Episodes - blog — Art of Failure Podcast

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 Mysteries at the Museum, Beyond the Unknown, Dark Tales with Don Wildman, and Buried Worlds with Don Wildman on the Travel Channel.

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.

steve friedmanJuly 23, 2021travelguy, Travel channel, Don Wildman

Dr. Samuel West: Museum of Failure

Get a peek into the viral sensation, The Museum of Failure, a collection of over 100 failed products and services from around the world. Museum founder Dr. Samuel West says the museum provides a unique insight into the risky business of innovation.

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. How did Kwame recover from these lows? Kwame talks about how he rebounded and delved into his childhood.

Brian Scudamore: 1-800-GOT-JUNK?

Brian Scudamore is an open book when it comes to talking about his failures: his new book is called WTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success. In this interview Brian talked about how he dropped out of college when he was 19, fired his entire staff early on in his career, and has struggled with ADD his entire life.

steve friedmanMay 14, 2019BrianScudamore, 1800gotJunk, failure

Mini Failures: The Ritz-Carlton

Why you should always check the fine print before checking out...

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, founded in 1997. His upcoming memoir will be a series of essays about his youth, views on culture, and his experience as a “famous rock star turned acting student.”

steve friedmanApril 30, 2019CarlosDengler, Interpol, Music

Mini Failures: 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.

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 it,” - Olivia O'Dwyer, sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania and co-founder of the Anti-Resume Project.

Nancy Giles: From Shy Kid to Finding Her Voice

Nancy Giles is an actress and commentator. She was on CBS News Sunday Morning for more than a decade and acted in a number of movies and TV shows. But before she found success she was a painfully shy kid.

Mini Failures: My First Acting Job

Steve’s first acting gig entailed a musket, a crowded hall, and then Governor of New Jersey Thomas Kean. What could go wrong?

steve friedmanMarch 19, 2019acting, firstjobs, failures, failure, SteveFriedman, work, Actor, NewJersey

Arabian Prince: Life After N.W.A.

Arabian Prince is one of the founding members of N.W.A., one of the earliest and most significant gangster rap groups in music. But he left the group after their debut studio album, “Straight Outta Compton”, which was a critical and commercial success.

Mini Failures: A Follicle Failure

Steve always had enviable hair until, one day, he didn't. Here, Steve talks about the journey of losing his hair including some tips for those who have just started losing their own.

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.

Journalismsteve friedmanFebruary 26, 2019AdamLiptak, NewYorkTimes, SupremeCourt, Law, Sidebar, Pulitzer, Journalism

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.

Mini Failures, Lovesteve friedmanFebruary 19, 2019love, heartbreak, storytelling, failure, FailurePodcast, dumped, ArtofFailure, ArtOfFailurePodcastComment

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 between being on MTV’s hit comedy series “The State” and the podcast, Kevin garnered more than a decade of bad luck and bad jobs.

Michael Finkel: Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

“If you want to talk about failure, I don't think there's any bigger failure in all of journalism.” - Michael Finkel on getting fired from The New York Times.

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 keep his legs and be wheelchair-bound. For Rudy, this was a slam dunk decision.

Beri Smither: American Model

By the time Beri Smither was in her 20’s, she had the world by the tail. She started modeling when she was 17. “I met the right people, we clicked, it was off to the races from there.”

Bonin Bough: Out of The Boardroom, Into The Wild

“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.”

steve friedmanDecember 10, 2018

Christina Sass: Accomplished with Imposter Syndrome

How do you learn to work past doubt? We spoke to Christna Sass, the co-founder and president of Andela about just that and more.

CEO, Failuresteve friedmanNovember 26, 2018Andela, Failure, ArtofFailure, Success, ChristinaSass