Meet Robbie Grayson

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Robbie Grayson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Robbie, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I credit my work ethic to being born into an American military family stationed in Europe from the 1970s through the early 1990s. Growing up in West Germany and England during the unraveling of the Cold War gave me a front-row seat to revolutions, shifting borders, and waves of immigration—along with a constant undercurrent of tension, especially toward Americans. Those years taught me how to build trust across language barriers, communicate without fear, and prove to wary strangers that I was not a threat, but an asset.

I remember a time when all we had in the house was days-old bread and butter. For some reason, I went digging in our backyard and uncovered enough potatoes for dinner. I took pride in spending hours foraging for fruit—blackberries, apples, pears, cherries, even gooseberries—because I knew it lifted everyone’s spirits. I also remember the quiet power of Hershey bars and Coca-Colas when we were held up at the Hungarian-Romanian border just months after Romania’s liberation. Even with valid visas and paperwork, it was those small bargaining comforts that kept us from being robbed or harassed.

I learned how to hold someone’s gaze just long enough to show I had nothing to hide. And while it might sound like something out of a WWII novel, waking up in the freezing dark to get to school, making sure I dressed like the local population (muted colors and no brand names), dealing with cold stares in neighborhoods that didn’t want us, and navigating close-quarter situations that could erupt into a standoff or worse was just part of life.

Raised mostly outside American circles, I learned to adapt from the inside out. The military calls it “turning the chessboard around,” which means seeing a situation from the local population’s perspective. That experience never left me. It’s why I don’t get as rattled as others by inflation, economic disruption, or combative talk on social media. I’ve lived through far more unpredictable times, I suppose—and they taught me to stay steady, resourceful, and vigilant, no matter what’s going on around me.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m the founder and owner of Traitmarker Media, LLC, based in Franklin, Tennessee, It’s a stripped-down strategic storytelling agency dedicated to advising and promoting authors across various platforms. The mission is to craft and share rare and compelling narratives with the audiences that need them most.

In 2007, I launched Traitmarker, an online non-clinical psychometric platform designed to help individuals “find their hidden strength.” This endeavor evolved into Traitmarker Books in 2015, focusing on publishing diverse literary works. Recognizing the need for a more comprehensive approach to storytelling and author representation, I established Traitmarker Media, LLC, in 2023.

I think of myself as a quality liaison for stories. That sounds fancy, but all it means is that I like to publish books for very specific outcomes.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The first is adaptability. Growing up in Cold War Europe as part of an American military family taught me how to adjust to constant change. Whether it was switching schools, navigating different cultures, or adjusting to geopolitical lines shifting in real-time, I’ve learned quickly how to read a room and find my footing. That adaptability has been vital in business—from the unpredictability of entrepreneurship to the evolving demands of media and publishing.

Advice: Seek out unfamiliar situations as an exercise in flexibility. Work abroad, collaborate with outliers, or volunteer in strange environments. Every time you’re out of your comfort zone, you’re challenging your load for tolerance by building emotional muscle that (believe me) will serve you later.

The second is strategic empathy. I’ve spent my life learning how to listen—to people, to markets, to cultural undercurrents—not because I’m naturally inclined that way but because I’ve had to do it in order to make it. I don’t recommend being sentimentally sympathetic to just any person, any opportunity, or any cause because there are sharks out there. You’ve got to learn to read the cues. Because I take cues seriously, interpreting them has consistently helped me connect the right story to the right audience.

Advice: Ask better questions. Whether you’re interviewing a client or pitching an idea, listen for what’s not being said. I guarantee you that what your potential client doesn’t say is a test to see if you’re listening. Empathy is a competitive advantage. You have to “feel” where they are, “feel” what they need, and then demonstrate that you get them.

The third is storytelling. From running an alternative school to launching Traitmarker Media, my entire career has centered around storytelling—how to craft it, honor it, and position it. In a noisy world, a story well told still cuts through.

Advice: Don’t just study stories—practice telling them. Whether through writing, speaking, or even on social media, refine your ability to communicate with clarity, conviction, and care. And remember: the story is never about you. It’s about the listener. Why else would they listen if it weren’t?

These three have been my compass and currency.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

I would spend my time helping immigrant causes.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Keoni Keur for photos (barn) and v2

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