The Messy Parts
New career advice and messy stories, every Monday.
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 transformative leader across media, hospitality and tech. Her powerhouse resume features more than 20 years in the C-Suite at companies like Hyatt, NBC, and Nextdoor—and she has a vast, influential network to match. On The Messy Parts, she brings you unparalleled access to that network. Deeply honest, vulnerable conversations with Maryam—who is never afraid to ask the questions on everyone's mind. Join us as we get real, unfiltered, and messy.
The Messy Parts
Joanna Coles: The Career Advice Feminism Never Gave You
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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 wishes someone had told her at 28, and why the "have it all" conversation has been missing its most important ingredient. Plus: the moment she knew it was time to walk away from Hearst after 12 years, and what reinvention really looks like from the inside.
🔔 Subscribe to The Messy Parts — where real success stories include the parts that didn't go according to plan.
Key Moments:
0:00 - The Boss Perk Nobody Talks About 💼
Joanna drops straight into one of her most practical pieces of advice — why being the boss isn't about power.
1:16 - The Taxi Ambush 🚕
Joanna recounts the audacious moment she drag-raced up Park Avenue and leapt into a CEO's car to ask for a job.
2:34 - "Feminism Got It Wrong" 🔥
Joanna unpacks her viral take — why she believes the feminist movement failed to celebrate motherhood.
5:46 - From Yorkshire to New York 🌍
Joanna traces her journey from growing up in "the Texas of Britain" to becoming the Guardian's New York bureau chief — and why she never went back.
8:15 - Curiosity Over Ambition 💡
Joanna rejects the label of "ambitious" entirely — and makes the case that curiosity is the real engine behind a big career.
13:29 - The End of the Magazine Era 📰
Joanna reflects on the bittersweet experience of leading iconic magazines while watching the industry she loved change forever.
20:38 - Getting Bypassed for the Top Job ⚡
Joanna opens up about being passed over for the CEO role at Hearst, and the very public, very boss way she chose to make her exit on a treadmill desk.
22:43 - The Portfolio Phase 🔄
Joanna and Maryam get real about the messy in-between — board seats, SPACs, and the disorienting freedom of not having one defining job title anymore.
27:12 - Walking Away from Her Marriage 💔
After 28 years and two sons, Joanna reflects candidly on ending her marriage — and why she rejects the word "failure" when it comes to long relationships.
30:13 - AI & The Future of News 🤖
Joanna shares what excites and worries her about AI, how The Daily Beast is using it, and why she's glad it still can't predict the news.
39:40 - Rapid Fire with Joanna ⚡
Alternate careers, the last time she cried, and the one fashion choice she'd erase from history — Joanna closes out with her most unfiltered answers yet.
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