How Success Happens
How Success Happens tells the inspiring, entertaining, and unexpected journeys that influential leaders in business, the arts and sports traveled on their way to becoming household names. Hosted by Entrepreneur Media’s VP of Special Projects Dan Bova, these conversations are a must-listen for anyone looking to pave their own path to success.
Episodes
November 26, 2025 • 34 mins
Sir James Dyson can’t stand bad design. Instead of complaining, he channels that frustration into building machines that make the rest of us wonder, “Wait… why wasn’t it always done this way?” And he doesn’t stop at vacuums. From high-tech farming to championing the next generation of innovators, Dyson shares how relentless curiosity (and yes, 5,127 failed prototypes) can power a lifetime of breakthroughs.
Learn more about your ad ...
Mark as Played
November 23, 2025 • 11 mins
Aaron Levant, the CEO of Complex NTWRK media, drops in to talk about why “ignorance is rich,” how taking wild swings has shaped his entire career, and why real-life experiences beat a thousand Instagram likes any day. This quick burst of inspiration will get you hyped to go out there and try anything. Even if everyone’s telling you not to.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played
November 19, 2025 • 33 mins
Gabriel Weinberg knows a thing or two about taking big risks on big ideas. He’s the founder and CEO of DuckDuckGo, the privacy-first search engine taking on the giants. In this episode, he breaks down the frameworks that help him lead, how he makes tough calls, and where he finds the time to actually do all of it. Plus, he gives us his take on the real risks around AI and privacy.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...
Mark as Played
November 16, 2025 • 15 mins
Rafael Atijas, founder and CEO of Loog Guitars, joins to share how a grad school project turned into a global brand. He talks about learning manufacturing from scratch, mastering Kickstarter, and building a community of first-time rockstars. Plus, what he’s learned as a veteran of five successful Kickstarter campaigns.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played
November 12, 2025 • 38 mins
ElectroBOOM, the YouTuber who makes learning about electricity shockingly fun, joins us to break down how he built an enduring YouTube career. He gets real about the mistakes he's made, the comments that still sting, and what’s next on his entrepreneurial journey. Plus, he answers the question “Does it still hurt when you get shocked?”
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played
November 9, 2025 • 11 mins
Former pro baller turned sports management founder Donnie McGrath joins the show to talk about his jump from ball handling to closing $650 million in contracts. He shares the moment that made him hang up his sneakers, what it’s really like to go from player to agent, and how his definition of success has evolved along the way. Plus, a sneak peek at his company LIFT Sports Management’s next big play.
Learn more about your ad choices...
Mark as Played
November 6, 2025 • 26 mins
In this special episode of How Success Happens, the small business team behind Wood Expressions Games shares how a nearly 20-year partnership with Amazon transformed their tiny company into a booming board game business. Learn about their inspiring journey of growth, perseverance, and the fulfillment that comes with bringing joy to customers and creating jobs in their community. This episode marks the 25th anniversary of Amazon wel...
Mark as Played
November 5, 2025 • 40 mins
What if getting fired isn’t the end? What if it’s the beginning? Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill join Dan to talk about their mission to take the shame out of the F word. In their new book All the Cool Girls Get Fired, they share stories from powerhouses like Oprah Winfrey and Carol Burnett about the times they got fired, what they learned, and how those pink slips turned into rocket fuel for their next big moves.
Learn more about...
Mark as Played
November 2, 2025 • 17 mins
Jack Davis, serial entrepreneur and investor in Jomboy Media and Dave’s Hot Chicken, joins the show. On this episode, he breaks down how he finds products people actually want, why organic demand beats throwing money at marketing, and how to know when it’s time to cut your losses. He says having success is like a chance to eat more pie. Speaking of which, send Dan your favorite pie pick at howsuccesshappens@entrepreneur.com.
Learn ...
