The Grit Blueprint Podcast
Defying Expectations: Building Resilience in Male-Dominated Industries with Gina Schaefer
June 24, 2025 Length: 35 min Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)
On The Grit Blueprint Podcast, Stefanie Couch sits down with Gina Schaefer, author of Recovery Hardware and founder of 13 Ace Hardware stores in Washington D.C., to talk about building resilience in male-dominated industries. Gina shares how she turned a single hardware store into a business she sold to more than 130 employee co-owners.
About This Episode.
In this episode of The Grit Blueprint Podcast, Stefanie Couch sits down with Gina, founder of 13 Ace Hardware stores in Washington D.C., author of Recovery Hardware, and one of the most respected voices in community-driven entrepreneurship. From hiring people in recovery and returning citizens to navigating the lonely road of being a female CEO in a male-dominated industry, Gina gets raw about the mindset, strategy, and systems it took to succeed, and how she’s building a second act as a keynote speaker and culture consultant.
This is not your average “women in business” story. It’s a masterclass in leadership, succession planning, personal branding, and doing hard things, especially when no one expects you to win.
Whether you’re a contractor, builder, manufacturer, or legacy leader, this episode will challenge you to think bigger and go deeper. And if you’ve ever felt like you didn’t belong in the room? Gina’s story will show you exactly how to own your space.
You’ll hear
- • What it’s really like to start over after leaving the CEO seat
- • Why culture isn’t top-down (and how to actually create one that works)
- • The reality of being underestimated, and using that chip as fuel
- • What it takes to build a speaking business that pays what you're worth
- • Gina’s biggest lessons on branding, prospecting, and building systems
- • Why purpose and impact matter more now than ever
Learn more and connect
- Work with Stefanie or Grit Blueprint: www.gritblueprint.com/
- Get Gina’s book: Recovery Hardware
- Book Gina for speaking: ginaschaefer.com
Key Takeaways.
- Gina talks openly about hiring people in recovery and returning citizens.
- She built and sold her business to more than 130 employee co-owners, then had to start over after leaving the CEO seat.
- Culture isn't top-down, and Gina explains how to create one that actually works.
- She talks about the reality of being underestimated and using that chip as fuel.
- In her second act as a keynote speaker and culture consultant, she shares how to build a speaking business that pays what you're worth.
Questions and Answers.
Who is Gina Schaefer?
Gina Schaefer is the author of Recovery Hardware and the founder of 13 Ace Hardware stores in Washington D.C., a business she built and sold to more than 130 employee co-owners. She is building a second act as a keynote speaker and culture consultant.
How do you build resilience in a male-dominated industry?
Gina Schaefer shares the mindset, strategy, and systems it took to succeed as a female CEO in a male-dominated industry. She also talks about being underestimated and using that chip as fuel.
Is company culture created from the top down?
Gina Schaefer says culture isn't top-down, and she explains how to actually create a culture that works.
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