The Other F Word: Conversations About Failure

Rachel Simmons, Leadership Development Specialist at Smith College and author of numerous books including most recent “Enough As She Is”, speaks about her Failure Initiative “Failing Well’ with college students at Smith College.  For many high achieving students, failure has never been allowed to be a part of their experiences. In an attempt to de-stigmatize failure and value it a a core part of learning, Rachel welcomes students to her program with a certificate of failure.  Encouraging them to mess up in all areas of their lives, she models how to build the muscle necessary to foster resilience and endure struggle, something many of us are missing in today’s pressure for perfection.  Rachel’s groundbreaking program is just what we are needing in the attempt to shift our thinking on failure. Find out more about Rachel @: https://www.rachelsimmons.com

Life coach and founder of website Joyjunkie, Amy E. Smith, speaks candidly about growing up in a religious family and feeling like a failure in the eyes of her parents because she didn’t share their core values.  After living for years with fear and guilt for speaking her truth, she knew she had to make a change.  In an effort to save her sanity and sense of self, she finally found her voice.  Her moment of clarity was followed by deep work and clear wisdom that she now shares to help others stand up for themselves. Her insight into the complex struggle to push through feeling like a failure  and reconnect to your deeper sense of self is both uplifting and inspiring. Find out more about Amy @: https://thejoyjunkie.com  

Journalist and cofounder of the women’s networking group The Li.st, Glynnis MacNicol speaks about her revelatory new memoir, “No One Tells You This”, an honest exploration about being single, childless and happy. Glynnis shares how she approached her 40th birthday with dread and overwhelm, feeling like a failure when it comes to the important milestones of marriage and children. In an attempt to accept and reconcile this role in a positive light, Glynnis set out to pave a new path for women who choose not to marry, have children, and still be fulfilled, connected and happy. Her intelligence and ability to articulate her journey is one that has inspired many who are struggling for more peace within themselves and equality out in the world. Connect on twitter @: https://twitter.com/GlynnMacN And Instagram @: https://www.instagram.com/noonetellsyouthis/  

Dan Freedman shares his journey of parenthood, first as a typical father of 2, then a single father of 3, and now as a father of a blended family of 5. His story is one fraught with layers of loss and struggle, as well as deep connection and love. After the tragic and unexpected loss of his first wife during the birth of their third child, Dan was faced with the challenging role of single parenthood. Then, years later he fell in love and married his current wife, who had 2 children of her own, and so began his new role of step-parent. Dan speaks with candor and humor about the challenges of step-parenting and how failure plays an inevitable role in this complex relationship. Find out more about Dan @: http://baseballcraziness.com/author/dffreedman/

Tiffony Jacobs and Kanya Sim are writers, speakers, entrepreneurs, and members of the original Freedom Writers, a group of high school students led by teacher Erin Gruwell, who inspired her struggling students to share their personal stories through writing. (A movie of the same title was made starring Hilary Swank.)Tiffony and Kanya were regarded as unreachable and underprivileged,  mostly due to their traumatic home life. Tiffony experienced poverty, domestic violence, and homelessness, while Kanya and her family dealt with the hardships of being Cambodian refugees struggling to acculturate to a new country. With the help of their teacher and mentor, they were encouraged to write anonymous journal entries and for the first time in their lives they gave voice to their internal pain and feelings of failure. After graduating high school, they went on to train over 600 educators with the Freedom Writers Foundation, teaching others to use the powerful tool of writing to heal and tell their stories.  Both have g

Jon Acuff is an entrepreneur, speaker, and New York Times Bestselling author of six books including his most recent “Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done”. He speaks from personal experience of his own struggle to finish anything, referring to his past self as a “serial quitter” and shares his journey to overcoming the obstacles, one of the biggest being fear of failure. He explores how unmet expectations of unrealistic dreams creates a cycle of failure before you start, and gives a clear and refreshing perspective on setting more realistic goals for success. He shares his research with  humor, candor and a pragmatism that is refreshing.  Find out more about Jon @: www.acuff.me    

