The Rest is Failure cover art

The Rest is Failure

The Rest is Failure

By: Nathan Pali
Listen for free

About this listen

The Rest Is Failure is a history and leadership podcast about what comes after the triumphs—the mistakes, misjudgments, and decisions that didn’t work.

While history often celebrates winners and turning points, this podcast focuses on leadership failures, bad decisions, and unintended consequences that are usually summarized, softened, or ignored. Each episode examines real historical moments where leaders failed to adapt, misread reality, or doubled down on the wrong choice—and how those failures shaped what followed.

From political and military disasters to organizational collapse and cultural breakdown, the show explores how leaders fail, why smart people make bad decisions, and how power distorts judgment over time. These are not morality tales or hindsight lectures, but story-driven examinations of failure as it actually unfolded.

This isn’t a podcast about success stories or heroic leadership. It’s about what went wrong, why it went wrong, and why failure is often the most influential part of history.

If you’re interested in leadership history, historical failures, decision-making, power dynamics, and the hidden side of how the world was shaped, this podcast is for you.

The Rest Is Failure Because history remembers the victories. But it’s built on the failures.

© 2026 The Rest is Failure All rights reserved.
World
Episodes
  • Nikolai Vavilov: Science vs. Ideology and Starvation
    Feb 15 2026
    In this episode, we explore the compelling story of Nikolai Vavilov, a botanist and geneticist who risked everything to collect seeds and prevent famine in the Soviet Union. We examine his conflict with Trofim Lysenko and illustrate how ideology and the pursuit of certainty can lead to devastating consequences when prioritized over scientific truth and reality.          Chapters    00:00 Introduction to Vavilov    00:37 Vavilov's Vision and Work    03:33 The Rise of Lysenkoism    08:21 Vavilov's Arrest and Legacy
    Show More Show Less
    8 mins
  • The Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg's Mary's Heights
    Feb 14 2026
    In this episode, we explore the devastating leadership failure during the Battle of Fredericksburg, focusing on the Irish Brigade's doomed advance at Mary's Heights. We discuss the strategic missteps, the immense casualties, and the lingering questions about why the brigade was sent forward into an unwinnable battle.          Chapters    00:00 Introduction to Fredericksburg    00:43 Burnside's Ill-Fated Plan    04:44 The Irish Brigade's Advance    10:55 Lessons in Leadership Failure
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Napoleon's Ulm Maneuver of 1805
    Feb 13 2026
    In this episode, we explore Napoleon Bonaparte's Ulm maneuver of 1805, a brilliant campaign where an entire army surrendered without a major battle. We analyze the strategic missteps of Austrian commander Karl Mack von Lieberich and the psychological impact of Napoleon's unconventional tactics.          Chapters    00:00 The Ulm Maneuver of 1805    00:40 Austrian Misconceptions    04:07 Pressure Over Position    07:07 Surrender and Leadership Failure
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.