"I didn't consider the possibility of failure enough when I was developing this show. For the last episode of the season I was supposed to have a conversation with Ronald Young Jr., he had been wanting to spend time learning piano and do a small show for his loved ones. But the week I was supposed to record with Ronald he emailed me to admit that he hadn't learned the song on piano,"
"I freaked out for a few hours. I knew I still had to deliver an episode, and I had no idea what to do. I considered spinning up a new episode with myself as the test subject; " Could I learn to play football in like three weeks?" But after sleeping on it, I decided to ask Ronald if he'd be willing to chat with me anyway - but this time, about failure."
"To be a tryhard is to fail a lot, and the way I've structured this show so far doesn't leave enough room for that. Ronald said something in our conversation that I've been thinking about ever since: "When the premise of a podcast runs out, then you expand on the name." This last episode of season one is a first step toward expansion:"
A planned season finale collapsed when the guest did not learn the piano piece, skipped the agreed recital, and was not ready to record. The host faced last-minute failure, considered pivoting to a self-experiment episode, and ultimately invited the guest to discuss failure instead. The ensuing conversation was vulnerable and honest, reframing failure as intrinsic to trying hard and revealing that the show's format previously left insufficient space for failure. A memorable line reframed outcomes: when the premise runs out, expand on the name. The final episode functions as a commemoration of failure, communal sharing of shame, and an appeal to request and accept support.
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