Fail Better with David Duchovny
To be human is to fail – period. And not just to fail once, but to fail a lot. As the author Samuel Beckett said: “Fail again. Fail better.” This saying means a lot to me and my family – so much so that my daughter got a tattoo of it. Why are we, and so many others, so deeply concerned by failure? And if it’s something we all do so often, why are we so afraid of it – especially those of us here in win-at-all-costs America? In this podcast, I sit down with successful, thoughtful people like Ben Stiller, Bette Midler, Sean Penn and more to talk about failure – or what they labeled “failure,” but what was really an unparalleled opportunity for growth and revelation. I even want to delve into my own hardest moments, when I wrestled with setbacks, shame, and fear. We’ll still fail again. And again. But maybe if we fail better, we’ll feel better -- and maybe if we can all laugh together in failure, that's a start.
Our Editor's Take
Fail Better with David Duchovny is a podcast about learning and self-improvement. The host is actor David Duchovny. He is best known for his starring roles in the TV series The X-Files and Californication. David is no stranger to personal setbacks. His tumultuous personal life was in the news throughout the early 2000s. David now considers himself to be in a different phase of life. He began the podcast to discuss the themes of failure and self-fulfillment with some of his famous peers.
Comedian and actor Sarah Silverman is among David's guests on the podcast. They acted together in the 2001 film Evolution. She describes her relationship with forgiveness and how she improves her stand-up routines. Sarah also shares how she handles the mistakes she made with her past comedy material. The pair reminisce about how their friendship started. They met at one of the late comedian Garry Shandling's secret pickup basketball games. Sarah and David also share their memories of Garry, who died in 2016.
In his "most personal episode so far," David interviews Dr. Gabor Maté. On the podcast episode, they discuss addiction, parenting, and self-criticism. Dr. Maté is a respected thought leader in the field of trauma and addiction. He has written several books, including When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress.
Another guest on the podcast is Freakonomics coauthor Stephen J. Dubner. Stephen hosts the Freakonomics Radio podcast. David describes him as a "spiritual guide of our time" because he's changed how people think. Stephen tells David about the many careers he attempted to pursue before finding his calling in the world of Freakonomics.
Some of David's show business colleagues join him on the podcast. Actor and director Ben Stiller reflects on some of his professional failures. Music legend Bette Midler shares some workplace horror stories with David. She also talks about the dangers of being self-deprecating.
Fail Better with David Duchovny might interest fans of podcasts about personal growth. Listeners who admire the actor and his guests may also enjoy the show. New episodes are available weekly.
Episodes
