EMBA alumna Nicole Monique Gray knows a few things about standing out in a crowd. Through her life and career she has taken what makes her unique and used her individuality to her advantage. Her radio show, That’s What SHE Said Sports, proves that staying true to yourself can bring great success.  

Sitting behind the mic recording her next show, Gray, who goes by Nicole Monique on-air, knows she is where she’s always wanted to be. The show is her original creation, covering all sports while weaving in pop culture and in-depth features.

“When I graduated with my EMBA in May 2012 I felt like I would never look back,” said Gray. “That’s when I created That’s What SHE Said Sports.”

As a young girl Gray dreamed of a career as a broadcaster, earning her undergraduate degree in broadcasting with a minor in journalism. After graduation and a frustrating job search, she took a position in corporate America to “pay the bills.”

Fast-forward years later and Gray found herself still working in the corporate world, not over her love of broadcasting and wondering what move to make next. 

“At that point I knew I had to make a decision,” she said. “If I was going to continue on this path I needed some guidance to figure out how to be better and happier.”

Though her heart was pointing her away from business, two friends who had previously graduated from Coles suggested an Executive MBA might be just the thing she needed to break out of her rut and move forward. After comparing competing programs and weighing her options, she joined the EMBA class of 2012.

“Walking in I heard I’m a VP of this, I’m C-level of that,” she said. “I felt really small. Am I in the right place? Can I do this? I decided not to get caught up on what everyone else had done and realize what I could bring to the table.”  

What she brought to the table was personality; the ability to talk straight, read people and not rely on business acumen as a crutch.  

 “In my career I could always see on the clients face when things got too sales and corporate, when it was too much business speak,” she said. “I can do the business side, but lets think outside the box, in fact, let’s smash it.” 

As she neared the end of her EMBA program Gray began to look ahead and plan her next move. In January of 2012 she created That’s What SHE Said Sports, and that May she walked across the stage at graduation. 

The show started off as a podcast that Gray recorded in her basement studio with co-host Bee Gee.   It currently airs on WRNW AM 1100, The Women’s Radio Network, but she says it’s appeal isn’t limited to women. 

“I position myself as a sports fan,” she said “Not the just the women’s perspective or the female idea. Some listeners are not big sports fans but thankfully they like me. My show is more welcoming than other sports shows.”

Gray has found that her most impactful stories have nothing to do with the score of last night’s game, or the latest tidbit on LeBron, but on everyday athletes and their life stories. She has partnered with the Special Olympics and featured athletes across a broad spectrum of sports.

“I like human interest stories,” she said. “Everyone always has a story and sometimes it’s not the star.”

With more than two years on the air and growth on her mind, Gray credits her EMBA education with not only giving her the confidence to start her show, but the business knowledge to make it successful.

“It’s important to have good content, but you also need to know the business side,” she said. “At the end of the day I had to be smart about the business.” 

The time Gray feels most like she’s back in the office is when she’s out making sales calls to get sponsors and advertising. With the goal of syndication set, more sponsors means moving forward.

“I know that to take it to another level I have to get sponsors,” she said. “I like going out and marketing to smaller businesses. When it comes to advertising we’re inexpensive, that’s out competitive advantage.” 

 Gray acknowledges the irony in getting an EMBA to get out of the corporate world, not move up in it, but with the goals she has for her show and future syndication, she’ll need all the big business knowledge she has.

“At the end of the day you have to wear the many hats,” she said. “Sales, producer, talent, I do it all. I do look forward to growing enough to have a staff and pass on some of those roles. I have the goal of having the #1 sports show in the country.”