Today, I’m sitting with someone who parlayed a professional football career into a sports broadcaster role and ultimately a daily co-hosting position on CBS’s The Talk. The multi-talent Akbar Gbaja-Biamila is hopping on to share his incredible journey and teach listeners how they can successfully pivot across careers, effectively communicate in any situation, and pursue their true passions.
Key Takeaways:
Have you ever wanted to switch careers? And I mean really pivot? And maybe you have people telling you you can’t do it or you should just stay in your lane and keep doing what you’re doing? If you’ve ever struggled with this, or wondered what’s next for you, this is a guest you need to listen to.
Akbar Gbaja-Biamila joined me on That Moment with Daymond John to break down exactly how to pivot, the struggles that come with trying something new, the methods for finding success no matter what field you’re in, and more. Check out this all new episode to get the candid stories of:
- Meeting Mark Burnett and participating in Expedition Impossible
- Pitching himself to the NFL for the exclusive (think: only 20 players out of the entire league) opportunity to join their Broadcast Bootcamp - and what the experience was like once he secured a slot
- The insecurities he faced when trying to find success in a new career path
- The true value of unpaid jobs
- How hearing “no” or getting laughed at fuels him to work that much harder
- Facing rejections and turning them into learning opportunities (which is ultimately how he landed the American Ninja Warrior host gig!)
- Balancing believing in yourself with not overestimating your importance to others
- Using every opportunity to your advantage so that bigger opportunities organically arise
- Developing a healthy paranoia that ends up making you stronger in both your personal and business lives
Who is Akbar Gbaja-Biamila?
Akbar grew up playing football in LA, earning a spot playing for San Diego State University before being signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He went on to play for the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins, and during his time in the NFL he was selected as one of the NFL’s first athletes for their Broadcast Boot camp, which gave a group of 20 players a crash course in broadcast journalism.
Akbar spent two seasons co-hosting a football show before returning to the Dolphins. After wrapping his professional athletic career, he went back to sports commentary, working for multiple stations including CBS Sports.
You might remember his big break as a competitor in the show Expedition Impossible, which gave him a major platform that he strategically used to secure an opportunity to join the NFL Network as one of the NFL Fantasy Live hosts. Akbar has only elevated his career from there and became the co-host of American Ninja Warrior and its spinoffs in addition to his co-host role on The Talk, which routinely draws in millions of viewers every single day.
Akbar is a true media mogul that you’re going to want to keep on your radar!
Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
Catch the full episode on Apple Podcasts here: https://dj.daymondjohn.com/akbar-apple
Catch the full episode on Spotify here: https://dj.daymondjohn.com/akbar-spotify
Catch the full episode on iHeart here: https://dj.daymondjohn.com/akbar-iheart
Host: Daymond John
Producers: Beau Dozier & Shanelle Collins; Ted Kingsbery, Chauncey Bell, & Taryn Loftus
