Art of Failure

Everyone has a story about failure; even successful people. Listen to frank discussions with artists, executives, entrepreneurs, actors, entertainers, and more, about failures of all sorts and how they turned their failures into successes. AOF provides helpful advice for young people (99 and under) on how to find art in our “failures.” Guests include: William Wegman; Adam Liptak, Kevin Allison (RISK! podcast), Michael Finkel, Beri Smither, Bonin Bough, Christina Sass and Rudy Garcia Tolson, Strauss Zelnick.

Don Wildman: Adventure Guy 07/23/2021

Don Wildman: Adventure Guy Our guest is Don Wildman, the host of many popular shows on the Travel Channel, he is the current host and narrator of , , Dark Tales with Don Wildman, and Wildman on the . Given how successful Don Wildman is, it might surprise you to learn that a while ago he woke up every morning feeling like he was a failure, therapy helped him with that. The interview is full of large and small anecdotes about failures real and perceived, including an attempt at skydiving which Don summarized as such, “I learned I would never skydive again, even as an adventure guy on TV.” Host Steve Friedman and Don have been best friends for a long time so there’s lots of laughter and stories that fans of Don Wildman will have never heard before. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/19907549

Museum of Failure: Dr. Samuel West 06/25/2019

Museum of Failure: Dr. Samuel West Get a peek into the viral sensation, the Museum of Failure. The museum is a collection of over 100 failed products and services from around the world, items like Colgate Lasagna. What can we learn from these products? The museum’s founder Dr. Samuel West said the museum provides a unique insight into the risky business of innovation. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/10283354

Kwame Onwachi: Grit & Grace to "Overnight" Success 05/28/2019

Kwame Onwachi: Grit & Grace to "Overnight" Success When Kwame Onwuachi was 26 he had already experienced more career highs and lows than chefs twice his age. He competed on the TV series, “Top Chef,” and opened his own restaurant—The Shaw Bijou when he was 25. The restaurant was one of the most anticipated openings in the country and it closed after 11 weeks. How did Kwame recover after such a public failure? In his new book, Notes from a Young Black Chef, Kwame talked about how he rebounded from that failure, and delved into his childhood. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/9955832

Brian Scudamore: 1-800-GOT-JUNK 05/14/2019

Brian Scudamore: 1-800-GOT-JUNK When Brian Scudamore was 19 years old he was in a McDonalds parking lot trying to figure out how to pay for college. He saw a dirty pick-up truck advertising a junk removal service. Realizing that he could pay for college by hauling junk, Brian invested $700 in his own junk-removal-service. With that initial investment, he built an unlikely empire: 1-800-Got-Junk. He's a regular contributor to Forbes and has a new book out, called WTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/9776738

Mini Failures: The Ritz-Carlton 05/07/2019

Mini Failures: The Ritz-Carlton Why you should always check the fine print before checking out... /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/9686015

Carlos Dengler: From Rock Star to True Self 04/30/2019

Carlos Dengler: From Rock Star to True Self We spoke to Carlos Dengler, an actor, writer, musician and a former member of the band Interpol, that has produced several critically acclaimed albums. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/9588005

Mini Failure: Little Blue Pills 04/23/2019

Mini Failure: Little Blue Pills Steve was at a casting call when a friend and agent begged him to audition for another commercial. She said it was a national campaign, he'd make a ton of money...it was an ad for Viagra. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/9498794

The Anti-Resume: Redefining Success 04/16/2019

The Anti-Resume: Redefining Success At Penn, people are so successful in high school and aren’t used to experiencing failure or bouncing back from,” said Olivia O'Dwyer in a recent article about the Anti-Resume Project. The project’s goal is to normalize failure and promote the idea that “we are more than our resume, our GPA, our internship, or our job. Olivia is a sophomore at Penn and a co-leader on the project. I spoke to Olivia and her co-leader Sophia Ye (a junior) about the Anti-Failure project. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/9417512

Nancy Giles: From Shy Kid to Finding Her Voice 04/02/2019

Nancy Giles: From Shy Kid to Finding Her Voice Nancy Giles is an actress, and a commentator, she was on CBS News Sunday Morning for more than a decade and acted in a number of well-known movies and TV shows, most notably: the TV series, China Beach; and the movies Big and Working Girl. But before she found success she was a painfully shy kid. Find out how she found her voice. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/9238142

Mini Failures: My First Acting Job 03/19/2019

Mini Failures: My First Acting Job Steve’s first acting gig entailed a musket (an ancient rifle), a crowded hall, and the (then) Governor of New Jersey, Thomas Kane. What could go wrong? /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/9062603

Arabian Prince: Life After N.W.A 03/12/2019

Arabian Prince: Life After N.W.A Arabian Prince, was a founding member in N.W.A., one of the earliest and most significant gangster rap groups. he original members were: Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and Arabian Prince. But he left the group after their debut-studio album, Straight Out of Compton, which was a critical and commercial success. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/8974637

