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

<p>Professional fighters are known for their ability to take a hit and bounce back, and persist until victory. There&apos;s a lesson there for entrepreneurs, too.</p><p>Ariel Helwani is a mixed martial arts (MMA) reporter whose work appears across ESPN&apos;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 &quot;Ariel &amp; The Bad Guy,&quot; host of the ongoing livestream and podcast &quot;Ariel Helwani&apos;s MMA Show&quot; 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 &quot;MMA Journalist of the Year&quot; at the World MMA Awards and a previous contributor to MMA coverage for Fox Sports and NBC Sports.</p><p>On this episode of the Perfectly Mentored podcast, Jason and Ariel lay out the reasons behind some of Ariel&apos;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.</p><p><strong>Topics Covered:</strong></p><ul> <li>Who is Ariel Helwani? [00:15]<br/></li> <li>How did you get from Point A to Journalist of the Year? [01:50]<br/></li> <li>What advice do you have for facing competition? [11:13]<br/></li> <li>Was the pivotal decision to leave your job after a week the product of impulse or self-awareness? [13:26]<br/></li> <li>What was your motivation to start dressing differently? [16:20]<br/></li> <li>How did you stay positive despite setbacks? [17:57]<br/></li> <li>When does the “chip on your shoulder” become dangerous? [22:15]<br/></li> <li>Has the sparkle worn off of being on ESPN? [23:32]<br/></li> <li>How do you handle swallowing your pride and maintaining your mindset to cover a sport that treated you badly? [29:17]<br/></li> <li>Following that, how do you keep fr