it work.
