The Million Ways It Could Still Work Out
A Conversation with Patricia Steele
For nearly three decades, Patricia Steele was the voice behind the voices—guiding communications at Sony Music, NBCUniversal, Universal McCann, Condé Nast, Dress for Success, and the National Organization on Disability. She could steer a brand narrative through a hurricane—and did, more than once. But eventually, she realized the bigger project wasn’t corporate storytelling—it was human transformation. Today, Patricia coaches leaders not to sound impressive, but to be clear, honest, and genuinely worth following.
1. What was the moment you knew the old life wasn’t working?
My insides had been gnawing at me for some time, and I knew it was time to place my hands more firmly on the wheel of life. While I had coached throughout my communications career and had all the proper credentials, I was still hanging on to what I knew, what had buttered my bread for so long. But at last, I had come to a place where it was no longer tenable to NOT coach full time.
2. What did you have to give up—internally or externally—to pivot? It was hard to let go of the camaraderie, verbal shorthand and close bonds I formed with colleagues inherent in a sole professional environment. I was also energized by working towards a collective common mission, especially in the nonprofit sphere.
3. What’s one belief you no longer hold that once defined you? In my younger days, I was wed to the idea that a busy mind, like a maelstrom of darting hummingbirds, signaled complexity and depth. After some time, I saw it for what it is, a lack of calm and focus.
4. What’s your definition of a good summer? What did Henry James say? “Summer afternoon” are the two most beautiful words in the English language. For me, the best summers combine a languid pace and creative enterprise.
5. What’s a decision you made recently that scared you—but you did it anyway? I
I was asked to write a review of my ex-husband’s painting exhibit and interview him for a video documentary. It required an emotional maturity I would not have been capable of --not that many moons ago.
6. What’s your relationship with failure now? I have been very hard on myself in the past and have moved radically from black & white thinking which is a great recipe for a small life, (success vs. failure, good vs. bad and so on.) I think about an old Talking Heads song, “there are a million ways to get things done. There are a million ways to make things work out.”
7. How do you know when something (or someone) is aligned with you? I get a feeling, it’s usually a rush of excitement, I feel like a kid. Like it’s Christmas morning or the first day of summer. I feel zero embarrassment sharing this burst of energy.
8. What’s one unconventional habit that keeps you sane? It’s not really unconventional but I study and practice Buddhism, attend mediation classes, workshops and retreats. It keeps me more than sane; it informs every part of my life. I also take daily walks which end up in a local cemetery, which sounds morbid but it’s not. I reflect on the lives led, and remind myself about the beauty of being alive now.
9. What do people misunderstand most about you? People who don’t know me well assume I am an extrovert. I’m more like a gregarious hermit, need solitary time to reflect and regroup and get a lot of juice both internally and externally.
10. If you could leave only one sentence behind, what would it be? Kindness is underrated.