The show is hosted by Alanna Lynch, founder of MELIOR FUTURI, and former executive at The New York Times and Artnet. Each week she sits down for intimate, unfiltered conversations with some of the most influential and inspiring voices in the creative, entertainment, and cultural industries. From Emmy-winning war reporters to high-flying media executives, from artists and the journalists who cover them to New York's most sought-after creative directors, producers, and marketers.
Together, they unpack the early influences, unexpected career turns, and untold stories of each guest: the self-doubt they had to overcome, the blind ambition that drove them, and the setbacks that shaped them. What you get is an honest and revealing look at what it really takes to lead at the highest level of the creative, entertainment, and cultural industries.
Alongside headline guests, (FAIL) UP also explores the science and psychology of failure, with insights from neuropharmacologists and psychotherapists who explain what happens in the brain when we fail and how leaders can develop resilience and bounce back.
Each episode wraps with a lightning round of hot takes on creativity, leadership, and the rollercoaster of life in the creative, entertainment and cultural industries.
New episodes drop every Tuesday (US) / Wednesday (AUS). Available on Youtube and all major podcast platforms.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The show is hosted by Alanna Lynch, founder of MELIOR FUTURI, and former executive at The New York Times and Artnet. Each week she sits down for intimate, unfiltered conversations with some of the most influential and inspiring voices in the creative, entertainment, and cultural industries. From Emmy-winning war reporters to high-flying media executives, from artists and the journalists who cover them to New York's most sought-after creative directors, producers, and marketers.
Together, they unpack the early influences, unexpected career turns, and untold stories of each guest: the self-doubt they had to overcome, the blind ambition that drove them, and the setbacks that shaped them. What you get is an honest and revealing look at what it really takes to lead at the highest level of the creative, entertainment, and cultural industries.
Alongside headline guests, (FAIL) UP also explores the science and psychology of failure, with insights from neuropharmacologists and psychotherapists who explain what happens in the brain when we fail and how leaders can develop resilience and bounce back.
Each episode wraps with a lightning round of hot takes on creativity, leadership, and the rollercoaster of life in the creative, entertainment and cultural industries.
New episodes drop every Tuesday (US) / Wednesday (AUS). Available on Youtube and all major podcast platforms.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is one of the most fascinating people you’ll ever meet, with one of the most unexpected career journeys you’ve ever heard.
Alexandre Stipanovich is a neuropharmacologist whose PhD research on the molecular mechanisms of addiction was published in Nature. After completing postdoctoral work at Yale and Rockefeller Labs, he took a wildly creative detour into the cultural industries, designing cultural programming for creative agencies and luxury brands (where we had the great pleasure of working together), launching an independent record label, and founding a boutique event production agency. He now runs Cascades Analytics, a consultancy at the forefront of psychedelic science and the neuropharmacology of consciousness.
In this episode, Alex explains the neuroscience of failure — why rejection feels so physically painful, how our brain chemistry shapes our appetite for risk-taking, and what science can teach us about creativity, ego, and bouncing back from failure.
This episode blew my mind, and I think it will do the same for you.
Alex breaks down:
A fascinating and thought-provoking conversation that blends science and creativity, revealing what failure can teach us about who we are and how we grow.
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Stay Connected with Alanna (Host) & Alexandre (Guest)
If this conversation left you wanting to think bigger, feel braver, and influence change in your own career, head to melior-futuri.com to explore our executive and leadership coaching programs, available internationally.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.