Serial entrepreneur Tara Simich launched Mermade Hair's hero product, the Mermade Waver, right before the pandemic hit. The brand became an overnight success, blowing up on Instagram to the point at which she and her team couldn't keep up with supply. The supply chain issues were wildly exacerbated by the pandemic, and she was soon faced with unhappy customers calling the product a sham – which, given the main marketing platform was Instagram, threatened to bring down the brand. Listen in to hear how Tara managed the stress of the supply issues and trolling customers, how she mitigates "mom guilt," and the growth mindset she brings to entrepreneurship that's been at the root of her success. 

Nicci Levy is the founder and CEO of Alchemy 43, a DryBar-meets-Botox-and-fillers concept transforming the experience of cosmetic injectables. In this episode, she shares the story behind Alchemy43; how she and her team almost had to close their doors because they ran out of money; and the empowering wisdom for taking risks and persevering through challenges that she learned along the way.  

In this episode of The Failure Factor, Megan sits down with Bluemercury co-founder and Marla Beck. The CEO of the rapidly-growing luxury beauty retailer shares how the initially Ecommerce company almost ran out of money, sparking the inaugural pivot "from clicks to bricks." Thanks to Beck's perseverance, in 2015 Bluemercury was acquired by Macy's for $210 million. You won't want to miss Beck's advice on authoritative leadership, secrets to employee retention, why she doesn't endorse "productivity," and the growth-inspiring way she responds to failures and mistakes – both personally and in managing others. 

In this episode of The Failure Factor, Megan interviews Michael Cammarata: serial entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder and CEO of Schmidt's Naturals – one of the worlds fastest-growing wellness brands. Despite being told he'd "never amount to anything" after being diagnosed with dyslexia, Michael had made his first million by thirteen years old. Listen in to hear why Michael can't stand "Five Year Plans," the mistake he believes entrepreneurs make that holds them back from opportunities, and the question he urges founders to ask themselves from day one.

In this special episode, Megan sits down with her good friend: writer, American History teacher and feminist sociopolitical expert Sari Rosenberg to clarify myths around feminism and how it relates to sexual assault, dating, body image and eating disorders, and more. If you want to participate in the conversation but feel under-resourced, are curious or skeptical about the movement, or want to know how not to be a "white feminist," this is a great place for listeners of all genders to start. 

In this episode of The Failure Factor, Megan talks resilience, sexism, and changing the world with Julie Smolyansky.  Julie became the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm when she took over Lifeway Foods at the age of 27 in 2002 after the tragic death of her father.  Even through her grief, she managed to send the company's growth trajectory and revenues soaring, while considerably expanding distribution.  She has been named to Fortune Business ‘40 under 40,’ Fortune’s 55 Most Influential Women on Twitter and Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business 1000.  Listen in as she and Megan talk about the challenges she has faced, the strength she has acquired, and the world she hopes to build for her two daughters as well as women everywhere.

Simon "Thor" Damborg is a former competitive CrossFit athlete, small business consultant, and the owner of Raincity Athletics and the Functional Fitness League in Vancouver, Canada. In this episode, which isn't your typical TFF conversation, Simon opens up about the challenges of building his businesses, dating in a culture of toxic masculinity, his "privileged guilt," the pain, isolation and shame of creating a “macho” personal brand, and how to make room for failure as an entrepreneur.

Amy Briant and Lisa DeLarco Bonoff are the founders of Lumion, a skincare product line revolutionizing skin health technology. In this episode, Amy shares the story of her painful split from a co-founder in her former venture, and what she learned the hard way. Tune into hear her advice on protecting yourself legally, setting boundaries, mitigating conflict, and optimizing co-founder relationships.

At 25 years old, Jessie Andrews is the founder and CEO of four successful businesses. Formerly an adult-film star and international DJ/Producer, she's now also a globally sought-after photographer, in-demand brand builder, and successful model and designer. In this episode, brought to you by Discover LMS, Jessie shares her unconventional journey from dropping out of high school to becoming one of the few adult actress to break through to mainstream. Listen in for her wisdom and grit-filled story, plus how to prevent the past from defining you, plus her advice in starting up and owning who you are.

Gabby Slome is the co-founder of Ollie; an all-natural, human grade dog food delivery service.  In this episode, brought to you by Discover LMS, she shares how she overcame “analysis paralysis" and what she believes is most important in starting a successful business. Warning: Gabby shares some stomach-turning truths about the dog-food industry, so you might not want to eat while listening to this episode! 

It's one thing to leave a job you hate to follow your dreams; but what about leaving that "cushy" job that's not totally terrible?  In this interview, brought to you by Discover LMS, Sarah Merrill of "Big Kid problems" walks Megan through how she traversed this decision in her own life and how she's made a successful business out of social media.

From appearing as a guest on the day- time Emmy winning Steve Harvey Show on three separate episodes teaching “Social Media 101” segments, and being featured on various podcasts and websites as a “millennial thought leader”, listen in as Sarah shares how she embraces fear and failure, and lets us in on her secrets to growing and monetizing her following to a quarter-million.

