Who knows more about winning than a football exec? Indianapolis Colts vice chair and co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, 33—the youngest woman in the NFL with a leadership position—tells Glamour's Cindi Leive what she's learned on the job.

Carlie Irsay-Gordon, 33, basically grew up on a football field: Her grandfather, Robert Irsay, owned the Los Angeles Rams before he traded the team for the Baltimore Colts and moved them to Indianapolis; then her dad, Jim Irsay, took over the Colts, and Carlie spent her childhood in the stadium. But last spring, when Jim had to step down for six games after a DWI arrest, she was "thrown into the fire," as she puts it, taking a front-and-center role with help from sisters and co-vice chairs and co-owners Casey and Kalen. Curious about what it's like to be the youngest female honcho in the National Football League? I was—so I sat down with Irsay-Gordon last fall when her team traveled east to play (and, sadly for me, defeat) the New York Giants. I was eager to hear about her own career and ambitions, and she was candid and forthcoming on those ("the more comfortable you get with being uncomfortable, the better off you're going to be"). Irsay-Gordon also spoke openly about the hot-button issues currently facing all NFL executives, from the concussion debate to domestic violence. At press time, her team had defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the playoffs and was still in the running for Super Bowl XLIX; listen in as the mother of three gives her perspective on how to win no matter what your career dreams are. (A shorter version of this story appears in the February 2015 issue of Glamour.)

Cindi Leive: You're third-generation football leadership, but in college you studied religion, then went for your doctorate in clinical psychology. Were you thinking you'd take a different path?

Carlie Irsay-Gordon: I think I always knew that I would end up working with the team. The question was more, When?

CL: I'm sure you have ample opportunity to use your psychology skills in football!

CIG: All the time. I had my first daughter and then went back to school to get my doctorate.... But I wanted more time with my daughter. I talked to my dad; I said, "I'm so torn, I want to finish my degree." I didn't want all those years to be a waste—our culture is programmed to believe "Finish what you started." And Dad was like, "You're gonna use it, it's not a waste." I think if you have that gut feeling, you should go with it. Sometimes life makes you grow in a different direction.

CL: That's good advice. You've worked in so many positions with the Colts, even the ticket window, right?

CIG: I started off sitting in the window. I also drove to all the parking lots, or I'd sit in pretty much every section of the stadium. Nothing catches the essence of the game like sitting out there. It's almost tribal.

CL: That's like Undercover Boss.

CIG: What's been strange is being in a leadership position. When I walk down the hallway, I'm not thinking, Oh, I'm the boss. I have to kind of remind myself that I'm in a leadership role.

CL: So how did you get completely comfortable with being in charge?

CIG: When my dad had to go away, I sort of was like, Wow!—I know about the game, but I will never have the years and decades of experience [my dad has].... You never stop learning. One thing I've tried to do is spend a little time each day just learning.... I still say every day that there are people here that know so much more than me.... I think in any job, the more comfortable you get with being uncomfortable, the better off you're going to be—not just in your career but in every aspect of life.