FailCraft

What happens when you spend $80,000 fighting for custody of your child, only to realize that society's definition of a "good father" is completely broken? Odeani McBean is a fatherhood coach, host of The Mindful Dad Podcast, and creator of the 365 Dad Journal. After surviving a grueling three-year custody battle, he realized that measuring a father’s worth purely by his financial pro...

What do you do when the calling you dedicated your life to completely rejects you—four separate times? Eric Nitzberg spent a decade in ministry, only to be repeatedly denied formal ordination. Eventually, his body physically broke down under the stress of fighting a closed door. He realized that waiting for an institution to validate his worth was a massive trap. He pivoted his career, becoming an...

What do you do when you lose your marriage, your business, and your father all in the span of three months? Ray Martin was an award-winning CEO in London who, by society's standards, had it all. But when his life completely collapsed in 2005, he realized he had been trapped in a "gilded cage," living a life built entirely on other people's expectations. He packed a bag for a six-...

Why does it feel like traditional parenting advice completely fails when dealing with today's kids? Dr. David Marcus, a clinical psychologist with 40 years of experience treating families under stress, joins the show to expose the broken methods we use to raise our children. As the author of *Parent RX*, Dr. Marcus reveals why simply telling a screaming child to "use your words" is a...

In 1984, Dr. John McMahon was lying in a psychiatric hospital, battling severe alcoholism and drug addiction. The doctors gave him just six months to live and wrote him off as a complete failure. Instead of dying, he got sober, completely rebuilt his life, earned a PhD in psychology, and went on to teach the largest master’s course on addiction in the UK. This episode dives into the FailCraft them...

Have you sent out 50 resumes this month only to receive nothing but automated rejection emails—or worse, total silence? Dan Waskow spent over 20 years as a corporate recruiter for massive companies like Dell, PwC, and Accenture. He was the gatekeeper deciding who got the interview and who got rejected. But after realizing his job forced him to keep great candidates in the dark, he switched sides....

What happens when a strategic planner whose job was to predict disasters at the Pentagon turns his sights on the current trajectory of society? Christopher "Coyote" Choate is a retired Air Force officer who flew the F-4 Phantom and F-15E Strike Eagle. After a decorated military career, he transitioned into a sci-fi author, writing the dystopian space opera trilogy, *Apollo Wept*. Inspire...

What do you do when the life you've spent decades building disappears almost overnight? Debra Bowers spent years as a successful corporate leader before stepping back to raise five children and care for her ailing mother. But in her 50s, she hit a devastating wall: her kids left the nest, her 20-year marriage ended, and her mother passed away—all in a very short span of time. Suddenly alone, D...

Is the traditional 30-year fixed mortgage actually the safest financial choice—or is it a cleverly disguised wealth trap keeping you in debt? Michael Newmann, Branch Manager and Senior Loan Officer at CMG Home Loans, joins the show to expose the harsh reality of traditional lending. With over 20 years of experience and a degree in psychology, Michael understands that most of our financial decision...

What do you do when the medical system you trust to save your life completely gaslights you instead? Tim Randall was a professional artist and tattooist for 20 years until a devastating car accident left him with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and brain shearing. Suffering from up to 10 grand mal seizures a day, he was repeatedly misdiagnosed by doctors who watched videos of his seizures and dismi...

If you expect an international trip to be a flawless, relaxing vacation, you are setting yourself up for a massive failure. Ann Craig-Cinnamon and John Cinnamon have traveled to over 120 countries and all seven continents during their 30-year marriage. As the authors of *Travel is No Vacation: A Love Story*, they have traded pristine beaches for the gritty, unpredictable, and sometimes terrifying...

Are you suffering from "Superhero Syndrome"? Many founders look incredibly successful on the outside but are secretly drowning in their own operations because they refuse to let go of control. Renee Hastings, President and CEO of Executive Help Now, joins the show to share her incredible journey from being a 16-year-old single mother on food stamps to building a career supporting the C-s...