Mini Failures: A Follicle Failure 03/05/2019

Mini Failures: A Follicle Failure Steve Friedman always had enviable hair until, one day, he didn't. Are you losing your hair? Have you already lost it? Here, Steve talks about the journey of losing his hair including some tips for those who have just started losing their hair. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/8885126

Adam Liptak: Journalism, Law and Poker 02/26/2019

Adam Liptak: Journalism, Law and Poker Adam Liptak is the Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times. Here, Adam discusses his circuitous path towards journalism, how journalism has changed in the age of trump and the supreme court. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/8791673

Mini Failures: My First Heartbreak 02/19/2019

Mini Failures: My First Heartbreak Have you ever been dumped? Our host, Steve Friedman has been dumped. In this new series he opens up about his own failures. The series is called Mini Failures. Episode #1 is about Steve’s attempt to get his girlfriend back after she dumped him. Episodes will air every other week. We return to our regularly scheduled programing next week. Our guest next Tuesday is Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for the New York Times. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/8701544

Kevin Allison: The State, RISK!, and Terrible Jobs 02/12/2019

Kevin Allison: The State, RISK!, and Terrible Jobs Kevin Allison has one of the most successful live storytelling series and podcasts out there, RISK!, which encourages participants to tell raw, unfiltered stories. But before RISK!, Kevin garnered more than a decade of bad luck and bad jobs. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/8615774

Michael Finkel: Not all those who wander are lost 01/29/2019

Michael Finkel: Not all those who wander are lost Our interview with Michael is about his latest book but also covers Michael’s own career, a career that He described as being shaped like an hour glass: success; failure and then recovery. Michael also discussed his latest book, The Stranger in The Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit. The book is an engaging story about a tragically unique man but it is also a meditation on nature, learning to be alone, and how modern life is changing us. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/8439275

Rudy Garcia-Tolson: No Legs & No Limits 01/16/2019

Rudy Garcia-Tolson: No Legs & No Limits At five years old, Rudy Garcia-Tolson's parents gave him a choice: he could have a double amputation at the knee and walk with prosthetics or not and be wheelchair-bound. For Rudy, this was a slam dunk decision. Now at age 30, he is a five-time Paralympic medalist, the first ever double amputee Ironman, and mentor to other physically challenged kids. This week he talks growing pains, getting into sports, and how he's helping the next generation of physically challenged athletes. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/8276879

Beri Smither: American Model 12/31/2018

Beri Smither: American Model What is it like to be a supermodel? Beri Smither started working when she was 17, was sent to Paris and was an instant hit. She worked with photographers Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Arthur Elgort, Michael Thompson, Steven Klein, Peter Lindberg and many many more. By her early 20’s Beri was deemed a supermodel and had the world by the tail. However, despite her fame, money and beauty, she still struggled. Beri also talked about aging, how the modeling industry has changed, and failure. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/8088779

Bonin Bough: Out of the boardroom, into the wild 12/10/2018

Bonin Bough: Out of the boardroom, into the wild Bonin Bough is the youngest C-suite executive to have worked in a Fortune 50 company, and he didn't get that far without making a few mistakes. “Failure happens, but how do you maintain the drive and the willingness? I'm relentless. It doesn't matter how we get there, we're going to get it done,” said the marketing guru in this interview with host Steve Friedman. Bough also discusses his philosophy, career and upcoming podcast "Getting to the Top.” /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/7862987

Christina Sass: Accomplished with imposter syndrome 11/27/2018

Christina Sass: Accomplished with imposter syndrome How do you learn to work past doubt? We spoke to the co-founder and president of Prior to co-founding Andela, she directed the Program department of the and advised the President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation, a $9 billion global foundation working to advance education and financial inclusion for youth in Africa. Yes, Christina has experienced failure and fear but she has learned how to move past that to build an amazing career that helps people around the world. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/7696388

Strauss Zelnick: Meditation & Grand Theft Auto 11/12/2018

Strauss Zelnick: Meditation & Grand Theft Auto Strauss Zelnick is the man behind many blockbusters, everything from Grand Theft Auto to Dirty Dancing. Find out what Zelnick was like before he was a media mogul. It turns out that he wanted to be a musician, then a creative writer. Find out how he beat his personal demons an got to the top of his game. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/7528889

William Wegman: Aging, Art and Baseball 10/21/2018

William Wegman: Aging, Art and Baseball What does William Wegman know about failure? Wegman's staged photos and videos of his dogs have made him him an icon in the art world. The truth is, everyone has experienced failure, all you have to do is ask. Listen to William Wegman talk about aging, art, sports and (of course) dogs. /episode/index/show/artoffailure/id/7262081

Art of Failure

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