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
Her Mother and Grandmother Said Nothing. Belle Burden Broke the Silence.
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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 single decision changed everything. Belle and Maryam explore the eerie parallel between how betrayed spouses and laid-off professionals are both pressured to keep quiet and stay composed — and what it really costs us when we do. If you've ever swallowed your truth to make someone else comfortable, this one's for you.
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Key Moments
0:00 - When the Earth Moves 🌍
Belle reflects on what it means to have your life upended without warning — and why the only way through is one slow, deliberate step at a time.
1:40 - The Unexpected Bestseller 🚀
Belle reveals she expected her book to sell fewer than 7,000 copies — and is now in its ninth printing, reaching readers far beyond the divorced women she imagined.
3:22 - "I Thought I Was the Only One" 💔
Belle describes the flood of messages from strangers sharing almost identical stories of sudden, unexplained abandonment — and why these stories stay hidden.
5:17 - The Harvard Moment That Changed Everything ✍️
A cruel comment from a senior student convinced Belle she couldn't write — and she believed it for 30 years.
7:00 - Growing Up Paley 👑
Belle paints a picture of her unusual childhood — the granddaughter of style icon Babe Paley, yet quietly lonely, nerdy, and never quite fitting in.
10:22 - Breaking the Pattern She Never Could 💍
Belle explains how she consciously chose a mild-mannered husband to escape her family's legacy of infidelity — and how spectacularly that plan unraveled.
13:24 - The Prenup She Didn't Tell Anyone About 💸
Two weeks before her wedding, Belle was convinced to change her prenup — and didn't tell her mother, her lawyer, or her brother.
23:46 - The Sandwich 🥪
The most talked-about moment in the book: Belle makes her husband a sandwich as he tells their daughters he's leaving — and explains what it actually meant.
28:51 - Don't Make a Scene 🤐
Belle and Maryam unpack the eerie parallel between how women are pressured to stay composed after a husband walks out and how laid-off employees are managed into silence.
36:43 - Breaking the Generational Silence 🔇
Belle describes delivering the manuscript to her mother on Thanksgiving — and the phone call she received within 24 hours that changed their relationship forever.
45:19 - What She Knows Now 🌅
Belle reflects on what she's discovered about herself on the other side: a writer, a stronger woman, and someone far less fragile than she ever believed.
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