Failure Decoded

Adam Kingl is a globally renowned leadership expert, educator, and keynote speaker known for his insights into next generation leadership, innovation, and future trends. He has worked extensively with companies, helping  navigate challenges and adapt to changing business landscapes. 

Adam is also an adjunct faculty at a number of institutions notable University College London, where he teaches courses on leadership, strategy, and innovation. His expertise lies in understanding the intersection of leadership and organizational dynamics in a rapidly evolving world.

Adam Kingl's research focuses on understanding the work and leadership dynamics of Generation Y, a demographic expected to comprise 75% of the global workforce by 2025. His book, 'Next Generation Leadership', published in 2020 by HarperCollins, explores these paradigm shifts. Companies are increasingly concerned about innovating to adapt to future changes, and Adam offers practical insights on strategic and management innovation, as well as leveraging culture and engagement in work-life dynamics.

Links

Adam Kingl's Website
LinkedIn

Failure Decoded

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Chris Guillebeau is more than just an author, podcast host, entrepreneur; he's a modern-day adventurer, community builder with a penchant for pushing boundaries. Renowned for accomplishing the remarkable feat of visiting every country in the world by the age of 35, Guillebeau's journey has become an inspiration to countless seekers of unconventional paths.

As the prolific author of bestsellers like "The Art of Non-Conformity" and "The $100 Startup," Chris shares insights that transcend traditional norms. His work extends beyond the written word, as he hosts the "Side Hustle School" podcast, guiding aspiring entrepreneurs on their journey to turning ideas into income.

Join us as we delve into the extraordinary world of Chris Guillebeau, exploring the mind of an adventurer, author, and advocate for action to understand how his experiences have shaped his point of view about Failure.

Links

Chris Guillebeau Website
Chris Guillebeau LinkedIn

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Shamsiya

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Melanie Elturk. a former civil rights attorney, is the visionary CEO behind Haute Hijab, a preeminent U.S. hijab brand.

A graduate of Wayne State University, Melanie's academic prowess paved the way for her to attain a Juris Doctorate from the university's esteemed law school at a remarkable age—23. Armed with a passion for social justice, she seamlessly transitioned from the realm of civil rights advocacy to  the fashion industry.

Melanie Elturk's entrepreneurial journey is a captivating narrative of trailblazing resilience, clarity of vision, steadfastness, honesty, leadership and pursuit of how to  find contentment in the face of setbacks and failure.

Melanie explains with clarity how faith,  detachment, courage, social justice, patience are key catalysts to transformation into something more beautiful and impactful.

We unravel the layers of Melanie's story, gaining profound insights into the woman behind the brand and the impactful strides she's making in reshaping the narrative of hijab in the world of fashion.

 Her commitment to bridging cultural gaps and fostering inclusivity and building communities is not merely a business endeavour; it's a testament to her unwavering dedication to societal progress and self actualization.

Show Notes

1:00 Melanie Elturk’s Legacy, an introduction.

4:17 Navigating challenges and setbacks during the  Covid-19 Pandemic as an entrepreneur.

10:34 Haute Hijab’s most heartbreaking difficult time.

15:34 Secret to Melanie’s  trailblazing confidence and exceptional leadership qualities.

17:34 Everyone has a role to play and that forms the core of Haute Hijab.

18:19 Haute Hijab has the best team, they are warriors. 

20:10 How was Haute Hijab built?

25:10 I am a Hustler.

34:28 Choosing Haute Hijab over an enticing Law career in Dubai.

38:28 Haute Hijab is a symbol of Power and Resilience.

Links

Haute Hijab Website
Haute Hijab Instagram

Failure Decoded

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David Silverberg is a freelance writer, journalist, entrepreneur, editor, poet, storytelller and writing coach. From embracing rejection to discussing the importance of failure in entrepreneurship, David's journey from reporting on Fuck Up Nights Toronto , writing to BBC, to coaching writers is a testament to resilience and niche expertise. Learn from his experiences and gain insights on lessons learned, startup ecosystems, and the power of mentoring in the entrepreneurial world.

7:34 Anyone who works in the freelance space is an entrepreneur.

9:14 Rejection is part of the process, just keep at it.

14:14 The experience of covering Fuck Up Nights Toronto.

15:24 Talking about Failure completes the key part of the entrepreneurial puzzle.

15:35 What happens when something does not go right.

