The Messy Parts
The Messy Parts is a weekly career advice podcast hosted by Maryam Banikarim. Each episode features honest, unfiltered conversations with influential leaders about the struggles and pivotal moments behind successful careers. Drawing on Maryam's extensive experience in media, hospitality, and tech, the show explores the messy realities of achieving success and offers real, vulnerable insights for anyone aiming to grow professionally.
Episodes
“The Value of Your Values" — Why Jeff Jones Quit Uber & Left Millions on the Table
Jeff Jones spent his career as one of the most respected CMOs in America — Coca-Cola, Gap, Target — before making the leap to run Uber's global ride-sharing business under founder Travis Kalanick. Seven months later, at the height of Uber's pre-IPO valuation, he walked away from it all: no job lined up, no stock, no plan. On this episode of The Messy Parts, Jeff sits down with Maryam on
Mindy Grossman Worked for Oprah, Barry Diller & Phil Knight — and Says She's Never Been 100% Qualified
Fired at 24. Turned down her dream job at Nike, then took it anyway. Walked into HSN as the eighth CEO in ten years. Mindy Grossman built one of the least likely careers in American business, and in this episode of The Messy Parts she tells Maryam how: leaving college at 19 to move to New York with $1,800, landing her first job by admitting she couldn't take shorthand, buying 2,000 Aeron chai
Sex, Xanax & Naked Beaches: 20 Legends Drop the PR Filter
Behind every legendary career is an unfiltered human truth. In this special compilation, 20 of our most notable guests—including Mickey Drexler, Samantha Bee, Blake Mycoskie, Bonnie Hammer, Kim Hastreiter, Sally Susman, Sari Botton, and Baked by Melissa—reveal what happens when the PR guardrails come down. From Bevy Smith’s show-stopping mandate to "have sex, a lot of it," to surprisingl
The Points Guy Couldn't Get His Own Credit Card: Then He Made $28 Million at 28 Years Old (Replay)
Brian Kelly (aka The Points Guy) has been obsessed with credit card and frequent flyer points since childhood. At age 12, his dad challenged him to book a family vacation using only points, and young Brian successfully got his entire family to the Cayman Islands for free. In this episode, Brian tells Maryam about the reality behind his meteoric rise: ruined credit, toxic friendships, launching The
The Truth About Burnout No One Wants to Hear | Laura Mayer
"I don't believe in burnout." That's Laura Mayer, podcast industry veteran and author of Tryhard, explaining why she's never really taken a break: not after a complicated pregnancy, not after quitting a stable executive job at ABC News, not ever. In this candid conversation with Maryam, Laura traces her try-hard tendencies back to a childhood spent tracking her mother&apos
Samantha Bee: Your Dream Job Will Suck. Do It Anyway.
"Even your dream job sucks." That's not cynicism — it's the most useful career advice Samantha Bee has. On this episode of The Messy Parts, she tells Maryam what 12 years at “The Daily Show” and running “Full Frontal” actually taught her: that no one hands you management training before you're leading 75 people, that public setbacks feel enormous and matter less than you t
No Plan, No Fear, No Quitting: Julie Gaines on Running NYC’s Coolest Store & Giving MS the Finger
She dug through filthy sub-basements in the Bowery looking for discarded restaurant ware — and built one of New York's most beloved stores. Julie Gaines, co-founder of Fishs Eddy, joins Maryam on the blue couch to talk about 40 years of messy parts: the husband who cheated and left for Florida (then Thailand), the three CEOs who didn't work out, and the MS diagnosis she now calls a "
She Got Cut From Pro Basketball in Sweden. Now Megan Griffith Runs Columbia's Best Team Ever.
