FailCraft

In this episode of FailCraft , Wendy joins Ezekiel to discuss why genuinefulfillment in retirement requires far more than just a healthy financialportfolio. Drawing from her transition out of a 25-year corporate salesleadership career, she breaks down why 1 in 3 retirees struggle with losingtheir identity and community, how to cultivate a beginner's mindset at any age,why we must retire "...

In this episode of FailCraft , Tori joins Ezekiel to unpack why healing isnot about fixing a broken identity, but reclaiming who you authentically are. Drawing from surviving family addiction, grief, and divorce, she reveals whyhigh achievers default to people-pleasing to avoid rejection, how subconsciouschildhood wounds draw us to emotionally unavailable partners, why somaticbottom-up practices m...

In this episode of FailCraft , Roman joins Ezekiel to break down whytraditional carrot-and-stick incentives fail for cognitive tasks and howemployee disengagement is a system design issue rather than a personal failure. Drawing on behavioral neuroscience, he unpacks how the brain relies on brokenpatterns to trigger learning, why gamified mechanics build natural resilience,and the exact 5-step fram...

In this episode of FailCraft , Michael joins Ezekiel to dismantle theromanticized myth of the full-time starving artist. Balancing retail shifts andserving as an in-home caretaker for his grandmother, he explains how stand-upcomedy builds resilience against rejection, why amateur writers fail byover-explaining mundane details, how to "kill your darlings" withoutpsyching yourself out in r...

In this episode of FailCraft , Jonathan joins Ezekiel to explore howsurviving an attempted murder in South Africa and a devastating financialbetrayal triggered a decade-long battle with PTSD, binge eating, andself-sabotage. He breaks down why restrictive dieting and shame-based willpowerfail, how our subconscious clings to negative identities to maintain stability,why emotional eating functions as...

In this episode of FailCraft ,Naomi joins Ezekiel to discuss how two decades in non-profit leadership andmanaging chaos as a foster parent taught her to redefine successful leadership. She challenges the toxic cultural myth that equates total exhaustion with truecommitment, explains why most workplace conflict stems from shallowmisunderstanding rather than strategic failure, reveals how to impleme...

In this episode of FailCraft , Jeaneen joins Ezekiel to discuss how her sonChe’s traumatic brain injury and stroke at 13 months old fueled her mission totransform early language intervention. She explains why parents and caregiversaccidentally delay speech by over-anticipating every need, how strategicfriction creates functional repetition, and how using playful techniques like"playing dumb&q...

In this episode of FailCraft , Bobbi joins Ezekiel to share how shecompletely rewrote her life script in her sixties after spending 26 years inthe wrong marriage, 40 years in the wrong career, and nearly six decades hidingher true identity. She breaks down how to navigate the terrifying sunk cost ofwalking away from a familiar life, the unexpected warmth and acceptance foundin female spaces, how r...

In this episode of FailCraft , Natalie joins Ezekiel to break down how tonavigate workplace trauma, subtle exclusion, and toxic organizational cultures. Drawing from her background as an employment lawyer and Chief DiversityOfficer, she explains how to build a 4-person "Personal Board ofDirectors" to guide career crossroads, why non-litigable workplace slightserode engagement, how to avo...

In this episode of FailCraft , Chris joins Ezekiel to explore howflatlining in a hospital bed at age 40 forced him to confront the unaddressedfears driving his high-stakes executive career. He breaks down the coreframework behind his book Balls & Brains ,explains the TEA method (Thoughts, Emotions, Actions) to turn perceived threatsinto opportunities, shares how to audit daily tasks using the...

In this episode of FailCraft , Laura joins Ezekiel to discuss how survivingdomestic violence and rebuilding her life from a women's shelter transformedher understanding of story, identity, and healing. Drawing on 14 years as atherapist, she explains why moving forward without integrating past traumaleaves us fragmented, how to share lived experiences without turningstorytelling into a cheap ma...

In this episode of FailCraft , Lexie joins Ezekiel to explore howprocessing a divorce, raising a medically complex child, and supporting asibling with a disability led her to found LEFA Collective . Shebreaks down why society's narrow definition of grief leaves us unequipped foreveryday life transitions, how treating your journal as a "container forpain" silences anxious spirals, why...