Why do most corporate innovation projects crash and burn, even when the technology is flawless? Bruno Pešec is a master at fixing broken innovation. He has advised some of the biggest companies in the world, helping senior leaders unlock €1 billion in new revenue. But Bruno isn't just a boardroom strategist—he's a martial artist with 30 years of training who runs his own dojo. In this epis...

What do you do when the very people who are supposed to understand you—your own family and community—make you feel completely unseen? Tiffany Smith, a multi-creative professional based in New York City, grew up feeling like a total outsider in her own ecosystem. Instead of shrinking to fit in or pretending to blend, she realized early on that biology is not destiny, and you are under no obligation...

Did your high school guidance counselor ever make you feel like working with your hands was just a "Plan B"? Michael Cappa, founder of Altona Painting, is here to completely dismantle the outdated stigma surrounding skilled labor. After running a $90,000 student painting business at just 18 years old, Michael realized that the real world rewards execution, not just degrees. However, his...

What happens when a highly successful entrepreneur takes off the armor and admits that they didn't just build companies—they broke them? Chris Shurian has lived nine business lives in one. He has built a $15 million construction company, developed resorts, and founded restaurants. But in this episode, Chris strips away the highlight reel to talk about his battle scars. He opens up about the de...

What goes through your mind when you finish writing a memoir about your own addiction, just minutes before walking out of a prison dayroom for the last time? Andrew Drasen, author of A Vision of Hope, survived years of heroin addiction, overdoses, and incarceration. But surviving isn't the same as living. In this episode, Andrew explains why simply "healing" or "getting sober&qu...

Are you falling for the toxic myth of the "overnight viral sensation"? John Voelz, a full-time musician, former pastor, and author of Becoming an Idea Mentalist, joins the show to dismantle the illusions of the modern creative industry. He exposes the reality that building a sustainable life as an artist isn't about waiting for a random stroke of luck—it's about treating your cre...

Why does it feel like no matter how hard you work, you are constantly falling behind financially? Paul Musson, a veteran investment professional who managed over $10 billion in assets, joins the show to explain exactly how the economic system is quietly draining your wealth. As the author of *Capital Offence*, Paul breaks down the dangerous difference between "money" and "capital,&q...

Do you have a dream you’ve been sitting on for years, but you secretly feel like you’ve "aged out" or it’s simply too late to start? Buddy Howard spent decades as a high-stakes Mergers & Acquisitions executive and financial expert witness. But at age 67, he decided to completely start over as a novice and publish his debut legal thriller, The Burden of Evidence. This episode dives in...

Why do so many expensive corporate leadership programs end up collecting dust in a drawer? Maren Perry, Founder & CEO of Arden Coaching, has spent nearly two decades navigating the messy, human side of leadership. She joins the show to reveal why traditional leadership training fails (hint: it's not a lack of data) and how to break through the egos and excuses of highly resistant executive...

Do you feel like you are just drifting through life—going through the motions, lacking pride, and secretly knowing you aren't living up to your potential? Maxim Shapiro, a Men’s Action Life Coach, knows that feeling intimately. For 40 years, he lived a "rudderless" life, trapped in a cycle of high-functioning depression and self-deception. It took a brutal wake-up call and the fierce...

Dianna Deeney is a product development expert with over 25 years of experience spanning the manufacturing floor to leading design teams. She specializes in the "fuzzy front end" of creation, helping engineering teams transform early-stage ideas into clear, user-focused designs. Dianna is the founder of Quality During Design, the author of "Pierce the Design Fog," and the creato...

What happens when the financial expert who supposedly "has it all figured out" loses everything and ends up on food stamps? Chris Miles, founder of Money Ripples and the "Anti-Financial Advisor," achieved the ultimate dream of retiring at age 28. But when the Great Recession hit, his real estate portfolio crumbled, leaving him over $1,000,000 in debt. Facing foreclosure, repo m...

What do you do when your life spirals into complete chaos—navigating an unexpected divorce, two kids at home, and the sudden, terrifying birth of micro-preemie twins weighing less than two pounds each? Tami Gaines, founder of Sage Enterprises and author of Preemie Parents, shares the raw, emotional story of living inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Instead of crumbling under the relen...