EP68: Ariel Helwani: Following Your Instincts All the Way to the Top

Professional fighters are known for their ability to take a hit and bounce back, and persist until victory. There's a lesson there for entrepreneurs, too.

Ariel Helwani is a mixed martial arts (MMA) reporter whose work appears across ESPN's many platforms. The award-winning journalist joined ESPN in June 2018 to cover MMA and has gone on to play several roles there, including: co-host of the weekly MMA program “Ariel & The Bad Guy,” host of the ongoing livestream and podcast “Ariel Helwani's MMA Show” and reporter for MMA across ESPN digital media and television platforms. Helwani has been covering MMA professionally since 2006 and he is an eight-time winner of “MMA Journalist of the Year” at the World MMA Awards and a previous contributor to MMA coverage for Fox Sports and NBC Sports.

On this episode of the Perfectly Mentored podcast, Jason and Ariel lay out the reasons behind some of Ariel's boldest career moves, keeping a resilient and positive mindset even in the face of extreme challenges, and the most vital tips for doing legendary work on camera. Join in for a fresh take on mindset and interpersonal strategy from the best around.

Topics Covered:

• Who is Ariel Helwani? [00:15]
• How did you get from Point A to Journalist of the Year? [01:50]
• What advice do you have for facing competition? [11:13]
• Was the pivotal decision to leave your job after a week the product of impulse or self-awareness? [13:26]
• What was your motivation to start dressing differently? [16:20]
• How did you stay positive despite setbacks? [17:57]
• When does the “chip on your shoulder” become dangerous? [22:15]
• Has the sparkle worn off of being on ESPN? [23:32]
• How do you handle swallowing your pride and maintaining your mindset to cover a sport that treated you badly? [29:17]
• Following that, how do you keep from taking things personally? [36:55]
• What advice do you have for those who want to perform well in front of a camera? [38:46]
• Do you still get nervous? [41:18]
• What's next for you? [43:03]
• Did this interview measure up to the big leagues? [45:38]
• How do you toe the courtesy line when interviewing fighters? [47:08]
• Wrap-up [49:28]

Connect with Ariel Helwani

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Ariel Helwani's MMA Show

Connect with Jason Portnoy

• jportnoy.com
• LinkedIn

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