In this episode of FailCraft , Bill joins Ezekiel to discuss how survivinga 5-year financial battle during the 2008 Great Recession prepared him for hisgreatest trial: an incurable multiple myeloma cancer diagnosis. He breaks downhow surrendering the illusion of control taught him true leadership, the powerof embracing the "land in between," why attitude and effort are theonly two things...

In this episode of FailCraft , Maggie joins Ezekiel to break down why rigid50-minute talk therapy sessions fail people with complex lives. Shedistinguishes between Big 'T' and little 't' trauma, explains whyhigh-performing professionals carry chronic anxiety and physical exhaustiondespite having "great" lives, and shares how EMDR and somatic therapiestap into pre-verbal,...

In this episode of FailCraft , Courtney joins Ezekiel to discuss how anear-fatal health scare with her dog Champ inspired her and her husband Slavato reimagine the pet retail industry. She breaks down how Puptqe shifts away from transactional sales towardexperiential hospitality—featuring pup bars, photo booths, and community-drivenevents—and shares how launching a 700+ member subscription model t...

In this episode of FailCraft , Meagan joins Ezekiel to break down whypublic schools frequently fail to identify dyslexia, despite evidence-basedsolutions existing for nearly a century. She explains how to replace academicshame by focusing on neurodiverse strengths—like 3D spatial thinking, patternrecognition, and heightened empathy—and details how the multi-sensoryOrton-Gillingham method helps rew...

In this episode of FailCraft , Roger joins Ezekiel to break down the"Three Pillars of a Proper Business Foundation"—legal structure,organized documentation, and tax strategy. He shares why you must never use atax preparer who just tells you to drop off your receipts, the hidden tax trapsof sole proprietorships, how to strategically shift deductions usingdepreciation, and why every busine...

Why do highly capableexecutives who achieve external perfection—traveling globally, driving massiverevenue, and checking every corporate box—find themselves secretly running froma deep lack of belonging until their bodies force a complete burnout collapse?   In this episode of FailCraft , Hanna joins Ezekiel to explain why emotionsalways precede logic, how AI acceleration threatens prefrontal cort...

Why do we continue totreat chronic exhaustion in healthcare as a personal failure of resilience, andhow do hospital and clinic executives dismantle toxic leadership habits to keeptheir best talent from walking out the door?   In this episode of FailCraft , Basia joins Ezekiel to explain why thedanger of workplace assumptions destroys staff morale, why appreciation andemotional support matter more...

Why do high achieversso often bury profound childhood trauma beneath decades of flawless externalperformance, and what physical toll does silence extract from the nervoussystem before you finally find the courage to speak?   In this episode of FailCraft , Sheryl joins Ezekiel to explain why highachievement serves as a shield for trauma, how collective singing synchronizesheart rates and soothes co...

Why do high-achievingentrepreneurs who check every box of external success—the income, the home, themasterminds—find themselves exhausted and hollow inside, and how do you shiftfrom the chronic grind of "proving yourself" into sustainable joy,ease, and flow?   In this episode of FailCraft , Roberta joins Ezekiel to dismantle the mythof hustle culture, distinguish between "proving yo...

When an abrupt injuryshatters your identity as a professional athlete at age 23, how do you survivethe freefall into depression and heroin addiction—and what happens when you'rehit with a malignant brain tumor in the middle of that battle?   In this episode of FailCraft , Michael joins Ezekiel to discuss takingradical ownership of past choices, safely managing chronic post-treatment painthroug...

What does it reallytake to walk away from a comfortable lifelong career in education and confrontthe terror of the blank page in your retirement years—and how do you overcomethe feeling of "walking naked down Main Street" when sharing yourcreativity with the world?   In this episode of FailCraft , Susan joins Ezekiel to discuss why learningto start over is a modern survival requirement,...

Why does traditionaltalk therapy so often fall short for autistic and neurodivergent individualsstruggling with severe chronic anxiety, and how does content-free hypnotherapyreprogram the subconscious mind without forcing you to relive painful memories?   In this episode of FailCraft , Lawrence joins Ezekiel to explain whytalking about trauma doesn't solve it, how autistic neurology and a reac...

When sudden tragedystrips away the person you relied on most in life and business, how do yourebuild your identity without abandoning your mission—and why is feeling"stuck" almost always a failure of alignment rather than a lack ofhard work?   In this episode of FailCraft , recorded on the third anniversary of herfather's passing, Taryn joins Ezekiel to discuss why disruption is ofte...