195 | From ESPN Sportscaster to Author: How to Turn Failures Into Opportunities with Anne Montgomery

Have you ever heard the saying “Success is a lousy teacher?”

Our biggest learning experiences come from failure: the product that flopped, the content that didn’t perform, the “failed” business idea. For Anne Montgomery, failure was just the beginning. 

Anne is a former television sportscaster, writer, and educator. Her first TV job came at WRBL-TV in Columbus, Georgia, and led to positions at WROC-TV, KTSP-TV, and ESPN, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award-winning SportsCenter. She finished her on-camera broadcasting career with a two-year stint as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, before moving into her career as a teacher and author.

Her novels include Your Forgotten Sons, The Castle, A Light in the Desert, Wild Horses on the Salt, The Scent of Rain, and Wolf Catcher. She taught journalism and communication skills in a Title I high school for 20 years.

Defying the Odds

When Anne told her parents she wanted to be a sportscaster, they laughed. In the 1970s, that wasn’t an option for women. But Anne proved them wrong and went on to have a successful 40+ year career in sports. 

Likewise, she was also told she would never go to college. Growing up, Anne struggled in school, and it wasn’t until she was in her fifties that she was diagnosed with dyslexia. Despite that, Anne has several degrees and has published six novels (and counting).

Failure is the Greatest Teacher

One of the most important skills any entrepreneur can master is how to bounce back from failure. For Anne, failure has been her greatest teacher. She never planned on becoming a writer or an educator–she was forced into a career change when the men in her industry decided she was too old to be on camera. 

At the time, leaving sportscasting felt like a failure. But it led Anne to her most rewarding career yet, a life-changing friendship that inspired her first novel, and even the family she couldn’t have dreamed of, when her teaching experience led her to become a foster parent. 

Enjoy this episode with author Anne Montgomery…

Soundbytes

31:25-31:53
“Business owners like to hire people who've been in sports or actually any extracurricular. You know how to be punctual or you're not playing, you know how to work as a teammate, and you know how to follow rules, all those things. And of those young athletes, I wouldn't want to hire the kid who caught the game-winning touchdown. I want to hire the kid who dropped the game-winning touchdown, that went to practice the next day. That's the kid I want.” 

35:17-35:37
“I sometimes feel bad for people who are such incredible athletes or singers or actors or whatever, where everything is always perfect because at some point it's not going to be. How do you handle that? We all have to learn to handle failure, and how you handle it is more important than anything we do. You know? How do you handle disappointment? Get back up and do it.”

Quotes

“I was told when I was young that I’d never be a sportscaster. I’m the kind that says, ‘I’ll prove you wrong.’” 

“We plan our lives and think it’s going to be a straight line, but it’s not. It’s how you handle the curves.”

“I’m not embarrassed about anything that’s ever happened to me. They’re all learning experiences.”

“We learn nothing from success. We learn from failure.” 

“Life isn’t going to be exactly what you expect, but maybe it will be better.”

“I think failure is falling down and not getting back up.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Visit Anne’s website: https://annemontgomerywriter.com/ 

Connect with Anne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-montgomery-1b995b23/