1844 episodes
- Most people don't fail because they lack talent. They fail because they disqualify themselves before anyone else gets the chance.
Patty Azzarello became HP's youngest-ever General Manager at 33, ran a billion-dollar business at 35, and reached Silicon Valley CEO by 38 — all while feeling like she didn't belong in the room. In her new book Why Is She Still Here?, she shares the real, unfiltered story of what it actually took to get there.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Why you should never disqualify yourself — Patty almost didn't apply for a billion-dollar GM role because she decided she wasn't ready. The men competing for the same job had less experience. She applied anyway. She got it.
The "Little Patty" method for doing scary things — After 7 years of brutal childhood bullying, Patty built a powerful mental framework: if that little girl could walk back into school every day, you can do the scary adult thing. You owe it to her to swing.
Why being a "business robot" stalls your career — Her boss told her she was too serious. Her mom cracked the code: your achievements get you in the door, but people have to want you in the room.
How to turn your most embarrassing failure into your fastest learning — Patty once stood in front of a room full of engineers with zero knowledge of the product they were asking about. Two weeks later she was the most sought-after person to demo that exact product.
The networking hack that works for introverts — Asking for help isn't weakness. It's how Patty — a self-described socially awkward introvert — built the support network that carried her career.
Connect with Patty Azzarello:
pattyazzarello.comlinkedin.com/in/pattyazzarelloBuy the book: Why Is She Still Here?
Connect with Kwame:
Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company
Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn
negotiateanything.com
Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life!
@kwamenegotiates across all social platforms The Intelligence Officer's Secret to Making Better Decisions - Anthony Vinci
09/07/2026 | 1h 13 mins.Most people think in binary — it will happen or it won't. A former CIA field officer says that mental habit is quietly destroying your decisions, your business, and your shot at the life you actually want.
Anthony Vinci spent years recruiting intelligence sources in active war zones, advising presidents and generals on high-stakes decisions, and then managing investments at Bridgewater Associates under Ray Dalio — one of the most disciplined decision-making environments on the planet. After leaving government, he built a company from the ground up without knowing what an LLC was, wrote The Fourth Intelligence Revolution, and launched Veeo, a forecasting and scenario-planning platform now used by hedge funds, corporations, and governments. His hard-won insight: the cost of bad decisions is massive, and it follows you forever — but the right system changes everything.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Why "chunking" risk is the CIA method for taking action without freezing up — Anthony breaks down how he planned missions in Baghdad piece by piece, and how to apply the exact same framework to business decisions and big life swings
The "compartmentalize risk" principle that explains why the world's biggest risk-takers (Special Forces operators, entrepreneurs) are often deeply conservative in other areas of their lives — and how to deliberately design yours
Why stubbornness + optimism = resilience — and the hidden flip side that destroys most entrepreneurs who don't know when to stop
The binary thinking trap: why saying "it's more likely than not" is dramatically less useful than saying "it's a 55% chance vs. a 90% chance" — and why that gap is where elite decision-makers live
What Ray Dalio's Bridgewater taught Anthony about the one non-negotiable trait you need in your inner circle — and the exact type of person you must limit access to your energy
Connect with Anthony Vinci
www.anthonyvinci.com
Connect with Kwame:
Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company
Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn
negotiateanything.com
Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life!
@kwamenegotiates across all social platforms- Psychiatrist Dr. Suzan Song reveals why "just keep going" isn't resilience — it's a trauma response. After hiding from child soldiers in Burundi, she uncovered the hidden cost of high achievement that no one talks about.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Why performing stability after trauma leads to a breakdown decades later
The real difference between pain (unavoidable) and suffering (optional)
The Three Friends of Winter — Narrative, Ritual & Purpose — and why they outperform every self-care tool
Why building your identity on competence is the most fragile thing a high achiever can do
Why more mental health resources are producing more depression, not less
Connect with Dr Suzan Song
www.suzansong.com
Buy the book: Why We Suffer and How We Heal
Using Narrative, Ritual, and Purpose to Flourish Through Life's Challenges
Connect with Kwame:
Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company
Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn
negotiateanything.com
Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life!
