The Devotion Potion

Ep. 19 - Devotion to Failure: The Art of Making an Ass of Yourself


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In this deeply vulnerable solo episode, Carly dives headfirst into the art of failing forward and reframes our cultural aversion to getting it “wrong.” She shares the intimate behind-the-scenes of abandoning a major creative project (and resurrecting it again), what it taught her about patience, perfectionism, and process, and how failure might actually be a portal to freedom—not shame.

This episode is for anyone who's ever talked themselves out of completing a passion project, doubted their creativity, or feared being seen. Carly opens up about the pressure of deadlines, the trap of performative authenticity, the medicine in letting things be messy, and how her dreams quite literally guided her back to unfinished work.

Whether you’re an artist, entrepreneur, recovering perfectionist—or all three—this episode is a compassionate reminder that failing doesn’t mean you’re broken, it means you’re becoming.

Reflective, raw, and wildly motivating—this episode is a love letter to the part of you that’s scared to try again.

✨ Topics explored:

  • Why deadlines matter (and when they don’t)
  • The wisdom in failing publicly
  • Letting creativity choose you
  • Reclaiming authenticity in a hyper-curated world
  • The power of showing up messy, anyway
  • Tending to your art like a living spirit
  • And the not-so-linear process of bringing a course to life

💌 Mentioned:

  • Carly’s new course Returning to Reverence, launching July 22nd
  • Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
  • Inner Work by Robert Johnson
  • Notion (the platform Carly uses to organize and host her course)

...more
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The Devotion PotionBy Carly Crotwell