19:20  David Spielberg’s personal tryst with Failure.

20:24 Do not fall into the trap of catering to everyone, Niche down.

26:44 What lessons were learnt from the Epic failure of Google’s Smart City in Toronto .

33:34 Canada’s changing startup ecosystem and how it compares to the United States of America.

38:21 Mentoring is a great way to monetize existing skills as a consultant, entrepreneur, and freelancer.

David Silverberg
Instagram
Website David Silverberg
Become a Better Writer newsletter: https://t.co/Rj2APNLDZC


Failure Decoded
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In this episode  Dr Pradeep Kumar Sacitharan shares his experience and insights about the current Global Recession and how it has impacted different sections of the society and businesses. The year 2023 has seen the collapse and failure of some of the biggest banks in the United States of America and the European countries are experiencing rising cost of living that has left many people food insecure.

The resilience of an economy is influenced by numerous factors, and it's important to recognize that the economic performance and resilience of a country can be influenced by a wide range of internal and external factors.  This conversation dives deep into the different business sectors impacted by inflation and how pivoting and building stronger business systems could be the way forward to avoid failure and build stronger and powerful economies. So let us Power Up.

Show Notes:

3:00 Not everything is in our control, not even the looming recession however, our response can control the outcome.

4:00 Covid, disruption of the supply chain, impact felt by consumers and challenges for entrepreneurs.

9:12 Offer the best quality products at a good price to the customers and do not cut corners.

12:57 Tips to invest in commercial real estate at this time.

20:28 The  challenges faced by the food industry and rise of food insecurity.

22:57 Import and export strategies to implement now.

26:08  Establishing new and ethical export trade deals with developing, resource rich  countries can prove to be lucrative.

33:05 Business is a numbers game, building strong networks takes time and hustle.

Links:

Pradeep's Social Media
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn

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Shamsiya
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Rachel

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In this episode we talk to Iman Grewal about entrepreneurship and compassion. Iman's  journey is one of creativity, business, and relentless passion for helping others. She embarked on her professional life as an artist, immersing herself in the world of performance, production, and curation. Iman's artistic endeavors took her to prestigious organizations and events around the globe, including the World Economic Forum, where she left an indelible mark with her talent and creativity.

Multi hyphenated, multi faceted artist, entrepreneur navigating challenges and achieving success but never at the cost of mental health. Infact, Iman is one of the few entrepreneurs who very early on realize how important taking care of one's mental health is that she has created businesses around it so that she can offer her wisdom, knowledge and experience to others.

In this episode Iman also talks about how immigrant children, herself being one, have very different challenges. They take on responsibilities very early on and the hustle-growth mindset comes with a huge responsibility to never fail.

Show Notes

1:00 Iman Grewal, the performer, producer, curator, event programmer and entrepreneur.

4:58 Sharing stories is very important, especially the failure stories.

5:26 Connecting on a deeper level which is becoming difficult with technological developments.

6:54 Iman’s story  and stories of immigrant children, escaping genocide and starting a life in Canada.

9:54 How immigrant children have similar experiences and children becoming parents to parents.

12:23 Resilience, growth mindset, hustle, not letting ourselves fail might not always be a good thing.

15:32 Entrepreneurial spirit and what it means.

17:50 Mental Health Challenges faced by Entrepreneurs.

19:37 Iman’s encounter with never stopping and Burnout.

21:41 Educate and spread awareness to equip others to manage mental health better.

26:13 Organizations have to make work spaces safe for all people, the onus is on them to make everyone feel included.

34:48 Intention and power of slowing down.

37:32 Get on the path of learning, learn to be flexible and never fear failure.

48:59 Have compassion for yourself, be realistic and bring on more acceptance for yourself.

Links

Iman Grewal
Linkedin
Website

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Shamsiya
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Rachel

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In this episode of Failure Decoded we talked to Simran Kaur, Co-Founder of Girls That Invest, an award winning podcast and Masterclass in the financial education space.

Simran and her Co-Founder Sonya are millennial investors who make financial literacy simple. They remove all the jargon to help people start investing and gain financial freedom.

We talked about how to get started with investing, overcoming fear, handling failure and what it's like working with your best friend.

