My Favorite Mistake: Business Lessons from Failures and Success
Unlock Leadership Excellence: Tune into “My Favorite Mistake” with Mark Graban Are you a leader aiming to boost effectiveness, insight, and innovation? Join Mark Graban on ”My Favorite Mistake” (and no, it’s not the Sheryl Crow song), where top business minds, C-suite executives, and industry innovators share their pivotal mistakes and the powerful lessons they’ve learned. The Concept Embrace the transformative power of mistakes. Discover how errors can fuel leadership growth and creative problem-solving, turning each misstep into a masterclass in improvement and innovation. The Stories Dive into captivating interviews with international entrepreneurs, tech pioneers, accomplished athletes and entertainers, healthcare leaders, and award-winning authors. Each guest reveals how their significant mistakes shaped their careers and led to groundbreaking insights. The Breadth Explore a wide range of topics, from leadership psychology and organizational culture to process innovation and sustainability. Gain valuable perspectives to navigate the ever-changing business landscape. The Approach Guided by Mark Graban, an author and seasoned consultant, each episode delves into Lean Management (based on the Toyota Production System) and psychological safety, uncovering strategies for individuals and organizations to learn from their mistakes. Why Subscribe? Engage with Thought-Provoking Dialogues: Challenge conventional wisdom and explore new perspectives. Access Tools and Frameworks: Gain actionable insights for a competitive edge. Discover Innovative Opportunities: Learn how to turn mistakes into catalysts for innovation. Develop Emotional Intelligence and Resilience: Enhance your leadership skills and agile thinking. Transform your approach to leadership and success. Subscribe to “My Favorite Mistake” today and embark on a journey of relentless improvement through the power of learning from mistakes.
Episodes
My guest for Episode #321 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Cynthia Kane, founder and CEO of the Kane Intentional Communication Institute and author of several books, including How to Communicate Like a Buddhist and The Pause: How to Keep Your Cool in Tough Situations.
Cynthia shares a pivotal mistake from early in her life: letting other people’s opinions matter more than her own—especially after a college professor to...
🎙️ In this bonus episode of My Favorite Mistake, Mark Graban welcomes back Dr. Jen Heemstra, Charles Allen Thomas Professor and Chair of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. Jen joins us to talk about her new book, Lab Work to Leadership: A Concise Guide to Thriving in the Science Job You Weren’t Trained For.
She shares how the book was inspired by her favorite mistake—realizing that a research career in science unexpe...
My guest for Episode #320 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Damon Lembi, CEO of Learnit, a live learning and development platform that has helped upskill over 2 million professionals.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
A former college baseball player and now a two-time bestselling author, Damon shares the story of how youthful ambition and overconfidence led him to push Learnit into a rapid, unsustainable expansion...
My guest for Episode #319 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Sapna Pieroux, award-winning author of Let’s Get Visible!, a branding consultant, and the founder of Inner Visions ID.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
With a background spanning 20 years in media and experience working with major brands like Toyota, Sony, and L’Oréal, Sapna shares the defining mistake that led her to a new level of impact: believing th...
My guest for Episode #318 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Matthew Neal Davis, an attorney, entrepreneur, and author of the provocative book The Art of Preventing Stupid.
Episode page with video and more
Matthew is the founder and managing partner of Davis Business Law, which has grown more than 1,000% in six years, earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 list. In addition to running a multi-office law firm across several states, h...
My guest for Episode #316 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Davina Frederick, founder of Wealthy Woman Lawyer, host of the Wealthy Woman Lawyer Podcast, and a business coach who has helped women law firm owners scale their practices to seven figures and beyond.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
In our conversation, Davina shares why going to law school—an unconventional move at age 38—turned out to be her favorite ...
My guest for Episode #316 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Jim Schleckser, founder and CEO of The CEO Project.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
Jim is a seasoned business leader, bestselling author, and trusted advisor to CEOs around the world. With experience spanning 42 countries and multiple industries, Jim has spent decades helping leaders grow their companies and think more strategically. He’s also the autho...
My guest for Episode #315 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Kat Halushka, a business and visibility strategist for coaches, consultants, and speakers. She’s the founder of Profitable Impact Academy, where she helps entrepreneurs grow their audience, automate marketing, and land clients through speaking and streamlined funnels.