@kwamenegotiates across all social platforms - Being told you're "the glue that keeps everything together" sounds like a compliment—until you realize it's the very reason they never considered you for the promotion. Dr. Ruth Gotian spent 15 years being perfect at her job, and it almost cost her everything.
Dr. Ruth Gotian is the Chief Learning Officer at Weill Cornell Medicine (recently retired), a Columbia University faculty member, and one of the world's foremost researchers on peak performance. She has interviewed Nobel Prize winners, Olympians, NASA astronauts, and NBA champions—not to report on their habits, but to decode the mindset patterns behind their greatness. Her book The Success Factor has become a roadmap for high achievers who are tired of being overlooked.
In this episode, Kwame and Ruth unpack the hidden rules of success that nobody tells you—and what it actually takes to go from invisible to undeniable.
Connect with Dr. Ruth Gotian:
Website: ruthgotian.com
LinkedIn: Search Ruth Gotian
The Success Factor — featuring stories from Neil Katyal, Steve Kerr, Bob Lefkowitz, and Peggy Whitson
Upcoming book on overlooked high achievers — coming 2027
Connect with Kwame:
www.americannegotiationinstitute.com - Before we transition, we wanted to give you one more gift.
This episode wasn't originally planned for the Negotiate Anything feed — it's an interview Kwame did on Trent Shelton's podcast, and it might be one of the most personal conversations he's ever had.
Contact ANI
Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company
Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn
negotiateanything.com
Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life!
More Business podcasts
Trending Business podcasts
About Big Swings Only
Playing it safe is easy. It’s comfortable. And it will never take you to the next level.If you’ve got what it takes to hit the ball out of the park, the only thing holding you back is whether you’re brave enough to take a big swing.Big Swings Only is for people who were meant for more — the ones done playing by rules that were never built for them.Hosted by Kwame Christian, each week brings you the real stories of people who fought their fear, went after the life they actually wanted, and became who they had to become to get it.The psychology behind the swing. The strategy behind the risk. The nerve it takes to go all in.You were built for more, and this show was built for you. Subscribe now.Longer version:Most people spend their whole lives optimizing for one thing: not failing. Big Swings Only exists for the people who figured out that’s the wrong fear to be chasing.The real risk isn’t failure — it’s regret. The life you never went after because safe felt smarter.If you’ve got what it takes to hit the ball out of the park, the only thing holding you back is whether you’re brave enough to take a big swing.Hosted by Kwame Christian, this show brings you the real stories behind the biggest moves people have made — in business, in relationships, in the split-second decisions that changed everything.You’ll get the psychology behind why we hesitate, the strategy behind taking a calculated risk instead of a reckless one, and the nerve it actually takes to go all in when it matters.This isn’t about noise or hype. It’s about accuracy, courage, and becoming who you have to become to live the life you actually want.You were built for more, and this show was built for you. Subscribe now.
About the Host: Kwame Christian, Esq., M.A.
Kwame Christian the founder and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute. He's known for his viral TEDx Talk, “Finding Confidence in Conflict,” and is a bestselling author of two books:
• How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race (2022)
• Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life (2020)
Tune in to Transform Your Life:
Join millions of listeners who have already unlocked the power of negotiation. Subscribe now and start mastering the skills that will transform your professional and personal life. Watch our episodes on YouTube for more visual insights and tips.
Connect with Us:
• Website: American Negotiation Institute
• Email: simon@negotiateanything.com
• LinkedIn: Kwame Christian
• YouTube: Negotiate Anything
Produced by the American Negotiation Institute
For ad inquiries, please reach out to: Network+NA@yapmedia.com
Podcast websiteListen to Big Swings Only, The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app
- Stations and podcasts to bookmark
- Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Supports Carplay & Android Auto
- Many other app features
Get the free radio.net app
- Stations and podcasts to bookmark
- Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Supports Carplay & Android Auto
- Many other app features


Big Swings Only
Scan code,
download the app,
start listening.
download the app,
start listening.


