Known for taboo industry innovation, controversial subway ads, and a publicly challenging departure from her role as CEO of THINX Period Underwear, Miki Agrawal is a serial entrepreneur, author, and speaker. The four-time founder sat down with Megan for an exclusive first interview since what she describes as "trial by fire." Agrawal also shares how she believes anyone can be an entrepreneur, and how she navigates gender biases and double standards. 

Cassandra Bodzak is the founder of the online mind-body-soul support community, Aprecity.com,and best-selling author of "Eat With Intention." She's a global meditation and wellness teacher, host of Eat with Intention TV, and former host of ABC’s The Taste. Hear Cassandra's story on how she successfully built an online community and personal brand alongside the grief of heartbreak and her brother's life-changing diagnosis – then rebranded and did it all over again – as well as her advice for how to combat perfectionism and own your success. 

Bobby Kim (also known as Bobby Hundreds) is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Hundreds – a massively popular streetwear line worn by celebrities such as Kanye West and Justin Bieber. Hear Bobby's story about the conversation that gave him the courage to leave law; how he's built a trustworthy brand; and the unique way he copes with success and failure. 

Megan Driscoll is the founder and CEO of Evolve MKD, a public relations and social media agency in New York City. She's grown her business from one employee (herself) to 19 in two and a half years. But Megan's success came out of a "bad breakup" at her previous company. Listen in to hear her advice on building an agency, outsourcing PR, using fear as a motivator, negotiating the conflict of being a woman who doesn't want children, and more. 

Danielle LaPorte is an internationally renowned speaker, writer, entrepreneur, and blogger. The wise, hilarious, self-proclaimed "seeker" has mastered scaling the personal brand; but prior to Danielle's massive success, she was fired – from her own company. Listen to this rich interview filled with Danielle's personal story of challenge and "failure," as well as her advice for protecting oneself when building your company, dealing with haters, and building a successful brand.

Lauren Berlingeri and Katie Kaps are the founders of HigherDOSE, the infrared sauna experience that's taking over NYC. In this episode, they share with Megan how past career challenges have led to their present success. Berlingeri, previously a fitness model and star of the popular web show Woman v. Workout, opens up about her struggles in the world of modeling, while Kaps shares a painful near-death experience that transformed her perspective. Listen into hear their founder story, as well as their advice for owning weaknesses, building relationships, and not taking things too seriously. 

Christina Carbonell and Galyn Bernard are the founders of Primary.com, a direct-to-consumer children's clothing company known for its evergreen basics and affordable prices. Tune in to hear them discuss their "failure" – believing they could take care of the supply chain themselves. The result? Little product in-stock and a lot of unhappy customers and investors. Listen in for their advice for managing supply chain, hiring with value proposition in mind, asking for help, and handling rejection. 

Lauren Foundos spent a decade on Wall Street before starting Forte, a boutique fitness streaming platform. A first-time founder, Foundos stresses spending wisely, building authentic partnerships, detaching from an expectation of what the company will be, and several other nuggets of wisdom you won't want to miss. Tune into hear Megan and Lauren share laughs and advice on how to optimize your starting-up success as an entrepreneur, in business, and in life. 

Melissa Hartwig is a Certified Sports Nutritionist, co-author of the New York Times bestsellers The Whole30 and It Starts With Food, and the author of Food Freedom Forever and The Whole30 Cookbook. She's been featured by Dr. Oz, The Today Show, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Details, Shape, Outside, and SELF; she has presented more than 150 health and nutrition seminars worldwide; and she also provides support to more than 2 million people a month through the Whole30 website. But before Melissa's massive success, she struggled with heroin addiction. Listen in to hear the details of her journey, including how in the early stages of her business she made the mistake of undermining her competition as a strategy (that seriously backfired). Listen in to hear Melissa's advice for coping with shame, apologizing, and building a "fiercely loyal community."

A former gang member, Ryan Blair is now a self-made multimillionaire, New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and CEO of the global healthy lifestyle company, ViSalus. He appears regularly on CNBC, MSNBC, Bloomberg TV, CNN, and Fox, and has been featured in Inc Magazine, Fortune Magazine, BusinessWeek, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times. But along the way, Ryan hit rock bottom--at one point standing on a balcony contemplating suicide following bankruptcy. Listen in to hear his poignant and inspiring journey, plus his advice on owning failures, bouncing back from depression, and asking for help.

Shalini Vadhera is a serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, beauty expert and internationally recognized TV personality. From jewelry and fashion entrepreneur, to celebrity makeup artist, to Founder of a $21-million beauty brand, to founder and CEO of Passport 2 Beauty and Power Beauty Living, she helps women power up their business, beauty, and life. But Power Beauty Living was birthed from Shalini's most traumatic "failure." Listen in to hear Shalini's gripping story, and her advice for choosing the right investors, trusting in the process when life feels out of control, and finding the beauty in failure.

Matt Mayberry realized his dream of becoming a professional football player, then watched it all crumble in a instant. He suffered a career-ending injury in his FIRST game in the NFL. Shattered both physically and emotionally, Matt entered a deep depression. If he wasn't a football player, who was he? But Matt persevered and ultimately found his purpose in his pain. Drawing on his previous experiences of failure in the sport, and as a teenage drug addict, Matt recreated his identity as a keynote speaker and performance strategist. As the CEO of Matt Mayberry Enterprises, he now helps individuals and organizations all over the world maximize their potential. Listen in to hear how Matt survived the darkest time of his life, and the formula he uses for capitalizing on failure.

