Failing Up

In this episode of Failing Up, I sit down with Vanessa Rissetto, CEO and co-founder of Culina Health — a registered dietitian, founder, mother, and certified badass — to talk about what she learned while battling breast cancer while raising $10M to build her company. This is a conversation about resilience, systems that fail us, and what real health actually looks like when the stakes are life-or-...

Claire sits down with John Gillen — Co-Founder of True Capital and host of Milk Road Macro — for a conversation about responsibility, resilience, and staying optimistic when the world feels cynical. From New York City’s budget crisis to the pressure of speaking out on public issues, John shares why he chooses eternal optimism — even when it’s unpopular. We talk about: - why leaders have a responsi...

Biohacking promises better focus, stronger bodies, and longer lives—but where does optimization turn into obsession? In this episode, Anthony from Feel Better Lab breaks down what biohacking actually is, what’s worth doing, and where the ethical line starts to blur. From olive oil and breathwork to concentration studies and the question of living forever, this is a grounded conversation on upgradi...

In this episode of Failing Up, I sit down with John Gillen, Co-Founder of True Capital, to talk about love, grief, ambition, and endurance. We explore why marrying for “logistics” is a trap, the real psychology behind heartbreak, how to tell whether ambition comes from passion or avoidance, and why love doesn’t have to be romantic to be meaningful. Follow Us On IG: https://www.instagram.com/failin...

This week I sat down with Matt Marlinski - Founder of The Manhattan Lab - New York's fastest-growing podcast studios. Matt has hosted politicians like Bernie Sanders, top podcast hosts like Chris Williamson, and produces shows for James Sexton & Anthony Pompliano. A year ago, we recorded together, and we both had no idea where everything was going. Now, we're sitting in the chairs agai...

I sit down with John Gillen — Partner at True Capital and host of Milk Road Macro — to break down how modern investing is shifting from long-term wealth building to dopamine-driven risk-taking. They talk about the rise of leverage, why gambling behavior is exploding among retail traders, how automation has rewired discipline, and why the opposite of addiction isn’t willpower — it’s community. We a...

The U.S. job market looks strong — but beneath the surface, everything’s shifting. Previous Wall Street reporter at Business Insider and Opening Bell Daily Co-Founder Phil Rosen breaks down what’s really happening behind the numbers: from “labor hoarding” ending to how AI is quietly rewriting job descriptions. In this episode, we cover: - Why companies are finally cutting after years of over-hirin...

He caught one of America’s most dangerous spies, and now he’s warning the world about what’s coming next. Former FBI and cybersecurity expert agent Eric O’Neill spent years undercover to expose one of the most damaging double agents in U.S. history. Now, he says the next great threat isn’t coming from guns or bombs- it’s coming from AI, deepfakes, and cyber warfare. If you want to understand how t...

Steve LeVine, editor of The Electric and writer at The Information, joins to unpack how the U.S. became dangerously dependent on China and what it would take to unwind that relationship. We cover everything from the forgotten origins of this dependence to the geopolitical choke points defining the next global conflict — minerals, semiconductors, and influence across Africa. Follow Us On IG: https:...

Dating today is broken. In this episode, Dini, co-founder of AI matchmaking app Sitch, joins Failing Up to talk about how we got here — from OkCupid to Hinge to whatever comes next and why it might finally be time to reinvent dating altogether. We explore the paradox of choice, the gender wars,  what healthy conflict resolution in relationships look like, and why so many people chase chemistry ove...

In this episode of Failing Up, John Gillen joins Claire Barthelemy for a deeply human conversation about losing faith in politics — and finding balance in life. We what it means to stay grounded in a divided world, the cost of being the “sane voice,” and how forgiveness, gratitude, and listening can rebuild both our personal and collective sanity. From the chaos of political discourse to the quiet...

David Hoffman is the Co-Founder of Bankless, one of the most influential media platforms in the crypto ecosystem. In this episode, we cover everything from the evolution of crypto cycles and Trump’s influence on the digital asset space to the mental health toll of online criticism, the philosophy behind content creation, and what it means to "be the best at something in the world." We also dive in...

