Show Notes
Ambition can be a powerful force: it propels us forward, sharpens our focus and pushes us to dream bigger. But it can also whisper that we are only as good as our latest achievement - and these two brilliant former How to Fail guests explore what it really means to live a driven life.
Gillian Anderson reflects on her lifelong drive to prove herself, the guilt she feels when stepping back from work and the tension between motherhood and a demanding career.
Munroe Bergdorf shares how rejection and gatekeeping in fashion shaped her ambition. Once treated as a token gesture, she has become a leading voice for representation, speaking openly about resilience, self‑worth and creating space for others to follow.
An episode about striving and self‑belief – and about whether ambition truly supports us, or whether we end up chasing it at our own expense.
Listen to Gillian’s full episode of How to Fail here: swap.fm/l/7NyZMzkfVOpGyDtlB6k0
Listen to Munroe’s full episode of How to Fail here: swap.fm/l/tu153m3gHYreWBZSrcY1
🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:
Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/
Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?
Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts
Leave a 5⭐ review – it helps more people discover these stories
👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth:
Instagram: @howtofailpod @elizabday
TikTok: @howtofailpod @elizabday
Website: www.elizabethday.org
Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com
How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Bill Bailey is a comedian, musician, writer, actor, director and presenter, known for his brilliant live tours and panel appearances on shows including Never Mind the Buzzcocks and QI.
Bella Mackie began her career as a journalist, writing for publications including the Guardian, Vice and Vogue, before writing her bestselling debut, Jog On. The book explored how running helped her rebuild her life after the end of her first marriage triggered debilitating anxiety and panic attacks.
Scaramucci’s 11-day tenure as the White House Communications Chief under President Donald Trump’s first term ended in a blaze of recrimination. Scaramucci was advised by a PR consultant to disappear for five years. He refused - and reinvented his career.
Luke Evans and Sarah Solemani join Elizabeth to talk about the journey of Elizabeth’s 2017 novel The Party to its new five-part ITV adaptation.
Bonnie Garmus was 64 when her debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, was published. It went on to sell more than eight million copies, spend almost two years on the New York Times bestseller list, was translated into more than 40 languages and become an eight-part Apple TV+ series. At its centre was Elizabeth Zott, a fiercely intelligent, forthright chemist turned 1950s TV cooking star.