Famous Failures

Austin Buchan is the CEO of College Forward, which is a nonprofit that coaches students from underserved backgrounds to achieve the benefits of higher education and a college degree.  One of the central tenants of College Forward is the belief that everyone who wants to go to college can go to college. College Forward helps universities build and implement student coaching programs that increase retention, persistence, and graduation. Connect with Austin on Twitter and learn more about College Forward at this link. In the episode, Austin and I discuss: How Austin got started in education by building a program for high school students on a rural island in Nicaragua The one practice that all university presidents should institute and the one practice they should eliminate Why the students that College Forward serves have more grit and perseverance than most of the population The notable failures that Austin experienced as the CEO for College Forward How to create an environment where employees are willing to r

Derek Thompson is a senior editor at The Atlantic magazine. He writes about topics as diverse as behavioral psychology, professional sports, and blockbuster films. Derek also hosts The Atlantic’s latest podcast Crazy/Genius, and is a weekly contributor to “Here and Now,” the national afternoon news show on NPR, and he appears regularly on CBS, the BBC, and MSNBC. He has appeared on numerous lists, including both Inc magazine’s and Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and Time magazine’s 140 Best Twitter Feeds. Derek’s debut book is Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction. In this beautifully written book, Derek tackles a seemingly simple question: Why do hits become hits? Why do some songs, movies, and books become bestsellers while others fizzle out? The book is a riveting read, whether you're in the business of creating hits or simply curious why Fifty Shades of Grey became a worldwide sensation. Derek and I discuss: Derek’s personal failures in finding a job as a writer and how he ended up gettin

Jordan is the CEO and Founder of DebtMaven, which is like eHarmony for commercial lending. The platform has facilitated over $350 million in deals. Jordan is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Elite Meet, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Navy SEALs and other elite veterans find their place in the civilian world after leaving the service. He has traveled to 32 countries, lived in China for 18 months, trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a private pilot, SCUBA dives, and speaks Mandarin Chinese. You can connect with Jordan on LinkedIn and follow the adventures of his family on their vlog at The Hybrid Family. In the interview, Jordan explains the failures he experienced in starting two companies; how he ended up losing a co-founder and with only $800 left in his business bank account; what strategies he used to bounce back from these bumps; the #1 regret he has in his entrepreneurial journey; and how you can fulfill your life’s potential through the simple, but powerful act, of persistence. Jordan is the CEO and Founder

James Clear is an author and speaker focused on habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Time, and on CBS This Morning, and is taught in universities around the world. His website receives millions of visitors each month and hundreds of thousands subscribe to his popular email newsletter. He is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies and his work is used by teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. His latest book, just published, is Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results. In the interview, James and I discuss how James took his website from 0 to 100,000 subscribers in just two years; why he decided to write annual reviews on his website publicly sharing his successes and failures; why 2016 was the worst year of his writing career and what he learned from it; the lessons he learned from two failed businesses; and much, much more. - Get your FREE copy of my e-book. Text OZAN to 345345 or navigate to weeklycontrarian.com to download a free

Chelsey Korus is one of the most preeminent teachers of yoga.  Over the course of her career, she has been featured on Live! with Kelly and Michael, PopSugar, Fitness, Shape, Prevention Magazine, Yoga Journal, and Women’s Health, and many, many others. She’s been teaching yoga since the age of 15 and has been an avid life long learner in numerous movement practices. She shares her vision with thousands of students every year, hosting retreats and teaching classes for Wanderlust. In the interview, we discuss why Chelsea worked so hard in college to land a role in a New York City production, but quit after just a week of rehearsals; what strategies she used to deal with one of the hardest setbacks in her life; how she takes a tragedy and turns it into a love story; why she meditates on a few choice lines from her favorite poems every morning; and much and much more. This was one of the most honest conversations I’ve had on the podcast, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you’d like to follow Chelsey’s

