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Fail Better with David Duchovny

Fail Better with David Duchovny

By: Lemonada Media
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To be human is to fail – period. And not just to fail once, but to fail a lot. As the author Samuel Beckett said: “Fail again. Fail better.” This saying means a lot to me and my family – so much so that my daughter got a tattoo of it. Why are we, and so many others, so deeply concerned by failure? And if it’s something we all do so often, why are we so afraid of it – especially those of us here in win-at-all-costs America? In this podcast, I sit down with successful, thoughtful people like Ben Stiller, Bette Midler, Sean Penn and more to talk about failure – or what they labeled “failure,” but what was really an unparalleled opportunity for growth and revelation. I even want to delve into my own hardest moments, when I wrestled with setbacks, shame, and fear. We’ll still fail again. And again. But maybe if we fail better, we’ll feel better -- and maybe if we can all laugh together in failure, that's a start.

2025 Lemonada Media Inc.
Social Sciences
Episodes
  • No Scars, No Stories with Charlie Sheen (Live at 92NY)
    Oct 7 2025

    Charlie Sheen is an actor perhaps known just as well for his off-screen antics as his on-screen performances. In his new memoir, The Book of Sheen, Charlie is finally coming clean on what was going on during his years of hard drugs, public divorces, and on-set disputes that came to define his later career and reputation. These days, humility, gratitude, and sobriety have come to replace his meme-able bravado. Sitting on stage with him at the 92nd Street Y in NYC, we shared jokes and jabs as I sought to discover why he chose to tell his story now — and why he took such a unique literary approach. Plus, we discuss the turning point that sent him on the road to recovery, and Charlie tells us what his one “do-over” in life would be — the answer might surprise you.

    Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here.

    For a limited time, Home Chef is offering my listeners FIFTY PERCENT OFF and free shipping for your first box PLUS free dessert for life! Go to homechef.com/failbetter.

    Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

    For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    58 mins
  • Looking Back: Gretchen Rubin Wants to Make You Happy/ish
    Sep 30 2025

    This week we’re revisiting my conversation with the author Gretchen Rubin, since we could probably all use a little more light these days. Gretchen has spent years trying to understand happiness, the ways she can access it herself, and how to bring others in on the wisdom she’s gained.

    Gretchen also has a new podcast, Since You Asked, with bestselling author and psychotherapist, Lori Gottlieb. The two of them team up to take on the everyday problems we all face. Whether it’s the pet peeve that’s annoyed you for years, the question you’re too embarrassed to ask, or the dilemma you can’t solve, they'll address it all with warmth, humor, and insight.

    Follow Since You Asked wherever you get your podcasts or head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/SinceYouAskedfd

    Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

    For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • How Steve Burns Found His Aliveness Again
    Sep 23 2025

    Steve Burns is best known for being the host of a beloved 90s children’s show, Blue’s Clues, so I didn’t expect this interview to be about Samuel Beckett. But it turns out that Steve and I share a deep admiration for the writer, as well as a lot of other common ground. Steve went quiet for about two decades after rumors of his death took over the internet, and now he’s back with a podcast (Alive, which just dropped September 17). The two of us talk about listening, what people didn’t appreciate about Pee-wee Herman, and the deep, lasting importance of Sesame Street. Steve has a lot of perspective, having stood both at the center and on the outside of important, formative media that influenced so many adults today. This is a conversation about the past, for the future.

    Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/FAILBETTER.

    Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here.

    Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

    For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
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