FailCraft

In this episode of FailCraft , veteran executive coach, speaker, and authorof Mayday! and Hidden Metrics , M.Nora Bouchard, joins Ezekiel to unpack how high-performing leaders can identifyand dismantle dangerous blind spots. Early in her career at a global consultingfirm, Nora hit every milestone on paper while secretly operating as anaggressive, fear-driven manager—until a single question from he...

In this episode of FailCraft , small business owner, former two-term Mayorof Placentia, and California State Senate candidate Rhonda Shader joins Ezekielto pull back the curtain on government reform, fiscal discipline, and cuttingthrough bureaucratic red tape. Taking office when Placentia was on the brink ofbankruptcy, Rhonda faced relentless establishment pushback to launch the city'sfirst in...

In this episode of FailCraft , holistic empowerment mentor, keynotespeaker, former collegiate athlete, and author of Blurred Lines ,Lauren Fay, joins Ezekiel to explore how high-capacity women can break freefrom emotional exhaustion, overthinking, and reliance on alcohol to cope withstress. Alcohol-free since 2018, Lauren explains that drinking is rarely theprimary issue—it is often a tool used to...

In this episode of FailCraft , author, speaker, and storyteller Daniel Grayjoins Ezekiel to share how total accountability and faith guided him throughthe federal justice system and incarceration following January 6th. Rather thandeflecting blame or adopting a victim mentality, Daniel chose radicalownership—submitting an unvarnished confession of his life's mistakes directlyto the judge before...

In this episode of FailCraft , veteran political organizer, CEO of The MostGood consulting firm, and founder of Mind the Movement Ashley Williams joinsEzekiel to expose the hidden mental health crisis behind national politicalcampaigns. Having led massive democracy initiatives—including training 60,000organizers in four weeks during the pandemic—Ashley witnessed firsthand how thepolitical machine...

In this episode of FailCraft , orthopedic trauma surgeon, Air Forceveteran, author, and founder of Raise Expectations Dr. Sean Adelman joinsEzekiel to discuss how raising a child with Down syndrome fundamentallytransformed his understanding of potential, inclusion, and success. Despiterigorous clinical training, Sean discovered medical school never prepared him forhis daughter Devon's diagnosi...

In this episode of FailCraft , chef, author, and speaker Neena Perez joinsEzekiel to share how the discipline of cooking and faith transformed her lifeafter surviving childhood abuse, domestic violence, rape, teen pregnancy, anddeep poverty. Creator of The Purpose-Filled Kitchen and author of Hit Me With Your Best Shot , Neena reveals why so manyhigh achievers are simply wounded people surviving t...

In this episode of FailCraft , author, systemic thinker, and MBA Anne Rileyjoins Ezekiel to explore how evolutionary biology, natural systems, and physicshold the solution to our fractured societies. Synthesizing decades of studyfrom Charles Darwin to Michael Rothschild's Bionomics , Anneintroduces her "Ideasphere" framework and her books The Human Idea and DINA: Nature's Case fo...

In this episode of FailCraft , certified hypnotist, instructor, and founderof Summit Hypnosis Deane Benninghoven joins Ezekiel to share how therapeutichypnosis saved him after standard medicine failed. Working as an artist andtraining in luxury watchmaking, a devastating truck collision left Deane withsevere neck trauma, numbness, and chronic debilitating pain. Facing reliance onprescription opioi...

In this episode of FailCraft , award-winning investigative journalist,Cornell educator, and creator of the AREA Method Cheryl Strauss Einhorn joinsEzekiel to break down the mechanics of making high-stakes, evidence-baseddecisions. Drawing from two decades investigating public corporations forpublications like The New York Times and Harvard Business Review —work that uncovered systemicfraud, trigge...

In this episode of FailCraft , founder of the CIC Global LeadershipInstitute, author of 26 books, and serial entrepreneur DR Rawson joins Ezekielto break down why success without character inevitably collapses. Havingfounded over 30 companies across several decades, DR shares how a painfulpersonal confrontation in his 20s forced him to shift his entire lifephilosophy from using people to asking, &...

In this episode of FailCraft , top 1% Canadian Realtor and HGTV Hot Market co-host David Cinelli joins Ezekiel to sharehow he broke into Toronto's cutthroat real estate industry with zero network orfamily legacy. Leveraging his background in mathematics and an MBA, Davidreveals the math behind high-stakes property decisions, the staged reality ofluxury TV, why your primary residence is a liabi...

