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How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events (Update) by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events (Update)

from Freakonomics Radio

by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Published: Fri May 09 2025

Show Notes

We tend to think of tragedies as a single terrible moment, rather than the result of multiple bad decisions. Can this pattern be reversed? We try — with stories about wildfires, school shootings, and love.

  • SOURCES:
    • Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership management at Harvard Business School.
    • Helen Fisher, former senior research fellow at The Kinsey Institute and former chief science advisor to Match.com.
    • Ed Galea, founding director of the Fire Safety Engineering Group at the University of Greenwich.
    • Gary Klein, cognitive psychologist and pioneer in the field of naturalistic decision making.
    • David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.
    • Aaron Stark, head cashier at Lowe's and keynote speaker.
    • John Van Reenen, professor at the London School of Economics.

  • RESOURCES:
    • "EthanCrumbley: Parents of Michigan school gunman sentenced to at least 10 years," by Brandon Drenon (New York Times, 2024).
    • Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, by Amy Edmondson (2023).
    • "HowFire Turned Lahaina Into a Death Trap," by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Serge F. Kovaleski, Shawn Hubler, and Riley Mellen (The New York Times, 2023).
    • The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic, by Jillian Peterson and James Densley (2021).
    • "I Was Almost A School Shooter," by Aaron Stark (TEDxBoulder, 2018).

  • EXTRAS:
    • "Is Perfectionism Ruining Your Life?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
    • "Why Did You Marry That Person?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
    • "What Do We Really Learn From Failure?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).
    • "How to Fail Like a Pro," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).
    • "Failure Is Your Friend," by Freakonomics Radio (2014).
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