Arianna Huffington

3.1. Early Writing and Media Career

Huffington began her literary career in the 1970s. In 1973, under her maiden name Stasinopoúlou, she published The Female Woman, a controversial book that critiqued the Women's Liberation Movement, particularly Germaine Greer's 1970 work The Female Eunuch. In her book, she asserted that "Women's Lib claims that the achievement of total liberation would transform the lives of all women for the better; the truth is that it would transform only the lives of women with strong lesbian tendencies."

Her early writing endeavors were supported by her relationship with journalist and television presenter Bernard Levin, whom she met when they were both panelists on the BBC TV program Face the Music. Huffington later described Levin as not only the "big love of my life" but also a "mentor as a writer and a role model as a thinker." The pair traveled extensively, attending music festivals for the BBC and enjoying three-star restaurants in France. Despite their deep connection, Huffington's desire for children ultimately led her to leave Levin in 1980, as he did not wish to marry or have children.

In 1981, she authored a biography of Maria Callas, titled Maria Callas - The Woman Behind the Legend. This was followed in 1989 by Picasso: Creator and Destroyer, a biography of Pablo Picasso. Her early media appearances in the UK included regular participation as a panelist on the weekly BBC Radio 4 political discussion program Any Questions?, and the BBC television panel game Call My Bluff. From March to April 1980, she co-hosted BBC1's late-night talk and entertainment show Saturday Night at the Mill with Bob Langley, though she was dropped from the program after five editions due to viewer complaints.

3.2. Political Evolution and Activism

Huffington's political ideology underwent a significant transformation over her career. In the mid-1990s, she gained national prominence in the U.S. as a vocal supporter of conservative causes, particularly during her then-husband Michael Huffington's unsuccessful Senate bid in 1994. She aligned herself with figures like Newt Gingrich and his "Republican Revolution" and supported Bob Dole's 1996 presidential candidacy. During Comedy Central's coverage of the 1996 U.S. presidential election, she famously teamed up with liberal comedian Al Franken as the conservative half of "Strange Bedfellows," earning an Emmy nomination for her work on Politically Incorrect.

As late as 1998, Huffington still identified with the Republican Party. During this period, she co-hosted a weekly radio show in Los Angeles titled Left, Right & Center, where she, as the "right-winger," debated with centrist policy wonk Matt Miller and veteran "leftist" journalist Robert Scheer. However, she began to articulate a nuanced view, stating that "the right-left divisions are so outdated now. For me, the primary division is between people who are aware of what I call 'the two nations' (rich and poor), and those who are not."

By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Huffington's views shifted towards liberalism. Of Greek heritage, she notably opposed the NATO intervention in Serbia during the Yugoslav Wars. In 2000, she co-convened the "Shadow Conventions," which ran concurrently with the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, aiming to highlight issues often overlooked by major parties.

Huffington became a leading advocate for environmental causes, heading The Detroit Project, a public interest group that lobbied automakers to produce cars running on alternative fuels. The project's 2003 TV advertisements, which controversially equated driving sport utility vehicles with funding terrorism, faced refusal from some stations. In a 2004 appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, she publicly endorsed John Kerry for president, stating, "When your house is burning down, you don't worry about the remodeling." She was a panel speaker at the 2005 California Democratic Party State Convention and the 2004 College Democrats of America Convention. She also co-hosted the nationally syndicated weekend radio program Both Sides Now with Huffington & Matalin, alongside Mary Matalin, and later with Mark Green. Huffington has described her current political stance as that of a "progressive populist."

3.3. Media Presence and Public Profile

Arianna Huffington has maintained a significant presence across various media platforms throughout her career. In the UK, she was a regular panelist on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? and appeared on BBC television's Call My Bluff and Face the Music. She also briefly co-hosted BBC's late-night chat show Saturday Night at the Mill.

In the United States, she co-hosted the weekly, nationally syndicated public radio program Both Sides Now with Mary Matalin, and later with Mark Green. This program offered discussions on national political issues from diverse perspectives. Before co-founding The Huffington Post, she operated her own website, AriannaOnline.com. Her very first foray into the internet was Resignation.com, a website launched in 1998 that called for the resignation of President Bill Clinton and served as a gathering place for conservatives opposing him. Regarding Clinton's potential resignation, she wrote, "Only some act of sacrifice can begin to restore the image of the President that we are left with from the Starr Report - a man of staggering narcissism and self-indulgence, whom nobody dared gainsay, investing his energies first in gratifying his sexual greeds and then in using his staff, his friends, and the Secret Service to cover up the truth."