This week’s episode focuses on what’s happened recently, behind the scenes of the podcast, and how it pertains to success and failure.  Issues of self doubt, shame, the need for honest communication, and the pressure for perfection are some of the hot topics explored. www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Authors, relationship experts and married couple Greg Behrendt (He’s Just Not That Into You) and Amiira Ruotola share their advice on what it takes to stay happily married. They dispel many myths about relationships through honest revelations about their own marriage, its’ complexities and how much work it is to remain connected. Their humor and frankness are a refreshing antidote to the one dimensional ideals of relationships our culture has perpetrated. Listen to Greg & Amiira's podcast here: https://starburns.audio/podcasts/maybe-its-you/ And you can visit Greg's website here: http://www.gregorybehrendt.com

Michelle Carlson, Executive Director of TEEN LINE, a teen-to-teen national hotline, shares her expertise and insight on at-risk adolescents and the issues teens are dealing with. From stress and anxiety to depression and suicidal thoughts, teen callers are trusting their highly trained and competent peers to listen and guide them through with empathy, problem solving and community resources for further help. Michelle shares her own compelling story of losing people she loved to suicide and how failure is a thread throughout these tragic losses. These tragedies have only added to Michelle’s passion to helping teens deal with daily stress as well as some of the more delicate issues of adolescence. You can find out more about Teen Line @: https://teenlineonline.org

Eight time Emmy Award Winning News Anchor Romona Robinson and author of the book A Dirt Road to Somewhere talks about her struggle to overcome multiple life obstacles, starting with surviving a childhood of extreme poverty, to picking the wrong kind of men, to her inability to get pregnant. As one of the first black women in television news, Romona has also dealt with extreme racism and sexism but religion has always been essential to her healing along with sheer perseverance and determination. While facing much of the heartache and pain on her own out of fear of looking like a failure, she now understands that asking for help is key. And after pushing through the challenges, she ultimately found love and support and was embraced by people all over. She's a strong believer in supporting other black women in journalism which has helped to pave the way for greater representation in her field. After being one of a handful of journalists chosen to meet Barack Obama, Romona knew she could overcome her background a

Richard Rayner, author of “The Blue Suit” shares the tale of his complicated relationship with his father, who embezzled money, faked his own death and then disappeared when Richard was just 10 years old. After being gone for years, his father returned and after serving time, led an interesting life on the fringe. Despite their precarious connection, Richard found himself living with his father and emulating his behavior as a way to connect and survive. Richard’s take on his journey with his father, and the impact it’s had on his identity and relationship with his own children is filled with moments of intrigue and honesty. A fascinating story that will leave you pondering about how family relationship failures impact our lives in multiple ways. Find out more about Richard @: https://www.raynerwriter.com  

Meg Conley, writer and speaker,  known for her HuffPost article “We Ask Our Kids the Same Three Questions Every Night”, shares how this nightly ritual has created and sustained an ongoing conversation that connects their family in a deep way.  In a real attempt to celebrate failure, Meg created a safety zone to explore daily experiences of failure,  both in her marriage and as a parent.  Her authentic style embraces imperfection, values the little moments in life, and cultivates a general sense of self awareness around issues of kindness,courage and failure, all while extending a sense of grace to herself and others. Find out more about Meg @: http://www.megconley.com    

P. Charlotte Lindsay, writer, and single mom, speaks openly, honestly and with great insight and humor about her experience in the world of post divorce dating. P. Charlotte talks about being in the “invisible years” of mid life and feeling flawed, broken and de-valued as a newly single woman.  In a hilarious conversation,  she shares her unbelievable story of dating hundreds of men in search of a meaningful relationship, and the wisdom she gleaned from so much on-line swiping, talking, dating, sexting, sex, and heartbreak. Her adventures are layered with feelings of failure that are common when it comes to navigating matters of the heart in mid-life. Find out more about P. Charlotte @: https://pcharlottelindsay.com

