Washington D.C.

blue

Axios D.C. PM

Get smarter, faster on what matters in D.C. with Mimi Montgomery, Cuneyt Dil, and Anna Spiegel.

Axios D.C.

Standard

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Washington, DC. Written by Anna Spiegel and Cuneyt Dil.

Axios D.C. Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

D.C. Alerts

Alert

A guide to fun things to do in D.C. this weekend.

Axios D.C. Weekender

Weekender

Axios D.C. Partners

Washington, DC Members

Membership

Finish Line

Axios Finish Line

Adapted from a book by Axios CEO Jim VandeHei, "Just the Good Stuff: No-BS Secrets to Success," out Tuesday. Preorder here.

My big D.C. break came in 1996, when Susan Glasser — then editor of Roll Call, now a columnist for The New Yorker — hired me to cover congressional leadership. Glasser's reporters were routinely rewriting stories I was breaking for an obscure publication called Inside the New Congress.

So I shot her a snarky note telling her if she liked my stories so much, she should hire the original. To her credit, she did. (Lesson: Sometimes it pays to be a smart-ass.)

Why it matters: Glasser hired me at the very moment Congress was the story in Washington, with then-Speaker Newt Gingrich often upstaging or overshadowing President Bill Clinton. By pure luck of timing, I had a beat the journalism world was watching closely —­ an authentic big break.

I had three advantages: I was roughly the same age as most of the congressional aides who sat in the most important meetings. I liked to drink and play cards. And I wasn't an Ivy League liberal. This was a winning trifecta in a Congress controlled by Republican men.

Think. Take the time to reflect on your interests and passions. What excites you? What bores you? Where are you willing to move?

Train. You make and control your destiny more than you think. But often only if you put the hours in.

Ask. Find mentors in every job. Don't be a stalker. But be curious about how things work, what worked well for them, what didn't.

Work. The single best way to catch a break is to put yourself in as many situations as possible for one to materialize. This means being the person who raises their hand for any new task, no matter how menial.

Pounce. Two great questions to ask: Will this teach me things I need to learn? Will it expose me to people I can learn from?

First look: Axios CEO Jim VandeHei's "Just the Good Stuff"

VandeHei shares how he got his big D.C. break, and other "no-BS secrets to success."

The front cover of Jim VandeHei's new book "Just the Good Stuff."

Books

Adapted from a book by Axios CEO Jim VandeHei, &quot;Just the Good Stuff: No-BS Secrets to Success,&quot; out Tuesday. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Preorder here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/just-the-good-stuff" data-vars-content-id="3ed5bd5f-ab7e-45d1-9a2e-1f55d8ab2d58" data-vars-headline="First look: Axios CEO Jim VandeHei&#x27;s &quot;Just the Good Stuff&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/just-the-good-stuff" target="_self">Preorder here</a>.My big D.C. break came in 1996, when Susan Glasser — then editor of Roll Call, now a columnist for The New Yorker — hired me to cover congressional leadership. Glasser&#x27;s reporters were routinely rewriting stories I was breaking for an obscure publication called Inside the New Congress.<ul><li>So I shot her a snarky note telling her if she liked my stories so much, she should hire the original. To her credit, she did. (Lesson: Sometimes it pays to be a smart-ass.)</li></ul>Why it matters: Glasser hired me at the very moment Congress was the story in Washington, with then-Speaker Newt Gingrich often upstaging or overshadowing President Bill Clinton. By pure luck of timing, I had a beat the journalism world was watching closely —­ an authentic big break.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Things to Do

New signs of rising risks

National

Axios ahead: 2028 and beyond

Axios AM

Behind the Curtain: AI governing the AI world

Axios C-Suite: Post-processable velocity, part 2: Infinite chain reactions

Axios C-Suite: No one knows who should manage AI agents

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

transportation

business

c-suite

retail-news

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

charlotte

salt-lake-city

denver

fort-lauderdale

cincinnati

scottsdale

boulder

kansas-city

austin

chicago

dallas

detroit

atlanta

indianapolis

nashville

nw-arkansas

columbus

hollywood

washington-dc

north-of-cincy

mesa

richmond

san-francisco

boston

des-moines

houston

phoenix

miami

philadelphia

seattle

new-orleans

colorado-springs

huntsville

raleigh

san-antonio

twin-cities

pittsburgh

san-diego

tampa-bay

portland

cleveland

arapahoe

douglas

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Jim VandeHei

Featured stories

New signs of rising risks

Axios ahead: 2028 and beyond

Behind the Curtain: AI governing the AI world

Axios C-Suite: Post-processable velocity, part 2: Infinite chain reactions

Axios C-Suite: No one knows who should manage AI agents