The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure

Original Air Date: June 14, 2021

Failure.

A complete sentence. 

Is it a teacher 

Or a jailer? 

Is it a beginning 

Or does it end there? 

Where do you place your next step 

When the ground beneath you begins to erupt? 

Maybe if there was something to grasp, 

If it wasn’t so abrupt.

Perhaps if no one was watching, 

Not even me seeing me.

 Then this…

Failure

Would be easier to swallow. 

If self-criticism were a competition, 

I’d be a tough act to follow. 

Perfection.

Maybe it can serve as my protection. 

From any and all

Ridicule  

And rejection

And failure. 

There is fog on the glass of my reflection. 

I find the courage to wipe it, 

I shine back clearer. 

I need to reexamine my definition. 

A life without failure 

Actually sounds 

Kind of boring. 

Where would be the discovery? 

The intrigue? 

The lessons learned from walking through the fire 

And getting just a bit burnt. 

Realizing the nightmare scenes 

Are actually just branches of trees 

Scratching at my window.

Scary shadows revealed to be nothing. 

But it’s the confronting. 

The facing. 

The tasting the fear on your tongue 

And rather than deciding to run...

Moving forward. 

Moving toward that which I find to be frightening. 

Failure. 

It can be a beautiful teacher. 

Not gentle. 

But honest.  

Failure. 

Unexpected gifts found within if I’m willing to persist. 

To insist:

I know. I know. 

There is danger waiting. 

But I’d rather lose it all

Than die knowing 

I never even tried. 

I had all of these ideas

And just kept them shut inside. 

We get to decide when failure is an ending. 

A complete sentence. 

A teacher or 

A jailer. 

And when failure 

Is actually the greatest of all treasures. 

P.S. I hope you enjoy this week’s episode: ‘The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure.’

tomearl.me/giftsof

Listen to "The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure" on Spreaker.

Facebook & Instagram Ads Reflections With Nickey Rautenberg & Tom Earl

Do you use paid ads for digital marketing? Should you?

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by a brilliant marketer, Nickey Rautenberg Norrish, as we discuss the ever controversial topic of… paid Instagram and Facebook Ads.

This topic has so many layers, it was fun unpeeling them by reflecting on best practices and past .

Most people don’t know that with a low budget ad spend, they can be getting 25x the clients vs. organic reach… and with a lot less effort. 

But so many are unsure of the unknown, have heard horror stories of ads being rejected, or just don’t know where to begin.

That’s why Nickey and I really get into the science of ads and how to use them, with tips on what you should do next to get started or optimize what you’re already doing.

I get the honor of working with Nickey through my Facebook Ads agency - THE Celebration Media, so I can say she’s truly an expert I trust!

🎧 Ready to listen? Let’s go!

You can watch or listen here: www.tomearl.me/nickey

Wanna know more? Follow Nickey on instagram.

​​Listen to "Facebook & Instagram Ads Reflections With Nickey Rautenberg & Tom Earl" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Complex Connection and Unrestrained Release With Andrea Hodos and Omar El

We’re back for another one of my favorite style episodes where we dive DEEP into gratitude with two seriously amazing guests. 

This week was full of beautiful feelings that could only be described by one of our guests, Omar El, as therapeutic.

Andrea Hodos is an artist, the creator of Moving Torah and an Associate Director at NewGround: a Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change.

She goes deep to talk about connecting to yourself as well as others and shares how she helps others to do just that.

She spends much of her time connecting people with their roots.

Omar describes himself as complex, an idealistic dreamer who is hardy and multidimensional. He shares his vision for the world and what he’s currently creating for the world at HighAtlas.Shop.

You won’t want to miss what these two lovely people share with us on this episode of Complex Connection and Unrestrained Release…

Get in touch with Andrea on her website:

Hang out with Omar on Instagram:

Ready to dive in?

🎧 Listen now: www.tomearl.me/ao

​​Listen to "Complex Connection and Unrestrained Release With Andrea Hodos and Omar El" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure

Failure.

A complete sentence. 

Is it a teacher 

Or a jailer? 

Is it a beginning 

Or does it end there? 

Where do you place your next step 

When the ground beneath you begins to erupt? 

Maybe if there was something to grasp, 

If it wasn’t so abrupt.

Perhaps if no one was watching, 

Not even me seeing me.

 Then this…

Failure

Would be easier to swallow. 

If self-criticism were a competition, 

I’d be a tough act to follow. 

Perfection.

Maybe it can serve as my protection. 

From any and all

Ridicule  

And rejection

And failure. 

There is fog on the glass of my reflection. 

I find the courage to wipe it, 

I shine back clearer. 

I need to reexamine my definition. 

A life without failure 

Actually sounds 

Kind of boring. 

Where would be the discovery? 

The intrigue? 

The lessons learned from walking through the fire 

And getting just a bit burnt. 

Realizing the nightmare scenes 

Are actually just branches of trees 

Scratching at my window.

Scary shadows revealed to be nothing. 

But it’s the confronting. 

The facing. 

The tasting the fear on your tongue 

And rather than deciding to run...

Moving forward. 

Moving toward that which I find to be frightening. 

Failure. 

It can be a beautiful teacher. 

Not gentle. 

But honest.  

Failure. 

Unexpected gifts found within if I’m willing to persist. 

To insist:

I know. I know. 

There is danger waiting. 

