CEO | Gnarly Nutrition
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An early love for science landed Shannon O’Grady in the biology doctoral program at the University of Utah, during which she relieved stress through endurance sports and quickly became attuned to how integral nutrition was to both performance and recovery. She became obsessed with sports nutrition science and dreamt of creating her own line of sports nutrition products. Shannon formerly served in the roles of CPO and COO at Gnarly and has a track record of driving positive change at the company. As CEO, Shannon’s plans include expanding the Gnarly team and expanding the product line beyond powdered supplements.
What is an accomplishment you’re very proud of?
Gnarly Nutrition is the only brand in the sports nutrition industry that has taken a definitive step toward improving the sustainability of our packaging. Two years ago, we transitioned from using plastic containers to stainless steel cans. Plastic is recycled at a rate of less than 5 percent in the U.S., while steel is recycled at a rate of more than 70 percent. Since that change, we’ve saved an estimated 39,000 lbs of plastic from the landfill.
How do you view your role as a woman in your sector or industry?
Up until this point, I’ve never really considered my gender in my career, but I’m realizing the importance of leading by example both within Gnarly Nutrition and in the greater sports nutrition industry. Internally, this looks like increasing workplace diversity, providing competitive pay and creating a supportive and goal-oriented workplace culture. Externally, you’ll find Gnarly pushing the boundaries on quality products, transparent labeling and sustainable packaging, as well as diversity and inclusion in sports. I truly believe that if you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. To Main Page