Kat’s favorite mistake? She followed the classic advice to “go to networking events and ...
In this special bonus episode of My Favorite Mistake, host Mark Graban welcomes back Josh Cunningham, founder and CEO of Rokrbox and guest from Episode 244. Josh returns to share insights from his brand-new book, Culture Is the Key: How to Unlock Massive Profits and Freedom.
We dive into:
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How Josh built a culture-first company that’s thriving—even in a tough real estate market
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Why cutting costs doesn’t have to mean cutting ...
My guest for Episode #314 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Mark Struczewski, also known as “Mister Productivity.” Mark is a Houston-based productivity coach, speaker, and host of The Mister Productivity Podcast, with over 1,300 episodes to his name. He helps overwhelmed professionals cut through distractions and focus on what truly matters.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
But before becoming a go-to expert on fo...
My guest for Episode #313 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Amber Gaige, a marketing strategist, international bestselling author, and founder of Far Beyond Marketing. With over 20 years of experience, Amber helps entrepreneurs simplify their marketing and drive real results. She’s also the author of The Far Beyond Marketing Guidebook: Stop Being Duped by Bad Marketing, and the creator of the Four Cs of Effective Marketing Fra...
OOPS! Due to an editing mistake, I had to reupload the file. Again. My guest for Episode #312 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Jared Redick, a third-generation ballet dancer, choreographer, and award-winning educator.
Episode page with links and more
Jared is a full professor and Assistant Dean of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has performed with renowned companies including the Boston Ballet...
My guest for Episode #311 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Karin Hurt, CEO of Let’s Grow Leaders, a global leadership development firm. Karin is a former Verizon Wireless executive and the award-winning author of five books, including her latest, Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict.
Episode page with video, transcript, and more
In this episode, she shares a deeply personal and professionally pivotal story f...
My guest for Episode #310 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Andrew Laws, Founder of the SEO agency Yeseo IO and host of The Business Amplifier Podcast. Andrew has been working in digital marketing for over 25 years and has seen just about every shift in the SEO landscape. But one of the biggest lessons of his career came not from Google’s algorithm, but from a catastrophic business event involving hackers, a two-year police in...
In this special bonus episode of My Favorite Mistake, Mark Graban talks again with Andrea Jones, Principal at AJC and CEO of The Executagility Company.
Andrea was previously featured in Episode 105, and she returns to discuss the release of her new book: The Executagility Field Guide: How Busy Teams Can Execute Growth Plans.
Andrea shares a new “favorite mistake” involving lost data from a Typeform survey—an honest example of learn...
My guest for Episode #309 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is La Tonya Roberts, the founder and CEO of Harmony Consulting Group. La Tonya is a fractional COO, HR consultant, and executive coach who helps women entrepreneurs scale their service-based businesses from six to seven figures through systems, strategic planning, and operational excellence. Before launching her firm, she built her career at top consulting organizations ...
My guest for Episode #308 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is C.J. Stewart, co-founder and Chief Visionary Officer at the LEAD Center for Youth, an Atlanta-based nonprofit focused on empowering Black youth through sports-based development. Before dedicating his life to mentorship and advocacy, C.J. was drafted twice by the Chicago Cubs and built a successful career as a professional hitting instructor and co-owner of Diamond Dir...
In this bonus episode of My Favorite Mistake, host Mark Graban welcomes back Dr. Thom Mayer, the longtime Medical Director for the NFL Players Association. Thom previously joined us in catch up on his original episode here 🌐 Learn more about Dr. Mayer and his work with the NFLPA 💡 Subscribe at MarkGraban.com/mistake
My guest for Episode #307 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Terry Whalin, an accomplished editor and author of more than 60 books, several of which have sold over 100,000 copies. Terry is the owner of Whalin and Associates, a communications firm, and he serves as an acquisitions editor for Morgan James Publishing. Drawing from decades of experience in both writing and publishing, Terry shares a favorite mistake that changed th...
My guest for Episode #306 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Betsy Pepine, a serial entrepreneur in real estate and the founder of Pepine Realty. Betsy leads a top-producing real estate team consistently recognized by The Wall Street Journal and has built a family of companies that includes a property management firm, title company, real estate school, and a nonprofit.
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