We often treat failure as the end of the road—but for great leaders, it’s just the beginning. In this episode, we explore the hidden stories of public setbacks that led to extraordinary impact. From Walt Disney’s bankruptcy to Abraham Lincoln’s long trail of election defeats, from Oprah Winfrey’s career derailment to The Beatles’ early rejections, these stories remind us that success is rarely a straight line. If you’ve ever stumbled, doubted yourself, or been told “no,” this episode is for you.

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 Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a leading provider of experiential learning. Abilitie’s simulations and leadership programs have inspired over 100,000 professionals in more than 50 countries. To learn more about Abilitie and about our host Matthew Confer, visit the links below:

Abilitie Leadership Development - https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast - https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewconfer/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/MatthewConfer

Matthew’s TEDx Talk on Decision Making - https://www.ted.com/talks/matthew_confer_before_you_decide_3_steps_to_better_decision_making

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure you get our next episode when it is released.

What if the price you put on something didn’t just reflect value—but created it? In this episode, we explore three real-world stories where pricing reshaped perception, influenced behavior, and even altered experience itself. From shirts to luxury office supplies to the world of wine, each example reveals how price can tell a powerful story. And for leaders, that story matters—because how you position value can shape how others see your product, your brand, and even your leadership.

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Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a leading provider of experiential learning. Abilitie’s simulations and leadership programs have inspired over 100,000 professionals in more than 50 countries. To learn more about Abilitie and about our host Matthew Confer, visit the links below:

Abilitie Leadership Development - https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast - https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewconfer/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/MatthewConfer

Matthew’s TEDx Talk on Decision Making - https://www.ted.com/talks/matthew_confer_before_you_decide_3_steps_to_better_decision_making

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure you get our next episode when it is released.

Some problems are so obvious, we forget they’re problems at all. In this episode, we explore two surprising stories: how the tin can was invented nearly 50 years before the can opener, and why it took centuries after the invention of the wheel to finally put wheels on luggage. These examples aren’t just amusing—they reveal a deep truth about leadership and innovation. Often, the biggest opportunities are hidden in the pain points we’ve learned to tolerate. What frustrations have you accepted without questioning? Join me as we explore how fresh thinking turns the obvious into the extraordinary.

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Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a leading provider of experiential learning. Abilitie’s simulations and leadership programs have inspired over 100,000 professionals in more than 50 countries. To learn more about Abilitie and about our host Matthew Confer, visit the links below:

Abilitie Leadership Development - https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast - https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewconfer/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/MatthewConfer

Matthew’s TEDx Talk on Decision Making - https://www.ted.com/talks/matthew_confer_before_you_decide_3_steps_to_better_decision_making

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure you get our next episode when it is released.

What do a photography giant and a live comedy show have in common? In this episode, we explore how two iconic institutions—Kodak and Saturday Night Live—faced the same challenge: what to do when the thing that made you successful starts holding you back. One resisted change and paid the price. The other built reinvention into its DNA and stayed relevant for nearly five decades. These stories reveal the high stakes of clinging to comfort and the power of breaking what works—before the world does it for you. If you’re leading anything today, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

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Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a leading provider of experiential learning. Abilitie’s simulations and leadership programs have inspired over 100,000 professionals in more than 50 countries. To learn more about Abilitie and about our host Matthew Confer, visit the links below:

Abilitie Leadership Development - https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast - https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewconfer/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/MatthewConfer

Matthew’s TEDx Talk on Decision Making - https://www.ted.com/talks/matthew_confer_before_you_decide_3_steps_to_better_decision_making

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure you get our next episode when it is released.

Setbacks are an inevitable part of any journey, but what if they were actually the first step toward success? In this episode, hear the fascinating stories of how a failed adhesive experiment led to the creation of Post-it Notes and how 5,126 failed prototypes became the foundation for Dyson’s billion-dollar breakthrough. Discover how seeing opportunities in obstacles can transform failure into a launching pad for greatness.

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Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a leading provider of experiential learning. Abilitie’s simulations and leadership programs have inspired over 100,000 professionals in more than 50 countries. To learn more about Abilitie and about our host Matthew Confer, visit the links below:

Abilitie Leadership Development - https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast - https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewconfer/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/MatthewConfer

Matthew’s TEDx Talk on Decision Making - https://www.ted.com/talks/matthew_confer_before_you_decide_3_steps_to_better_decision_making

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure you get our next episode when it is released.