"They cut me from that team." That's how Columbia women's basketball head coach Megan Griffith opens this episode of The Messy Parts — and it's just the beginning of her story. Megan tells Maryam about growing up a Chinese American kid in a homogeneous Pennsylvania suburb, playing for four different coaches in four years as a student at Columbia, and deciding to pursue a p
Why Selling TOMS Destroyed Blake Mycoskie’s Mental Health (And What Saved Him)
What really happens after a founder sells their company? Blake Mycoskie built one of the most recognized brands in the world at TOMS — and hit rock bottom the moment he walked away. In this episode of The Messy Parts, Blake talks candidly with Maryam about founder identity, the mental health crisis hiding behind big exits, and why more money and more success never made him feel like enough. He als
NYT Writer Susan Dominus: "I Couldn't Risk It"
She's a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, a Yale lecturer, and one of the most celebrated journalists working today. So why does Susan Dominus still feel like she's figuring it out? In a candid conversation with Maryam, Susan gets into the imposter syndrome that nearly stopped her from calling herself a writer, the sibling rivalry that quietly shaped her ambition, and the care
Gary Vee: Forgiveness, Fear, and the $540 Million Mistake (Replay)
In this re-release of one of our favorite episodes, Gary Vaynerchuk opens up to Maryam about fear, self-esteem, forgiveness, AI, leadership, and what he believes is a growing crisis of “late adulthood.” Gary shares why so many professionals feel stuck — not because of burnout, but because of insecurity and unresolved resentment. He breaks down his philosophy on kind candor vs. radical candor, why
"My Parents Would Have Rather I Been a Prostitute.” How Ayesha Nurdjaja Became a Celebrity Chef & Built NYC’s Hottest Restaurants
What happens when you walk away from the career everyone expected you to have? Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja was on a path toward law school, working at a prestigious law firm and doing everything “right.” But something was missing. In this episode of The Messy Parts, Ayesha shares with Maryam how she left a promising legal career to pursue cooking, even when her parents stopped speaking to her and everyon
She Kept Hearing "No." At 60, Sari Botton Finally Found Her Audience.
"No just means not right now." That's the philosophy that kept writer and Oldster founder Sari Botton going through decades of rejection before building one of Substack's most beloved magazines — at age 60. In this episode of The Messy Parts, Sari gets honest with Maryam about the messy middle: the identity searching, the failed attempts, the mean girls that never quite went aw
Bonnie Hammer Gave Her Boss the Finger. It Changed Her Career.
Bonnie Hammer ran 10 networks and two studios at NBCUniversal — but her career didn't start in a corner office. It started cleaning up dog poop on a kids' TV set. In this episode of The Messy Parts, Bonnie gets radically honest with Maryam about the moments that actually shaped her career: being passed over for the top job at NBC, negotiating her way into her own studio, saying yes to WW
Ed Sheeran, Pizza Rat & Getting Hacked: Rick McGuire on Running Subway Creatures and Loving New York
What does it take to build one of New York City's most recognizable social media brands — from scratch, in secret, while working a day job? Subway Creatures founder Rick McGuire tells Maryam the whole story: from working at VH1 and MTV while quietly building Subway Creatures on the side to Pizza Rat, Ed Sheeran, and a very public account hack that brought him to tears and nearly took everythi
"I Don't Know How to Balance All of This": Faherty Co-Founder Kerry Docherty on Business, Marriage, and Choosing Yourself
Kerry Docherty is a co-founder of Faherty, the surf lifestyle brand she built alongside her husband, his identical twin brother, and her mother-in-law. But behind the sun-soaked brand was a woman quietly carrying the weight of secrets — from childhood, from marriage, and from a business that nearly broke her. In this episode, Kerry opens up to Maryam about growing up in an Irish Catholic household
She Was Called “Dumb.” Now Assia Grazioli-Venier Invests Millions in Women’s Health.
What if the hardest parts of your life were actually setting you up for something bigger? Assia Grazioli-Venier’s story is a powerful reminder that your worst moments don’t define you — what you do next does. In this episode of The Messy Parts, Assia shares with Maryam her journey through dyslexia, cancer, infertility, and major career pivots — and how she turned every setback into fuel. She opens
Her Mother and Grandmother Said Nothing. Belle Burden Broke the Silence.
