
Without Fail
Candid conversations with entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, visionaries of all kinds—about their successes, and their failures, and what they learned from both. Hosted by Alex Blumberg, from Gimlet Media.
Latest episodes

Sep 15, 2020 • 14min
Introducing Michelle Obama and Her Mentees
What's it like to have Michelle Obama as your mentor? In this preview of The Michelle Obama Podcast, she sits down with some of her mentees to talk about the fear of failure, working in the White House and what it's like to be a Black woman in the workplace. Listen to the rest at spotify.com/themichelleobamapodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 21, 2020 • 12min
Introducing How to Save a Planet
Does climate change freak you out? Want to know what we, collectively, can do about it? Us too. How to Save a Planet is a podcast that asks the big questions: what do we need to do to solve the climate crisis, and how do we get it done?Join us, journalist Alex Blumberg and scientist and policy nerd Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, as we scour the Earth for solutions, talk to people who are making a difference, ask hard questions, crack dumb jokes and — episode by episode — figure out how to build the future we want. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 20, 2020 • 59min
How Megan Phelps-Roper Left the Westboro Baptist Church
As the granddaughter of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps, Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in a culture of hate. Her family was known for their hateful rhetoric and practice of picketing the funerals of gay people and soldiers. For more than 20 years, Megan didn't imagine a life outside the church—until she got a Twitter account. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 13, 2020 • 45min
What's Happening Around Gimlet: Every Little Thing - Essential Workers Call In
We’re taking a break from in-studio interviews to social distance. During this time, we’re going to share our favorite Gimlet episodes about Coronavirus.This week we’re bringing you 'Essential Workers Call In' from Every Little Thing. Host Flora Lichtman speaks with listeners who deliver packages, stock shelves and drive buses about how their lives have changed during the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 6, 2020 • 48min
What’s Happening Around Gimlet: Reply All - The Attic and Closet Show 2
We’re taking a break from in-studio interviews to social distance. During this time, we’re going to share our favorite Gimlet episodes about Coronavirus.This week we’re bringing you “The Attic and Closet Show 2” from Reply All. Reply All hosts Alex and PJ are recording in their respective attic and closet (hence the name) and breaking away from the normal, heavily reported show format to take calls from listeners and find out how everyone is doing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 30, 2020 • 25min
What's Happening Around Gimlet: Science Vs - Will Chloroquine Save Us?
We're taking a break from in-studio interviews to social distance. During this time, we're going to share our favorite Gimlet episodes about Coronavirus.This week, we're bringing you "Will Chloroquine Save Us?" from Science Vs. Science Vs is a show that pits facts against fads and fiction. In this episode, they uncover if chloroquine, the anti-malarial drug works and whether or not it's dangerous by talking to doctors, scientists and academics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 16, 2020 • 42min
The Secret to Writing a Children’s Book
Everyone thinks they can write a children’s book, but very few people actually can. Abby Hanlon, the author and illustrator of the beloved Dory Fantasmagory series, describes her unusual creative process—it involves eavesdropping and bribery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 17, 2020 • 46min
The Church of John Green
For years, John Green made a comfortable living as a writer and YouTube host, nestled right where he wanted to be: between obscurity and celebrity. But then he published The Fault in Our Stars and catapulted to fame. And being famous proved harder than he could have ever imagined. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 3, 2020 • 15min
Introducing Motherhacker
This week, we're sharing the first episode of Motherhacker. It's a fiction podcast about a mother who gets involved in an identity theft ring in order to support her family. The series stars Carrie Coon, Pedro Pascal, Alan Cumming, Lucas Hedges, Tavi Gevinson and Alex Goldman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 20, 2020 • 40min
The Secret Early Lives of Sam Esmail (Rebroadcast)
Director and screenwriter Sam Esmail’s TV series Mr. Robot was an immediate hit when it premiered in 2015, turning him into one of the most in-demand showrunners in Hollywood. But he didn’t have an easy path to that point. Sam was 38 by the time Mr. Robot launched. He’d worked all kinds of jobs -- including a stint as a startup founder -- and seen all kinds of setbacks. Sam tells Alex about the stuff that came before, and about why he couldn’t quit trying to make movies, even when success was a long way off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices