How to Fail Successfully: Recent Episodes
Matthew Carrier
How to Fail Successfully is a weekly podcast where I get to sit down with some of my favorite successful peers as they share stories of their biggest failures. Come join us as we listen to a diverse ix of athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, and brilliant minds to offer their tools for overcoming the bumps and bruises on their journey to success.
Ashlyne Huff
Artist, Author, and Entrepreneur
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with artist, author, and entrepreneur, Ashlyne Huff. Former touring artist, opening for bands like Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block and Tori Kelly, Ashlyne shares intimate stories of the harsh reality of having your life on a stage. Join us as we take a look at what is expected of pop artists and the struggles many of them face to keep maintain their own identity.
Topics Covered
• The Dancer (How it all begin)
• The Teacher (Learning Protools with her dad)
• The songwriter (Writing songs for other artists)
• The Discovery (at a Titans game!)
• The Life of a touring artist
• The Ellen show experience
• TheInhalerr (Losing identity)
• The Divorce (Who am I?)
• The Book (The healing process)
• What is Failure/Success
The Entrepreneurial
The Piecemeal Shoppe
The Author
Falling Stars
The Artist
“Heart of Gold” – Ashlyne Huff
Who is Ashlyne?
Ashlyne is an American singer, songwriter, author, yoga instructor, realtor, and dancer. She is the daughter of Nashville record producer and session guitarist Dann Huff and the niece of Giant and White Heart drummer David Huff.
As a child, Ashlyne took dance lessons and music classes. After winning an award at the Actors, Models and Talent for Christ (AMTC) 2004 Winter Convention in the category ‘Overall Dancer, she headed to Belmont University and enrolled in the Belmont University Music Business program.
While at a Titans football game, Ashlyne was discovered and signed to a record deal with Wal-Mart.
Ashlyne was the opening act alongside Just Kait for Honor Society on their Spring 2010 Here Comes Trouble Tour.
Her self-titled album was released May 11, 2010, by Liquid Digital Media. She wrote or co-wrote every song on the album. She was the featured performer at Liquid’s awards dinner on May 17, 2010. Her song Heart of Gold is offered as a bonus track with the compilation album Now That’s What I Call Music! featuring Daughtry, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert.
In the summer of 2010, she embarked on selected dates of Jordin Sparks‘ “Battlefield Tour” as an opening act alongside Days Difference. The following summer, in 2011, Ashlyne joined the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys as an opening act on the NKOTBSB Tour.
After leaving the touring scene, Ashlyne went on to publish a book called Falling Stars.
Merrick Porcheddu
Founder, CEO, Magnet
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with Founder & CEO of Artist Uprising, Merrick Porcheddu.
Merrick shares her personal journey of walking away from the entertainment industry only to have her true passion revealed while traveling in the deserts of Dalanzagad, Mongolia.
Follow along as she shares intimate stories of her first failed company and how after pivoting and cutting her losses she was able to turn that company into Dallas’s #1 Hottest company, more recently being featured in Forbes magazine.
Who is Merrick?
Merrick is the founder & CEO of Artist Uprising.
Merrick Porchéddu graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Mike Curb College of Music Business from Belmont University with a bachelor's in Entertainment Studies and Business.
Since, Porchéddu’s background has ranged across many creative mediums: from radio syndication & licensing, to A&R/artist management, to web design, public relations, social media management, and becoming the General Manager of the fastest-growing Dallas coworking space, where she oversaw activities of over 300 startup businesses.
In 2017, she set out to start her own startup, Artist Uprising – a concept she believed could efficiently bridge the gap between creatives and commerce.
Porchéddu lives in Dallas, TX with her husband and their two sons, Oliver and Silas.
Billy Decker
Mixer, Frito salt licker, and Cancer survivor
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with one of the most sought-after mixers in country music, Billy Decker. Billy has mixed 14 #1 country songs, working with artists like Kenny Chesney, Rodney Akins, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean. and Sam Hunt. More recently, Billy was faced with his most challenging obstacle after being diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Listen as the ever joyful and brutally honest Billy Decker shares his story of success and the struggles he’s faced along his journey.
Who is Billy?
Billy Decker was born on August 28th, 1967 and raised in Nebraska. He got a BS in criminal justice at the University of Nebraska and then went on to be Salutatorian at Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts in 1992. In 1994, Decker moved to Nashville where he’s been working ever since.
