Laila Ali Enters the #BlogHer20 Creators Summit Virtual “Ring”
After reading about Laila’s career, I automatically felt inspired — and exhausted! How can one person possibly cover so much ground in their career, be an incredible mother and wife, and still have time to sleep? Someone’s been practicing balance in and out of the ring!
One of the greatest challenges most face when trying to “make it big” is getting the word out about yourself and your endeavors, and making sure you’re heard. Laila is clearly the master of covering all platforms, from television to books, from inside the arena to the boardroom, this chick knows how to show up and get stuff done.
We, of course, know the daughter of the late beloved global icon and humanitarian, Muhammad Ali, as the four-time undefeated boxing world champion, whose remarkable record includes 24 wins and ZERO losses a. Talk about a knockout!
Laila has packed many additional (figurative) punches since her boxing victories. You pretty much can’t turn on a TV or news station without discovering Lalia. Laila was the first woman in history to provide expert commentary for NBC Sports and has appeared and hosted several series including “Celebrity Apprentice,” “We Need to Talk,” “Chopped,” Late Night Chef Fight,” “Everyday Health,” “American Gladiators,” “All-In With Laila Ali,” and “Home Made Simple,” to name a few.
The on-screen star has also used her celebrity and platform to lift up worthy charities, including lending her voice as a host to ESPN’s first-ever televised Sports Humanitarian Awards, acting as a past President of the Women’s Sports Foundation, and contributing to Title IX, Feeding America, and Peace 4 Kids. The list certainly keeps us on the ropes!
Did we mention she’s also a blogger? Laila’s site, Laila Ali Lifestyle, regularly posts workouts tips, recipes, DIY ideas, marriage and family tips, and so much more. She’s also a writer, wife, chef, lover, fighter, you name it.
Okay… I’m tapping out. I’ll take a knee and let Laila explain! Here’s just a preview of a few things we’ll be chatting about with Laila at #BlogHer20 Creators Summit. Don’t forget to register for free!
Hey Laila! You’ve had so many career accomplishments. Why did you decide to go into the lifestyle blogging space?
Even though blogging isn’t my main focus, my blog is an important part of my overall brand. Being that I’m passionate about encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle and to become the greatest version of themselves, making content available on my website through my blog allows me to share information and ideas with my audience.
Which career have you found most challenging?
Boxing was the most challenging physically while being an entrepreneur is next on the list.
What about the most rewarding?
It’s hard to choose as everything I’ve set out to do has been rewarding in its own way.
As a woman in mostly male-dominated fields, what have you done to stand out and assert yourself as an expert?
I’ve always focused on simply being me, and I am driven and relentless when it comes to crushing my goals. I stand out because I own my space! I’m not afraid to share what I truly know from experience, without feeling like I have to have all the answers because I’m thought of as being an “expert”. Being authentic takes a lot of pressure off and allows me to be confident consistently.
What advice do you have for women looking to make a career change?
Don’t be afraid to take a chance on yourself. Once you know your passion, plan your path and go for it! Don’t let your opportunities pass because you get stuck over-thinking.
What lessons have you learned from creating a website?
I’ve learned that creating a beautiful and functional website takes MANY hours of time and patience! A website is an ongoing work in progress and needs to be updated as needed. I think it’s so important to start a website with a strong foundation by not rushing the process!
My team did a ‘Get Clear Workshop’ to strategize about my business, my audience, and my brand. The goal was to get really clear about where my business is going, who I’m serving and how I’m connecting with them. Having that roadmap makes it easier to make business decisions and to prioritize what has to happen next. After the Get Clear Workshop, we took time to think about the whole user journey on my website. We created wireframes to think about the user experience, what information they need to see first and what the logical next steps are for them.
You’ve managed to create a health and wellness empire through the Laila Ali Lifestyle brand complete with cookbooks, nutrition products, a skincare line and more, what’s your advice to entrepreneurs looking to grow their brand and explore new business ventures?
Laila Ali Lifestyle grew into what it is now. It all started with my passion and philosophy on living healthy and being the best version of ourselves. My advice is to make sure you LOVE what you do and get excited about the possibilities that are out there for you. You need that type of energy in order to see your ideas through and make them a reality!
What’s next for Laila?
