We recently connected with Stephanie Hardy and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I am so happy as a creative person. Throughout my life, I have been artistically involved. Whether it was ballet, hip hop dance, choral singing, theater and writing, I was in it! But after college, my musical pursuits were not as successful as I thought they would be. As I worked to make a living, I struggled with what I really wanted to do. But since I started my own wrestling podcast, I have felt a stronger sense of purpose and confidence in my voice. I know that people actually want to listen to me and that I can create a safe space within the wrestling community for everyone to be a part of. Starting my own podcast has also given me opportunities to branch into being a commentator and a writer!
I do have a regular job, so I know what it is like to juggle multiple hustles in order to fulfill parts of my life. I do hope for the day I can receive a bigger artistic opportunity that is lucrative. But I also love being artistically fulfilled more.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m Stephanie Hardy, and I’m 30 years old. I’m proudly from the Magic City of Birmingham, Alabama, and I got into the craft of podcasting, writing and color commentary by just trying them with a lot of help from media savants, wrestling promoters, fans and friends. With my show The Hardy Wrestling Podcast, I talk about professional wrestling from a place of love, positivity, passion and truth. I also write about and commentate from that place as well. When you love something, you care for it and uplift it and the people who do it and that’s what I want to do in this space.
I am most proud of creating a safe space for everyone in the wrestling community, and I want people to know that I’m a girl who is ready to dream. A girl who wants to be a great example of the good in wrestling and a trailblazer that opens doors for others.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Yes! I built my audience on social media by creating platforms for the podcast for recognition. Then I downloaded the Audiogram app to create small audio clips and placed pictures that fit the subject of what was being discussed on those clips. I then posted the clips to social media spaces that specified in wrestling relentlessly before, during and after wrestling programming.
My advice to anyone starting to build their social media presence is to not feel guilty about posting. Don’t ever think that people will get sick of your content or ignore you completely. There is always an audience for whatever it is you’re giving. Who you are and your content is valid.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
There are two goals driving my creative journey. The first one is to be a person that wrestling personalities feel comfortable talking to on a human and journalistic level. The second goal is to be a great representative of Black women who are wrestling fans and to become the first Black woman to be a full-time commentator for WWE, IMPACT! Wrestling or Women of Wrestling (WOW).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee.com/queenstephhardy
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/queenstephhardy
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/hardywrestlingpodcast/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/QueenStephHardy
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/hardywrestlingpodcast