Three-time Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice has opened up about one of the most dramatic reinventions of her life — turning down a dream CEO position after she says God told her to walk away, abandoning more than 140,000 Instagram followers to start fresh, and publicly embracing her new identity as Stephanie Lassey.
The announcement came on Sunday night, when the 38-year-old launched a brand-new Instagram account under her married name to share what she described as the next chapter of her faith journey.
From Olympic glory to personal rock bottom
In a detailed 13-slide post tracing her life story, Lassey reflected on a path that began with childhood swimming lessons and led to the pinnacle of international sport — before unravelling in ways the public rarely saw.
"I started tying my value to my success," she wrote, acknowledging that behind the medals and accolades, she had been quietly struggling.
She described a prolonged period of hardship marked by public scrutiny, hostile online commentary, legal disputes and failed business ventures that steadily eroded her confidence in the future. One image in the post showed her in tears, captioned simply: "But the highs didn't last."
It was at this lowest point, she said, that she found Christianity — a turning point she documented publicly in 2024 when she shared her baptism on Instagram. Shortly after, she bought a one-way ticket to Dubai, leaving her family behind to begin again.
A new life, a pastor husband — and a message from God
In Dubai, Lassey married pastor Mark Lassey and, for the first time in years, secured a corporate role — entering at director level and earning more than she had in some time. It appeared to be the fresh start she had been seeking.
But just eight months into the position, she faced yet another crossroads. The company offered her the top job — chief executive, the role she had long dreamed of holding. She turned it down.
"I was offered to become CEO, my dream position … but God asked me to resign, I obeyed," she wrote.
The decision left her, by her own description, "back at zero" and navigating what she called one of the most testing seasons of her life. Yet she expressed no regret, writing: "I trust God and I've learned I can't force or speed up His plans or when he opens the next door. But I can control what I do in the meantime."
A fresh start — new name, new account, new purpose
The launch of her new Instagram account — separate from the one that had accumulated more than 140,000 followers — was a deliberate and symbolic act. Lassey admitted the move might seem counterintuitive, even describing herself as "crazy" for walking away from such an established audience.
But she was clear about her reasoning. "I'd rather start again knowing the people joining now want to be a part of the story God's writing, not the one that's already been written, even if that's just a small amount," she wrote.
Her opening post on the new account set out her intentions plainly: "Feels like the perfect time to start a fresh account, in my new name, and with a new commitment to sharing the journey God is taking me on."
She added: "I pray that my story would give you hope that God has the power to turn lives around, to restore what's been broken and bless you above what you've asked, thought or even imagined."
What comes next for Stephanie Lassey
Now publicly committed to her faith and resettled in Dubai as a pastor's wife, Lassey acknowledged that the road ahead remains uncertain. There is no announced next role, no mapped-out career plan — just, in her words, a willingness to wait.
For a woman who once measured her worth in world records and gold medals, that patience represents perhaps her most significant personal achievement yet.
