[A note before you listen: This episode includes candid discussion of suicide, suicidal ideation, mental health crisis, psychiatric hospitalization, addiction, and chronic illness. Please take care of yourself — skip it, save it for later, or listen with someone.] Failure is one of the only universal experiences in business, and it’s also the one we’re least willing to say out loud. Most of the time when failure does get talked about publicly, it’s been sanded down into a tidy redemption arc or it’s behind a paywall. Jess Manuszak decided to throw a party instead. In this episode, we talk with Jess Manuszak, owner of the Denver copywriting studio Verve and Vigour and founder of The Failure Ball, a biannual black-tie event where people get on stage in gowns and crowns and tell the truth about how they failed. The Ball started in 2020 with a goal of 30 attendees, sold out at 78, and last year filled a Victorian mansion with 200 people. All profits go to To Write Love On Her Arms, because the connection between shame and suicide is exactly why the event exists. The next one is September 19, 2026 in Denver. We talk about the difference between the failures we actually caused and the ones the online business world decided to call failures, why the format has to be in-person (and glamorous, and not under fluorescent lights), and how to know when your story belongs on a stage versus in your therapist’s office. * Why shame festers when failure gets left in the dark * The rule that a failure has to be one you actually caused * Getting a job isn’t a business failure — but the industry treats it like one * Why the format is a ball, not a summit, a conference, or a podcast * The failure behind the failure: what speaker coaching actually uncovers * “You don’t have to turn your trauma into content” — and how to know when you want to * Knowing why you’re sharing: to feel less alone, to be witnessed, or to get input * Where the line sits between authenticity as a human and your brand’s story * Holding space for clients versus asking clients to hold space for you * Why at least one Failure Ball speaker every year is actively failing, with no gold bow on it “We know the psychology behind shame. We know that the antidotes to shame are community, non-judgment, sharing, and self-kindness. That’s really what we’re here for — drag your dark secrets into the light. You feel like they’re so dirty. Bring them into this room and you’ll see how squeaky clean they actually are, because I guarantee someone in this room relates. It’s the failure behind the failure. Everybody wants to be loved. If you’ve had a launch that failed, maybe everyone hasn’t lost a million dollars at launch, but everybody wants to try to have financial stability in their life. It’s those underlying threads that connect everyone and help heal that trauma — versus, for $27 in four installments, we will heal your shame for you.” — Jess Manuszak Resources Referenced The Failure Ball Mike Ganino’s episode Nicole Lewis-Keeber’s episode Connect with Us Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts Meg Casebolt Jessica Lackey This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aggressivelyhuman.substack.com
