Best Fails

In this bonus episode of the Best Fails podcast, host Alison Beckles sits down with occupational psychologist Christine Sutton to unpack failure, leadership, and the hidden pressures women face at the top. The conversation exposed the systemic inequalities embedded in workplace culture and the very different way failure is experienced—and internalised—by women. Together, Alison and Christine explo...

In this episode of Best Fails, host Alison Beckles sits down with Gail Weithers, who opens up about the deeply personal and traumatic experience of losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gail recounts the shock of discovering she was among those affected, especially after years of compromising her own well-being—within her marriage, family life, and mental health—for the sake of her career....

In this episode of Best Fails , Alison Beckles sits down with JK McQuinn for a deeply honest conversation about failure, resilience, and the lifelong work of personal growth. Together, they explore the power of embracing imperfection and the wisdom we can draw from nature—particularly JK’s reminder that nature doesn’t do perfection, and neither should we . JK reflects on a past failure that still...

In this episode of Best Fails, host Alison Beckles sits downwith Avelyn Christie for a candid and deeply human conversation about a failure in progress. Avelyn discusses her vision for an organization aimed at empowering young girls inspired by Kintsugi, a Japanese artform which celebrates the beauty in brokenness. In a moment of irony, Avelyn realised that her desire for perfection has kept the o...

In this episode, I sit down with Davina Layne, a certifiedhospitality trainer and consultant, for a conversation about personal growth, emotional intelligence, and personal leadership. Davina reflects on how operating from a mindset of scarcityslowly caused her to lose sight of herself. We explored the danger of making permanent decisions based on temporary challenges, the transformative impact of...

In this episode of Best Fails, I’m joined by Sarah Kalmeta better known as Sarah “The Pivoter” who shares her powerful journey of growth, resilience, and reinvention. She shares the lessons from her first marriage, how she navigated the pressures of perfectionism and opens up about the pivotalmoments that shaped her path.  We explore: How tuning into internal cues can guide us back on course when...

In this episode of Best Fails , Alison Beckles sitsdown with Christina Hahrwell to unpack the layered themes of purpose, authenticity, and failure. Together, they examine how societal expectations and personal histories shape our identities—and the masks we learn to wear. Christina opens up about her journey of wrestling withpurpose and learning to honor the richness of her background. Her lived e...

In this episode of Best Fails, host Alison Beckles engages with Sean Ifill, who shares his journey from employee toentrepreneur, highlighting the mindset shifts required for success. They discuss the cultural perceptions of failure, and the lessons learned from Sean's startup experience, including the importance of changing your perspectiveto match your new role, building a team, being a bit f...

In this episode of the Best Fails podcast, host Alison Beckles speaks with Kate Dean about her journey through failure, particularly in the context of education and neurodiversity. Kate shares her story of pursuing a career in law, facing setbacks, and ultimately finding her passion in advocacy and support for others. She reflected on the impact of herneurodivergence on her educational journey and...

In this episode of Best Fails, host Alison Beckles engages with John Yarde, a Barbadian pastor and musician, who shared about the repercussions of a decision he made. John discusses the challenges of navigating the expectations of others while staying true to his values and beliefs. The conversation delves into the importance of support systems, self-reflection, resilience, and focusing on purpose...

In this episode of the Best Fails podcast, host Alison Beckles engages in a heartfelt conversation with Joanne Price about her experiences with failure and the lessons learned along the way. Joanne reflects on how she learnt to respondto failure, emphasizing the importance of resilience, job crafting, and the support of mentors. The discussion highlights how even seemingly small failures can lead...

In this episode of the Best Fails podcast, host Alison Beckles speaks with James Hardie, a former military pilot whose career was transformed by failure. The conversation delves into themes of resilience, identity, and the importance ofsupport systems in overcoming failure. James emphasises the need to plan for potential failures and to learn from both personal and others' mistakes, ultimately fra...

In this episode of Best Fails, Lynda Richards shares her journey of grappling with feelings of failure despite the successes she had achieved. Growing up in a culture that emphasized academic excellence, Lynda reflects on how that shaped her perspective of success. After moving to Barbados and facing unemployment, she struggled with not meeting her own high expectations. She describes how she over...

How do we pivot, when we are not meeting the milestones we set for ourselves? In this week's episode of Best Fails, Lynda shared her experience of struggling with feelings of failure because her life wasn't meeting her expectations. Check out the full episode on Tuesday 04th February, 2025.