The Other F Word: Conversations About Failure

Latest Episodes:

Nguyen Tran on Failing Upwards Aug 09, 2017

Show notes

Restaurant owner and recent author of "The Adventures of Starry Kitchen", Nguyen Tran, talks about his entrepreneurial path, which started with an illegal, underground restaurant in his North Hollywood apartment, which quickly became the #1 Asian fusion restaurant in L.A. on yelp, but was shut down by the health department. This failure inspired him to persevere and go on to open the very successful Starry Kitchen and Button Mash Restaurant in Los Angeles. Nguyen talks with honesty and humor how his upbringing taught him to dispute the notion that failure doesn't happen to winners and that completion is more important than success. His entrepreneurial spirit is both inspiring and entertaining.

Learn more about Nguyen at: www.starrykitchen.com

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Robin Finn on the Pressure for Perfection in Parenting Aug 02, 2017

Show notes

Author, parenting advocate, creativity coach, and spiritual seeker Robin Finn talks about her journey as a mom. From raising kids with ADHD, to tolerating felling inadequate as a mom, to feeling judged by others, she found a way to warrior through it all-by writing about it. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, ADDitude Magazine, Disney's Babble.com, and others, and she went on to write her first novel "Restless in LA". Robin shares how her creative and spiritual journey allowed her to surrender from the expectation to be perfect and raise perfect children, and to accept the beauty in imperfection.

Learn more about Robin at: www.robinfinn.com

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Sam Lamott on the Truth of Being Human Jul 26, 2017

Show notes

Sam Lamott, artist, writer, son of well known author Anne Lamott, talks about living and writing from a place of truth and vulnerability, after experiencing so much pain and struggle in his life. Whether it be failed relationships, addiction, depression, low self esteem, Sam is a storyteller of fear and courage. His most current vulnerability project, hellohumans.co, is a gathering place for writers to speak honestly about the quirky, flawed, and real life spectrum of humanity-the counterculture of the usual snapshot of perfection that people so often portray on social media.

Find out more about Sam at: www.hellohumans.co

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Krista O'Reilly Davi-Digui on Mediocrity Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

Author and holistic living and joyful educator, who wrote the highly acclaimed article on "What if All I Want is a Mediocre Life?", describes how she learned to accept her mediocrity, and how making peace with her limitations changed her view on failure.

Learn more about Krista at: www.alifeinprogress.ca

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Melissa Gould on Failing at Being a Widow Jul 12, 2017

Show notes

The writer and blogger known for her poignant portrayal as a failed widow-grieving for her deceased husband while also falling in love at the same time. Melissa speaks about how she failed society's expectations of how to be a widow, and how powerful her written words have been in connection other's who also grieve in different ways.

Find out more about Melissa at: www.widowish.com

And you can follow Melissa at: www.twitter.com/widowishwidow

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Eliza Rubin on Understanding Adolescents Jul 07, 2017

Show notes

18 year old Eliza Rubin's weekly podcast "Eliza Starting at 16" helps to reveal what teenagers are struggling with these days, in terms of pressure for perfection, self esteem, relationships, social media, and family life. She explores how failure is not something to be avoided, but rather a necessary part of learning to face challenges. Her honesty and insight lends an important perspective into the life of a teenager, a stage of development that society so often fails to understand.

Learn more about Eliza at: http://www.elizastartingat16.com

Follow Eliza at: https://www.instagram.com/elizastarting/

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Lidia Yuknavitch on Being a Misfit Jun 28, 2017

Show notes

Best known for her TEDtalk on the beauty of being a Misfit, Lidia Yuknavitch, writer and teacher, speaks poignantly about her abusive childhood, experience with alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, time in a psychiatric ward, multiple failed marriages, and finally, the loss of her first child, all leading her to feel like she failed to fit in. Lidia's storytelling of resilience is rich and inspiring, acting as a bridge to others. Her vulnerability, honesty and insight highlight how failure is actually a "portal" to reinvent oneself endlessly.

Connect w/ Lidia: https://lidiayuknavitch.net

Corporeal Writing site: http://www.corporealwriting.com

TEDtalk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/lidia_yuknavitch

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Chenjerai Kumanyika on Career Transitions Jun 21, 2017

Show notes

Ever wonder what it's like to be a rock star, touring Europe first class and hobnobbing with the likes of Coldplay, only to have your band fail and your career end? Chenjerai Kumanyika had that very experience. Join Morgan, Sara and Melissa in their conversation of how he recovered from his failure and became a college professor.

You can follow Chenjerai @catchatweetdown

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Drs Howie Reinstein and Tom Brauner on Too Much Technology Jun 14, 2017

Show notes

Pediatrician Howie Reinstein and Psychologist Tom Brauner discuss how too much technology is failing our children, in terms of brain development, social relationships, and family dynamics. An honest conversation about how seductive technology can be to all, and yet how damaging the impact can be to children's development, and what to do to manage our hyper-connection to technology.

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com

Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair on Impulsiveness Jun 07, 2017

Show notes

Writers Mark and Carla share the dramatic ups and downs of selling all their belongings and moving to the Pacific island of Rarotonga with their young children and ultimately failing to make it work.

Follow Mark at: https://twitter.com/Frauenfelder

Follow Carla at: https://twitter.com/Carla_Sinclair

www.theotherfwordpodcast.com