Belle Burden was raised in a family where you simply did not talk about the messy parts. So when her husband left without explanation during COVID lockdown — and then asked her to tell people it was amicable — something in her snapped. In this episode, the New York Times bestselling author of “Strangers” tells Maryam about the moment she chose radical honesty over a managed narrative, and why that
Bevy Smith Climbed the Ladder, Looked Around — and Jumped Off
What does it take to walk away from a six-figure career with no plan, go broke, and come out the other side with a Bravo show, an Amazon Prime series, and a Broadway stage credit? In this episode of The Messy Parts, the one and only Bevy Smith tells Maryam about growing up in Central Harlem, cutting her teeth in luxury fashion advertising, landing at Vibe and Rolling Stone, and then walking away f
Joanna Coles: The Career Advice Feminism Never Gave You
Joanna Coles built one of the most storied careers in media — from editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan to running The Daily Beast. So when she says feminism got it wrong, people listen. In this episode, Joanna challenges assumptions about ambition, motherhood, and what a successful life actually looks like. She reveals why curiosity — not ambition — drove every major career move she made, what she wis
Rapid Response: The "Most Stressed" Wellness CEO, with Calm's David Ko
Today we're dropping something a little different into your feed: a conversation from our friends at the Rapid Response podcast. Maryam was a guest on the show recently with host Bob Safian, but in the episode you’re about to hear, Bob sits down with David Ko, the CEO of Calm — the mental health and wellness app with more than 180 million downloads — right as he's announcing he's st
Parul Somani Was Holding Her Newborn When the Doctor Called with a Cancer Diagnosis. Then Came the Layoff.
Parul Somani was 31 years old, holding her one-week-old newborn, when her phone rang. It was her breast surgeon. On a Saturday. She knew it wasn't good news. What followed — cancer treatment, chemotherapy, a layoff she never saw coming, and a years-long search for work that actually meant something — would have broken most people. Instead, it rebuilt her. In this episode, Parul tells Maryam a
Finley Wanted to Be a Supreme Court Justice. Until One Class Changed Everything.
What does it take to walk away from everything you thought you wanted? Artist C. Finley knows. She was pre-law, headed for the Supreme Court, until one semester cracked her wide open and changed the entire trajectory of her life. Today she's a renowned muralist, large-scale painter, and the force behind the Every Woman Biennial — but the path here was anything but straight. In this episode of
From Fax Boy to CEO to Billion Dollar Sale: Patrick Steel Was Terrified (But Showed Up Anyway)
What does it take to walk into a failing company with zero experience and turn it around? Patrick Steel — former CEO of Politico — did exactly that. In this episode of The Messy Parts, Patrick shares with Maryam how he navigated multiple career pivots: from the Clinton White House to investment banking to leading one of Washington's most powerful media brands. We cover imposter syndrome, reco
“Flooded with the Feeling of Sudden Death” Shelley Huff on Panic Attacks, Bankruptcy, Getting Fired, and Life After the Title
What happens when a high-achieving executive loses everything — and has to start over? Shelley Huff spent decades climbing the corporate ladder, from merchant at Walmart to Fortune's Most Powerful Women list, to CEO of Serta Simmons Bedding. Then came bankruptcy, betrayal, and a firing she never got to say goodbye from. In this raw and honest conversation, Shelly opens up to Maryam about pa
Paper Magazine’s Kim Hastreiter Wasn’t Satisfied. So She Built Her Own Amazing World.
