The Messy Parts
Episodes
“Why Can’t Mom Sit Still?” Maryam Banikarim on Why Busy Is Her Drug & the Messy Parts Are the Point
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a high-powered career hits unexpected turns? In this deeply personal episode of The Messy Parts, host Maryam Banikarim flips the scr...
Fired from My Own Company — By My Husband: Chocolatier Katrina Markoff on Trusting Yourself and Making Bold Decisions
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Katrina Markoff built a globally successful chocolate empire, only to lose it all in a devastating corporate and personal betrayal. In this episode of...
“Who the Hell Do I Think I Am?”: Melissa Ben-Ishay on Running Baked by Melissa While Doubting Herself
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 st...
Fully Clogged: Gary Vee on Forgiveness, Living Fearlessly, and the Reality of AI
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Gary Vaynerchuk opens up to Maryam about fear, self-esteem, forgiveness, AI, leadership, and what he believes is a growing crisis of “late adulthood...
Driven by Love and Addicted to “What’s Next”: Fashion Insider Sojin Lee
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sojin Lee has built startups, helped scale Net-a-Porter, won fashion industry awards — and watched businesses collapse. In this candid conversation,...
The Man Who Dressed America: Fashion Legend Mickey Drexler
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
From Fired to Fashion Powerhouse: Jeweler Marla Aaron
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 co...
Becoming the CEO of Me: Communications Icon Sally Susman
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is it possible to be successful, exhausted, uncertain, and stuck — all at the same time? In this episode of The Messy Parts, former Pfizer communica...
The Best of The Messy Parts: Humor, Resilience & Rewriting the Rules
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Katie Sturino on Building Megababe, Owning the Mess, and Dreaming Big (Re-Release)
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 M...
Ana Gasteyer Gets Real About Wicked, SNL, and the Hustle of Showbiz (Re-Release)
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 fa...
Rafat Ali Plays the Long Game: This Internet Pioneer Says You Should Stop Rushing Your Career
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 influe...
Celebrity Wedding Planner Marcy Blum Turned Fun Into a Million-Dollar Business
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ho...
How to Reinvent Yourself When You "Should Have Figured It Out By Now": Kelly Kopp
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
The Real Cost of Staying Silent at Work with Brooke Baldwin
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 do...
Turning “No” Into Opportunity: Broadway’s Michael McElroy on Rejection and Resilience
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is your biggest mess also your best teacher? Broadway veteran Michael McElroy tells Maryam about his remarkable journey from rejection at Carnegie Mel...
Finding Light in the Darkness: Writer Jonathan Merritt on Faith, Courage, and Starting Over.
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Merritt was a pastor’s son destined to preach — until he was publicly outed online and his life imploded. When faith, identity, and ambit...
Build a $22M Company While Surviving Layoffs, Lawsuits, Losing Friends: Create and Cultivate's Jaclyn Johnson
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 decision...
From Her Parents' Basement to Editor-in-Chief (Twice): Danielle Belton's Comeback Story
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Think your biggest breakdown means you’ve failed? Journalist Danielle Belton was hospitalized multiple times for bipolar disorder while she was buil...
The Real Reason You're Paralyzed in Your Career (It's Not What You Think): Farnoosh Torabi
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Points Guy Couldn't Get His Own Credit Card: Then He Made $28 Million (at 28 Years Old)
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 bo...
Debunking Myths About Careers, Generation Gaps, and The Power of Side Hustles: Sam DeMase
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 traditi...
Edge of Bankruptcy, Surviving A Toxic Partnership, Starting Over: Gwen Whiting's Messy Truth
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when your toxic business partnership implodes and nearly 20 years of work vanishes while you're getting your hair done? Gwen Whiting...
Overcoming Anxiety and Thriving Through a Twisty Career: Emma Rosenblum
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
No to Wall St. and Yes to Broadway (and Tony Awards and heartbreak) with Tom Kitt
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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. jo...
Negin Farsad: Did I Do Justice to My Dreams?
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Feel like you're on the “wrong” path? Negin Farsad (comedian, filmmaker, writer, actor, and activist) went from steady job as a NYC policy ...
Sarah Personette: Choosing Kindness
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever feel like everyone else has it figured out while you're drowning in chaos? Sarah Personette's journey through Facebook, Twitter, and no...
Judith Curr: Prince, Tarot Cards, Chat GPT and changing the plan
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Irina Novolselsky: Will I Ever Get a Job Again?
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Vanessa Barboni Hallik: Where is the rest of me?
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover the real story behind Another Tomorrow with Vanessa Barboni Hallik, who left Wall Street for a mission in sustainable luxury fashion. In this...
Fede Garcia: Fired at the top and giving up on the power, the prestige, and all of it
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
Ana Gasteyer: SNL, Wine, Fame, and Staying Funny | The Messy Parts Podcast #6
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Saturday Night Live, Wicked, American Auto, Sugar & Booze, many lifelong friendships, and close family relationships are just a few of Ana's ...
Vicki Freeman: Finding Your Calling Through Trial and Error
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Debra Martin Chase: Safe Choice, Wrong Choice
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Kass & Mike Lazerow: The Billion Dollar Burnout
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
Cindi Leive: Reinvention, Resilience, and Rewriting the Rules of Women’s Media
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, s...
Katie Sturino: Building Megababe, Owning the Mess, and Dreaming Big
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 S...
The Messy Parts Podcast Trailer
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...