Susan Henderson is a five-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the recipient of an Academy of American Poets award. She is the author of the novels, Up from the Blue (HarperCollins, 2010) and The Flicker of Old Dreams (HarperCollins, 2018). She blogs at litpark.com, which is a supportive community of writers and artists who are in this game for the long haul. Sue grew up in a family of overachieving scientists and engineers yet created her own path as an author. We talk about how she navigated that journey; why she stopped writing for 10 years; how she deals with failure and critique; how a janitor in her high school taught her how to give good feedback; and why you should read the 1 and 2-star reviews of the artists you admire. She also shares great practical advice for aspiring writers. Her latest book, The Flicker of Old Dreams, is about the death of small-town America as told by a mortician. - Get your FREE copy of my e-book. Text OZAN to 345345 or navigate to weeklycontrarian.com to download a free copy of m

Neil Pasricha is the author of five New York Times bestsellers including The Book of Awesome, a catalog of simple pleasures based on his 50-million hit, award-winning blog, and The Happiness Equation, a nine-step guidebook to happiness based on new research. His books have been on bestseller lists for over 200 weeks and sold millions of copies. Neil is also one of the most popular TED speakers with his first TED Talk “The 3 A’s of Awesome” ranked as one of the ten most inspiring of all time. His new podcast, 3 Books, discusses the most formative books of inspiring individuals from all walks of life. His work has been featured in hundreds of outlets including CNN, BBC, The Today Show, The Early Show, The Oprah Winfrey Network, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Fortune, and Forbes. In the interview, we discuss the ten years of blogging failures helped launch Neil’s viral blog, 1000 Awesome Things; the 2-minute practice that Neil uses every morning to build more gratitude into his life; why focusing on exte

Caroline Webb (Facebook and Twitter) is the CEO of Sevenshift, a firm that shows people how to use insights from behavioral science to improve their working life. Her book on that topic, How To Have A Good Day, was published in 16 languages and more than 60 countries. The book was hailed as one of the "top must-read business books of 2016" by both Inc. and Forbes and described by Fortune as one of their top "self-improvement through data" books.  Caroline’s work has been widely featured in media outlets, including: The Financial Times, Forbes, The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC Radio, The Economist, WIRED, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and many others around the world. To learn more about Caroline and her work, please go to howtohaveagoodday.com. You’ll find a list of free resources as well as information on how you can sign up for workshops designed to help you be your best at the office and beyond. In the interview, Caroline shares her diverse career path and why the quality of her day-to

Shane Snow is an award-winning journalist, celebrated entrepreneur, and the bestselling author of the books Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking and DREAM TEAMS: Working Together Without Falling Apart, as well as the co-author of The Storytelling Edge. He is founder-at-large of the content technology company Contently, and is a board member of The Hatch Institute, a nonprofit for investigative journalism in the public interest. Snow's writing has appeared in Fast Company, Wired, and The New Yorker. He's a fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and has been called a “Wunderkind” by The New York Times, a “Digital Maverick” by Details, and his work “Insanely addicting” by GQ.  In the interview, Shane explains strategies based on research on how we can learn from failure; shares his own personal and business failures and what he learned from them; and discusses the power of storytelling in building relationships and dissects how a captivating story is structured.   You can take Shane’s intellect

Jessica Bennett is an award-winning journalist and author who covers social issues and culture through a gender lens. She was recently appointed the first-ever Gender Editor of the New York Times. Jessica is the author of the bestselling book, Feminist Fight Club: A Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace (HarperCollins), which has been translated into 10 languages, a podcast, and is being adapted for television. Her writing has appeared in Newsweek, where she began her career; Time, where she was a columnist; as well as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, the Washington Post and The New York Times. Jessica has spoken about sexism and gender bias at a variety of institutions, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Harvard Business School, Facebook, Google, Thomson Reuters and others. Yes, she's in a real-life feminist fight club. You can keep in touch with Jessica by signing up for her newsletter, The Gender Letter, at nytimes.com/genderletter. In the interview, we talk about a wide array of topics: Jessica’s de

