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 The Messy Parts, Finley gets honest with Maryam about identity collapse, creative risk, inconsistent income, and why being foolish enough to go for it might be the most strategic thing you ever do. From Missouri to Rome to the streets of New York, this is a story about following the thread that lights you up — even when everyone around you thinks you've lost your mind

Key Moments

0:00 - Finding Her Calling 🎨
Finley reflects on the terrifying, electric moment she realized painting was her purpose — and why a blank canvas never gets old.

0:52 - Growing Up an Outsider 🌾
Small-town Missouri, a cultural void, and a kid building worlds alone in her backyard — Finley on the childhood that shaped everything.

2:51 - The Supreme Court Dream ⚖️
Why a fierce sense of fairness had Finley on a hyper-focused path to the Supreme Court — until she actually read a law brief.

5:23 - The Class That Changed Everything 💥
One semester. One teacher. Thirty-two paintings in a basement. The moment Finley's entire identity cracked wide open.

8:12 - Telling Her Parents 😬
She applied to art school without telling anyone. Then came the tears, the silence, and her dad not speaking to her for a month.

13:03 - Arriving in New York 🗽
Pratt, Fort Greene before it was cool, and finally landing in the city she'd been dreaming about since she was a kid.

15:32 - The Ridley Scott Years 🎬
How Finley went from art school graduate to music video sets, scenic painting, and learning the hustle that would fuel her entire career.

19:06 - Rock Bottom in LA 🌊
A heartbreak, a drive-by shooting, a broken-into house, and a $10,000 grant that arrived at exactly the right moment.

24:11 - The Magic Door in Rome 🇮🇹
A stranger spends 13 hours studying her work, then offers her an apartment and a residency. The pivot that changed absolutely everything.

29:30 - The Dumpster Goes Viral 🗑️
How two rolls of leftover wallpaper, two dumpsters in Rome, and one guerrilla midnight mission made the New York Times.

33:08 - The Every Woman Biennial 🌸
What started as a joke between friends became one of the most inclusive art events in the country — including a run-in with Whitney Houston's publicist.

37:04 - Rapid Fire & Real Talk ⚡
Paint disasters, crying two days ago, and the one piece of advice Finley gives everyone navigating a pivot: go be a fool.

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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, recovering from public failure, why no task should ever be beneath you, and how relationships — not credentials — are the real currency of a successful career. Plus, Patrick gives his honest take on AI, the creator economy, and what today's 19-year-olds are telling us about the future of media.

Key Moments

0:00 - When Politico Was On Fire 🔥
Politico was hemorrhaging money, losing talent, and Axios was circling. Patrick walks in with zero media experience.

1:41 - Who Was Young Patrick? 👦
Growing up on the Upper West Side between two very different worlds — a civil rights lawyer dad and an actress mum with a secret.

5:33 - How Politics Got Under His Skin 🏛️
A weekend volunteering in New Hampshire turned into sleeping on a cot and never going back. The Clinton campaign changed everything.

8:07 - Why No Task Was Ever Too Small 💼
How mastering the fax machine at a think tank opened the door to the White House — and why nothing has ever been beneath him.

13:07 - Making Big Mistakes in Public 😬
Getting your head ripped off by the Deputy Chief of Staff at 26. What it taught him about accountability and never repeating the same error.

15:11 - The Power of Radical Optimism ☀️
Why Patrick wakes up every day choosing positivity — and why as a leader, he believes you simply don't have a choice.

16:12 - The Most Unexpected Pivot Yet 💰
Gore loses. Wife out of work. Six-month-old baby. Patrick makes his boldest career leap yet — straight to Wall Street.

19:53 - Even Extroverts Feel Like Outsiders 🚪
Even extroverts feel like they don't belong. Patrick on navigating imposter syndrome across every new chapter of his career.

22:37 - The Relationship Playbook That Changes Everything 🤝
The Harvard study that says relationships are the only thing that matters — and practical tips for people who don't find this stuff natural.

28:03 - From $13 Million Loss to Billion Dollar Sale 📰
Right people, right seats, clear mission. How Patrick went from losing $13 million to a billion-dollar sale to Axel Springer.

31:46 - Life After the Billion Dollar Exit ⏸️
Teaching 19-year-olds at NYU Stern, advising media startups, and learning to exist without the CEO title.

37:39 - Rapid Fire With Patrick Steel ⚡
Travel before 35, the myth of prestige careers, AI's real economic threat, and the walk-on song he still hasn't figured out.

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​​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 panic disorder in the workplace, the identity crisis that follows job loss, the grief nobody names when a career ends, and the sabbatical that changed her life. Whether you're navigating burnout, a career pivot, or simply trying to hold it all together, Shelly's story will resonate deeply.

Key Moments

00:00:00 - She Thought She Was Dying — In the Middle of a Staff Meeting 😰
Shelly opens with a startling admission — she was sitting in boardrooms counting down the clock so she could drive herself to the emergency room.

00:04:03 - She Dropped Out of College at 19 — And It Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Her 🎓
Leaving engineering, starting a candle business with her best friends, and how it all falling apart gave her the clarity to go all in when she went back.

00:07:38 - The Partnership Lesson Every Founder Needs to Hear 🤝
Just because someone is your best friend doesn't mean they'll be your best business partner.

00:11:36 - How Walmart Became the Place She Never Wanted to Leave 🏪
Shelly knew within four weeks of her internship that this was where she wanted to build her career.

00:14:00 - The Mardi Gras Disaster That Actually Got Her Promoted 🎭
She bought 400 times the inventory the country needed. Instead of deflecting, she owned it completely — and got promoted nine months later.

00:17:25 - The Panic Attacks Nobody Knew About 😶
Shelly describes the year she spent hiding panic disorder as her career was rising.

00:23:05 - Why She Left Walmart for a Struggling Mattress Company 🛏️
The counterintuitive career move that took her from a cash-rich public company to a private-equity-owned business in distress — and why she ran toward it.

00:29:43 - The Moment She Had to Choose: Leave or Stay Through Bankruptcy 💼
Knowing the company might file for Chapter 11, Shelly faced a decision most executives quietly run from.

00:30:39 - Fired. Three Weeks After Leading the Company Out of Bankruptcy. 🔥
The gut punch moment. After doing everything right, she got fired in a 10-minute phone call.

00:34:42 - The Sabbatical That Changed Everything 🌿
How Shelley surrendered to a full year off that transformed everything.

00:38:40 - Building a Community for the Leaders Nobody Checks On 🫂
Shelly and Maryam on the grief and isolation that follows leaving a C-suite role — and the peer community they're building for executives asking, who am I now?

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