Elizabeth Day | How to Fail and Find Strength in Vulnerability

Kicking off the first episode of Season 10, Michelle sits down with acclaimed journalist, novelist, and How to Fail podcast host Elizabeth Day to explore what we can learn from failure - and why our leaders need to fail better. Elizabeth opens up about how personal struggles, including fertility loss and heartbreak, shaped her outlook on vulnerability and strength. She also dives into the themes of her new novel One of Us, a psychological drama about power, privilege and the damage done by emotional dishonesty.

This conversation covers not just how to embrace failure, but why vulnerability and emotional accountability are essential qualities for anyone in leadership - especially in today’s political climate. With her trademark warmth and clarity, Elizabeth explains why we need to stop idolising perfection and start expecting humanity from the people in charge.

Key Insights:

🎙️ Failure as Freedom

Elizabeth shares how failure has liberated her from perfectionism - and how asking guests about their lowest moments has helped her (and her listeners) grow.

🎙️ Politics, Power & Emotional Intelligence

Drawing from themes in One of Us, Elizabeth critiques the lack of vulnerability in modern leadership and unpacks how emotional repression shows up in politics.

🎙️ Vulnerability in the Public Eye

From fertility grief to fame, Elizabeth reflects on how sharing the “unspoken” parts of her life helped her build a more meaningful connection with her audience.

🎙️ Fiction as a Mirror

Elizabeth explains why writing fiction allows her to interrogate privilege, family secrets, and emotional suppression in a way journalism never could.

Resources:

📘 One of Us by Elizabeth Day: Buy the Book

📸 Elizabeth Day on Instagram: @elizabday

🎧 This episode was produced and edited by Emma Tindall.

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Elizabeth Day, How to Fail, failure, vulnerability, leadership, emotional intelligence, politics, power, fertility grief, IVF, fiction, writing, privilege, personal growth, podcast, midlife, women authors, psychological drama, novel, self-awareness, female empowerment, mental health, public figures, reinvention

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