In this episode of FailCraft , transformational coach, investor, and authorof Authentic Self Rebirth , Polish Peter Kolat, joinsEzekiel to break down why mainstream self-help often keeps high achieverstrapped in cycles of burnout. Arriving in America from communist Poland at 14with zero English, Peter built an enviable life from scratch, only to have a painful2011 divorce plunge him into "opt...

In this episode of FailCraft , decorated Air Force Special Operationspilot, keynote speaker, and leadership expert Brian Flanagan joins Ezekiel tobreak down how to lead and adapt when the plan completely shatters. With over2,000 flight hours and 450 combat missions flying the AC-130 gunship, Brianoperated at the tip of the spear in zero-fail environments—until a suddendiagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymp...

In this episode of FailCraft , film director, writer, and producer JosephMbah joins Ezekiel to share the raw reality of independent filmmaking and howhe took his work from zero budget to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Walmartshelves. After losing his life savings to a scammer and suffering thedevastating loss of his mother, Joseph nearly walked away from the industry. Hereveals how taking an inventory...

In this episode of FailCraft , renewable energy electrical engineer and Mirror Talk podcast host Tobi Ojekunle joins Ezekiel todiscuss the transformative power of slowing down and facing yourself in themirror. Born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria, Tobi made the massive leap toGermany to navigate a brand new culture, master rigorous technical studies, andbuild a career from scratch. Operating in rele...

In this episode of FailCraft , clinical hypnotherapist, medical hypnosisspecialist, and author of Depression 180 ,Craig Meriwether, joins Ezekiel to pull back the curtain on subconscioushealing, chronic anxiety, and nervous system regulation. After enduring yearsof debilitating depression and anxiety dating back to his teens in the 1980s,Craig discovered that analyzing problems logically often fai...

In this episode of FailCraft , speaker, author, leadership coach, and hostof the Untamed Leader Podcast , Lauri Smith, joins Ezekiel tounpack how high achievers can break out of lifelong people-pleasingconditioning and lead with authentic presence. Raised as the "goodgirl" child of recovering alcoholics, Lauri spent years living a dividedlife—juggling a corporate office job by day while...

In this episode of FailCraft , certified personal trainer, mental healthadvocate, and host of the Relatively Normal podcast, Marc Paisant, joins Ezekiel to share how he broke free from deepdepression, debilitating anxiety, and an unfulfilling lifestyle to lose over100 pounds. Marc unpacks why fleeting motivation always fails, how pairing atherapist with a personal trainer transformed his disciplin...

In this episode of FailCraft , inspirational speaker, mental healthadvocate, and 3x published crime fiction author Jack Nolan joins Ezekiel toshare his journey from being sectioned under the Mental Health Act todelivering resilience keynotes for blue-chip companies like Sky and the NHS. At19, Jack watched his university and TV production dreams collapse due to severepsychosis, mania, and an eventu...

In this episode of FailCraft , 2x founder, venture capitalist (70+investments), and author Andrew Ackerman joins Ezekiel to pull back the curtainon startup reality. He reveals why contracts only keep honest people honest,how testing before building saves millions, the truth behind VC hypocrisy, andhow to fix a failing pitch.   Key Takeaways:             Connect with Andrew Ackerman:           Supp...

In this episode of FailCraft , former elite rodeo competitor, 2009 NationalHigh School Reserve Champion in Tie-Down Roping, and founder of Stronger 413,Tim Malm, joins Ezekiel to share his story of faith, resilience, and recoveryfollowing a catastrophic 2010 steer roping accident that resulted in a severetraumatic brain injury (TBI). Overnight, Tim went from an athletic career inthe arena to havin...

In this episode of FailCraft , Georgetown University leadership professor,four-time movement co-founder, and founder of ChangeLab, Nikola Ilic, joinsEzekiel to break down what it actually takes to lead when old playbooks failand no one in the room knows what's coming next. Learning how to mobilizepeople before he even had a driver's license on the streets of Belgrade duringthe youth moveme...

In this episode of FailCraft , cancer survivor, certified holisticnutritionist, and host of the Go Out Living podcast,Jonathan Brandt, joins Ezekiel to share the raw reality of navigating cancer,debilitating treatment side effects, and catastrophic loss. After his latewife, Kristie, was diagnosed with cervical cancer and Jonathan was diagnosedshortly after with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the couple found...

In this episode of FailCraft , bestselling author, TEDx speaker, andfounder of Liberté Press, Teresa Rodriguez, joins Ezekiel to break down howwomen leaders and creatives can conquer self-silencing and transform theirlived experiences into lasting legacies. From surviving a terrifying near-crashin an airplane over the Andes to delivering her landmark TEDx talk Owning Alone , Teresa shares why find...