Billy’s mixed 14 #1s to date – most recently, Chris Young’s “Losing Sleep”. He has mixed for Kenny Chesney, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean. Jaime Lynne Spears, and Sam Hunt. Decker also mixed George Jones’s last album before he died.
Joshua MacLeod
Social Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Father of 8
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with entrepreneur, business consultant and philanthropist, Joshua MacLeod.
Joshua shares his journey from sitting in a courtroom as a legal consultant to finding himself standing in Sudan with thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment after being dropped off by a Russian aircraft.
Joshua is a great storyteller and provides incredible feedback on how you could be both creative and run a successful business.
Consulting Firm
Growability
Non Profits
Instruments of Joy
Picture the Nations
Media Change
Who is Joshua?
Joshua MacLeod is the founder of the Growability training and consultation series. He is the executive director of Growability (S Corp) and Watermelon Ministries (501c3). Joshua is an expert in small business management, leadership training, social entrepreneurship, strategic planning, grassroots marketing and social and film media. Joshua is an award-winning photographer and has worked in more than 18 countries globally.
Sarah Dandashy
Concierge, Host, Writer, and Traveler
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with “Ask A Concierge” and Les Clefs d’Or Concierge, Sarah Dandashy. Sarah moved to LA to be an actress, producer, and screenwriter but it wasn’t until she decided to create her own brand that she became a nationally known Concierge by creating, producing, and starring in her own videos.
Follow along as Sarah takes us through her struggles of working a day job to make her dreams finally come true and listen as she shares the lessons she’s learned and how she found a way to have a sit-down with Hotel Impossible star Anthony Melchiorri.
Who is Sarah?
Sarah Dandashy is recognized as one of the leading concierges in the world.
The gold keys she wears on her lapels reflect her status as a Les Clefs d’Or Concierge and guarantee her exclusive international access to little-known treasures in cities worldwide.
Sarah has worked at some of the most prestigious hotels, including The London Hotel, Four Seasons Washington DC, and The Peninsula and L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills.
Sarah single-handedly established the multiform brand “Ask A Concierge”:
• She hosts the online travel show, “Ask A Concierge”
• She has a very strong social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
• She is a contributing columnist for LA Travel Magazine, NY Travel Magazine, and DiscoverLosAngeles.com for the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board.
Sarah’s education and travels make her an extraordinary concierge.
A graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in Foreign Service, she has lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; London, England; Atlanta, GA; Washington, DC; and New York City. She has also traveled extensively throughout Europe, The Middle East, and US. Conversation in both French and Arabic, she can comfortably navigate the streets of Paris and negotiate her way through a Bedouin bazaar.
Jeff Carpenter
Photographer, Videographer, Business Owner
What happens when you’ve spent thousands on your education only to realize you don’t love it anymore?
Should you ever work for free while gaining experience?
How to use Instagram to get free gear for your business?
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with Ready Light Media owner, Jeff Carpenter as we discuss his $100k mistake and the lessons he learned along the way to him turning his photography from a hobby a to a full-time job.
We answer questions about working for free, how to get more followers on Instagram and how Jeff was able to get free gear from high-end photography companies.
Jeff Pierre
Actor (Busser/Server/Host/Food Runner)
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with Shameless, Workaholics, War Dogs, Beyond and Once Upon a Time Actor, Jeff Pierre. Jeff shares stories from his early days as a struggling actor including his time as one of my employees at the Gordon Ramsay restaurant. Even after booking his first big movie as the lead in the movie Drumline: A New Beat, Jeff faced numerous rejections including getting to the final rounds of auditions before getting the dreaded call no actor wants to hear.
Who is Jeff?
Jeff Pierre was born in Boston to a Haitian family and also grew up in Massachusetts. He graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a degree in criminal justice.
One of Pierre’s earliest roles dates back to 2010, when he appeared in the short film Eyes to See. He also starred as Tyree in the VH1 original movie Drumline: A New Beat, and guest starred on Workaholics, Glee, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Anger Management.
