An in-person event series and a podcast where leaders share their professional screw-ups — the real ones, with the doubt and the wreckage left in.
No polish. No TED prep. Each event puts 3–4 leaders on stage to share what actually went wrong — and what they learned. Every story becomes a podcast episode. We're collecting the stories now.
Social media shows the highlight reel. The part that actually matters — the doubt, the wrong hire, the failed pitch, the season where nothing worked — is the part that gets edited out. Screw-Up Stories puts it back in the room.
"Failure is a prerequisite for great success. If you want to succeed faster, double your rate of failure."
A quarterly event where 3–4 real leaders get on stage and share their biggest professional screw-up. No polish. No TED prep. Just the story, the lesson, and the part they never posted about.
The first event is in the works. Stories are being written.
Every story told live will live here too — raw conversations about failure, recovery, and what came next. The podcast drops after our first event.
Subscribe before the first episode lands.
We're looking for leaders, founders, and builders who've messed up — and are willing to talk about it.
No perfect story required. Actually, perfection is disqualifying.
You pick your screw-up. You own the details. You decide what to share. We create the space where honesty lands.
It's oddly freeing to say it out loud.
Someone in the room is going through exactly what you survived.
Your worst season might be your most valuable contribution.
This is a conversation starter, not an audition. We'll reach out personally.
I'm Saurabh Seth — FocalPoint Business Coach and founder of Ethical Growth Partners.
I've sat with hundreds of leaders through their best seasons and their worst. And I'll tell you honestly — the conversations that changed people most were never about the wins. They were about the setbacks that almost made them quit, and the decision they made to move anyway.
Screw-Up Stories exists because those conversations deserve a bigger room.
We're targeting our first live event for Q3 2026. When the date is locked, you'll be the first to know. When the podcast drops, it'll land in your inbox. No noise. Just the stories worth hearing.
"Success is not about avoiding failure. It is about how quickly you recover from it."