This is the world Kim Hastreiter built: Paper Magazine. Stuff. Joey Arias. Salvador Dali. Barbara Streisand. Nora Ephron. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Andy Warhol. Keith Haring. Bill Cunningham. Soho Weekly News. Michael Musto. Sex Pistols. Michael Stipe. Larry Kramer. And on and on. She is one of one, a cultural trailblazer in New York City and beyond. In this enlightening conversation, Kim gets h
“Why Can’t Mom Sit Still?” Maryam Banikarim on Why Busy Is Her Drug & the Messy Parts Are the Point
What happens when a high-powered career hits unexpected turns? In this deeply personal episode of The Messy Parts, host Maryam Banikarim flips the script as her sister, award-winning journalist Susie Banikarim, interviews her about the defining — and messy — moments behind her remarkable journey. Maryam shares stories of growing up between cultures, navigating grief after losing her father, and bu
Fired from My Own Company — By My Husband: Chocolatier Katrina Markoff on Trusting Yourself and Making Bold Decisions
Katrina Markoff built a globally successful chocolate empire, only to lose it all in a devastating corporate and personal betrayal. In this episode of The Messy Parts, Katrina gets real with Maryam about burnout, identity loss, and the fear of starting over. From staying too long in “safe” situations to learning how to trust her instincts again, Katrina shares the messy in-between moments most peo
“Who the Hell Do I Think I Am?”: Melissa Ben-Ishay on Running Baked by Melissa While Doubting Herself
What happens 48 hours after you get fired? For Melissa Ben-Ishay, it was the beginning of Baked by Melissa. But this isn’t just a startup success story — it’s a conversation about rejection, imposter syndrome, and learning to own your voice. Melissa reveals to Maryam how she built a cupcake brand from her apartment, rode the subway making deliveries, and still didn’t believe she deserved to be CEO
Fully Clogged: Gary Vee on Forgiveness, Living Fearlessly, and the Reality of AI
Gary Vaynerchuk opens up to Maryam about fear, self-esteem, forgiveness, AI, leadership, and what he believes is a growing crisis of “late adulthood.” Gary shares why so many professionals feel stuck — not because of burnout, but because of insecurity and unresolved resentment. He breaks down his philosophy on kind candor vs. radical candor, why fear is the real career killer, and how over-coddlin
Driven by Love and Addicted to “What’s Next”: Fashion Insider Sojin Lee
Sojin Lee has built startups, helped scale Net-a-Porter, won fashion industry awards — and watched businesses collapse. In this candid conversation, she opens up to Maryam about public failure, ambition addiction, and choosing love over everything else. From early executive days in luxury fashion to launching ahead-of-its-time ventures, Sojin shares hard lessons about risk, ego, shame, and surviva
The Man Who Dressed America: Fashion Legend Mickey Drexler
Mickey Drexler built the Gap into a $15 billion empire, created Old Navy, helped redefine J.Crew, and shaped American retail culture. And then? He was fired. No warning. No thank you. Just a card, a sentence, and a door. In this episode of The Messy Parts, Maryam sits down with Mickey to talk about what actually happens when you do everything “right” and still get pushed out. They go deep on insti
From Fired to Fashion Powerhouse: Jeweler Marla Aaron
At what point does a side hustle stop being a hobby? On this episode of The Messy Parts, Marla Aaron tells Maryam the exact moment she realized she could no longer hedge her ambition. What began as a creative outlet eventually became a full-fledged business, but not without years of doubt, rejection, and financial anxiety. In this episode, Marla and Maryam explore the tension between security and
Becoming the CEO of Me: Communications Icon Sally Susman
Is it possible to be successful, exhausted, uncertain, and stuck — all at the same time? In this episode of The Messy Parts, former Pfizer communications chief Sally Susman joins Maryam on the blue couch to get real about fear, ambition, burnout, and what it really takes to grow. From being told she’d never have a career after coming out, to leading Pfizer during COVID, to leaving corporate life b
The Best of The Messy Parts: Humor, Resilience & Rewriting the Rules
This week, we are looking back at some of the most powerful, hilarious, and vulnerable moments from The Messy Parts. We created this episode with Hark Audio, gathering the standout clips that define what this show is all about: embracing the chaos and finding strength in the struggle.Whether you are new to the podcast or a day-one listener, this compilation features the wisdom you need right now.
