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The Failure Factor: Stories of Career Perseverance

35 Episodes

48 minutes | May 2, 2022
The Failure Factor Episode 35: MyIntent.org and VoMo founder Chris Pan on navigating depression and pivoting during the pandemic
Chris Pan is the founder of MyIntent.org, which has gained a cult following from its intention-personalized necklaces and bracelets. In this episode, the former McKinsey consultant and early Facebook employee shares: how a dark time in his life led to MyIntent.org, how he navigated the depression of isolation and his business screeching to a halt during the pandemic, and why every entrepreneur should sing.
60 minutes | Feb 1, 2022
The Failure Factor Episode 34: Blueprint Cleanse founders Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss on believing in your "absurd" idea and creating a category
Erica Huss and Zoe Sakoutis are largely responsible for the success of the cold-pressed juice industry. But on their bootstrapped five-year journey to a $26m sale, they encountered repeated challenges and feedback that their idea could "never work." In this episode, they share how they persevered, plus what they learned from their failed venture, and how it led to the new f&b trend they're capitalizing on now.
34 minutes | Feb 17, 2019
The Failure Factor Episode 33: Bluemercury Co-founder and CEO Marla Beck On Failing Her Way To Success
In this episode of The Failure Factor, Megan sits down with Bluemercury co-founder and Marla Beck. The CEO of the rapidly-growing luxury beauty retailer shares how the initially Ecommerce company almost ran out of money, sparking the inaugural pivot "from clicks to bricks." Thanks to Beck's perseverance, in 2015 Bluemercury was acquired by Macy's for $210 million. You won't want to miss Beck's advice on authoritative leadership, secrets to employee retention, why she doesn't endorse "productivity," and the growth-inspiring way she responds to failures and mistakes – both personally and in managing others. 
34 minutes | Feb 7, 2019
The Failure Factor Episode 32: Schmidt's Naturals Co-founder Michael Cammarata on Entrepreneurial Resilience, Leaving Your Mark Before You Die, and Making His First Million at Thirteen Years Old
In this episode of The Failure Factor, Megan interviews Michael Cammarata: serial entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder and CEO of Schmidt's Naturals – one of the worlds fastest-growing wellness brands. Despite being told he'd "never amount to anything" after being diagnosed with dyslexia, Michael had made his first million by thirteen years old. Listen in to hear why Michael can't stand "Five Year Plans," the mistake he believes entrepreneurs make that holds them back from opportunities, and the question he urges founders to ask themselves from day one.
91 minutes | Oct 9, 2018
The Failure Factor Episode 31: The American Equality Failure With Sari Rosenberg
In this special episode, Megan sits down with her good friend: writer, American History teacher and feminist sociopolitical expert Sari Rosenberg to clarify myths around feminism and how it relates to sexual assault, dating, body image and eating disorders, and more. If you want to participate in the conversation but feel under-resourced, are curious or skeptical about the movement, or want to know how not to be a "white feminist," this is a great place for listeners of all genders to start. 
53 minutes | Oct 8, 2018
The Failure Factor Episode 30: Lifeway CEO Julie Smolyansky On Leading While Grieving, Navigating A PR Crisis, And Managing Mansplainers
In this episode of The Failure Factor, Megan talks resilience, sexism, and changing the world with Julie Smolyansky.  Julie became the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm when she took over Lifeway Foods at the age of 27 in 2002 after the tragic death of her father.  Even through her grief, she managed to send the company's growth trajectory and revenues soaring, while considerably expanding distribution.  She has been named to Fortune Business ‘40 under 40,’ Fortune’s 55 Most Influential Women on Twitter and Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business 1000.  Listen in as she and Megan talk about the challenges she has faced, the strength she has acquired, and the world she hopes to build for her two daughters as well as women everywhere.