Pierre is best known for his two-season recurring role as Caleb, one of Ian’s love interests, on Showtime’s Shameless. He landed his first series regular role on Freeform’s Beyond as Jeff McArdle. The series is currently in its second season. Pierre had an appearance in Todd Phillips’ War Dogs, which stars Jonah Hill and Miles Teller. In 2016, he starred in the film Tomboy by Lee Friedlander.
ISAAC TOLPIN
Edtech disrupter & human behavior expert
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with ConveYour co-founder, Isaac Tolpin. We travel through his early entrepreneur days selling wood crafts, knives, and racehorses (a.k.a “Expensive Decision”) before sharing with us the lessons he learned through his first failed business.
You will learn
• The difference between arrogance and confidence.
• Why it’s important to surround yourself with people that have your best interest in mind.
• Why it’s important to have the right perspective of success.
Who is Isaac?
Isaac is one of the Founders of ConveYour.com, the #1 Micro-learning platform for influencers and companies.
He’s a tech entrepreneur and futurist at heart, on a mission, to enable brands to authentically connect and inform at scale with over 105 million in combined revenues from the companies he’s helped build.
His success comes from understanding the relationships between human behavior, business, and technology. This expertise has helped celebrity influencers and companies to transform their knowledge into humanized digital training.
His recent background includes cultivating a vineyard, keynote speaker, digital marketer, and EdTech disrupter through the pioneering Micro-training technology, ConveYour.com, the platform that’s improving the way influencers and organizations connect and train their people.
He brings a visionary mindset to his family by creating a legacy of raising and educating their 7 children with his wife Angie Tolpin of Courageousmom.com.
He refuses to waste his life achieving the world’s definition of success that leaves so many empty, but instead do what matters through the projects he’s involved with, those he serves, and the family he leads.
Connect
Website: ConveYour.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaactolpin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conveyour
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaactolpin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/isaactolpin
Luke McElroy
Founder, Visionary, Author
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with Orange Thread Media founder, Luke McElroy. After 5 failed businesses, and now 3 successful ones, Luke decided it was time to take on the huge task of writing his first book Creative Potential.
Luke shares the never-before-told story of his own journey of finding his calling, and the lessons God taught him through the process.
We also discuss his first book Creative Potential, as he explains the four key principles “Layers”, that will help you find and step into your own creative potential within that God-given calling.
Who is Luke?
Luke McElroy is the founder and visionary behind Orange Thread Media, the parent company to Orange Thread Live Events, TripleWide Media, and SALT Conferences. Beyond his ability to cast a vision for creativity in live events and worship environments, he’s passionate about mentoring, leadership, and teamwork.
Luke got his start in creative arts as a content producer creating animations for live events and worship services around the world. Some of the work he and his team created have been used by American Idol, Blake Shelton, Atlanta Falcons, Catalyst Conference, and thousands of churches around the entire world.
Hailed as one of the “Top Innovators in the Church” in 2013 by Worship Leader Magazine as well as appeared on the Impact 100’s list of “Entrepreneurs to Watch under 30” in 2014, Luke’s been honored for his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. He’s the author of several books including the most recent Creative Potential: Principles for Unleashing Your God-Given Calling and proud to call Nashville, TN home.
Annie F Downs
Author, Speaker, Podcaster
In this episode of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with 100 Days to Brave author, Annie F Downs. We dive into the stories of how Annie “accidentally” became an author and her early struggles to find a publisher for her first book. Join us as Annie shares with us the lessons she’s learned from conversations with professional athletes and what success and failure look like to her.
HOW TO FOLD A FITTED SHEET (Ft. Annie Downs)
Who is Annie?
Annie F. Downs is a bestselling author, speaker, and podcaster based in Nashville, Tennessee. Flawed but funny, she uses her words to highlight the everyday goodness of a real and present God. An author of multiple bestselling books- 100 Days To Brave, Looking for Lovely, Let’s All Be Brave, Perfectly Unique, and Speak Love, Annie also loves traveling around the country speaking at conferences, churches, and events. While Annie hosts the weekly popular That Sounds Fun Podcast, she is also a co-host on the long-running Relevant Podcast. Annie is a huge fan of bands with banjos, glitter, her community of friends, boiled peanuts, and soccer.
The 46ers, Bob Marley T-shirt, and The Failed Sexpectations in Marriage
In this session of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with three couples in three very different places in their lives. This is my Valentine’s day episode with a very special co-host.
