FailCraft

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...

How do you go from a high school dropout at 18 to signing deals with Penguin and Scholastic? For Kern Carter, it wasn't an overnight success—it was a 15-year game of strategy and perseverance. Kern shares the raw reality of becoming a father at 18, losing his scholarship, and having to leave home to support his family. He describes the loneliness of that setback and the immense pressure to pro...

How does a doctor with a thriving practice and the "American Dream" end up divorced, bankrupt, and diagnosed with cancer all at once? Dr. Alain Salas, a mind-body expert and Amazon #1 best-selling author, shares his harrowing journey from the peak of success to a devastating rock bottom. He reveals how severe burnout caused his life to crumble—living in his office for three years while b...

Why do we get stuck in a "vicious cycle" even when we know what we *should* be doing? Dr. Len Lopez, a nutrition and fitness expert with over 25 years of experience, realized that most people fail because they are trying to balance a "three-legged stool" while only focusing on one leg. . He explains that true health isn't just about what you eat or how you train—it's ab...

Are you running your day, or is your day running you? For many leaders, the road to burnout is paved with "reaction mode." Dusty Holcomb, a former CEO and 5-time Ironman, knows this trap intimately. He shares his story of being a new company president who tried to "do it all," only to realize that his inability to let go was holding the company back. He describes the suffocatin...

How do you turn a near-death experience at 19 years old into a philosophy for life and business? Jordan Mendoza, a top LinkedIn voice and host of the Blaze Your Own Trail podcast, takes us back to the terrifying moment in Wyoming when he woke up in a truck sliding at 70mph. He details the gruesome reality of the crash, losing pints of blood, requiring 52 staples to put his legs back together, and...

How does a young man with "every opportunity to become a statistic" end up a US Marine Officer and leadership mentor? Olaolu Ogunyemi gets real about his past, sharing how insecurities about his name, his appearance, and a deep need to "fit in" nearly put him on the wrong path. He was getting into trouble, trying to incite fights, and living down to the low expectations around...

Why do brilliant, technically-skilled leaders get fired? Michael Delisser, author of Leadership Accelerators, had a front-row seat to this exact problem when he was just 15. He watched his father coach Fortune 100 executives who, despite managing entire financial divisions, were fired for one simple reason: poor communication skills. This episode is a deep dive into the core FailCraft theme: how &...

What does it take to forge a champion's mindset? For Nicky Billou, it started with fleeing tyranny. Called "the world's greatest podcast guest," Nicky shares the harrowing foundational setback of his childhood: fleeing Iran as a Christian immigrant after a Molotov cocktail crashed into his living room. He explains how that single event—moving from "tyranny to freedom"—s...