Influential Woman · MarTech
Grace Howell
Senior Expansion SDR, Invoca
Orlando, FL
Her Story
About Grace
I started my journey as a student athlete playing soccer at St. Leo University for two years. When COVID happened, I left the team and transferred to UCF to finish my undergrad as a regular student. Losing soccer was really hard. I struggled with depression and felt like I had lost my identity and sense of purpose.
Around that same period of my life, I was also trying to navigate a late diagnosis of bipolar disorder while carrying the reality of having lost family members to the extremely misunderstood/isolating mental illness. That experience forced me to become much more self-aware, intentional, and resilient in both my personal life and professional growth.
That’s when I found UCF’s Professional Selling Program. I applied, interviewed, got accepted, and graduated from the program a year later before finishing my degree at UCF the following year. What drew me to sales was the competitive nature and team environment that reminded me of athletics. I couldn’t figure out who I was without soccer, and I needed something that gave me that same sense of energy, purpose, and connection. Sales gave me that team mentality back.
I don’t think sales deserves its reputation for being pushy or manipulative. When you work for a company you genuinely believe in, sales becomes about helping people solve problems and creating meaningful impact. I’m naturally a people person, so this career has become an outlet for connection, communication, and relationship building while still feeding my drive to compete and grow.
I’ve spent most of my career in startup environments where wearing multiple hats is the norm. I enjoy building systems, creating structure, and helping teams find forward momentum. Interestingly, my last two opportunities came through LinkedIn, which has shown me how powerful relationships, consistency, and personal branding can be.
Today, much of my work centers around strategic outreach, cold calling, email engagement, and working with current customers to identify opportunities and expand impact across accounts. More than anything, I’m passionate about growth, both professionally and personally, and continuing to build a career rooted in resilience, adaptability, and authentic human connection.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Grace
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a refusal to accept 'the way things have always been done.' I’ve realized that my greatest strength isn’t just working a process, but building the systems. Coming from a background in high-stakes hospitality and being a vocal advocate for bipolar awareness, I’ve learned that growth doesn’t happen in comfortable environments; it happens when you have the courage to be a builder in the midst of survival. I don't just show up to the role; I lean into empathy and ingenuity to redefine what the role can be.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Just start. Honestly, just start. That's the best career advice I've ever received - don't overthink it, don't wait for the perfect moment, just take that first step and begin.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Your path doesn’t need to make sense to anyone else.
Nontraditional journeys often feel messy in the moment but they are often what shape the most adaptable, self-aware professionals.
Learn how you operate.
Understanding how your mind works: your strengths, your patterns, your challenges… They can become one of your greatest advantages if you lean into it.
Stop trying to go back to who you were.
Growth often requires letting go of past identities. The goal isn’t to return to who you were, it’s to intentionally build who you’re becoming.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Being a woman in a male-dominated industry while also coming from a nontraditional background taught me that there is no single blueprint for success. Some of the most impactful people in this space are those who have learned how to adapt, communicate effectively, and navigate uncertainty with resilience. I think diverse experiences create stronger perspectives, and that’s something the industry is continuing to recognize more and more.
One of the biggest challenges in MarTech and SaaS right now is balancing automation with authentic human connection. AI and technology are evolving incredibly fast, which creates huge opportunities for personalization, efficiency, and better customer experiences, but it also creates a risk of losing the human side of communication if companies rely too heavily on automation without intention.
I think the companies and professionals who will stand out are the ones who understand how to use technology to enhance relationships, not replace them.
There’s also a major opportunity in connecting marketing efforts more directly to real business outcomes. Buyers today expect seamless experiences across every touchpoint, and organizations are realizing that marketing, sales, and customer experience can no longer operate separately. That alignment is becoming more important than ever in relation to driving revenue.
On a personal level, I think there’s a growing opportunity for more nontraditional voices in tech and SaaS. Some of the most adaptable and creative professionals are those who took unconventional paths and learned how to evolve through change rather than follow a perfectly linear journey.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity, growth, resilience, and connection are the values that guide me most in both my personal life and career.
I value being genuine in the way I communicate and show up for people. In a fast-paced industry, it can be easy to focus only on performance metrics, but I believe real impact comes from building trust and meaningful relationships.
Growth is also incredibly important to me, not just professionally, but personally. A big part of my journey has been learning how to rebuild confidence, better understand myself, and continue evolving instead of staying attached to who I used to be.
Resilience is another value I carry closely. Some of the biggest lessons in my life came from navigating uncertainty and learning how to keep moving forward even when I didn’t feel fully ready.
Above all, I value connection. Whether in business or in life, I think people remember how you make them feel, and I always want my work to create a positive and lasting impact.
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