Joe Cross is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, filmmaker, and wellness advocate. He's the founder of the socially conscious health and wellness company, Reboot With Joe, as well as the founder of the Reboot Media, which produces educational media. Joe is best known for the hit film in which he juiced his way from sickness to health, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. But Joe makes it clear he's had "more failures than successes." In this episode of The Failure Factor, Joe tells the story of investing in a fashion brand and losing millions. He shares why some people bounce back from failure and some don't, how to create your own luck, and why failing 80% of the time can still be a recipe for success.

Terri Cole is a licensed psychotherapist, transformation coach, and a relationship expert. A psychotherapist to the stars, she was the featured therapist on A&E’s Monster In-Laws, The Lisa Oz Show, had a weekly radio show on Hay House Radio, and was included in the Top 100 Bloggers to watch. In this episode, Terri shares her expert advice on how to overcome unhelpful patterns in relationships with romantic partners and colleagues, plus how to follow your dreams and change careers when fear, your current paycheck, or the belief that it's "too late" is holding you back.

Whitney Wolfe is a serial entrepreneur who, by the time she was 25, had already founded 3 companies. The first, a non-profit inspired by the BP oil spill; the second, Tinder, the app that normalized swiping left or right on potential dates; and most recently, Bumble, a female-first connection platform for anyone looking for love, friendship, and soon so much more. But it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows for Whitney. In fact, Bumble was born after a painful--and very public--split from Tinder. Listen in for Whitney's view on failure that's kept her persevering through the challenging times, and what she does to gain perspective when it feels like her world is crashing down.

Deepak Chopra MD, FACP is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism, he is the founder of The Chopra Foundation, the co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, and the author of more than 85 books. In this episode, Deepak shares a highly entertaining "failure" story--in which he emptied his briefcase on his boss's head. Tune into hear why, plus his advice finding and following your passion and why "happiness is actually a form of misery."

Radha Agrawal is a serial entrepreneur, advocate, feminist, visionary, and community-building expert. Most recently, Radha is the cofounder of sober early morning dance-party Daybreaker, and cofounder of Thinx period proof Underwear. In this interview, Radha tells the powerful story of her experience as a woman in business, and how decisions made out of desperation resulted in her ultimate departure from one of her former companies. Relevant to all genders, she shares the lessons and wisdom she learned from her mistakes.

Dave Finocchio launched Bleacher Report in 2008 with three friends from middle school. Self-described 'sports nuts,' the Notre Dame alumni saw an opportunity in filling the 'white space' in the sports media world. Bleacher Report is now the second-largest digital sports publisher, with a loyal monthly audience of more than 60 million. The company sees more social engagement across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram than any other publisher (sports-related or not) in America. But getting there wasn't without its challenges. As emotionally developing early 20-somethings in a 300 sq-ft office (without air conditioning!), 'emotions ran hot' and conflict and ego threatened the company's survival. Learn how Dave and his team overcame the challenges of founding with friends and transformed Bleacher Report into the massively successful enterprise it is today.

Courtney Nichols Gould is the CoFounder/CEO of SmartyPants Vitamins, a company she launched with her cofounder and husband, Gordon, just over 5 years ago to bring more health to more people every day (in the shape of a really tasty and trustworthy gummy). In this episode, Courtney shares how she went from "leading from fear," to creating a culture with virtually no turnover that's gotten STRONGER as the number of employees has increased. Listen for her favorite alternative to meditation, what her office offers instead of ping pong tables, and what she believes are the most important leadership skills.

Gunnar Lovelace is the founder and co-CEO of Thrive Market, the fastest growing health-food e-commerce company in history. In this episode, Gunnar tells the story of a previous "failure," after which he found himself hitting rock bottom. He describes the learnings he took from the experience that contributed to his massive success with Thrive Market. Entrepreneur or not, you won't want to miss this profoundly inspiring interview in which Gunnar shares his authentic wisdom for relating to failure and achieving startup success.

Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle are the co-founders of Sakara Life, an organic meal delivery service and wellness lifestyle brand. Danielle and Whitney went from making meals in their SoHo kitchen and delivering them on bicycles, to an 85-person company that delivers its signature plant-based, nutritionally-designed meals to thousands of customers across the United States each week. Hear their advice on how to "make your mess into your mission," turn a sulfurous kale salad into an opportunity for customer retention, and what to do when everyone's telling you to play it safe.

Jason Wachob is the Founder and CEO of mindbodygreen and the author of “WELLTH: How I Learned to Build a Life, Not a Resume”. He has been featured in The New York Times, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Goop, and Vogue. It hasn't always been health and "Wellth" for Jason, though. He used the wisdom he gained from failures along the way to make mindbodygreen the leading independent media brand dedicated to wellness. Listen in for his bang-on advice about how being comfortable with uncertainty, and when it's time to let go and move on.