The Gold Rush was full of dreamers searching for fortune—but the biggest successes didn’t come from those digging for gold. In this episode of Learn to Lead, we uncover the surprising stories of those who found lasting success by thinking differently. Their journey holds a powerful lesson for leaders today.

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Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a leading provider of experiential learning. Abilitie’s simulations and leadership programs have inspired over 100,000 professionals in more than 50 countries. To learn more about Abilitie and about our host Matthew Confer, visit the links below:

Abilitie Leadership Development -https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast -https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewconfer/

Twitter -https://twitter.com/MatthewConfer

Matthew’s TEDx Talk on Decision Making -https://www.ted.com/talks/matthew_confer_before_you_decide_3_steps_to_better_decision_making

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure you get our next episode when it is released.

We’re kicking off a whole new approach to the Learn to Lead podcast this year. Every month, I’ll bring you real-world stories packed with surprising lessons in leadership, creativity, and innovation. For our first iteration of this new approach I want to start with a question: What do tires, trivia, and food ratings have in common? In this episode of Learn to Lead, we uncover the surprising origins of two iconic innovations born from unexpected challenges. These stories reveal how bold, creative thinking can transform obstacles into lasting impact. If you’re ready to see challenges in a whole new light, this episode is for you!

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 Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a

Abilitie Leadership Development - https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast - https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

-      LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewconfer/

-      Twitter - https://twitter.com/MatthewConfer

-      Matthew’s TEDx Talk on Decision Making - https://www.ted.com/talks/matthew_confer_before_you_decide_3_steps_to_better_decision_making

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure you get our next episode when it is released.

After 130 episodes exploring leadership, I decided to shake things up and let technology step into the spotlight. For this episode, I used AI to analyze and learn from every conversation we’ve had so far. From those 130 episodes, the AI has pieced together its own take on leadership, shaped by the many insights we’ve shared along the way.  I gave the AI tool no guidelines whatsoever, I simply asked it to summarize the key topics from this podcast, and I hit generate.

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Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a leading provider of experiential learning. Abilitie’s simulations and leadership programs have inspired over 100,000 professionals in more than 30 countries. To learn more about Abilitie and about our host Matthew Confer, visit the links below:

Abilitie Leadership Development - https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast - https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

-      LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewconfer/

-      Twitter - https://twitter.com/MatthewConfer

-      Matthew’s TEDx Talk on Decision Making - https://www.ted.com/talks/matthew_confer_before_you_decide_3_steps_to_better_decision_making

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure you get our next episode when it is released.

Andrea Sampson is the CEO and Founder of Talk Boutique. She joined me on the show to discuss the power of storytelling in business and in life. We discuss a structure to tell more clear stories and how some people get off track when attempting to integrate storytelling into their approach to leadership. We finish the show by talking about curiosity and what makes a story that someone will remember.

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Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a leading provider of experiential learning. Abilitie’s simulations and leadership programs have inspired over 100,000 professionals in more than 30 countries. To learn more about Abilitie and about our host Matthew Confer, visit the links below:

Abilitie Leadership Development - https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast - https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure you get our next episode when it is released.

Lisa Bodell is the CEO of Future Think and the bestselling author of  "Why Simple Wins" & "Kill the Company.” She joined me on the show to talk about why successful leaders don't fear failure, instead they fear complacency. We also talked about her process around goal setting and what advice she would have for her younger self. We closed the conversation talking about the power of curiosity and how education needs to change to prepare future leaders and professionals for the current challenges they face.

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Learn To Lead is brought to you by Abilitie, a leading provider of experiential learning. Abilitie’s simulations and

Abilitie Leadership Development - https://www.abilitie.com

The Learn To Lead Podcast - https://www.abilitie.com/learn-to-lead-podcast/

Host Matthew Confer:

-      LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewconfer/

-      Twitter - https://twitter.com/MatthewConfer

-      Matthew’s TEDx Talk on Decision

Make sure you subscribe to our show to ensure