FailCraft

Are you stuck in the "Invisible Stage" of your career, where nobody asks for your input and no one would notice if you weren't there? Rahul Karan Sharma, a Leadership Strategist and Forbes Coaches Council member, breaks down the silent struggle of corporate leadership. He shares his own experience of hitting a wall where his hard work didn't translate to fulfillment, leading to t...

Imagine waking up from a coma after a horrific accident and having no memory of the successful life you built for 25 years. Then, while trying to relearn who you are, you are diagnosed with breast cancer. Shannon Michelle, author of Step Into Your Miracle, shares her unimaginable journey from "Shannon 1.0" to "Shannon 2.0." She describes the terror of waking up with a "del...

What do you do when you are laid off, living on unemployment insurance, and have six mouths to feed between you and your business partner? John Pezoulas, co-founder of Ready Set Exec, shares the terrifying reality of bootstrapping a company with zero safety net. He opens up about the "boot camp" of raising twins while building a business and the sheer grit required to survive the first y...

What does it take to perform over 7,000 shows worldwide, from big stages with rock legends to the inside of prisons and rehab centers? Tony Saint Tone, an award-winning singer-songwriter and founder of the Spirit of Music Foundation, shares his relentless journey of resilience. He opens up about the moment he showed his father a $16,000 check only to be told "You can't do that every day&q...

What do you do when your life's work—a recording studio—is robbed clean, just days after you ended your military career to pursue it full-time? Robert Gaines, author of *Scintilla* and an expert in unconventional business ideas, shares his harrowing "trifecta of disasters." He lost his studio to thieves in the 90s, opened a restaurant right before 9/11, and launched an art gallery ju...

How does a man born into the toxic water crisis at Camp Lejeune, diagnosed with both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, end up running marathons after being told he'd need a walker forever? Mark Burnett, a former database programmer, shares his incredible journey of treating his own brain like a "faulty database" that needed debugging. He refused to accept the "medicine from t...

What do you do when you are fired just two months into a "safe" job, you are a single mother with two kids heading to college, and you are terrified you might end up living under a bridge? Merry Korn, author of Fired to Inspired, shares her harrowing journey from being terminated to building a massive social enterprise that employed over 1,300 people across 30 states. She opens up about...

How does a young man deeply involved in New Age occultism and channeling entities find his way back from the edge of suicide? Jai Roza, founder of Eden's Conflict, shares his harrowing testimony of drifting from his faith and experimenting with spiritual forces that eventually took control of his will. He describes the terrifying reality of hearing voices he couldn't turn off and the night...

Is it ever too late to rewrite your story? Joni Marie Iraci, a former Registered Nurse and mother of three, proves that reinvention has no age limit. At 65, she became the eldest graduate in her MFA program at Columbia University, pivoting from a lifetime of nursing to becoming an award-winning author. In this episode of FailCraft, Joni shares the "messy real side" of going back to schoo...

What do you do when a 15-year career vanishes overnight during a global pandemic? Susan Bortone, founder and CEO of Noble Talent Group, shares her inspiring pivot from being laid off to building her own recruitment empire. She opens up about the uncertainty of the COVID layoffs and the critical moment she decided not to look for another job, but to build her own. This episode dives into the FailCr...

What happens when a company that has been in business for decades is shut down in just six months because of one mistake? Mike Swenson, founder of Barkley Public Relations and creator of CrisisTrak, shares the chilling story of the peanut butter crisis that impacted over 300 global brands. He explains that even if a crisis isn't your fault, it is still your problem to solve. If you don't h...

On paper, Alan Lazaros had won the game. He was a Computer Engineer with an MBA, earning great money in corporate America. But internally, he was bankrupt—filled with regret, pain, and abandonment issues. Then, at age 26, a near-fatal car accident changed everything. In this episode, Alan—now the CEO of Next Level University and host of a Global Top 100 Podcast—shares the haunting symmetry of his...

How does a man who just suffered a stroke in the middle of a classroom—unable to speak or walk more than a block—go on to lose 100 pounds and walk 3,500 miles? Chip Scholz, an executive coach and author of Small Decisions, Big Shifts, shares his incredible story of turning a life-threatening health crisis into a total life reinvention. He takes us back to the moment he realized he was incapacitate...