I will continue to build my brand and think of more ways to connect with my audience in a way that helps inspire folks to live their best life! I’m also going to expand my offering into more categories such as makeup, apparel etc.! I’m excited to see where my intuition leads me.
ABOUT LAILA ALI
Laila Ali is a world-class athlete, fitness & wellness advocate, TV host, home chef, founder of the Laila Ali Lifestyle Brand, and mother of two.
The daughter of late beloved global icon and humanitarian, Muhammad Ali, she is a four-time undefeated boxing world champion, whose stellar record includes 24 wins (21 of which were “knockouts”) and zero losses.
Laila is heralded as the most successful female in the history of women’s boxing.
In 2012 when women’s boxing was included in the Olympics, Laila was the first woman in history to provide expert commentary for NBC Sports.
For two consecutive years since its conception in 2015, she was selected as host of the first ever televised ESPN Sports Humanitarian Awards.
In January of 2017, millions of viewers watched Laila showcase how much of a savvy business “knockout” she is in the boardroom, as she competed on the all-new “Celebrity Apprentice.” Laila was also a regular panelist and contributor for the CBS Sports Network’s all-female sports commentary program, “We Need to Talk,” the first of its kind in the history of sports broadcasting.
Laila is a past President of the Women’s Sports Foundation, a non-profit organization that is supported by some of the biggest athletes in the world.
Through WSF Laila promotes equality for women in the world of professional sports, and she pushes programs that encourage young women to be confident, healthy and strong through sports. She was also a major voice for the 40th anniversary of Title IX which protects women’s rights to be included and treated equally in collegiate sports.
A home chef, Laila previously appeared twice on Food Network’s celebrity edition of “Chopped” and emerged victorious as the champion. Continuing her passion in the cooking space, Laila was the host of “Late Night Chef Fight,” an exciting food truck cooking competition show that has aired for multiple seasons on the FYI Network. She has also appeared in various cooking segments on Rachael Ray, Dr. Oz, and The Chew, along with having cooked her famous “oven baked fried chicken” on Steve Harvey’s hit daytime talk show.
For multiple seasons she hosted “Everyday Health” airing in national syndication on ABC, in addition to being the previous co-host of “American Gladiators” and former host of “All-In With Laila Ali,” which aired in weekend syndication on CBS. Laila is currently the host of Emmy Award Winning show Home Made Simple, which airs every Saturday on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
She is very excited about her cookbook “Food For Life”, available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Staying true to her entrepreneurial spirit, Laila has also created her own line of organic seasonings called Laila Ali Spice Blends and a high-quality line of nutrition supplements called YouPlenish.
Laila tickled America’s funny bone with multiple hilarious roles as Kevin Hart’s boxing nemesis on the hit comedic series, “Real Husbands of Hollywood.”
In 2014 she made her feature film acting debut as the co-star of the action movie, “Falcon Rising,” opposite martial arts star, Michael Jai White. Never one to turn down a good challenge, she captured the hearts of millions and made it to the final round of the fourth season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” in 2007.
She’s appeared as a guest star on popular fitness show, “Biggest Loser.”
A recognizable and trusted figure whose name and likeness packs a powerful punch, Laila has been an endorser for major brands such as Subway, Kohl’s and T.J. Maxx.
Carefully building a successful branding and licensing empire, (a former owner and operator of a successful nail salon in southern California) Laila rolled out a signature line of hair styling tools with Hot Tools, a brand subsidiary of hair care powerhouse, Helen of Troy.
She is also a major supporter of charitable organizations such as Feeding America and Peace 4 Kids. She is also quite proud of the work she has done on behalf of the American Dental Association to create oral health awareness for children.
Always eager to encourage others to live an active lifestyle, Laila Ali was the 2012 “Mombassador” for the Aquaphor New York City Triathlon, a competition she actually participated in and completed impressively in a little more than 3 hours.
Also because of her passion for an active lifestyle and wanting to share this with all her followers, she started her own lifestyle blog “Laila Ali Lifestyle,” where she regularly posts workouts tips, recipes, DIY ideas, marriage and family tips, and so much more!
Laila Ali is a sought after inspirational speaker and author of her life’s story in a dynamic book for young women entitled “Reach!” Laila studied business management at Santa Monica College. She and her husband, former NFL star Curtis Conway, live in Los Angeles, with their two children, son Curtis Jr., and daughter Sydney.