Chris Kresser is the CEO of Kresser Institute, the co-director of the California Center for Functional Medicine, the creator of ChrisKresser.com, and the New York Times best-selling author of The Paleo Cure. He is known for his in-depth research uncovering myths and misconceptions in modern medicine and providing natural health solutions with proven results. Chris was named one of the 100 most influential people in health and fitness by Greatist.com, and his blog is one of the top-ranked natural health websites in the world. He recently launched Kresser Institute, an organization dedicated to reinventing healthcare and reversing chronic disease by training healthcare practitioners in functional and evolutionary medicine. In the interview, Chris shares with us his personal experience with the chronic illness that led him to pursue his current path. We talk about how functional medicine can benefit patients by focusing on unrooting the underlying cause of a problem, as opposed to simply attacking the symptom. W

Moore is the founder of One Moore Book. One Moore Book is a nonprofit organization that encourages reading among children of countries with low literacy rates and underrepresented cultures by publishing culturally relevant books that speak to their truths, and by creating bookstores and reading corners that serve their communities. Her first bookstore opened in Monrovia, Liberia in 2015. Her writing can be found in Guernica Magazine, The Rumpus, The Atlantic Magazine and other publications.  She has been featured in The Economist Magazine, NPR, NBC, BET and ABC, among others, for her work in advocacy for diversity in children’s literature. Her novel, She Would Be King, will be released by Graywolf Press in September, 2018. Her memoir is also forthcoming with Graywolf. In the interview, Wayetu shares her story of escaping Liberia during its civil war and moving to the United States. We talk about how reading books helped her rehabilitation during this difficult time period and inspired her to start a publishin

Thor Conklin is an entrepreneur, profitability consultant, and host of the Peak Performers Podcast.  2018 marks his eighteenth year as an entrepreneur.  The first company Thor created was a global risk management consulting firm that served the private equity community.  His top 15 clients had a combined revenue of $12.7 billion and operated in over 100 countries worldwide. He has started, bought, and sold several multi-million dollar businesses making him a sought after cross-industrial resource for entrepreneurs and executives in all stages of business. Through his consulting firm, Peak Performance Group, he teaches the tools, tips, tricks, psychology and strategies necessary to be a Peak Performer.   We begin the interview with Thor’s first job as a caddy. He explains how caddying connected him with highly successful people, helping launch his entrepreneurial career. Thor shares his worst entrepreneurial moment in 2008, when he bought a business with what turned out to be fraudulent financial statements an

Dr. Tasha Eurich is an organizational psychologist, researcher, and New York Times best-selling author. Over her 15 year career, she’s helped thousands of professionals—from Fortune 500 executives to early stage entrepreneurs—improve their self-awareness and success. She has been named a “Top 100 Thought Leader” by Trust Across America and a “Leader to Watch” by the American Management Association. Her TedX talk has been viewed more than one million times. Tasha’s newest book, Insight, delves into the connection between our self-awareness, what she calls the meta-skill of the twenty-first century, and our performance and success, both in and out of the workplace. Tasha has a SPECIAL OFFER for the listeners of Famous Failures. If you place an order for Insight by June 14, 2018, Tasha will send you bonus materials for the book that includes cliff notes as well as a toolkit for business leaders to apply the concepts from the book. To receive the bonus materials, please send the receipt for your purchase to tasha

Ari Meisel is a best-selling author, productivity expert, CEO, real estate developer, and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business. Several years ago, Ari encountered and ultimately overcame severe personal roadblocks and that journey transformed his life. His discoveries about personal and professional productivity have improved the lives of thousands of individuals and businesses. His proprietary process, the Less Doing System, is the foundation of his company, Less Doing, which offers individuals and enterprises road-tested methods to optimize, automate, and outsource everything. You can join Less Doing Labs for free on Facebook or visit lessdoing.com to learn how to work smarter, instead of harder. In the interview, Ari discusses how he hit rock bottom at age 23 when he found himself $3 million in debt and diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. He explains the strategies he used to turn his life around, compete in the French Ironman competition, and go onto launch his brand, Less

