Why Successful People Secretly Love Failing
I had the privilege of joining the Something For Everybody podcast recently to talk about one of my favorite topics: why failure is not the end of the story—it’s often the very beginning.
As a former Olympic-level cycling coach and now a leadership coach for founders and startups, I’ve seen this truth play out again and again: the people who succeed at the highest levels don’t just tolerate failure. They learn to love it.
Not because it feels good (it rarely does). But because failure is the ultimate teacher.
Failure Is Feedback, Not Final
When I think back to my years coaching athletes at the highest level, failure was everywhere. Lost races, missed qualifications, injuries, setbacks. At first glance, these moments look like proof of weakness. In reality, they are the raw material of growth.
Every failure holds information. It reveals what works, what doesn’t, and what still needs to be developed. Athletes who embraced that process grew faster. Those who avoided it plateaued.
The same is true for founders, executives, and leaders. In business, just like in sport, the scoreboard doesn’t always reflect the hours of training or preparation. Sometimes you lose. The question isn’t “Did you fail?” The real question is, “What did you learn?”
The Power of Mentorship and Safe Spaces
Another theme we discussed was mentorship. Something I believe men in particular need far more of. Too often, men try to go it alone. They bottle things up, fearing judgment or rejection. This isolation contributes to what I call the “loneliness epidemic” among men.
Mentorship, coaching, and men’s groups create safe spaces where honesty and growth become possible. They allow men to drop the mask, admit struggles, and receive guidance. In my experience, those who lean into this support not only build resilience but also become better leaders, partners, and fathers.
Why Social Media Complicates Masculinity
Of course, none of this happens in a vacuum. Today, we live in a culture where social media constantly projects images of what men “should” be — strong, successful, invulnerable. This false narrative makes failure look like a flaw instead of what it really is: the path to mastery.
One of my missions is to challenge those outdated narratives. Resilience doesn’t mean never falling. It means learning to rise, again and again, with wisdom gained from the fall.
Closing Thought
The most successful people I know secretly love failing. Not because they enjoy the sting, but because they understand what it produces: growth, clarity, resilience, and depth.
Failure shapes us into who we’re capable of becoming. It strengthens character, sharpens skill, and expands empathy.
If you’re serious about growth, whether as an athlete, a founder, or simply a human being, stop fearing failure. Lean into it. Learn from it.
That’s where success is forged.
