Stephanie Rice Launches Faith-Based Business Venture
The former Olympic swimmer, now 38, has started a faith-based business after resigning from a corporate CEO role.
Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Swimming
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Former Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice launched a faith-based business 12 days before posting an update about it on Instagram. She resigned from her corporate director-turned-CEO position, and the business includes a prayer board pack and a mail club.
Why it matters
Rice said she resigned believing she was instructed to do so by God and that her previous businesses failed because she was trying to operate in her own strength. Her account is a personal explanation for a career change rather than an independently verified business outcome.
Rice reports more than 130 job rejections over an eight-month search and about eight prior businesses, none successful, figures drawn from her own account. Her current venture's commercial performance has not been disclosed.
The players
Stephanie Rice
Stephanie Rice is a former Olympic swimmer who competed for Australia and later built a career in corporate leadership and business consulting.
The details
Rice shared a video update on Instagram after returning from a morning prayer walk, saying she has been praying for clarity and structure to organize her business ideas. She revealed the rejections and her pivot in early November 2026 and has lived in Dubai since November 2023.
Timeline
November 2023: Rice began living in Dubai.
2025: Rice married pastor Mark Lassey and changed her surname to Lassey.
Early November 2026: Rice revealed the job rejections and launched the business.
November 15, 2026: Rice posted an update 12 days into the new business.
Season Trajectory
Rice's pivot follows a familiar path of former elite athletes moving from sport into business, though her explicitly faith-framed account stands apart from typical career-transition narratives. Her reported eight-month search and repeated business attempts illustrate how difficult that transition can be even for high-profile figures.
For readers following athletes who move into business, Rice's account shows that repeated job rejections and failed ventures can precede a career change. Anyone considering a similar pivot may find her timeline a concrete example of the search period involved.
The takeaway
Rice's experience, as she describes it, shows that a long run of rejections and failed ventures does not necessarily end a professional search. Her own framing attributes the change to personal faith, so readers should weigh it as her account rather than a general rule.
Further reading
Explore more on the Swimming section for other news about athletes from the sport.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Nine.
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