From Fax Boy to CEO to Billion Dollar Sale: Patrick Steel Was Terrified (But Showed Up Anyway)

From Fax Boy to CEO to Billion Dollar Sale: Patrick Steel Was Terrified (But Showed Up Anyway)

From The Messy Parts by with Maryam Banikarim

April 13, 2026 · 40 min · Episode 40

About this episode

Patrick Steel shares his journey of turning around a failing company and navigating various career changes.

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 creden...

People in this episode

Host: Maryam Banikarim

Guest: Patrick Steel

Topics covered

  • career pivots
  • leadership
  • imposter syndrome
  • public failure
  • media industry

Keywords

  • CEO
  • billion dollar sale
  • career transitions
  • media
  • Washington

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Politico, Clinton White House, investment banking

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