Her Story
About Marissa
Marissa Gradei is the Senior Social Media Manager and Content Creator for One Life Fitness. She brings nearly five years of experience in the fitness industry, preceded by work at an agency handling social media for hotels and resorts across the United States. Her expertise centers on social strategy and content creation, informed by her background as a competitive gymnast and her studies at Dominican University in River Forest, the University of Strasbourg in France, and the University of Limerick in Ireland. Gradei manages content calendars, community engagement, user-generated content programs, and influencer initiatives across seventy locations while emphasizing honesty and authenticity in fitness content. She attributes her success to embracing failure and pursuing a career aligned with her passions, and she advises young women entering the field to identify their specific interests within social media and commit to them.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Marissa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think not being afraid to fail. You're gonna fail, and there's gonna be you're gonna get no's and rejections, and as long as you keep pushing and pursuing, you're gonna be successful, but the second you give up is when You're giving up on yourself.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
It's find a career that's in something you're passionate about. So if You love what you do? You don't actually work a day in your life.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find something you're passionate about, and stick to that. If you're interested in social media, find what about social media? Is it fashion? Is it fitness? Is it animals? Is it charities? There's every single company needs a social media person... Just find what it is that you need to be successful, and what it is you're passionate about, and find a career in that sector of social media.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Challenges, I would say the biggest is there's just so many brands out there, And figuring out what would make someone want to follow us. ... being able to create content that is informative, but also engaging, and Funny and keeps people in line. is something that is the biggest challenge, but I think is also the biggest opportunity.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think just honesty and, like, is a big one. I think especially in the fitness industry, there are so many Fitness influencers that are like, if you follow my workout routine, you're gonna get the same growth, and They've had surgery done to look the way they do, and there's so much Lying on social media... I think honesty would be the best part in showing that not every fitness journey is going to be all high. Like, there's gonna be Lowe'.
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