Meet Ariana Cohen

We recently connected with Ariana Cohen and have shared our conversation below.

Ariana , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

This is a good question! Having confidence in yourself is so important because when you feel confident, everyone else around you will feel that same energy.

Confidence and self-esteem are often built over time through a mix of self-awareness, small victories, and sometimes, even setbacks. It can be very difficult to maintain a high self-esteem, especially for women, when we see almost perfect curated people on social media living “perfect” lives.

I remain confident in myself by writing down the qualities I admire, celebrating my strengths, and setting meaningful goals for areas I want to grow.
I also do hobbies I enjoy like dancing, beach volleyball and basketball which helps me stay balanced and connected to who I am outside of my career. Doing activities I love allows me to release stress, stay active, and feel accomplished, all of which build my confidence and keep me grounded.

It’s important to set small achievable goals often. I follow Warren Buffet’s 7-1-1 rule. Write down your goals and dreams for what you will accomplish in 7 years,1 month then 1 week. This helps you break down your goals in a manageable way and you’ll feel more confident in yourself by accomplishing each task.

Confidence comes not from never failing, but from knowing you can handle setbacks. Reframe mistakes as chances to learn rather than as failures. The more comfortable you become with making mistakes, the more resilient and confident you’ll feel.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’ve been a TV News reporter for the past 12 years, both locally and nationally. My career began in Topeka, Kansas, where I covered major stories like tornadoes, former President Obama’s arrival on Air Force One, and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to the Brown vs. Board of Education site. From there, I moved to Spokane, Washington, as a TV Morning News Anchor, where I reported on everything from President Donald Trump’s rallies, severe snowy weather to exciting community events and even created my own pop culture show, The A-List.

Next, I headed south to Jackson, Tennessee, to become the Prime Time Evening News Anchor. There, I launched two segments: Multiplying Good, spotlighting local heroes, and What’s New Wednesday, featuring new and local businesses.

Finally, I returned to my hometown of San Diego, where I worked as a “Multi-Skilled Journalist,” capturing, editing, and reporting my own stories solo. I handled every aspect of production, from video capturing and editing to on-camera reporting, voice tracking, interviews, social media management, and storytelling—often all under tight deadlines.

Between these moves, I had the honor of reporting from the red carpets at the Grammys and Academy Awards. I was also featured on national crime shows like Snapped, Fear Thy Roommate, and Fatal Attraction. My San Diego interview with World Cup Champion Alex Morgan was even highlighted on Netflix. Recently, I appeared in Driving Decarbonization in America, a series on the Discovery Channel and MotorTrend TV.

The most thrilling part of journalism for me is being in the middle of the action. In one day, I might cover a fire, and the next, I’m releasing a sea turtle from a boat. Each day is different, and that’s what I love.

I’ve recently launched my own show, Ariana’s A-List, available on my YouTube Channel and Instagram @ArianaCohen, where my goal is to spotlight prominent people, exciting events, and everything you need to know about San Diego. Alongside this, I run my company, The A-List, Inc., helping businesses with social media content strategy, video production, podcasts, and more.

I’m also passionate about teaching broadcast journalism to underserved youth in San Diego, guiding them in video production and sports media to help future generations thrive.

As a professional emcee, I bring positive energy to a variety of local and national fundraising and entertainment events, including the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women, Liberty Station’s Centennial Celebration, the San Diego International Film Festival, and San Diego Swim Week. I love connecting with audiences and making each event memorable!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Here are three of my own pieces of advice:

1. Always be ready to reinvent yourself. You never know what curveball life might throw, so stay adaptable and ready to pivot.

2. Look for a gap and identify what’s missing. Seek out what people need or want and find a way to bring it to them.

3. Stay positive, no matter what. You might be surrounded by negativity, but you’re always in control of your own mindset. Ask, believe, receive, and keep going until your dreams come true.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

One of my favorite books is Wake Up Happy by Michael Strahan. This book has made a tremendous impact on me, and I’d like to share three of my favorite quotes from it:

“Wanting it to happen ain’t going to make it happen. Expect it to happen and work every day to make it so.”

“If you work hard enough and are unrelenting, you can make your own rules. You can literally change the game.”

“There’s always somebody in the workplace or in your personal life who passed on you because they didn’t know you’d be that good.”

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