How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Neneh Cherry, the iconic musician known for hits like 'Seven Seconds' and 'Buffalo Stance,' shares her life journey and creative inspirations. She reflects on her unconventional upbringing in a musical family and the emotional challenges of motherhood after losing her mother. The discussion touches on her humorous pizza-making mishap, missed collaborations due to self-doubt, and the transformative power of grief in shaping artistic expression. Her memoir, 'A Thousand Threads,' unveils these rich experiences and the legacy she's building for her musically gifted children.

Rupert Everett, an A-list actor and author, shares his unfiltered journey through fame's ups and downs. He discusses his new book, 'The American No,' born from creative failures, and reflects on his passionate yet tumultuous romance with Paula Yates. Rupert candidly explores coming out in Hollywood, the impact of drugs on his life, and the complex nature of professional rivalries. He also draws parallels between his experiences and the legacy of Oscar Wilde, revealing deep insights into love, loss, and self-acceptance.

Yuval Noah Harari, a renowned philosopher and bestselling author of "Sapiens", shares his insights on the future of AI and its potential benefits, challenging the prevailing negativity around the topic. He opens up about his childhood experiences, struggles with self-acceptance, and his thoughts on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Harari also discusses his meditation practices, revealing his humorous take on failure. Through thoughtful dialogue, he emphasizes the need for hope and understanding in a complicated world.

Diane Abbott, the trailblazing first Black female MP in Britain, shares her powerful journey through decades of political challenges, facing racism and sexism head-on. She discusses the stark disparities in opportunities for politicians, especially how failure often seems selective. Diane recalls her early struggles in education and her complex relationship with former partner Jeremy Corbyn. With candor, she reveals her lack of cordial chats with Keir Starmer and reflects on the resilience required in politics, infused with humor and personal anecdotes.

Kate Winslet, an acclaimed actress known for her intelligence and humor, reflects on her journey from childhood dreams to stardom. She candidly discusses her complex relationship with fame, societal pressures on body image, and her regret over quitting tap-dancing. Winslet shares insights from her illustrious career, including the years it took to produce her passion project, 'Lee.' She emphasizes the importance of authenticity and familial support while navigating the obstacles of the film industry, including sexism and representation.

This is a very special one-off edition of How to Fail, where I bring you a peek behind the paywall to hear one of my favourite subscriber editions of ‘Failing with Friends’. If you’re not already a subscriber (and if not, why not, quite frankly?) then this is a little glimpse of what we’ve been up to. Failing With Friends is where my lovely listeners write in and ask for advice about their failures, problems or just to say hello. In this episode, the highly-acclaimed author, Sir Salman Rushdie kindly stayed on after his interview with me, to help answer your questions.  Salman certainly lived up to his role as Agony Uncle, revealing his thoughts on people who bulls**t, his hack for writer’s block, and even giving excellent dating advice. I hope you enjoy it! And if you do, don’t forget to subscribe for a weekly Failing With Friends episode as well as the chance to listen to How To Fail completely ad-free. (You also get exclusive access to the How To… channel and will be able to binge all 12 episodes of How To Write A Book). Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com Production & Post Production Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ellie Simmonds, a five-time Gold Medal-winning Paralympic swimmer, reflects on her impressive journey, including winning her first gold at just 13. She candidly discusses the pressure she places on herself and her struggles with sleep. Growing up in an adoptive family that embraced differences shaped her identity and resilience. Ellie emphasizes the need for better education around disability and shares how travel helped her cope with anxiety. Her story is a powerful testament to embracing uniqueness as a superpower.

The first thing Guenther Steiner said when he walked into the HTF studio was: ‘Recently your guests have been Shania Twain and Salman Rushdie, are you sure you want me and haven’t made a mistake?’ This tells you almost everything you need to know about the breakout star of Netflix’s F1: Drive to Survive and former Haas team principal: he’s hilarious, he’s modest and he still finds his newfound fame fairly baffling. Although he’s known for his fruity vocabulary alongside his racing skills, I confess that the only person to swear in our chat was me. Guenther was an incredibly charming guest - honest, thoughtful and kind. We talked about failure in sport, how to keep calm in high pressure situations and what Toto Wolff is *really* like. Plus, Guenther’s regrets at not spending enough time with his family and why there are no women drivers in F1. The only question that stumped him was when I asked what his favourite car was - you’ll have to listen for the answer. Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com Production & Post Production Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TW: contains references to racist abuse and racially-aggravated violence. This is probably one of my favourite episodes of all time, and I don’t say that lightly.  The former championship wheelchair basketball star turned TV presenter, Ade Adepitan, came into the How To Fail studio with an open heart and a moving story to tell. He blew us all away. Ade talks about growing up working-class, Black and disabled and how the intersection of these left him feeling he had to prove himself twice as much. He talks about letting his parents down and a family estrangement that lasted 10 years. We chat about the impact of leaving Nigeria, aged three, and how that has continued to shape his outlook on life and we talk about his own self-perceived failure to protect his friend from a racist attack as a teenager - and how what happened changed all their lives. We also talk about a 2005 BBC documentary where he broke down in front of cameras while trying to climb a volcano and his fear that he had let himself and the disabled community down. AND - in a first for How To Fail -his failure to take a compliment You can catch Ade presenting Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympic Games this summer. As always, I’m desperate to hear about your failures. Every week, my guest and I choose a selection to read out and answer on our special subscription offering, Failing with Friends. We’ll endeavour to give you advice, wisdom, some laughs and much, much more. Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com Production & Post Production Manager: Lily Hambly Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pat Cummins, the Australian cricket captain and one of the greatest cricketers ever, opens up about resilience shaped by loss. He shares heartfelt insights about his mother's death from cancer, which shifted his priorities towards family over cricket. He discusses balancing elite sports with family life, offering practical tips on setting boundaries. Pat also reflects humorously on his farming life and the joys of rediscovering simple pleasures beyond competition, while lightheartedly touching on cricket superstitions.