This is a special episode about overcoming mistakes and failure. What do you do when your work is rejected, when the big bet fails, or when the path ahead suddenly disappears? As you’ll hear in this episode, setbacks can often present opportunities if you know how to look for them.
Enjoy!
This episode is brought to you by:
- Helix Sleep premium mattresses
- Gusto simple and easy payroll, HR, and benefits platform used by 400,000+ businesses
- Incogni, which removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft
Additional podcast platforms
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Transcripts
Show Notes
Connect with BJ Miller:
Connect with Terry Crews:
Connect with Tim McGraw:
- Website | X | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
- Tim’s appearance on the podcast: 852
Connect with Jessica Lahey:
Connect with Dax Shepard:
- Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard | X | Facebook | Instagram
- Dax’s appearance on the podcast: 480
Connect with Cathy Lanier:
Connect with Janna Levin:
Connect with Boyd Varty:
Recommended Reading, Listening, & Viewing
- BJ Miller: What Really Matters at the End of Life | TED Talk
- One Man’s Quest to Change the Way We Die | The New York Times
- Aprilia Mana — Shiftless Shiver | Motorcyclist
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Prime Video
- America’s Got Talent | Prime Video
- Tim McGraw by Tim McGraw
- Not a Moment Too Soon by Tim McGraw
- “Indian Outlaw” by Tim McGraw
- Landman | Prime Video
- CHiPs | Prime Video
- CHiPS (2017) Financial Information | The Numbers
- Parenthood | Prime Video
- Sliding Doors | Prime Video
- 1991 Mount Pleasant Riot | City Cast DC
- Boyd Varty: What I Learned from Nelson Mandela | TED Talk
- The Original Leopard Trackers | Londolozi Blog
Books
- A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death by BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger
- Manhood: How to Be a Better Man — or Just Live with One by Terry Crews
- Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Tim Ferriss
- The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey
- The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence by Jessica Lahey
- The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life by Boyd Varty
People
- Randy Sloan
- Mert Lawwill
- Terry Jeffords
- Jamie Foxx
- Debbie Millman
- Byron Gallimore
- Sam Elliot
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Scott Borchetta
- Mike Borchetta
- Faith Hill
- Kristen Bell
- Josh Waitzkin
- Renias Mhlongo
- Alex Van Den Heever
- Martha Beck
Timestamps
- 00:00 — Introduction from Tim
- 01:23 — BJ Miller: Making an Impossible Motorcycle Dream Real
- 05:35 — Terry Crews: Why You Have to Take the Shot
- 16:28 — Tim McGraw: Failing on Your Own Terms
- 27:31 — Jessica Lahey: From “Unpublishable” to Bestseller
- 31:48 — Dax Shepard: When Failure Saves You From What You Want
- 38:11 — Cathy Lanier: Rebuilding a Life
- 47:33 — Janna Levin: Life Is the Obstacles
- 54:36 — Boyd Varty: Finding the Next Track When You’re Stuck
Quotations from This Episode
“I love two wheels. I love the gyroscopic lifestyle. I love the feeling of it.”
— BJ Miller
“If I win or if I fail, it’s going to be on my terms. It’s going to be up to me. If I have the opportunity, I have to go for it.”
— Terry Crews
“If it fails, it fails on my terms this time.”
— Tim McGraw
“It’s not that I’m a great writer. It’s that I was humble enough to say, ‘Teach me how to be better. I will take it to heart, and I will be able to be objective about it, and I will use it, and I won’t make the same mistakes again.’”
— Jessica Lahey
“What I know most is that I don’t know what’s best for me.”
— Dax Shepard
“This is not my path. This can’t be my path.”
— Cathy Lanier
“Life is not great for most people, and they have to do a hell of a lot more than not screw it up.”
— Janna Levin
“I don’t know where I’m going, but I know exactly how to get there.”
— Boyd Varty
Want to hear another episode with someone who turned getting unstuck into a life’s work? Listen to my conversation with author and life coach Martha Beck, in which we discussed the amazing and brutal results of telling zero lies for 365 days, how to do a beginner “integrity cleanse,” owning your right to say no, honest alternatives to saying no, finding joy in the body, want versus yearning, the opposite of anxiety, Internal Family Systems, lessons from lion trackers, and much more.
This episode is brought to you by Incogni: erase your personal data from the web and prevent scams, fraud, and identity theft! Incogni automatically removes your information across 420+ data brokers (1,000+ additional sites covered in their Unlimited plan), and they keep it scrubbed automatically. Deloitte has independently verified the headline numbers (245M+ removal requests), and the company adheres to AICPA SOC security standards, with an A+ rating from the BBB. And with their Unlimited plan, if you find your info on a site they don’t automatically monitor, just send them the link, and their privacy team will handle it. Protect yourself now with Incogni. Go to Incogni.com/Tim to get 60% off their annual plan.
This episode is brought to you by Gusto! If you’re a small business owner looking to simplify payroll and HR tasks, Gusto could be the game-changer you need. Gusto is an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR platform designed specifically for small businesses. Gusto automatically files federal, state, and local payroll taxes, handles W-2s and 1099s, and offers straightforward health benefits and 401(k) options for nearly any budget. With an intuitive interface and features like time tracking, onboarding tools, and direct access to certified HR experts, Gusto saves time and eliminates headaches so you can focus on what matters—growing your business. As a special offer to listeners, new customers get Gusto free for their first 3 months. This is the perfect time to choose Gusto to take care of your team and stay compliant. See for yourself why 9 out of 10 businesses recommend it. Get started now! Terms apply at Gusto.com/terms.
This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was named best overall mattress of 2026 by Forbes, Wired, and Sleepopolis; best mattress for couples by Oprah Daily; and one of the most trusted brands of 2026 by USA Today. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering listeners 20% off sitewide for a limited time at HelixSleep.com/Tim.
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