Jordan Harbinger, once referred to as “The Larry King of podcasting,” is a Wall Street lawyer turned talk show host, social dynamics expert, and entrepreneur. Jordan hosted the Art of Charm, which is a top 50 iTunes podcast, for over a decade. After being fired from the Art of Charm (more on that in the interview), he recently embarked on a new adventure: The Jordan Harbinger Show, where he deconstructs the playbooks of the most successful people on earth and shares their strategies, perspectives, and insights with the rest of us. Jordan spent several years abroad in Europe and the developing world, including South America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, and he speaks five languages. He has also worked for various governments and NGOs overseas, traveled through war zones, and been kidnapped — twice. He’ll tell you the only reason he’s still alive and kicking is because of his ability to talk his way into (and out of) just about any situation.  We begin the interview with Jordan’s early failures: how he

Sarah Robb O’Hagan has been described by the media as everything from “Superwoman undercover” to the “Pied Piper of Potential.” She is a high-energy combination of disruptive business leader, fitness fanatic, and cheerleading mom, and has been named one of Forbes‘ “Most Powerful Women in Sports” and one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business.” She’s currently the CEO of the fast growing indoor cycling company Flywheel Sports. Prior to this role, Sarah became an internationally recognized re-inventor of brands, having served as global president of the $5 billion sports brand Gatorade, where she successfully led the business through a major repositioning and business turnaround. She also served as global president of the luxury fitness company Equinox, where she reinvented the offering through a significant technology transformation. She’s author of the highly-acclaimed book Extreme You: Step Up. Stand Out. Kick-Ass. Repeat. In the interview, Sarah discusses what she calls her “canyon of career de

Case Lawrence went from the brink of bankruptcy to found and lead a global trampoline park company with over 300 locations in just 7 years. As a commercial real estate developer in California, Case was decimated by the Great Recession of 2008. While trying to pull the pieces of his life back together, he visited a trampoline park in San Francisco with his sons, which inspired him to launch CircusTrix.  CircusTrix provides extreme indoor recreational experiences by featuring trampolines, foam pits, ninja warrior courses; and trick and stunt attractions of all varieties. CircusTrix is now the largest owner, operator and franchisor of trampoline parks in the world.    In the episode, Case discusses how he saved his commercial real estate company from the brink of bankruptcy in 2008; the strategies he used during that dark time period to cope with failure; how he expanded CircusTrix from its humble beginnings to a global powerhouse in just seven years; and why he believes early success can be a curse rather

Laurie A. Watkins is an accomplished writer, public speaker, seasoned political strategist, and entrepreneur. She worked as a former policy director for both of President Barack Obama’s campaigns, served in positions from Capitol Hill to the Pentagon, and more recently returned to guest lecture at West Point, The United States Military Academy.   Laurie initially led a life that revolved around work, which left little time for maintaining her health. Fearing a health disaster, she made the decision to take drastic control of her life and became an author and entrepreneur. She’s now the author of the book, Go From Stressed to Strong: Health and Fitness Advice from High Achievers. She is a sought-after speaker and, through her lectures and keynotes, motivates people with busy lifestyles to take command of their day and find room to do the essential work needed to live a healthy life.  In the episode, Laurie explains why she hit rock bottom when she was working on then-Senator Obama’s first presidential ca

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. He has been nicknamed “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology” by M.I.T. Technology Review and named one of LinkedIn’s “Top 10 Voices in Technology” for two years running. Nir founded two tech companies since 2003 and has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. He is also an active investor in habit-forming technologies. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today. In the interview, Nir shares his failures from childhood to entrepreneurship and beyond. He also gives one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard on coping with failure: View everything as prom. That advice requires more context, so please listen to the interview to find out more.