Katie Sturino on Building Megababe, Owning the Mess, and Dreaming Big (Re-Release)
We're going back to our first episode: Katie Sturino is no stranger to reinvention—from fashion PR hustler to viral dog-momager to founder of Megababe and author of the new romcom Sunny Side Up. In the premiere episode of The Messy Parts, she joins Maryam to talk about building a self-funded brand, the real struggles behind the Instagram gloss, and how letting the "messy parts hang out&q
Ana Gasteyer Gets Real About Wicked, SNL, and the Hustle of Showbiz (Re-Release)
What does it really take to build a career across Saturday Night Live, Broadway’s Wicked, network TV, and music? In this re-release of one of our favorite episodes of The Messy Parts, Ana Gasteyer joins Maryam Banikarim to reveal the messy, unglamorous parts of showbusiness — like rejection, insecurity, and feeling like an outsider. Ana turned those realities into fuel for her creativity, and tell
Rafat Ali Plays the Long Game: This Internet Pioneer Says You Should Stop Rushing Your Career
Is your path too messy for success? In this episode of The Messy Parts, Maryam talks to Rafat Ali, founder of Skift and one of the most quietly influential figures in digital media. This feels like a personal conversation, Rafat opens up about the parts of his journey most people never hear: stuttering as a teenager, feeling like an outsider in America, breaking down during intense life changes, a
Celebrity Wedding Planner Marcy Blum Turned Fun Into a Million-Dollar Business
How do you turn fun into a career? In this honest, funny, and inspiring episode of The Messy Parts, celebrity event planner Marcy Blum tells Maryam how she went from living on a failed commune in Vermont to organizing lavish celebrations for LeBron James, Kevin Bacon, and countless billionaires, and why “fun” is her most powerful business strategy. Along the way, Marcy opens up about sexism in the
How to Reinvent Yourself When You "Should Have Figured It Out By Now": Kelly Kopp
Kelly Kopp, is now known as “New York City Kopp,” influencer, photographer, tour guide But at 40 years old, Kelly lost everything—his house in the mortgage crisis, his restaurant job, his health (without insurance), and watched his best friend, Sandy, die of cancer. Sitting poolside in Orlando contemplating how people reach their breaking point, Sandy's death became his wake-up call to "
The Real Cost of Staying Silent at Work with Brooke Baldwin
Could getting fired be the best thing that ever happened to you? In this deeply personal episode of The Messy Parts, journalist Brooke Baldwin sits down with Maryam to discuss her journey from heartbreak to healing after she was let go from her dream job at CNN. Brooke talks about speaking truth to power, walking through fear, and redefining success on her own terms. The two explore what happens w
Turning “No” Into Opportunity: Broadway’s Michael McElroy on Rejection and Resilience
Is your biggest mess also your best teacher? Broadway veteran Michael McElroy tells Maryam about his remarkable journey from rejection at Carnegie Mellon to leading Broadway casts and founding the award-winning Broadway Inspirational Voices. He and Maryam explore how to find purpose after burnout, the power of community and service, and what happens when you finally stop waiting for permission to
Finding Light in the Darkness: Writer Jonathan Merritt on Faith, Courage, and Starting Over.
