She went to university, completing law and social science degrees. Graduating at 21, she asked herself "do I really want to be a lawyer?". Realising the answer was no, she decided to do a Bachelor of Science and then a post-graduate degree majoring in ecology and biodiversity.
"I was always really passionate about the outdoors and the environment ... and I thought I'd end up with a much more fun job than being a lawyer."
Her first job was as an ecologist with Wildlands Consultants, which she loved, before she moved into a resource consents role at the Rotorua District Council. It meant she could use her legal skills plus "it's not easy to try and pay off a $60K student loan while working as a scientist".
Then an opportunity arose to do lakes policy analysis at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
"It had all the facets I wanted - [it was] highly complex ... science, legal, resource management."
She's now responsible for the region's 12 lakes, including the $45 million Land Use Incentive Fund to encourage innovative land use change in the Lake Rotorua catchment area.
The project, and the nitrogen level targets, are not popular with everyone.
Mrs Grayling said being compassionate was a job requirement. Lake users don't want water quality to deteriorate further, yet she is aware farmers and land users' livelihoods are potentially at stake, she said.
"You can say 'let's fix water quality' but if you're going to screw the economy I don't want my name associated with that," she said. "Trying to balance everybody's interests is really tough."
She admits she's been on the receiving end of abuse at public meetings but "you can't take it personally, it's a job you're here to do".
To relieve the stress, she runs in the Redwoods. She also has a supportive husband, Shane, with whom she is raising her 14-year-old nephew and 10-year-old niece.
Networking group Rotorua X, of which she was a founding member and is now on the board, has also "been awesome", she said.
So does she think of herself as a scientist or a business person?
"I think of myself as a jack of all trades," she said. "It's about being balanced. To be a good scientist you have to have a good handle on economics [and vice versa]."
As part of the business award she won a Waikato University scholarship, which means she can complete her MBA. She's delighted - education is an ongoing focus.
"There's always weaknesses, I'm always checking and balancing myself to fill in the gaps," she said. "There is still so much I have got to learn."
Longer term she sees herself in the private sector, but for now she can't imagine getting bored of her current role. "I want to be part of the change in Rotorua. I'd love to leave a legacy of a clean lake and a still vibrant economy.
"Finding the balance over the next few years on how we're going to get there will be a challenge."
