Hollywood executive Jeff Goldman describes how he is challenged by living with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). He struggled throughout his childhood with undiagnosed OCD that controlled much of his life and often left him feeling like a failure. Only as an adult was he finally officially diagnosed and able to get the help he needed. Jeff describes with honesty his often painful battle managing his obsessions and compulsions and how he learned to come to terms with the ongoing challenges. His ability to share such a personal experience is both informative and inspiring.

Jeff is also the Head of the OCD SoCal Awareness Committee. You can find out more about OCD at the below links.

International OCD Foundation: www.iocdf.org

OCD SoCal: www.ocdsocal.org

Prolific author of adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction, poetry, musicals, and countless magazine articles, Judith Viorst shares her journey through many decades of both success and failure. Known for her bestselling adult book “Necessary Losses” as well as the iconic classic “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”, which speaks to kids about failure, Judith’s latest book called “Nearing 90” shares her experience of growing into the next decade of her colorful life. Her insight, honesty and sense of humor about family, relationships, aging, death and especially failure is refreshing and inspiring.

Find out more about Judith @: www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Judith-Viorst

Find out more about Judith’s latest book @: www.amazon.com/Nearing-Ninety

As a record breaking and award winning open-water marathon swimmer, including the Ocean’s Seven, which consists of seven long-distance open-water swims, Kim Chambers shares what it’s like to conquer goals she never thought she could attain. After sustaining injuries from falling down stairs and learning that she may never walk again, Kim saw some of her darkest, most terrifying moments. As part of her healing, both mentally and physically, she found the ocean water to be a powerful source of possibility, where no one judged her scars, scoffed at her limp or saw her as a failure. Instead, she found the community of swimmers to be a reinvigoration of her mind, body, and soul and push through adversity, not only to walk again, but to swim marathon races all across the world. Her story is one of incredible inspiration, where she was able to see the gifts in failure and harness the power of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in order to push past your limits to grow and thrive.

Find out more about Kim @: www.kimswims.com

And follow Kim on Instagram @: www.instagram.com/kimberleyswims

Entrepreneur, consultant and author of the book “55, Underemployed and Faking Normal”, Elizabeth White describes how she went from a Harvard MBA and a hugely successful business career, to being “55, underemployed and faking normal”. She describes her experience about how she had followed the rules and done all the things she had been told would get her ahead in life, and yet she still got jettisoned out of the workforce. She was in her 50’s, without any income, overnight, the one with her “nose pressed up against the glass looking at a world you’re not part of”, and yet she was not alone. When White shared an article which told of her struggle, it went viral and she was bombarded by people sharing the same story. She then went on to write her book, sharing her experiences in more detail. Her insight offers practical tips of how to get through life at such a critical stage, while managing feelings of being a failure.

Learn more about Elizabeth @: www.55andfakingnormal.com

Editor-In-Chief of Ventura Blvd Magazine and Host of the Podcast SheSez, Linda Grasso speaks about her career in journalism, including longtime correspondent, anchor and host for E! Entertainment TV and the struggles she faced navigating the industry on and off camera. Her candid take on the challenges she encountered and her insight into what it takes to persevere is inspiring. From her own life experience, as well as her many podcast interviews with forward thinking women, Linda offers a fresh and honest perspective on learning from failure.

Find out more about Linda & SheSez @: www.shesez.com

And learn more about Ventura Blvd Magazine @: www.venturablvd.goldenstate.is

Entrepreneur, coach and author of “Stories of Elders”, Veronica Kirin shares her fascinating story of experiencing an anticipated tsunami while working as a humanitarian aid in a coastal Village in Samoa in 2009. Despite the fact that the tsunami never came, the anticipation and terror, confusion and chaos that she experienced side by side with the villagers that day led her to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Injury (formerly post traumatic stress disorder). Because the tsunami never actually came, her reactions to the trauma were minimized by those around her and she was expected to go on with life as usual. As a result she hid her suffering, for fear that her struggle would be seen as a failure to cope. Veronica’s untreated trauma eventually caught up with her and in her darkest moments, she realized that she needed help. Her journey towards healing lead her on a quest for self care, which she now shares with others in her work as a coach.

Find out more about Veronica @: www.veronicakirin.com

Find out more about “Stories of Elders” @: www.storiesofelders.com

Author and essayist William Deresiewicz discusses his book “Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life” and the current college admissions scandal. William got his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD from Columbia University and has taught at Yale University. Following his article, ‘The Disadvantages of an Elite Education’ in 2008 which went viral, William wrote “Excellent Sheep” which examines how elite colleges are failing young kids. In this fascinating conversation, William shares his views on the epidemic of mental distress amongst college students who can’t navigate their way outside of school. He discusses how parents have failed their children by getting caught up in status anxiety, where they produce a child that looks good on a college application, but lacks the resiliency, energy and optimism to truly know themselves and be happy.

Find out more about Bill and his book @: www.billderesiewicz.com

And check out his article here

A Professor of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary, Dr. King’s focus is on human thriving and spiritual development, especially in the context of our youth. Her combination of intellect, sensitivity, and wit takes the topics of spirituality, religion and belonging and brings a fresh perspective to failure. Whether it be finding meaning, cultivating community, or identifying purpose, Dr. King articulates what matters most to young adults and how to support them on their journey.

Learn more about Dr. King & her work @: www.thethrivecenter.org

A Writer with a Doctorate in Art History, Matt Abrams shares his epic story of early drug use, which led to dropping out of high school, running away from home, drug smuggling and dealing. After many of his junkie friends landed themselves in jail or dead, Matt found the strength in the recovery community to get sober by the age of 19. Determined to change his way of being, he found education to be a wonderful avenue to new meaning and opportunity. Getting his PhD at Yale served to be a place of growth and awakening in many ways, as he came to understand his dual identity as an Ivy League student and OxyContin addict. Matt’s ability to empathize with the “junkie world” on the outskirts of Yale was profound, as he grappled with the fact that while OxyContin almost killed him, its makers were largely responsible for funding the University that brought him so much life.

Find out more about Matt @: www.matthewjeffreyabrams.com

Follow Matt @: www.instagram.com/matthewjabrams

Read Matt’s article @: www.theguardian.com

Steve Burrows, filmmaker and comedian, speaks about the making of his HBO documentary “Bleed Out”, the story of his mom, who went in for a routine hip replacement surgery and came out with permanent brain damage after a week long coma that changed her life forever. Steve’s painful journey chronicles 10 years of investigating the multiple failures in the health care system that led to his mother’s demise, and ultimately, who was to blame. While his story is complicated and heart wrenching, it’s also a compelling reminder about how to navigate and advocate for a patient’s care in order to avoid failures that can impact lives forever.

Find out more about Steve @: www.burrowsofhollywood.com