Special music by the band Les Zazous
Tim and Betsy (Married 46 Years)
Resources
12 Traits of a Healthy Marriage
Books
Bible
Becoming One: Emotionally, Spiritually, Sexually
Conference
A Weekend to Remember
Carter and Erin Ivey (Married 3 Months)
Resources
Books
For Men Only, Revised and Updated Edition: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women
For Women Only, Revised and Updated Edition: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
Sean and Kirsten Kelly (7 years….2 kids)
Resources
Love Life for Every Married Couple
Jamie Floyd
Artist, Songwriter
In this session of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with singer-songwriter, Jamie Floyd as she discusses how she went from losing her first record deal as a teenager to eventually working her way back up to the top with many bumps and bruises along the way.
Who is Jamie?
Jamie grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida, surrounded by a family full of professional musicians from New York. The collision of the two worlds made for an interesting array of musical influences that naturally show up in her songs, unique style of guitar playing, and her singing. Her parents, Tom & JoAnn Floyd (two full-time musicians who have had a successful band based in South Florida for the last 35 years), introduced her to an eclectic collection of legendary musicians in country, jazz, and blues, including George Strait, George Benson, James Taylor, Trisha Yearwood, Linda Ronstadt, and Bonnie Raitt. To this day Jamie’s roots are anchored in the traditions founded by these legendary songwriters, guitarists, and interpreters.
Jamie began singing and performing regularly with her parents, playing society gigs in Palm Beach, starting at the age of 2. At 11 years old she began recording, which soon led to the negotiation of her first record and publishing deal with Ric Wake and Epic Records in New York. She spent her teenage years co-writing and performing with Nashville’s most sought-after songwriters and musicians. At 18, she made the move to Nashville. While pursuing her artist career, Jamie has been a successful staff songwriter for several independent and major Nashville and California-based publishers. In 2013, she started writing exclusively for her own publishing company, Jamie Floyd Music. Most recently, she penned the title track to Warner Brothers Nashville recording artist Ashley Monroe’s brand new 2016 Grammy-nominated album: “The Blade” (co-written with legendary songwriters Allen Shamblin and Marc Beeson). Ashley’s heartfelt version was named, “one of the top songs of 2015” by NPR Music and The New York Times. The track also features country superstar Miranda Lambert and was produced by Vince Gill and Justin Neibank. Jamie also co-wrote, “Mississippi Flood” which was featured on Season 3 & 4 of ABC’s NASHVILLE. The song is performed by Hayden Panettiere’s character (“Juliette Barnes”) and is available on the NASHVILLE Season 3 Vol. 2 Soundtrack.
Jamie has written songs for many artists in both Pop and Country Music over the years, including Ronnie Dunn of the legendary duo Brooks & Dunn, R&B superstar Brian McKnight, and upcoming country and pop acts Kellie Pickler, Natalie Stovall & The Drive, Lucie Silvas and Australian country music superstars Jasmine Rae, The McClymonts & Kristy Cox. Her songwriting success has also translated to film and television, where her work has appeared in hit shows Finding Carter (MTV), NASHVILLE (ABC), The Client List (Lifetime), and Beauty & The Beast (CW Network). She also penned original music for the TV movie Manson’s Lost Girls (Lifetime) and the finale and additional music performed by Brian McKnight in Dolly Parton’s Christmas movie, A Country Christmas Story.
Jamie is currently writing and recording the soundtrack for an upcoming major motion picture, in which she also appears. In addition, she will be featured in THE LAST SONGWRITER an upcoming documentary that chronicles the dire challenges songwriters face in the age of streaming alongside some of the industry’s most legendary songwriters, including Garth Brooks, Jason Isbell, Emmylou Harris, Matraca Berg, Tony Arata, Allen Shamblin, Lee Thomas Miller, Jim Lauderdale and Tom Douglas.
Devine Evans
The creative programmer and sound designer behind the biggest touring acts like Justin Timberlake, The Chainsmokers, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Rhianna and so many more.
In this session of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with multi-talented musician Devine Evans as he discusses how he went from leaving his career in the medical field to working his way into his first big break with Mary J. Blige.
Who is Devine?
