End of Season 1
Famous Failures
This episode marks the end of Season 1 of Famous Failures. If you’d like to stay in touch with me, please sign up for my weekly email list at . My emails go out every Thursday to 21,000+ subscribers and share 1 idea you can read in less than 3 minutes that will help you reimagine the status quo. Readers call it the “one email I look forward to each week.” Thank you to my podcast producer, Chris Mottram of , and to my operations assistant, Brendan Seibel, for his research help. Thank you to the following individuals and institutions for preordering multiple copies of my...
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Derek Sivers on What It Means to Fail
Famous Failures
Derek Sivers has lived many lives. He has been a musician, producer, circus performer, entrepreneur, speaker, and book publisher. His TED Talk, “”, has been viewed more than 3.5 million times. His book shares everything he learned from starting, growing, and selling the company CD Baby. You can say hello to Derek at . In this episode Derek and I discuss: How Derek cultivated a practice of questioning assumptions Why Derek has a Making Room, not a Living Room What a controversial blog post taught Derek about handling criticism Why you should distance your private persona from your public...
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Cathy Heller on the Power of Radical Empathy
Famous Failures
Cathy Heller is the host of the popular podcast , which was given the #1 spot on iTunes recommended list of shows for the New Year in 2018 and 2019. She started out as a singer songwriter and first found success licensing her music to TV, films and ads. After making a multi six figure living with her music, Cathy started a music agency, and began teaching other artists to grow their own careers. You can subscribe to Cathy’s podcast at or through your favorite service, and follow her on Instagram at In this episode Cathy and I discuss: Her heartbreaking experience of being dropped from two...
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3 Key Insights from Think Like a Rocket Scientist
Famous Failures
Today is the official launch date of my new book, Think Like a Rocket Scientist. In this special episode, I share with you three key insights from the book that will help you make giant leaps in work and life. If you order the book by Tuesday, April 21st (, , ), you’ll get two special bonuses. The first is a video training with a behind-the-scenes look at my productivity system. You’ll find tips on how to defeat procrastination and get more done in less time. The second is a pack of 10 three-minute, quick-hit videos based on Think Like a Rocket Scientist with actionable strategies you can...
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Baya Voce on the Cure for the Loneliness Epidemic
Famous Failures
Baya Voce has produced “magic touch” experiences ranging from two-person rituals to elaborate 1,000+-person immersive-theater productions. Whether 20-person Jeffersonian-style dinners or high-end finance conferences at Lincoln Center (and everything in between), Baya’s focus is engineering unforgettable moments. With more than 4 million views, her on loneliness is one of the most-viewed of all time. She has been featured by Forbes, ABC, Fox, MTV, and SXSW for her perspective on experience design and human connection. Sign up for Baya’s newsletter on her https://bayavoce.com/, and...
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Dorie Clark on Failure and the Entrepreneurial Journey
Famous Failures
Dorie Clark is a consultant and keynote speaker, and the author of the books Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Dorie has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” Dorie consults and speaks for a diverse range of clients, and teaches executive education. A former award-winning journalist, she directed the environmental documentary film, The Work of 1000, and was a producer for a...
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Jessica Kriegel on How You Should Ditch Generational Stereotypes
Famous Failures
Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a researcher and expert in generational dynamics. Her insights and solutions offer a roadmap for how you can most effectively transform your culture to attract, retain, and engage all generations in the workplace. Jessica’s book, , challenges the very concept of "generational differences" as an unfair generalization, and offers a roadmap to intergenerational understanding. She also speaks on the topic of generational dynamics nationally and acts as an adviser and strategist in matters of cultural alignment across all generations. Sign up for Jessica’s mailing list at...
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Neil Pasricha: Ask Me Anything
Famous Failures
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 latest book is You Are Awesome: How to Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live an Intentional Life. 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 work has been featured in hundreds of outlets including...
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Tara Schuster on Rising Up From Rock Bottom
Famous Failures
Tara Schuster is an author, playwright, and accomplished entertainment executive, currently serving as the Vice President of Talent and Development at Comedy Central. She was the Executive in Charge of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Key & Peele, the Emmy Award winning @Midnight, and numerous other shows. Tara’s first book, , will be released on February 18, 2020. The hilarious and relatable self-help/memoir tells the story of Tara’s path to re-parenting herself and becoming a “ninja of self-love.” Sign up for Tara’s newsletter to receive weekly self-care tips at:...
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Frans Johansson on Why Diversity Drives Innovation
Famous Failures
An entrepreneur, creative thinker, and acclaimed international speaker, Frans Johansson has lived all his life at the intersection. He has started a health-care business, a software company, a hedge fund, and an innovation firm. Frans is the author of and , and is the founder and CEO of The Medici Group. Reach out and connect with Frans on or . To learn more about his company The Medici Group, visit their website at . In this episode Frans and I discuss: How his early life experiences influenced the work that Frans does today How Frans accidentally ended up attending Harvard Business...
info_outlineRyan Levesque is the CEO of The ASK Method ® Company, and the #1 national best-selling author of Ask: The Counterintuitive Online Method to Discover Exactly What Your Customers Want to Buy, which was named by Inc. as the #1 Marketing Book of the Year. Ryan’s work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Forbes, and Entrepreneur and over 250,000 entrepreneurs subscribe to his email newsletter offering business advice.
His latest book, Choose, helps readers avoid making the single biggest mistake when starting a business and guides people through answering the all important question: What type of business should you start?
You can get a free copy of Choose (just pay S&H) plus over $200 in bonuses (including the audiobook) by visiting http://choosethebook.com/famousfailures. This isn’t an affiliate link—if you choose to buy Ryan’s book, I don’t make a dime.
In the interview, Ryan and I discuss:
- How Ryan quit his dream job at AIG Insurance to pursue a career as an entrepreneur
- Why people are afraid to give up “good” to go for “great” (and what to do about it)
- The one advice Ryan would give to an aspiring entrepreneur
- Why one of Ryan’s earliest businesses flopped and what he learned from that failure
- How Ryan found the idea for a massively successful business centered on growing orchids
- Why Ryan ended up in the ICU in 2012 after overworking and how he bounced back to write a bestselling book.
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Get your FREE copy of my e-book. Text OZAN to 345345 or navigate to weeklycontrarian.com to download a free copy of my e-book, The Contrarian Handbook: 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, you’ll get the Weekly Contrarian — a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).
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As always, thanks for listening.