How does a professional with an 18-year successful career across 6 countries suddenly become invisible? Aparajita Sudarshan, founder of Cvolve Pro, shares her brutal wake-up call after moving to the UK. Despite training over 15,000 students and being highly qualified, she found herself waking up to 11 rejection emails before breakfast. She tried everything: expensive CV writers, ChatGPT, keyword s...

How do you survive when doctors tell you there is no medication you can take, you've flatlined multiple times, and you are destined to remain in a wheelchair forever? Cyndee Dhalai, an author and medical enigma, shares her breathtaking story of resilience. She describes starting from "minus zero" after being disowned by her family, only to face a severe illness (Lupus and Chronic Kid...

What does it actually look like when a country falls apart? And what happens when the agency designed to help stabilize them is suddenly destroyed? Clifford Brown, a former USAID Mission Director with a 27-year career, takes us to the front lines of civil chaos. He describes witnessing military coups in Haiti, the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan, and gun battles in Guinea. He explains the terrifyin...

How does a 15-time marathon runner and Ironman triathlete end up fighting for his life against cancer—twice? Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, author of Every Mile Matters, shares his harrowing journey from the peak of physical fitness to a devastating double diagnosis. He describes the shock of being diagnosed with prostate cancer just months after completing an Ironman, and then facing a Stage 3B colorectal...

Why do the "aha moments" we get from books and seminars often disappear by Monday morning? Michael Ostrolenk, a Master Coach for SEALFIT’s Unbeatable Mind Academy and a human resilience expert, argues that "Mindset is not enough." He shares his own origin story, starting at age nine with an autoimmune disorder and learning disabilities, which forced him to learn biofeedback and...

What happens when the foundation of your life—a 28-year marriage—collapses and leaves you feeling like Humpty Dumpty, broken into a million pieces? Stacie Shifflett, a master of transformation and founder of Modern Consciousness®, shares her powerful journey of rebuilding from scratch. She opens up about the moment she realized her life wouldn't "organically recreate itself" and the...

What do you do when your wife is diagnosed with cancer, and one week later, you lose your job? DK Kang, author of Mindset Metamorphosis, shares his harrowing story of facing a "compounded adversity" that would break most people. He details the timeline of battling infertility for a decade, receiving a Stage 2 cancer diagnosis for his wife, and then being laid off by his employer just day...

How does a high-level VP with "everything" on paper end up lost, numb, and dependent on alcohol just to cope? Ben Stein, founder of Purpose Up and a sought-after career coach, shares his raw journey from corporate burnout to finding true alignment. He opens up about using alcohol and marijuana as a "ball and chain" to avoid facing his unhappiness, and the pivotal moment he was...

How do you go from hiding in a closet hoping to be found, to becoming a high-powered executive, only to burn out completely? Pamela Cass, a performance coach and cancer survivor, shares her deeply personal journey of growing up with dyslexia in the 70s. She explains how being pulled out of class made her want to be "invisible", leading to a lifetime of overcompensating through work. She...

How does a homeless teenager living in a tent end up as a government minister with her name physically on the moon? Jennifer Gligoric, a business crisis interventionist and Minister of Equity and Resources for Asgardia (the world's first digital nation), shares one of the most incredible resilience stories we've ever heard. She details her brutal rock bottom—from sleeping in cars and survi...

How does someone go from institutionalized child abuse, prostitution, and drug addiction to becoming an Ironman Triathlete? Margie Allman, author of The Sufferfest, shares one of the most breathtaking stories of resilience ever told on FailCraft. She details her "rock bottom"—which was actually a series of them—including surviving a controversial teen rehab program called Straight Inc.,...

How do you heal when your body is stuck in "danger mode" long after the event is over? Christina Ketchen, a "nervous system nerd" and host of The Self Love Shift, shares her harrowing experience of surviving a 50-foot fall down a cliff. She reveals how this physical trauma taught her a profound lesson: even when we are safe, our nervous system can keep us trapped in fear. This...