Jonathan Merritt was a pastor’s son destined to preach — until he was publicly outed online and his life imploded. When faith, identity, and ambition collide — what do you do? Jonathan knows that question intimately. But through the wreckage came clarity, courage, and an entirely new way of living. In this candid episode, Jonathan tells Maryam how losing community, career, and certainty opened the
Build a $22M Company While Surviving Layoffs, Lawsuits, Losing Friends: Create and Cultivate's Jaclyn Johnson
At 22, Jaclyn Johnson landed her dream magazine job — until she realized it paid less than her rent. That rejection set off a chain of bold decisions: launching a fashion blog, being sued by a former employer, losing a job she moved across the country to take, and eventually starting her own PR/branding agency. Jaclyn tells Maryam how she turned fear into fuel and turned Create & Cultivate fro
From Her Parents' Basement to Editor-in-Chief (Twice): Danielle Belton's Comeback Story
Think your biggest breakdown means you’ve failed? Journalist Danielle Belton was hospitalized multiple times for bipolar disorder while she was building her career. In this powerful episode, she opens up to Maryam about a childhood riddled with anxiety, falling into a deep depression after a failed marriage, and drinking tequila at work to power through panic attacks. Danielle hit rock bottom in h
The Real Reason You're Paralyzed in Your Career (It's Not What You Think): Farnoosh Torabi
What if everything you were told about building a career was wrong? Financial expert and host of The So Money Podcast, Farnoosh Torabi, gets raw about the messy reality behind her success—from being forced to give up her dream schools to avoid debt, to getting fired twice, to drowning in $300K of business debt that forced her to sell her home.This isn't another "hustle harder" story
The Points Guy Couldn't Get His Own Credit Card: Then He Made $28 Million (at 28 Years Old)
Brian Kelly (aka The Points Guy) has been obsessed with credit card and frequent flyer points since childhood. At age 12, his dad challenged him to book a family vacation using only points, and young Brian successfully got his entire family to the Cayman Islands for free.Fast forward to his twenties, and his credit was ruined. He had to resort to payday loans. As he says, "I was in survival m
Debunking Myths About Careers, Generation Gaps, and The Power of Side Hustles: Sam DeMase
If you’re job hunting, eyeing a promotion, or just feeling burnt out—this conversation will remind you that your path doesn’t have to be traditional to be powerful. From bossy kid to bold career coach, Sam DeMase is redefining what leadership and success really look like—with empathy, authenticity, and purpose. In this episode, Sam shares her unconventional journey: from managing 70 people at a fa
Edge of Bankruptcy, Surviving A Toxic Partnership, Starting Over: Gwen Whiting's Messy Truth
What happens when your toxic business partnership implodes and nearly 20 years of work vanishes while you're getting your hair done? Gwen Whiting, co-founder of The Laundress, opens up about the brutal reality behind building a successful brand, selling it to Unilever—and watching everything she created collapse.In this raw conversation, Gwen reveals how early tragedy shaped her resilience; s
Overcoming Anxiety and Thriving Through a Twisty Career: Emma Rosenblum
Job opportunities in her industry faded away slowly and then all of a sudden. So Emma Rosenblum committed to her side hustle and found a way to pivot into a new career altogether – she wrote a book. A literary agent rejected it as "too mean,” but she found a way through. Then, when her manuscript accidentally leaked to her real-life community (the location of the book) with real residents&ap
No to Wall St. and Yes to Broadway (and Tony Awards and heartbreak) with Tom Kitt
Tony Awards, Grammys, a Pulitzer Prize, Emmy Awards. Next to Normal, If/Then, Hell's Kitchen, and NY State of Mind. Tom Kitt traded a Wall St. job offer (and paycheck) to follow his passion, a life making music, but that decision didn't come without great cost. He spent five years developing his first Broadway show, "High Fidelity," and it closed after just 10 days, sending him
Negin Farsad: Did I Do Justice to My Dreams?
Feel like you're on the “wrong” path? Negin Farsad (comedian, filmmaker, writer, actor, and activist) went from steady job as a NYC policy advisor to chasing laughs on lonely standup stages across the country. As one of the few Iranian-American Muslim women in comedy, she’s built a career blending sharp political satire with deeply personal storytelling—using humor to tackle racism, sexism,
Sarah Personette: Choosing Kindness
Ever feel like everyone else has it figured out while you're drowning in chaos? Sarah Personette's journey through Facebook, Twitter, and now Puck as CEO reveals the messy reality behind big-name success. She shares brutal truths about workplace bullies who wanted her gone, the isolating loneliness of leadership, and making gut decisions that horrified her father. From losing student ele
Judith Curr: Prince, Tarot Cards, Chat GPT and changing the plan
What do Prince, The Secret, and Colleen Hoover have in common? They all worked with Judith Curr to publish their books. Judith's career has been quite a trip: from selling her brother's engine block to a junk dealer in a very small Australian town. to selling Dior to pharmacies door-to-door, to revolutionizing book publishing—founding Atria Books, discovering tomorrow's bestsellers
Irina Novolselsky: Will I Ever Get a Job Again?