45 minutes | Jul 31, 2018
The Failure Factor Episode 29: The League Dating App Founder Amanda Bradford on Having Difficult Conversations And Getting Comfortable With Rejection
Ah, dating - a topic close to Megan's heart. In this episode, she interviews The League founder and CEO Amanda Bradford on the building of the elite dating app. They discuss what it's like to date as an "alpha woman," the parallels between dating and entrepreneurship, why the skill of difficult conversations is integral to both dating and hiring, and how to cope with rejection. Listen in for Amanda's go-to first-date and first-interview questions, advice on overcoming fear of failure, and why hiring her best friend as her first hire was a mistake. Oh, and skip the 300,000 person waiting list at The League by telling your concierge you heard about it on The Failure Factor! 
54 minutes | Apr 3, 2018
The Failure Factor Episode 28: Simon "Thor" Damborg on The Danger of the Personal Brand, Dating in a Culture of Toxic Masculinity, and The Only Way Entrepreneurship is Worth It
Simon "Thor" Damborg is a former competitive CrossFit athlete, small business consultant, and the owner of Raincity Athletics and the Functional Fitness League in Vancouver, Canada. In this episode, which isn't your typical TFF conversation, Simon opens up about the challenges of building his businesses, dating in a culture of toxic masculinity, his "privileged guilt," the pain, isolation and shame of creating a “macho” personal brand, and how to make room for failure as an entrepreneur.
46 minutes | Feb 18, 2018
The Failure Factor Episode 27: Lumion's Amy Briant and Lisa DeLarco Bonoff On Dealing With (and Learning From) a Painful Co-Founder Split
Amy Briant and Lisa DeLarco Bonoff are the founders of Lumion, a skincare product line revolutionizing skin health technology. In this episode, Amy shares the story of her painful split from a co-founder in her former venture, and what she learned the hard way. Tune into hear her advice on protecting yourself legally, setting boundaries, mitigating conflict, and optimizing co-founder relationships.
56 minutes | Nov 30, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 26: Former Adult Film Star Turned Designer Jessie Andrews On Being Fearless And Not Letting The Past Define You
At 25 years old, Jessie Andrews is the founder and CEO of four successful businesses. Formerly an adult-film star and international DJ/Producer, she's now also a globally sought-after photographer, in-demand brand builder, and successful model and designer. In this episode, brought to you by Discover LMS, Jessie shares her unconventional journey from dropping out of high school to becoming one of the few adult actress to break through to mainstream. Listen in for her wisdom and grit-filled story, plus how to prevent the past from defining you, plus her advice in starting up and owning who you are.
58 minutes | Nov 9, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 25: Mark Sisson on Risk-Taking, Resilience, and the Failure That Cost Him $1m
Mark Sisson is an serial entrepreneur and ex-endurance athlete turned ancestral health pioneer and New York Times bestselling author. What began as his blog (MarksDailyApple.com) has now become one of the top-rated health and fitness websites, and has led to Mark founding of several companies of "primal" nature: Primal Blueprint, Primal Kitchen, Primal Kitchen Resturaunts, and Primal Health Coach- all devoted to promoting the Primal lifestyle of balancing healthy nutrition, exercise and play.   In this episode, brought to you by Discover LMS, Mark shares his perspective on taking risks to obtain the life you want – and switching gears when you find yourself on a path that's just not working for you anymore. He offers advice on integrating "failures," as well as other lessons he learned through his television show-flop, a mindset that's led to his being one of the most renowned figures in health and wellness today .
50 minutes | Oct 23, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 24: Ollie Pet Food Co-founder Gabby Slome on Overcoming "Analysis Paralysis" and Considering Both Head and Heart in Decision-Making
Gabby Slome is the co-founder of Ollie; an all-natural, human grade dog food delivery service.  In this episode, brought to you by Discover LMS, she shares how she overcame “analysis paralysis" and what she believes is most important in starting a successful business. Warning: Gabby shares some stomach-turning truths about the dog-food industry, so you might not want to eat while listening to this episode! 
44 minutes | Oct 8, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 23: Sarah Merrill of “Big Kid Problems” on Growing & Monetizing Social Media, Overcoming Fear, and Leaving Your 9-5 Responsibly
It's one thing to leave a job you hate to follow your dreams; but what about leaving that "cushy" job that's not totally terrible?  In this interview, brought to you by Discover LMS, Sarah Merrill of "Big Kid problems" walks Megan through how she traversed this decision in her own life and how she's made a successful business out of social media. From appearing as a guest on the day- time Emmy winning Steve Harvey Show on three separate episodes teaching “Social Media 101” segments, and being featured on various podcasts and websites as a “millennial thought leader”, listen in as Sarah shares how she embraces fear and failure, and lets us in on her secrets to growing and monetizing her following to a quarter-million.
