She Did What?! Anna Palmer, Co-Author of “The Hill to Die On: The Battle For Congress and the Future of Trump’s America”
She Did What?! is a platform to share the radical pivots, risks and experiments of people I admire. We dig into the moments that led the people in their lives to go, “She Did What?!” and ultimately, to their personal or professional metamorphosis.
Anna Palmer is a force in the world of political reporting and co-author of The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump's America. During her nine-year tenure at POLITICO, she co-authored the POLITICO Playbook franchise, led the Women Rule platform, and hosted multiple podcasts. She is a frequent political commentator on CNN, Fox News, NBC and MSNBC. Then at the end of 2020, Anna shocked many when she announced her decision to leave POLITICO and start something new. After months of waiting, we were rewarded with the announcement of a new membership-based news community, Punchbowl News, where Anna is Co-Founder and CEO.
How did she decide to leave POLITICO? To strike out on her own? On making that critical decision, Anna says:
I think it is very important to regularly evaluate your career and life to make sure that you are moving in the direction that you want. For me, I had done multi-year contracts at POLITICO, and so when my contract was set to expire, it felt like a natural time to evaluate what I wanted to accomplish next, what my goals were, and how I could achieve them. When thinking about what I wanted to do, I decided that it was time for me to try and build something from the ground up. I was at the top of my professional career, but I wanted to take on a new challenge.
I think this moment of realization is key to so many She Did What?! moments. After years of working towards a goal, you reach it, and you realize that you want more. You want to keep challenging yourself, to keep reinventing yourself. You realize that even at the top of your career, you’re not done.
When I was younger, I was on a very linear path and viewed success one-dimensionally — as the next step in my career process to get to the next level. Now, I try and hope to achieve a more holistic approach to life. If the past year has taught me anything as we come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is how little control you have and to take opportunities when they are presented to you.
What I’ve realized is that the hardest step is deciding to take the first one when it comes to making a pivot or any kind of massive life decision. But if you break it down piece by piece, it becomes a lot easier to actually get to where you want to go.
I’m big on breaking down problems and finding realistic steps towards a solution. I’ve learned over time that life and success are much more than just what you do professionally. It's important to consider what you are doing to give back, how you are personally growing, and how much you are giving to your personal relationships. It’s important to challenge yourself in each of those areas, to think through where you might not be as strong, and to put together a game plan to achieve your goals. That way, you aren’t overwhelmed by the vastness of your goals.
I always start with the same first step when developing a game plan around a major decision or pivot: sit with it. I'm a pretty decisive person, but I think taking that moment to pause and really look inside yourself to make sure that you've correctly identified the area in your life you want to change is so important. It's also important to be prepared that other people might not understand why you are making the decisions you are making. They may take it personally. They may say, “She did what?!” At the end of the day though, if you make a decision guided by your own north star and know it is the right decision for you, you can let go and just move forward.
What I like about how Anna sees the world is that she isn’t afraid to jump into a new challenge, but she weighs the risk before she does. Her advice to ‘sit with it’ is so spot on. I’ve had my own pivotal moments where maybe the pros and cons don’t make sense to other people, but when I sat with it, I knew it was right for me. Sometimes it really is that simple: it feels right. Other times, it’s a more labored process, but what resonates for me is the idea that no matter what, the starting point is the same. Sit with it. Make a game plan. Take the small steps that ultimately will get you to your next She Did What?!.
What’s the first step you take when making a big decision? Tell me in the comments!
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