Ornelle Cherazi, known online as @NelNourish, joins me to share her powerful story — from modeling to culinary school to becoming one of Canada’s most magnetic food creators. We talk about what it was like growing up between Uganda, Rwanda, and Canada, and how being a model with an obsession for health led her into the world of food, but not in the way you’d expect. Nel opens up about recovering f...

Louis Reggiero — founder of Nothing’s Off the Table, a podcast about overcoming addiction — lost over $100,000 in a single night in Vegas. But that wasn’t the rock bottom. It took him 10 years to get 1 year of sobriety. In this episode, LJ shares how addiction nearly destroyed his life — and how fatherhood, faith, and the gift of desperation helped him start healing. We also talked about:  — Gambl...

John Gillen left BlackRock to launch his own crypto fund — but this episode goes way beyond markets. We talked about the political shift around crypto, why it shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and whether Bitcoin could realistically hit a $50 trillion market cap. John also opened up about his personal philosophy — on time, consciousness, free will, and the emotional complexity of modern relationships...

I sat down with Phil Rosen, founder of Opening Bell Daily, a leading financial newslettter for a conversation about persistence, media, and how to stand out in a noisy world. Phil spent years inside the mainstream newsroom before building one of the fastest-growing independent finance newsletters. We talked about what journalism taught him about power, the internet as a free market of ideas, and w...

What happens when technology moves faster than our ability to understand it? In this episode, I sat down with Brett Goldstein, founder of Micro, for one of the most thought-provoking conversations we’ve had, touching on the future of robotics, the shrinking definition of humanity, and why design still clings to the past. We talk about Philosophy of who and what we build for. We also talk about:  —...

This week I sat down with Jack Kuveke, founder of Jabroni Capital. Jack Kuveke does a little bit of everything — angel investing, content, internet chaos, and bringing humor to the business world in a Bartstool Sports style, but with a twist. In this episode of Failing Up, we talk about how comedy can actually be a powerful tool in tech and marketing, and how to know when something is genuinely wo...

This week, I sat down with Asher Genoot, the CEO of Hut 8, one of North America’s largest digital infrastructure and energy providers — powering everything from crypto mining to AI compute. We talked about what it actually takes to build the infrastructure that powers the future — and why no one’s talking enough about energy when they talk about AI. Asher breaks down the tension between energy sus...

Max Barrett, co-founder of the viral media brand Friday Beers, joins us to talk about giving up on the dream of playing in the NBA, building one of the internet’s most beloved comedy platforms, and discovering a deeper mission around men’s mental health. What started as a meme page quickly turned into a cultural movement, and Max opens up about the pressure to grow while staying authentic, the emo...

Coco is the Founder of Amulet, an early stage recruitment firm. In this episode, she reveals the biggest mistakes people make when job hunting, how founders should approach hiring, and why job hopping isn’t always a bad thing. In this episode, she breaks down the key to making career moves with confidence, why recruitment is different for men and women, and how to treat job hunting like dating. We...

Ethan Ding, founder of TextQL, believes the biggest problem in startups isn’t talent—it’s talent dispersion. In this episode, he shares how he met his co-founder, how he discovered his co-founder was "the one," why partnerships are the key to billion-dollar companies, and why waiting to find the right people is the biggest mistake you can make. We also get into: - Why education suppresses natural...

In the latest episode of Failing Up, I sit down with Jack Kuveke who has lived a life that most could only imagine—moving to Serbia to run an ICO, building one of the largest crypto communities in the world, becoming a millionaire the day before he turned 20, and then losing it all. In this episode, we dive deep into his unconventional journey, from attempting a hostile takeover to launching Jabro...

In this episode of Failing Up, I sit down with Naomi, the Founder of Live in Your Beauty. We discussed her growing up in a home where her father was a serious drug user, as well as what it was like for her to survive domestic abuse while raising two sons as a single mother. She shares the most important lessons she's learned from the failed relationships and the most important learned in her l...

In this episode of Failing Up, I sit down with Patrick Finan, Founder and CEO of Block Club, a branding agency that started in Buffalo and scaled to success in NYC. We dive into the lessons Patrick learned from building a business in a smaller market, the importance of failing gracefully as a founder, and how to create a sustainable business. Patrick shares his insights on the evolving role of AI...