Former Vice President Kamala Harris says her refusal to take “no” for an answer has been the driving force behind her career — from her early days as a prosecutor to her historic tenure as vice president.
In a candid conversation on The Diary of a CEO podcast with host Steven Bartlett, Harris opened up about the persistence and self-belief that shaped her journey through politics and public service.
“When I was 25, I was fearless,” Harris said when asked about her early years as a prosecutor. “She didn’t hear ‘no, it can’t be done.’”
Recalling her first case, Harris described how she fought to ensure a young mother wouldn’t spend the weekend in jail. “All the courts were shutting down, and I asked the judge to take the bench again,” she said. “The clerk said he was gone for the day — but I wouldn’t leave until the case was called.”
That determination, Harris said, became a throughline in her life. “I don’t rest easy with the idea that something is not possible,” she reflected. “At least not without trying to show that it is.”
Harris’s persistence carried her from the San Francisco District Attorney’s office to becoming the first Black, South Asian American, and female vice president in U.S. history. In 2024, she replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, though she ultimately lost the election to Donald Trump.
Despite her success, Harris acknowledged moments of self-doubt, particularly when she was first elected district attorney in 2004. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m now the elected DA of a major city in the United States,’” she said. “It was humbling.”
But Harris reframed imposter syndrome as a positive sign of humility. “There’s nothing wrong with having a certain level of humility, especially when people have vested you with great power,” she said.
Harris closed by offering advice to young professionals: “Don’t ever limit yourself based on other people’s limited ability to see who you are. That’s their limitation — don’t impose it on yourself.”
