
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
How To Fail with Elizabeth Day is a podcast that celebrates the things in life that haven’t gone right and what we might learn from them along the way. Every week, Elizabeth’s guest explores three failures, and what these failures have taught them about how to grow and succeed, better.
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with Elizabeth to share your failures, problems or questions - anonymously or otherwise. She'll go through these each week with the help of her very special guests. And remember: a fail shared is a fail halved. https://forms.sonymusicfans.com/campaign/how-to-fail-uk-2023/
An Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Original Production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Latest episodes

May 22, 2024 • 53min
Shania Twain - ‘There is no man that intimidates me’
Shania Twain, the iconic female artist, discusses her struggles from a young age, inability to remember lyrics, and the transformative experience of recording 'Man, I Feel Like A Woman'. She shares insights into her challenging childhood singing in bars and the grief of losing her parents. Twain's resilience and influence on new artists like Taylor Swift are highlighted in this deep and inspiring conversation.

May 15, 2024 • 56min
Dame Arlene Phillips - ‘I know the power of love’
Internationally celebrated jazz and musical theatre legend, Dame Arlene Phillips, opens up about her challenges, such as losing her mother at 15, being dropped from Strictly Come Dancing, and overcoming a fear of flying. She reflects on aging, regrets in her career, and finding resilience through dance and personal strength.

May 8, 2024 • 38min
Henry Winkler - The Fonz, Getting Fired and Listening To Your Gut
Henry Winkler, known for The Fonz, opens up about overcoming childhood struggles, low self-esteem, and dyslexia. He shares how therapy helped him find success in his 70s with award-winning roles in Barry. A tale of resilience and the power of self-discovery.

May 1, 2024 • 53min
Bonnie Tyler - Her first ever podcast interview
TW: miscarriage
This week, brace yourself for A TOTAL ECLIPSE… of all other podcast episodes, because this one’s a total banger. I could not have asked for a more open, hilarious, moving or riveting encounter than with the formidable Bonnie Tyler.
She grew up in a working-class Welsh family and answered a newspaper ad for a backing singer when she was 17. From there, she went on to be one of the most iconic recording artists of all time. Her hit singles include It’s A Heartache, Holding Out for a Hero and, of course, Total Eclipse of the Heart.
At 72, Bonnie is still hard at work, and managed to squeeze in an hour on How to Fail between gigs and the release of her new album, In Berlin. It’s also her first ever podcast interview. You might want to bring the tissues for this one, as we have a bit of a weep when Bonnie talks about losing her amazing mum. We also touch on miscarriage and a childfree life. Plus: Bonnie’s failure at elocution lessons, the fascinating story behind her friendship with Tina Turner, performing for Putin (no, really), being a bit of a hoarder and the secret to a 50-year marriage.
As always, I’d LOVE 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
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

Apr 24, 2024 • 58min
Will Young - ‘I like to talk about it because I survived it’
Will Young, a resilient individual, shares his journey from enduring abuse to overcoming homophobia and depression. He reflects on dropping out of Strictly Come Dancing, failures in relationships, and his upcoming album release. The podcast delves into his struggles with A levels, trauma survival, and navigating turbulent relationships.

Apr 17, 2024 • 59min
Richard Osman on cats, crime and c**ts
I loved interviewing Richard Osman and can’t stop thinking about our conversation. I think it’s because his brain works at warp speed: I genuinely felt he was three steps ahead of every question I was about to ask. It became something of a personal challenge to ask a question he couldn’t guess beforehand and I *think* I managed it when I asked if he’d ever written to Jim’ll Fix It (he had, by the way).
His mind was formed by an early passion for television and the stories it created. He became an expert producer of winning formats and then, in his 40s, transferred his skill for knowing what people wanted to books. His debut, The Thursday Murder Club, became the fastest-selling crime novel of all time. The following three in the same series have sold over 10 million copies globally.
He joins me to talk about professional failure, his lifelong struggle with food addiction and his Fear Of Joining In (FOJI). Plus: cats and why being tall is a successful c**t radar.
Richard’s new novel - We Solve Murders is published on 12 September 2024.
As always, I’d LOVE 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: 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

Apr 10, 2024 • 55min
Dr. Jen Gunter - Patriarchy, periods and penile failure
TW: infant loss and birth trauma
Dr Jen Gunter is an obstetrician-gynaecologist, pain medicine physician and bestselling author. She’s most well-known to many of us as Twitter’s resident OB-GYN, the woman who took on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop with claims of medical misinformation and one of the fiercest advocates for women’s health the world over.
She had premature triplet boys in 2003 and tragically, one of her sons died at birth. To this day, Dr Gunter says her two boys ‘keep me so honest it hurts’. We discuss everything from first periods, failed marriages, failure to exercise to a failure to say no - sound familiar?!
As always, I’d LOVE 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: 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

Apr 3, 2024 • 48min
Adeel Akhtar - The importance of staying true to yourself
My guest today has a nickname in showbiz circles: he’s called ‘Ideal Actor’ because of his scene-stealing talent and his ability to get under the skin of what it is to be human. If you’ve watched Netflix’s monster hit, Fool Me Once, or seen Sherwood or Back To Life or The Night Manager or if you’ve watched the movies Four Lions or Murder Mystery 2, the chances are you will remember his performances. He’s a brilliant actor, but he’s also, as it happens, a wonderful guest - funny, moving and a deep thinker.
He joins me to talk about his acting failures, his failure to work hard at school, an upbringing where he was forced to question the nature of his own identity and his failure to keep things in perspective. Also: karaoke.
As always, I’d LOVE 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 Engineer: Gulli Lawrence-Tickle
Mix Engineer: 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

Mar 27, 2024 • 50min
Katie Price - ‘Everything bad that’s ever happened to me is because of men’
Katie Price discusses her struggles with fame, trauma, and failed marriages. She opens up about surviving sexual abuse, mental health challenges, and her journey towards resilience. The conversation delves into her personal experiences, addressing misconceptions and showcasing her courage.

Mar 20, 2024 • 41min
Nicole Scherzinger - ‘I’ve never felt I’m enough’
Nicole Scherzinger shares her journey from failed auditions to Broadway success. She discusses perfectionism, past relationships, and indirectly forming One Direction. The episode delves into childhood dreams, self-worth struggles, and reflections on perfectionism.