ESPN’s Mina Kimes: Yale Graduate to NFL Analyst on Earning Respect in an Unlikely Space

Today we sit down with Mina Kimes, a woman and friend we all admire and truly respect for the niche she has created and breaking barriers for women in sports and television. As an ESPN NFL analyst, media personality and writer, Mina has set the standard and continues to raise the bar in sports analytics. This conversation covers everything from her academic success, embracing her Korean heritage and the importance of representation which has led to finding her voice in the industry.

Graduating summa cum laude from Yale University, some may say Mina may be over qualified for talking football and stats but she shares her why with Channing, Ryan and Fred as she explains she took what she was good at and mixed it with doing what she loves. Mina opens up about her relationship with her father and the influence he’s had on developing her love for football. Being raised as a military child and always moving around, Mina credits her nomadic life as the foundation of her strength and adaptability.

Being a Korean woman is not the traditional candidate for this job, which Mina talks about relying on her coworkers to give her confidence and acceptance but admittedly opening up on her struggles with imposter syndrome for a lot of her career and an extreme focus on perfection. Fred relates to this to fight or flight vulnerability and opens up about doubtful times he had during his rookie year and how he overcame it as well.

Mina’s intelligence and unique spin combining numbers and football makes her a rarity in the sport media space and a pivotal member of ESPN’s highly respected NFL Live show.

An avid Seattle sports fan, Mina couldn’t leave without talking football and proving her predictions for the organization and future with Geno Smith.

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