Devine Evans has been a dominant figure in the music industry for over 20 years. Starting in Atlanta under the watchful eye of Left Eye Productions, Evans is now a 5x Grammy Award-winning producer, Songwriter/engineer, Emmy Nominated Composer (The New Edition Story) who has worked with many of the world’s biggest recording artists and musicians including The Chain Smokers, Janet Jackson, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga, Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nico & Vinz, Hans Zimmer, and Selena Gomez. Evans received his most recent Grammy for his work on Pharrell Williams’ live version of the Billboard hit song “Happy”.
Over the past 10 years, Evans has worked on some of the biggest tours in music. Recently, working with The Chain Smokers, Bebe Rexha, Charlie Puth, The Roots (2017 NBA Allstar performance), Tim McGraw and Faith Hills Soul 2 Soul tour, Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable World Tour, Rihanna’s Diamonds World Tour, Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience Tour (Now available on Netflix), and Pharrell Williams’ Dear Girl Tour.
Evans’ work in televised performances includes programming and sound design for Beyoncé’s 2013 Super Bowl Halftime performance. He is set to break into the film industry with his work on the upcoming film as a composer for BET’s Emmy Nominated Mini-Series The New Edition Story as well as Lycan, starring Dania Ramirez (Entourage, Devious Maids, X-Men), for which he scored and provided original sound design.
Outside of music, Evans focuses on positively impacting the music industry as well as his community by way of creative projects like his first book Sheet Music: The Diary of a Songwriter, which aims to shed light on the sexual injustices female artists can encounter while chasing their dream of a career in the music industry. In an effort to empower these women, Sheet Music shares the stories of a variety of female artists’ personal experiences as well as general advice on how to cope with and safeguard themselves against such abuse and injustice.
Robbie Daymond
The voice of Spider-Man, Tuxedo Mask, and many many others.
In this session of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with actor Robbie Daymond as he discusses how he went from failing speech and acting in college to ultimately winning the job as Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Who is Robbie?
Robbie is an actor mostly known for providing voices for cartoons, Japanese anime, audiobooks, and video games. He voices lead character SwaySway in the Nickelodeon cartoon Breadwinners, Blake Myers in the Nick cartoon Get Blake!. He also voices the title character in Marvel’s Spider-Man, which aired on Disney XD in 2017.[2] In anime and video games he voices Tuxedo Mask in the Viz re-dub of Sailor Moon, Mumen Rider in One-Punch Man, Sorey in Tales of Zestiria, Joe Kido in Digimon Adventure tri. and Prompto Argentum in Final Fantasy XV.
Corey Conrad
The “Ari Gold” of Sales and Strategic Alliance for Caruso.
In this session of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with Corey Conrad as he discusses how he failed through several areas in his life but each time pivoted and eventually found success once he stumbled into the world of sales.
With more than 10 years of experience in luxury sales, partnerships, branding, sponsorships, marketing, and experiential activations, Corey Conrad offers a solutions-based management style that has propelled his career. He has had the privilege of working with a multitude of high-profile clients including Hublot, LVMH, Bentley, Pandora, GQ, American Express, Danone, Pernod Ricard, Morgan Stanley, Alessi, Assouline, VanDutch Yachts, Audi, Tom Ford, Aston Martin, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, and BMW, among many others.
Corey’s Favorite Quote
“Every man dies, not every man truly lives”
Books
The FIRST book Corey read as a child helped shaped his life.
Danny the Champion of the World
Tom Massmann
Body double, stunt double, and actor on CBS’s show Scorpion.
In this session of How To Fail Successfully, I have a conversation with actor Tom Massmann as he discusses how he went from making local commercials in Colorado to jumping through windows on a hit TV show. Tom walks us through two of his darkest moments and how he was able to fight through them.
Tom Massmann is an actor, stuntman, writer, producer, and director, who has worked in the film and television industry for well over 3 decades. He was the founder of Reel Focus Productions in the early 2000s where he produced and directed award-winning television commercials, long-form videos, and even an Emmy nominated TV special.
He is now a stunt double, body double, and actor on the CBS show Scorpion.
Books
If anyone is struggling with the loss of a loved one, Tom recommends this book below.
The Year of Magical Thinking
When I first started the podcast, I was bad. The people weren't bad, I was not as polished as an interviewer. To save everyone some time, I edited some of my highlights into this one episode.
I hope you enjoy!