Art of Failure

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.

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. We spoke to Dr. Samuel West, a licensed clinical psychologist and PhD in organizational psychology. He talked about why he started the Museum of Failure, what we can learn from it and his own very personal struggles with failure, which include filing for bankruptcy.  

When Kwame Onwuachi was 26 he had already experienced more career highs and lows than chefs twice his age. He worked in the top restaurants, 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. The press roasted the young chef. 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. After the Shaw Bijou closed Kwame opened 3 more restaurants, Michelin rated, Kith and Kin  and two  Philly Wing Fry.. On May 6th he won the Rising Star Chef of the Year award by the James Beard Foundation. His book, Notes from a Young Black Chef  has received lots of praise, and is available wherever books are sold.

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. Today 1-800-Got-Junk serves 200 locations across three countries. His story is full of ups and downs. Including dropping out of college, his decision to fire his entire staff early on in his career, to living with depression and ADD. 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. In addition to 1-800-Got-Junk, Brian is the founder and CEO of O2E Brands, the parent company behind 4 different home service companies.   

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

We spoke to Carlos Dengler, an actor, writer, musician and a former member of the band Interpol, which was founded in 1997. Interpol is a post punk revival band that has produced several critically acclaimed albums. Carlos left the band in 2010 and got his MFA in acting from NYU in 2015. Carlos has also written for n+1 and Seven Stories Press He is also working on a forthcoming memoir with Foundry Literary + Media. The memoir will be published in late 2019/early 2020 and will be a series of essays about his youth, his views on culture, and his experience as a  “famous rock star turned subsequent acting student.” 

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.

"At Penn, people are so successful in high school and aren’t used to experiencing failure or bouncing back from it,” 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.  We also spoke about the pressure to succeed, learning to re-define oneself after failure and something called “Penn- face”

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.

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? In the Mini Failure series Steve talks about heartbreak, school, jobs, failure, success, and why he started this podcast. Episodes will air every other week. We return to our regularly scheduled programing next week where Steve interviews well known guests, next week our guest is Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for the New York Times. 

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. Here, Arabian talks about that decision, musical influences, his childhood and what he is doing right now.

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. We return to our regularly scheduled programing next week where Steve interviews well-known guests, next week our guest is Arabian Prince, one of the original members of N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes). The group are seen as one of the most influential groups in the history of Hip Hop.    

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.

Have you ever been dumped? Our host, Steve Friedman has been dumped. In this new series (Mini Failures) he opens up about his own failures. Episode #1 is about Steve’s attempt to get his girlfriend back after she dumped him. In the Mini Failure series Steve talks about heartbreak, school, jobs, failure, success, and why he started this podcast. Episodes will air every other week. We return to our regularly scheduled programing next week where Steve interviews well known guests, next week our guest is Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for the New York Times. 

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. He became famous in his early 20’s after starring in The State, a hit sketch comedy series on MTV. But when the series ended, he struggled to find the success that came to him through TV. Starting RISK! was a true leap of faith. He gambled his marriage, career, and money, but it eventually paid off. The hit show has developed a storytelling workshop, a book based on the show, and edited an Amazon Original book series, “This Can’t Be Happening.” He also wrote the book, "Two Henrys" which is part of the Amazon series. In this episode, Kevin talks about terrible jobs, life after The State, and shares great advice for all creative folks out there.

In 2002 Michael Finkel was a young journalist with an enviable career. Then, The New York Times discovered that Michael had created a composite character for a story about child labor and the African slave trade. Michael was fired. He said, “I mean if you want to talk about failure I don't think there's any bigger failure in all of journalism.” How did he recover? This is a story about Michael but also Chris Knight, the subject of his latest book, The Stranger in The Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit. Chris spent 27 years in the woods of Maine. He survived by stealing food, and other essentials, from his neighbors. Eventually Chris was caught and Michael was the only journalist he would speak to. The book is an engaging story about a tragically unique man but also a meditation on nature, learning to be alone, and how modern life is changing us.

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.

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 has 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 with garden-variety normal-person issues, find out what they are. Beri also talked about aging, how the modeling industry has changed, and failure. 

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.”

How do you learn to work past doubt? We spoke to Christna Sass, the co-founder and president of Andela. Prior to co-founding Andela, she directed the Program department of the Clinton Global Initiative 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.

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. In this episode, we discuss his latest book, "Becoming Ageless: The Four Secrets to Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever." and how he's used prayer and meditation to help him become a better boss, husband and father.

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.