42 minutes | Jul 29, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 22: THINX CoFounder and Serial Entrepreneur Miki Agrawal On Bouncing Back From Adversity
Known for taboo industry innovation, controversial subway ads, and a publicly challenging departure from her role as CEO of THINX Period Underwear, Miki Agrawal is a serial entrepreneur, author, and speaker. The four-time founder sat down with Megan for an exclusive first interview since what she describes as "trial by fire." Agrawal also shares how she believes anyone can be an entrepreneur, and how she navigates gender biases and double standards. 
53 minutes | Jul 11, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 21: Cassandra Bodzak on Scaling The Conscious Personal Brand – Twice
Cassandra Bodzak is the founder of the online mind-body-soul support community, Aprecity.com,and best-selling author of "Eat With Intention." She's a global meditation and wellness teacher, host of Eat with Intention TV, and former host of ABC’s The Taste. Hear Cassandra's story on how she successfully built an online community and personal brand alongside the grief of heartbreak and her brother's life-changing diagnosis – then rebranded and did it all over again – as well as her advice for how to combat perfectionism and own your success. 
62 minutes | Jun 26, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 20: 'The Hundreds' CoFounder On Leaving Law To Follow His Dreams, Building A Trustworthy Brand, And Coping With The Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster
Bobby Kim (also known as Bobby Hundreds) is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Hundreds – a massively popular streetwear line worn by celebrities such as Kanye West and Justin Bieber. Hear Bobby's story about the conversation that gave him the courage to leave law; how he's built a trustworthy brand; and the unique way he copes with success and failure. 
45 minutes | Jun 13, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 19: Founder & CEO Megan Driscoll on Building A PR Agency, Using Fear As A Motivator, And Not Wanting Kids
Megan Driscoll is the founder and CEO of Evolve MKD, a public relations and social media agency in New York City. She's grown her business from one employee (herself) to 19 in two and a half years. But Megan's success came out of a "bad breakup" at her previous company. Listen in to hear her advice on building an agency, outsourcing PR, using fear as a motivator, negotiating the conflict of being a woman who doesn't want children, and more. 
43 minutes | May 30, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 18: Danielle LaPorte On Being Fired From Her Own Company And Dealing With Haters
Danielle LaPorte is an internationally renowned speaker, writer, entrepreneur, and blogger. The wise, hilarious, self-proclaimed "seeker" has mastered scaling the personal brand; but prior to Danielle's massive success, she was fired – from her own company. Listen to this rich interview filled with Danielle's personal story of challenge and "failure," as well as her advice for protecting oneself when building your company, dealing with haters, and building a successful brand.  
53 minutes | May 15, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 17: HigherDOSE Founders On How An Unfulfilling Modeling Career And Near-Death Experience Led To Their Ultimate Success
Lauren Berlingeri and Katie Kaps are the founders of HigherDOSE, the infrared sauna experience that's taking over NYC. In this episode, they share with Megan how past career challenges have led to their present success. Berlingeri, previously a fitness model and star of the popular web show Woman v. Workout, opens up about her struggles in the world of modeling, while Kaps shares a painful near-death experience that transformed her perspective. Listen into hear their founder story, as well as their advice for owning weaknesses, building relationships, and not taking things too seriously. 
45 minutes | May 1, 2017
The Failure Factor Episode 16: The Mistake These Women Made When They Launched Their Apparel Brand
Christina Carbonell and Galyn Bernard are the founders of Primary.com, a direct-to-consumer children's clothing company known for its evergreen basics and affordable prices. Tune in to hear them discuss their "failure" – believing they could take care of the supply chain themselves. The result? Little product in-stock and a lot of unhappy customers and investors. Listen in for their advice for managing supply chain, hiring with value proposition in mind, asking for help, and handling rejection. 
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