Cari Champion on Trading Shame for Self-Worth, Getting Fired, and Powerful Female Friendships

This week I got to sit down with iconic TV personality and broadcast journalist Cari Champion (@CariChampion). 

Alongside her colleague, Jemele Hill - Cari made history as the first Black woman to host a late-night cable news show, “Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports.” She recently launched a new podcast presented by iHeartMedia , “Naked with Cari Champion” in the Summer of 2021. She’s spent time reporting for the Tennis Channel, ESPN in roles on Sports Center, Sports Nation, and First Take. Cari continues to break barriers, paving the way for younger women of color who want to pursue a career in sports television and other areas within broadcasting. 

Cari and I talked about what it was like to be a Black woman in the early 2000’s trying to make a name for herself in the newsroom, the many challenges that came with her job at ESPN and why she ultimately chose to leave. She told me how she and Jamele Hill overcame efforts to pit them against each other, and why they didn’t fall victim to the often-popular belief that there is “only room for one”. We dove into the depths of shame and how hard it is to shake it, and arguably, most importantly, why saying NO is more important than saying yes. 

References in this episode: 

Binaural Beats 

A Time To Heal: The Ramp (Apple Music) 

For more about the podcast and to continue our conversation, you can find me: https://www.instagram.com/jadeiovine/ 

Executive Producer Nick Stumpf

Produced by Catherine Law

Edited and Engineered by Brandon Dickert

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