Show Notes:

2:25 - Simran's entrepreneurial journey

5:25 - marketing money towards women vs men

7:30 - keeping investing simple

13:00 - getting started with investing

15:55 - red flags to look out for when seeking financial advice

20:10 - failures along the way

26:15 - overcoming fear of failure

28:50 - what it's like working with your best friend


Links:
Girls That Invest Instagram
Girls That Invest Podcast 

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Shamsiya
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Pradeep Kumar Sacitharan shares his journey from high school dropout to Ph.D to successful e-commerce business owner.

His resilience and persistence has carried him through many failures, including submitting 47 applications before getting accepted into Oxford and making over 250 cold calls to break into the e-commerce industry.

Learn how Pradeep handles rejection, finds opportunities, delegates and does cold outreach. He also explains the importance of having a low ego and why knowledge isn't necessarily power.

Show Notes:

2:49 - Pradeep shares his story

7:48 - How Pradeep cultivated his resilient mindset

12:02 - Identifying opportunities

16:50 - How Pradeep delegates to his team

20:00 - The best hires to make as a small company

21:45 - Breaking into the e-com industry

24:01 - Strategy for cold outreach

27:30 - Knowledge isn't power, applied leverage is power

28:45 - The importance of having no ego

30:00 - An e-com failure Pradeep experienced and what he learned


Links:

Pradeep's Social Media
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn

Your Hosts:

Shamsiya
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Rachel

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Nicole Teschl is the founder of a Canadian greeting card company  SowSweet Greetings based in Toronto, Ontario. The cards designed by Nicole are riddled with puns and the best part is that they grow into wildflowers once you plant them.

Nicole uses beautiful drawings and wordplay in her cards to bring to life every occasion and warm every heart it touches.

In this episode of Failure Decoded Nicole talks about her journey, transitioning from teaching to becoming an entrepreneur. She has been featured on numerous media outlets like BlogTO, CTV News and this is just the beginning. She talks about the importance of reaching out to people, participating in local markets and building meaningful relationships with local businesses.

Nicole also hosts her own local market called The Local Loop and explains what goes into creating one.

This is a lovely episode and it is for all new entrepreneurs and nature lovers. A lot to learn here.

Show Notes:

7:19 - Building SowSweet Greetings.

7:44 - The first year of building a business and what it takes..

12:00 - Working with a business partner is difficult but it's highly recommended.

15:57 - How being a teacher and wearing a lot of other hats set Nicole up for success as an entrepreneur.

17:35 - Challenges faced in the beginning of business.

24:00 - Quality matters and sourcing is responsible and intentional.

26:50 - Challenges of building an eco-conscious sustainable business.

27:54 - Building networks with local businesses and  how to go about it.

33:40 - Generating business buzz with media features like being on Blog To, CTV News.

36:38 - The right etiquette to pitch your product to stores.

44:00 - Sustainable, closed loop market for local markets.

Links:

Website SowSweet Greetings
Instagram SowSweet Greetings
Breakfast Television Breakfast Show

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Shamsiya
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In this episode we talk to Amanda Pereira, an award winning podcaster about life, skills, mindset, podcasting and everything in between. Amanda is an actor, comedian, creator, and hosts a multi award-nominated podcast the Liquid Courage Podcast.

This episode is for those who want to start a dream project but have been procrastinating. It is never too late to start as long as you do start. Amanda, with dignified vulnerability, walks through her mindset shift when faced with rejections or hardships.

Show Notes

5:13 - Connecting with people with shared interest and community.

5:35 - Genesis of the Liquid Courage Podcast.

6:23 - A disconnect with the professional community was the driving force behind the urge to interview people.

7:11 - Finding inspiration from Judd Apatow's book Sick in the Head to go to the source and interview people.

8:13 - Setting the goal to interview 30 people in the year that Amanda turned 30. 

11:15 - Guest outreach process and cold outreach tips.

17:15 - Transferable skills: Using experience gained in clinical Psycho-social oncology research to refine guest outreach process.

21:20 - Handling rejection, the Amanda Pereira way.

29:00 - Amanda’s unique perspective about failure.

30:21 -  Be reasonably ready and just do it.

33:38 - Giving yourself the compassion card when life gets overwhelming.

35:52 - Prepping the right way to start a podcast.

42:11 - Amanda believes success is a result of failure.

53:12 - Keep trying and you will succeed.


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Links

The Liquid Courage Podcast
Instagram
Amanda Pereira's Instagram


Failure Decoded
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