So, you f*cked up at work. Like, really bad. Maybe you tanked an important job interview, or accidentally sent a NSFW email that was meant for your work BFF to the whole company. Maybe your business failed, or you got fired. Whatever the failure is, our first instinct is to crawl into a hole of self pity and only return to the real world after we’ve beaten ourselves up enough times. Not only does this method make you feel even shittier, it doesn’t prevent you from making the same failure again in the future. There has to be a better way to cope, right?
This week on Girlboss.com, we’re looking failure in the eye and making a vow to Fail Fearlessly this year—and beyond. Because always succeeding is like… really boring.
Failing can be a seriously vulnerable act—especially if you were so close to reaching success. Too many of us chose isolation in these moments and, let’s be real, what does that really do for any of us? We all know the right support system—and an expensive glass of wine—can sometimes do the trick.
Even if you’d much rather be alone during the stages of grief over that goal, project or promotion, we have the perfect solution to stray from those negative thoughts we left behind in 2022. Here’s our favorite podcasts, books and affirmation tracks for picking yourself up after a huge fail. No matter what you went through, we’re sure listening to and reading these recs will definitely make you feel a bit more seen—and hopefully you’ll be a lot easier on yourself when the next loss comes around.
Podcasts
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Need a place to (safely) celebrate everything that went wrong? Every week, a new guest talks Elizabeth through their worst failures—and how they helped them succeed better in the long-run.
Fearlessly Failing with Lola Berry
Join author, nutritionist and yoga teacher, Lola Berry as she gets to know her weekly guests and learns how their failures ultimately led them to following their dreams.
Women Who Fail with Heather Tosh
It’s time to throw away your fear of the “f” word. Heather Tosh and her amazing guests filled with women who fail dissect the true meanings of failure and their personal relationships to it.
Career Strategies for Women, Sidestepping Self-Doubt
It’s okay to have self doubts—especially when it comes to major life decisions. Here’s how to deep-dive into those thoughts, manage them and make better choices for your next career move.
Girlboss Radio, Joanna Griffiths Sold Her Brand for $328 Million. Her Secret? Celebrating Failure
In our kick-off episode of the new season of Girlboss Radio, founder of intimates brand Knix speaks to her good friend Avery Francis—and our new host—about how she defines success, the gender bias she faced while raising funds and why she’s big on celebrating failure.
Books
Every woman lives by their own code. In this novel, the exploration of what it really means to “have it all,” create boundaries with professional excellence and find purpose beyond your accomplishments takes center stage.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
No matter your age, making the leap to a more creative life is an empowering move. If you need a bit of help leaning into your curiosity, transforming your ideas of success and pivoting with apprehension, this book is for you.
Created by and for influential women, this book is all about exploring the mistakes and mess-ups along the way to success. Across several fields and levels of professional titles—from art to finance—we’re sure you’ll feel a lot better about your latest oops at work.
Bounce Back: How to Fail Fast and be Resilient at Work by Susan Kahn
Growth simply can’t exist without (a lot of) failure. And Dr. Khan shows just how important failing can to make your dreams a reality. By the end of it, you’ll be failing a bit more gracefully, we’re sure of it.
Affirmation Tracks
Self Love Affirmations ~ Reprogram Your Mind in 10 Minutes
Here’s the only way you should be starting your mornings from here on out. Brought to you by Meditation Mountain, this 10-minute self affirmation reprogramming is an amazing pick-me up whenever you’re feeling down.
Empowered Affirmations: Morning Positive Affirmations to Start the Day
It’s time to awaken your power from within. If you’re in need of some daily positivity, manifestation technics or tips to live your best life, these affirmations are for you.
Meditating on Self Love: Bedtime Affirmations For Reducing Work Anxiety
When it felt like nothing could heal our work anxiety (before or after a fail), Ya Rose developed the perfect guide: one that literally has an episode for every emotion you’ll probably experience working. Add this to your “listen later” list RN.
READ MORE
Celebrating Your Failures Feels Weird—But it Works
Why Do We Always Have to Learn Something From Failure?
From Our DMs: Your Worst Work F*ckups
How to Cope With Failure the Right Way