Huffington has also ventured into popular culture. In November 2008, she joined the cast of Seth MacFarlane's animated series The Cleveland Show, lending her voice to the character of Arianna, the wife of Tim the Bear. She has been spoofed by actresses Tracey Ullman in Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, and by Michaela Watkins and Nasim Pedrad on Saturday Night Live. Huffington herself appeared as herself in a May 10, 2010, episode of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and in the Family Guy episode "Brian Writes a Bestseller" in a live-action segment of Real Time with Bill Maher.

She has been a frequent speaker at public events, including the 24th annual "Distinguished Speaker Series" at the University at Buffalo in September 2010, where she debated Mary Matalin on current events and political issues. In October 2010, she famously offered to provide buses to transport attendees from New York City to Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C., ultimately funding 150 buses for nearly 10,000 people. Since 2012, Huffington has also been a LinkedIn influencer, sharing insights on success and professional development.

3.4. 2003 California Recall Election

In 2003, Arianna Huffington ran as an independent candidate in the 2003 California recall election to replace Governor Gray Davis. Her campaign gained significant attention, particularly through her public debates with frontrunner Arnold Schwarzenegger. Huffington framed the election as "the hybrid versus the Hummer," referencing her ownership of a Toyota Prius and Schwarzenegger's Hummer, thereby highlighting their contrasting stances on environmental issues and fuel efficiency.

Despite her high profile, Huffington withdrew from the race on September 30, 2003, just days before the election. She publicly endorsed Governor Gray Davis's campaign to vote against the recall, stating, "It has become clear to me that the only way to stop a Republican takeover of our state is to vote No on the recall. Because it's also clear that I am not going to win on October 7, I am withdrawing from the race so that I can devote all my time and energy in the remaining week to defeating the recall - and to defeating the Arnold Schwarzenegger-Pete Wilson forces that are trying to use the recall to hijack our state." At the time of her withdrawal, polls indicated she had only about 2% of voter support. Although she withdrew, her name remained on the ballot, and she ultimately placed 5th, receiving 47,505 votes, which was less than 1% of the total. The recall ultimately succeeded, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor.

3.5. Founding and Leading The Huffington Post

In 2005, Arianna Huffington co-founded The Huffington Post (now known as HuffPost) with Andrew Breitbart, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti. Launched on May 9, 2005, the website quickly established itself as a commentary outlet, blog, and an alternative to traditional news aggregators like the Drudge Report. It became known for publishing content from both paid staff writers and reporters, as well as a large network of unpaid bloggers.

The Huffington Post experienced rapid growth and significant influence in the digital media landscape. In February 2011, AOL acquired The Huffington Post for 315.00 M USD. As part of the acquisition, Huffington was appointed president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, which encompassed The Huffington Post and other AOL properties such as AOL Music, Engadget, Patch Media, and StyleList. Under her leadership, The Huffington Post continued to expand its reach and journalistic credibility. In 2012, it achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first commercially run United States digital media enterprise to win a Pulitzer Prize, recognizing its original reporting. Huffington remained at the helm until August 2016, when she announced her departure from The Huffington Post to focus on a new venture.

3.6. Founding Thrive Global

Following her departure from The Huffington Post in August 2016, Arianna Huffington founded Thrive Global, a behavior change technology company. The company's core mission is to combat the pervasive issues of stress and burnout in modern society by offering "science-based solutions" aimed at improving productivity and health outcomes.

Thrive Global has launched several initiatives to promote well-being. In August 2019, the company partnered with WaitWhat, a media company led by former TED executives June Cohen and Deron Triff, to launch the "Meditative Story" podcast. This podcast combines first-person narratives with meditation prompts and original music, designed to create a "mindfulness experience" for listeners. Variety described it as "part first-person narrative podcast and part guided meditation," while Forbes highlighted it as "a completely new kind of listening experience that blends intimate first-person stories with mindfulness prompts, enveloped in beautiful music composition." Huffington herself described "Meditative Story" as "a response to a deep cultural need in our hyper sped up world to have a moment to recharge. The podcast is a tool-set for wellness combining intimate storytelling, that we're all hardwired to respond to, plus moments of reflection." The first season featured stories from notable figures such as Krista Tippett, Peter Sagal, Pico Iyer, Reid Hoffman, Moj Mahdara, Josh Radnor, and Michelle Thaller. In 2017, Thrive Global also launched the "Thrive Global Podcast" with iHeart Radio, featuring Huffington as its host.