Ending Soon! Save 33% on All Access

Arianna Huffington's Dramatic Lesson After 'Coming to in a Pool of Blood and Realizing Nobody Had Shot Me' The media mogul and entrepreneur started her investigation into sleep because she herself wasn't getting enough rest.

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Arianna Huffington was trying to be the perfect entrepreneur and perfect mother at the same time when she collapsed, "coming to in a pool of blood and realizing nobody had shot me," she says.

At the same time that she was growing a fledgling media company, Huffington was working to honor her oldest daughter's rule that her mother should stay disconnected from her devices -- and her work -- while they were touring colleges. Huffington, now 65, did just that, but she didn't get away with it. In a dramatic wake-up call, Huffington lost consciousness and broke her cheekbone.

Related: Arianna Huffington: 'Sleep Deprivation Is the New Smoking'

"Building the Huffington Post, I had bought into the mythology that everything was dependent on me -- and that I had to do everything at the expense of sleep, health," Huffington says during a video interview with Entrepreneur.

Huffington recently published a book about the importance of sleep, The Sleep Revolution (Harmony, April 2016). In addition, she is also the author of 15 books and is the 70th most powerful woman in the world, according to Forbes's most recent ranking.

Related: Arianna Huffington: Talk to Your Children About Your Struggles. It Allows Them to Understand Failure as a Stepping Stone to Success.

To hear how Huffington learned from her scary experience and changed her life, watch the video embedded above.

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Career

Is Consumer Services a Good Career Path for 2024? Here's the Verdict

Consumer services is a broad field with a variety of benefits and drawbacks. Here's what you should consider before choosing it as a career path.

Business News

'Creators Left So Much Money on the Table': Kickstarter's CEO Reveals the Story Behind the Company's Biggest Changes in 15 Years

In an interview with Entrepreneur, Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor explains the decision-making behind the changes, how he approaches leading Kickstarter, and his advice for future CEOs.

Business Ideas

87 Service Business Ideas to Start Today

Get started in this growing industry, with options that range from IT consulting to childcare.