Ode to Stephanie

Most people evaluate where they have been, where they are going and plan what they want to do when their birthday rolls around. Today, I’m going to kill a couple of birds with one stone. I am going to do a branding exercise by looking into the meaning of my name, explain how I got my name, and look at famous and influential women I know who also share the name Stephanie.

First, the meaning of Stephanie, means “crown”. I would like to translate it for today’s audience into being empowered and charged to accomplish great things. One doesn’t need a crown or be named Stephanie to accomplish great things. I like to think that I am helping people to be empowered through their websites, but enough about work.

When I was born, it took my folks a week to come up with my name. Stefanie Powers, (from Hart to Hart fame in the ‘80s) was on TV, and that’s how I got the name, without the “f” but the “ph” instead.

In addition to famous Stephanies, I also want to acknowledge a few notable Stephanies who I am proud to share the name.

Stephanie Agresta, (who also has a birthday soon) I met virtually online several years ago. We have seen each other online and then finally met in person at a product launch event. I refer to her as the “Affiliate Diva” as she literally built multiple affiliate program for many companies.
Stephanie Fierman, who was recently profiled in ClickZ, I have met through a client and good friend of mine. She has a breath of knowledge in media and marketing and her insights make me think about my own marketing strategies.

Last but not least, there is a former co-worker of mine who is also named Stephanie. You can read about here in a post I did about networking.

So let’s get today started.