Mark as Played
October 29, 2025 • 39 mins
Chef Andrew Zimmern swings by to talk about his new book The Blue Food Cookbook, and to make a very hungry Dan seriously regret skipping breakfast. Beyond drooling over recipes, they dive into sustainable seafood, Zimmern’s favorite cookbooks, and why social media is doing more harm than good to the food industry.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played
October 26, 2025 • 18 mins
Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges adds one more stop to his first-ever U.S. tour and makes a pit stop with Dan (us?) on the How Success Happens podcast. He opens up about recovering from those nights when a joke dies a slow, painful death, shares how he tames pre-show nerves, and reveals why he keeps a tiny recording device tucked in his running shorts. (Yes, really.) Want to see Kevin live? Check out https://www.kevinbridges.co.uk/ ...
Mark as Played
October 22, 2025 • 37 mins
This episode takes on Substack from both sides of the keyboard, the company’s own success story and how creators are finding success on the platform. Hamish McKenzie, Substack’s co-founder and Chief Writing Officer (that’s what it says on his substack), joins the show to break down the intentional choices that made Substack such a writer’s haven and why he believes it’s still the best deal in town for creators. Then writer Casey Le...
Mark as Played
October 19, 2025 • 15 mins
Terry Crews may look like the toughest guy in the room, but as he tells it, real toughness has nothing to do with muscles or touchdowns. In this snack-sized rewind, Terry talks about auditing your life and asking the hard questions. He also shares what he’s learned about team building on and off the field.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played
October 15, 2025 • 35 mins
Retired four-star general Stanley McChrystal joins the show to celebrate the launch of his new Masterclass and share his approach to empowering teams and cultivating leadership at every level of an organization. He walks us through strategies for encouraging teams to take risks, even when failure carries serious consequences. But he admits that, despite a lifetime in the military, burpees are still the worst.
Learn more about your ...
Mark as Played
October 12, 2025 • 13 mins
Dan revisits his chat with dermatologist-turned-global-sensation Dr. Sandra Lee, better known as Dr. Pimple Popper. She shares how a simple blackhead video blew up the internet, and what it’s really like to build a business on pus and pimples (while still protecting her patients). Plus, she bursts some skin myth bubbles.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played
October 8, 2025 • 23 mins
Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark) joins Dan to pull back the coffin lid on her 45-year reign as the queen of Halloween. She shares how The Groundlings and a one-off local TV gig turned into her pop culture empire, why embracing her alter ego became her greatest business decision, and how she spends Halloween. Elvira also talks about her new cookbook Elvira's Cookbook from Hell (spoiler: it includes Cheese Whiz a...
Mark as Played
October 5, 2025 • 14 mins
In this snack-sized episode, Dan revisits his conversation with comedy legend Dan Aykroyd. From managing teams on movie sets to co-founding Crystal Head Vodka, Aykroyd shares what he’s learned about leadership, product design, and sales. Plus, as a lifelong risk-taker, he explains the proper way to eject from a fighter jet. A tip you definitely don’t want to miss.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played
October 1, 2025 • 32 mins
Lucy Guo, the tech founder who unseated Taylor Swift as the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world, joins the show with practical advice and some controversial takes. She breaks down her winning strategy for raising funding, explains why we overestimate risk, and shares her biggest red flag when investing. Plus, she talks numbers on why buying a private jet might be the worst financial move you’ll ever make.
Learn more...
Mark as Played
September 27, 2025 • 7 mins
Just in time for the new season of the Real Housewives franchise, Dan reruns his chat with OG Housewife Bethany Frankel. She shares how she juggles a million things without losing her mind, the secret to keeping her energy sky-high, and why now is prime time for bold new ideas. This episode is sure to have you ready to hit the ground running.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mark as Played
September 24, 2025 • 28 mins
What happens when the world’s best-selling author teams up with a leadership expert? You get a playbook for thriving in a changing world. James Patterson, drawing on his experience as a former CEO, master marketer, and publishing icon, teamed up with Dr. Patrick Leddin, PhD to write Disrupt Everything—and Win. The book and this discussion is an awesome mashup of Patterson’s real-world lessons and Leddin’s three-year Vanderbilt stud...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com