Captain Scott Kelly is a former NASA astronaut who spent almost a year on the International Space Station and 520 total days in space, which is beautifully chronicled in his book Endurance.  Captain Kelly’s path to outer space wasn’t an easy one, as he struggled academically as a young boy, being told explicitly he didn’t have what it takes to succeed in the world. Finding inspiration along the way was key to Kelly’s ability to fight through failure and persevere. His fascinating story of his journey to flight and what space can do to the human mind and body is a remarkable reminder of what can be accomplished when we’re inspired to reach new limits. Find him online @ http://www.scottkelly.com And on Twitter @StationCDRKelly

Rev. Becca Stevens is an Episcopal priest, author, and founder of Thistle Farms, a non-profit residential center that heals, empowers and employs women who are survivors of human trafficking, prostitution, and addiction. Her call to help and heal others comes from a profound place of mercy and strength gleaned from her own childhood trauma of sexual abuse. Becca’s remarkable journey has given her the courage, compassion, and ability to deeply connect with others in the process of healing from one of the most profound experiences of human to human failures. Learn more about Becca @: www.beccastevens.org Learn more about Thistle Farms @: www.thistlefarms.org

Actors, environmentalists and married couple Ed Begley Jr and Rachelle Carson share their unique stories of struggling for years with alcoholism and addiction and how they came to a place of sobriety over more than 30 years ago. Using honesty and humor, they share their perspective of being a married couple, navigating the entertainment industry while holding on to the truest part of themselves. Ed shares his rock bottom moments, while Rachelle explores her less dramatic process, both leading to recovery, and how the  illness of addiction is filled with layers of feeling like a failure. Both share their wisdom of turning failures into opportunities for insight, growth and responsibility to self, each other, and the environment. Find out more about Ed and Rachelle @: https://begleyliving.com

On the heels of last week’s episode on Happiness, we offer a different glimpse into the struggle to be happy. British author, journalist, and documentary film-maker Ruth Whippman, speaks about her newest book “America the Anxious” and the pressure Americans feel for the pursuit for happiness.  She studies how America invests more time, money and emotional energy than any other nation on earth, from self help books, yoga classes, mindful meditation, and therapy sessions, searching for a sense of well-being. Whippman explores how instead of people feeling more enlightened, empowered and joyful, this neurotic pursuit for happiness often leaves people feeling a sense of inadequacy, anxiety and a more profound sense of failure. Find out more about Ruth @: http://ruthwhippman.com

Best selling author, blogger, and host of her own hugely popular podcast on happiness, Gretchen shares her research and theory on finding happiness. In this conversation, she starts by sharing how her early career failures, while disappointing at the time, led her to explore happiness. Rather than let the pressure for happiness overwhelm her, Gretchen decided she would try and find the fun in failure. She explains how understanding your personality type can actually help you experience less failure and find solutions to life problems. From closely examining our habits and the ways we operate, Gretchen offers a framework for pursuing proven strategies for living a happier life. Find out more about Gretchen @: http://www.gretchenrubin.com

Shannon Cason is an award winning storyteller best known for his work on The Moth, Snap Judgement, and his own podcasts Homemade Stories and The Trouble. Shannon shares his shocking story of how he stole $50,000 and gambled it all away in one day. Instead of running from his failure, he faced it head on and endured the consequences. This experience led him to storytelling as a way of processing his addiction, resulting in a more honest way of operating in all aspects of his life. His sharing of such personal experiences has also been a powerful way of inspiring others to face their own shame, fear and truths. Learn more about Shannon @: http://www.shannoncason.com

Cathy Schenkelberg, actor and former Scientologist, shares her experience with the Church of Scientology in a gut wrenchingly honest and simultaneously humorous way in her one woman show Squeeze My Cans: Surviving Scientology.  Cathy’s story is a fascinating journey of a young woman looking for purpose and meaning, seduced by Scientology's promise for a better life. In over 2 decades of dedication to the group, Cathy progressed through the elaborate system, spending almost $1 million, trying to become a better Scientologist.  Using complex strategies of fear, control and isolation the Church forced Cathy to give up everything, except her daughter. But Cathy never found a better life, instead she lived in terror, isolated, on food stamps, and always watched and controlled by the powerful members of the organization. Despite the regret of losing time and feeling like a failure, Cathy found the strength through the love of her daughter, to disengage from Scientology and reconnect with the outside world. Her stor