How to Stop Self-Sabotaging and Take Your Big Swing

Big Swings Only

American Negotiation Institute

Self-improvement, Business, Education

4.7 • 751 Ratings

🗓️ 13 July 2026

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Being scared does not mean you are disqualified.
0:04.2	Everyone is scared.
0:05.6	And people who go for the big swings are the ones who are scared and do it anyway.
0:10.4	And more importantly, never be the one to disqualify yourself.
0:14.5	Our guest today is Patty Azarello.
0:17.0	At 33, she was the youngest general manager in HP's history.
0:21.6	By 35, she was running a billion dollar business.
0:24.9	And at just 38 years old, she became a Silicon Valley CEO.
0:29.5	And she built every bit of it while feeling like she didn't belong in the room.
0:34.1	I believe that one of the most effective teaching tools we have to learn things is failure.
0:41.3	Patty didn't just survive the cutthroat world of corporate politics.
0:45.3	She mastered it.
0:46.3	But that's not even her real superpower.
0:48.3	Her real superpower is that she did all of it, the boardrooms, the power play, the high stakes execution without losing
0:55.9	her integrity, her sanity, or her humanity.
0:59.3	If you're being so serious all the time, you're not giving anybody a human being that they
1:06.0	can connect to.
1:07.3	You're just like being a business robot.
1:09.6	Patty has been in the trenches.
1:11.6	She's run the room that everyone's afraid to run.
1:13.6	And today she is going to show you how to conquer the chaos, scale your impact, and rise,
1:19.6	even when it feels like everything is working against you.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 14 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from American Negotiation Institute, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of American Negotiation Institute and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.