The Failure Factor: Stories of Career Perseverance Megan Bruneau

Naveen Jain is a serial entrepreneur and self-made billionaire whose latest venture, Viome, is revolutionizing personalized health and longevity. Jain rose to success as the founder and CEO of InfoSpace, previously one of the largest internet companies in the Northwest, and has since inspired millions to go after their most audacious goals as the founder of Moon Express – the only company permitted to harvest resources from the moon. In this episode, he shares his story of going from being an immigrant with five dollars in his pocket – to having a worth of 6 billion dollars and living on a private island. Listen in to hear how he thinks technology has democratized entrepreneurship; and why he believes passion, naivete, and viewing entrepreneurship as "research" is the secret to persevering through a goal that's "so big, people think you're crazy."

Carly Stein Kremer is the founder of Beekeeper’s Naturals, a collection of natural remedies and immune support products she developed after years of living with a chronically suppressed immune system. She was recognized on the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and has raised nearly 20 million dollars to date. In this episode, she tells the story of how she left Goldman Sachs to pursue her dream of developing a line of bee propolis-based products. Listen in to hear her advice for staying confident when taking a risk, convincing the person across the table of the upside, modeling healthy emotional expression at work, and the importance of celebrating wins. 

Payton Nyquvest is the founder and CEO of Numinus, a mental health company at the forefront of the psychedelic-assisted therapy movement. He's raised over $80 million for the startup, which currently offers psychedelic-assisted therapy, traditional talk therapy, and practitioner training--and conducts research trials. In this episode, Payton shares with Megan how psychedelics saved his life and the challenges of marketing and scaling while maintaining clinical ethics and integrity. 

Hayley Williams--who you might know as the lead singer of Paramore--and her longtime stylist Brian O'Connor are a best-friend duo and the cofounders of Good Dye Young. They're unapologetically making creative self-expression more accessible through the brand's bold hair color products and social justice mission. In this episode, they share with Megan how being outcasted inspired Good Dye Young, the challenges of being first-time founders, the hiring mistake that almost cost them the company, and how they manage their mental health today. 
 

Serial entrepreneur Tara Simich launched Mermade Hair's hero product, the Mermade Waver, right before the pandemic hit. The brand became an overnight success, blowing up on Instagram to the point at which she and her team couldn't keep up with supply. The supply chain issues were wildly exacerbated by the pandemic, and she was soon faced with unhappy customers calling the product a sham – which, given the main marketing platform was Instagram, threatened to bring down the brand. Listen in to hear how Tara managed the stress of the supply issues and trolling customers, how she mitigates "mom guilt," and the growth mindset she brings to entrepreneurship that's been at the root of her success. 

Nicci Levy is the founder and CEO of Alchemy 43, a DryBar-meets-Botox-and-fillers concept transforming the experience of cosmetic injectables. In this episode, she shares the story behind Alchemy43; how she and her team almost had to close their doors because they ran out of money; and the empowering wisdom for taking risks and persevering through challenges that she learned along the way.