Irina Novoselsky landed her first CEO gig at just 32 years old. She’s now CEO of Hootsuite, a social media management platform with 16 million users in 175 countries. Even though her career has been a rocket ship, she’s had a lot of messy parts and pivots that’s shaped who she is and how she operates. That includes being out of work for months at a time and really questioning whether she was ever
Vanessa Barboni Hallik: Where is the rest of me?
Discover the real story behind Another Tomorrow with Vanessa Barboni Hallik, who left Wall Street for a mission in sustainable luxury fashion. In this candid interview with Maryam Banikarim on "The Messy Parts Podcast," Vanessa reflects on career pivots, making meaning from hardship, starting a business during COVID, and how purpose and authenticity drive her leadership. If you’re lookin
Fede Garcia: Fired at the top and giving up on the power, the prestige, and all of it
What happens after the dream job ends? In this deeply honest conversation, Maryam sits down with Fede García, who (in a matter of a few weeks) went from an award-winning Global Chief Creative Officer at one of the biggest agencies in the world to writing a vulnerable LinkedIn post about being fired. Together, they unpack the reality of ego, identity, burnout, and reinvention after “success.” Fede
Ana Gasteyer: SNL, Wine, Fame, and Staying Funny | The Messy Parts Podcast #6
Saturday Night Live, Wicked, American Auto, Sugar & Booze, many lifelong friendships, and close family relationships are just a few of Ana's string of incredible accomplishments. It turns out none of it was easy. As she says, "It's not for the faint of heart." Even though creating and preforming for a living is "intoxicating and beyond fun" it's also "m
Vicki Freeman: Finding Your Calling Through Trial and Error
What happens when you try nine different schools and still don't know what you want to do? Vicki Freeman, co-founder of the Bowery Group, shares her winding journey from serial student to successful restaurateur. After searching for her purpose through child psychology, fashion photography, film school, and art history, she discovered her calling was right under her nose - in the restaurants
Debra Martin Chase: Safe Choice, Wrong Choice
What happens when you choose the "safe" path and it nearly kills your soul? Debra Martin Chase went from Harvard Law School to becoming the first Black woman producer with a major studio deal. In this episode of The Messy Parts, she shares her journey from corporate lawyer to Hollywood trailblazer, including the near-death experience that made her quit law, the weekend of initiative that
Kass & Mike Lazerow: The Billion Dollar Burnout
Kass and Mike Lazerow sold their company for nearly $1 billion—and felt completely numb. In this episode of The Messy Parts, they share the brutal reality behind entrepreneurial success: kids struggling, health failing, friendships lost. Together with Maryam, they explore what radical transparency actually looks like when you strip away the corporate mask. It's a conversation about the hidden
Cindi Leive: Reinvention, Resilience, and Rewriting the Rules of Women’s Media
Cindi Leive has shaped the media world—from her tenure as Glamour's editor-in-chief to co-founding The Meteor. In this intimate conversation, she joins Maryam to talk about losing her mother young, surviving the “command and control” culture of Condé Nast, and building something new from the ground up. They explore the messy parts of starting over, raising kids in a digital age, the lonelines
Katie Sturino: Building Megababe, Owning the Mess, and Dreaming Big
Katie Sturino is no stranger to reinvention—from fashion PR hustler to viral dog-momager to founder of Megababe and author of the new romcom Sunny Side Up. In the premiere episode of The Messy Parts, she joins Maryam to talk about building a self-funded brand, the real struggles behind the Instagram gloss, and how letting the "messy parts hang out" can be your superpower. They talk all t
The Messy Parts Podcast Trailer
Whether you’re at the top, or striving to get there—you may have noticed the one thing people rarely talk about: how hard it is to achieve success. The Messy Parts is the answer—a podcast where you’ll hear about the twists, turns and pivots that shape extraordinary careers. The real messy parts along the way. Host Maryam Banikarim has been through it, so she gets it. Maryam has been a transformati
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