FailCraft

What happens when an engineer tries to apply logic to the most broken, irrational system in America: politics? Dan Schaefer, an engineer and progressive candidate, ran for the Missouri House of Representatives in a deep-red district. He lost the election, but he didn't lose his resolve. Dan joins the show to discuss why the real failure isn't losing a vote—it's refusing to enter the ar...

What happens when you build the "perfect" life—the house, the career, the family—but your body literally breaks down to stop you from living it? Karina, who writes under the pen name K.K. Biernath, shares her powerful story of immigrating from Poland to the US, checking every box of societal success, and running herself into the ground. She opens up about the physical toll of perfectioni...

What happens when a near-death experience violently forces your mind and soul wide open? Nancy Orlen Weber, a former registered nurse, survived a horrifying domestic attack while five months pregnant by pretending to be dead. That profound trauma became the unexpected doorway to a life-altering awakening. For the last 40 years, Nancy has used her resulting intuitive gifts as a psychic detective—he...

What do you do when you are a highly successful business coach with 30 years of experience, a stable marriage, and all the personal development tools in the world—yet you feel completely flat and resigned inside? Laura Watson, founder of Venture Coaching International, shares her vulnerable journey of hitting a mid-life wall. Despite knowing all the coaching frameworks, she found herself secretly...

What happens when your spouse calls you with a cancer diagnosis, and your terrifying second thought is, "We can't afford to fight this"? Bart Merrell, a serial entrepreneur and amputee, shares his wild and inspiring journey of surviving life's hardest curveballs. From taking the first commercial bungee jump to Japan (and jumping while holding the cord with his bare hands), to los...

Have you ever worked for a boss so toxic that it completely changed the trajectory of your life? Dr. Andy Neillie, a leadership expert and bestselling author, shares the shocking story of working under an abusive, anger-prone manager who once physically attacked him in a truck. Instead of letting that toxic environment break him, Andy used it as the ultimate "Anti-Mentor" experience—fuel...

We are often told that "success requires sacrifice." But what happens when the sacrifice is your life? Garrett Wood, a clinical hypnotherapist and executive functioning specialist, shares the tragic turning point that shattered his illusion of success. He recounts working in a high-pressure environment where a mentor—a model of dedication for 20 years—took his own life two weeks after be...

What do you do when you are a successful Tech CEO in your 40s, checking every box of societal success, but you realize the story you are writing with your life isn't worth reading? Ken Davenport, author of *The Virtue Ethos* and co-founder of Mission Edge, calls this his "Obituary Moment." In this episode, he shares the courageous story of quitting his company to find a life of actua...

Dr. Elizabeth Sherrell-Davis (Dr. E) knows two types of prisons very well. She spent years teaching incarcerated men inside a California State Prison, helping them find second chances. But she also lived in a prison of her own making: the prison of high-functioning burnout. In this episode, Dr. E shares her harrowing journey of working 18-hour days like a "robot"—balancing a corporate ca...

What happens when a tenured finance professor gets fired at age 42, trades the classroom for a newsletter, and starts calling himself an "Unemployed Value Degen"? Steve Farrington, a former financial advisor turned small-cap analyst, shares his wild journey from the safety of academia to the high-risk trenches of value investing. He opens up about the shock of being fired after a lifetim...

We’ve been told for decades to "defer" our taxes and put money into 401ks and IRAs. But what if that advice is actually setting you up for a financial crisis in retirement? Lance Mays, financial strategist and author of Zero is Your Hero, joins the show to expose "The Reckoning"—the moment retirees realize the government is coming for a massive chunk of their savings. He explai...

How does a man survive being hit broadside by a car traveling at 55 mph while riding his bicycle, then defy surgeons who told him he'd never ride again? JC Chamberlain, a national cycling champion and serial entrepreneur, shares his harrowing story of survival and recovery. He reveals how a skill he learned at age six—reframing obstacles into opportunities—saved his life when he woke up in tra...

What happens when doctors tell you as a teenager that you will be in pain forever, you might never have children, and your only option is a hysterectomy? Amy Lenius, Director of Group Coaching at Next Level University, shares her powerful journey of rejecting that prognosis. She opens up about the physical and emotional rock bottom of chronic illness and the radical decision to stop all standard t...

What makes a Fortune 50 executive and former U.S. Navy officer walk away from the pinnacle of career success? John R. Miles, founder of Passion Struck® and host of a podcast with 75 million downloads, reveals the "Quiet Crisis" of meaning that is plaguing modern society. He describes the moment he stood in the C-suite, having achieved everything he dreamed of, only to feel completely hol...

We are often told that to heal trauma, we must "feel it to heal it" and dig deep into our past pain. But what if that approach is actually making you worse? Steven Hoskinson, founder of Organic Intelligence® and a pioneer in Post-Trauma Growth, joins the show to challenge the status quo of modern therapy. He shares the terrifying moment early in his career when a standard trauma session...

What happens when you generate massive revenue for a company, only to walk in one morning and find your belongings in a box? Phil Bacon, a marketing strategist with over 20 years of experience, shares the brutal reality of agency life. He describes the shock of being fired immediately after growing a new revenue stream from zero to five figures a month, and how that moment pushed him to build his...

How does a man who left school at 16 with no plan build a business to £3.5 million in revenue, only to find himself more trapped than ever? Chris Archer, founder of SME Success and the Growth Club, shares the hidden reality behind the bank statements. He describes the trap of running on "Owner Power," where the business grows but the founder quietly burns out behind the scenes. This epis...

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...