What happens when the person you admire most tells you you’re not good enough?

For John Follis, it was a college professor who pulled him aside and said: “You suck at advertising. You should quit.” At 20 years old, chasing a new dream, those words almost knocked him off course.

In this episode, John shares how he pushed past that moment, built resilience through setbacks—including getting fired four times—and eventually co-founded one of the hottest creative agencies on Madison Avenue. His work won awards, landed press in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and made him a “secret weapon” for big brands.