But I’d rather lose it all

Than die knowing 

I never even tried. 

I had all of these ideas

And just kept them shut inside. 

We get to decide when failure is an ending. 

A complete sentence. 

A teacher or 

A jailer. 

And when failure 

Is actually the greatest of all treasures. 

P.S. I hope you enjoy this week’s episode: ‘The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure.’

Listen to "The Unexpected Gifts Of Failure" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

What is Islam to You? A Roundtable Discussion

“You’re Muslim? Really?” This is a question I’ve been asked many times by both Muslims and non-Muslims. 

Usually, shock and raised eyebrows accompany the question. 

Sometimes, it’s also accompanied by a clenched fist of anger and a feeling of betrayal, with an undertone of, “I thought you were one of us” permeating the question. 

It’s fair to say that in the American mindset, there is a dominant image that we picture when we are prompted to envision a Muslim. 

For the most part, that picture isn’t of a white guy named Tom hailing from a small rural town in Wisconsin. 

In fact, if we were to continue down Stereotype Road, the white guy named Tom socialized in a small rural American town would be the one voting for politicians who want to ban Islam. 

Accordingly, given my background, there has been some curiosity as to how I embraced Islam.  

Over the years, I have been asked to be a part of a few “viral” videos that explore the Muslim American identity. 

Each time these videos were released, I was gifted an opportunity to receive massive feedback on the deeper implications of “Meet a Muslim” type videos. 

One takeaway, for me, has been this: 

While my story has elements of it that are rich and unique, I also have many social advantages that my fellow Muslims may not. Therefore, there is a real danger that my story is continually elevated over that of other Muslims. 

We all have something beautiful and powerful to contribute in the telling of our own stories. 

Each time we listen to one another’s stories, it allows us an opportunity to see the world through someone else’s eyes. 

I believe this is one of the first seeds of empathy. 

This isn’t to discount or minimize my own story: but I do believe that when my story becomes a focal point, we lose sight of the richness of Muslim American experience. 

Whenever I am asked to share my experience as a Muslim American – these thoughts occupy my mind as I consider my participation. 

Which is why, when my good friend, Chris, asked me if he could interview me about being Muslim, I paused to consider first. 

After thinking, I said, “yes, and”: 

1. Let’s do a roundtable where you ask other Muslims about their experiences too. 

2. I’ll record the conversation and share it with my podcast listeners. 

He gave an enthusiastic green light to both ideas.

This was decided at 10AM. The interview was scheduled for 2PM that very same day. 

Over the next 4 hours, I sent out texts and DMs to my friends asking if they were free at 2PM and if they’d like to be a part of the roundtable. 

I am grateful to the guests who agreed to chat with Chris and me on such short notice, and with minimal detail and direction. 

Please accept my sincere apologies in advance if you feel your voice is absent from this conversation. Islam has an incredibly diverse following, and I could never do that diversity justice in a one-hour episode.

Now, this may go on the record books as the longest podcast writeup in the history of Tom Earl podcast writeups, so I’ll end it here, but:

My friends – do yourself this favor. 

Hit play on this one. 

Listen to "What is Islam to You? A Roundtable Discussion." on Spreaker.

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Gifts for My Child Episode 3

Featuring: Jasmine Star, Mitch del Monico, Intisar Seraaj, Vivi Devereaux

I am grateful that I get to share with you the third installment of my Gifts for My Child series. As I’ve mentioned, if you haven’t listened to episode 1 already, I highly recommend you start there. 

It was really a beautiful process meeting with those I care about and asking them to offer advice to my yet to be born child. I learned new things about each person I interviewed, and really had important conversations with them. 

As I was editing these episodes, what really stood out to me was the power of offering advice to someone we have yet to meet.

Whether you’re looking for some inspiration, a spark of hope, or a thought-provoking listen, then be sure to join us on this week’s episode. 

Listen to "Gifts for My Child Episode 3" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Gifts for My Child Ft. Adaora

This project has been a long time in the making. As our daughter’s due date was approaching, I decided that I wanted to host a series of interviews where I asked people to share their advice with my yet to be born child. 

That quest led me to interview almost 20 people. The conversations I had were absolutely beautiful and have brought tears to my eyes many times. 

Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing with you those interviews. Even if you don’t have a child, I know you will be moved by the conversations I had and you may even find some great advice you can apply to your life. 

I am launching this series, entitled “Gifts for My Child”, with a conversation I had with Adaora less than 24 hours before our child was due to arrive. 

Listen to "Gifts for My Child Ft. Adaora" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Courage Talks Part 1

I’ve been reflecting upon courage lately. The latin origin of the word – cor – means heart.  Rather than being verbose and ego driven, to me, courage begins and ends with the heart. 

2018 was my year of courage. It allowed me 12 months to reflect upon my own definition of courage and to listen to other people’s definitions as well. It was a wonderful journey of seeing the beautiful differences and synchronicity parallels in people’s stories, experiences, and definitions of courage. 

As you may know, I am on paternity leave spending precious time with Jayanma. In the interim, I’ve prepared for you some of my favorite episode replays from the over past 205 episodes I’ve shared (wow – 200 just snuck in on me). 

This week’s episode is a replay from my courage talks series from 2018. During a dinner party, or while people were over at my house, I’d invite them to step into my studio, where I would walk them through the same set of questions around courage. 

During this two part episode, you get to hear their responses. Ranging from diverse backgrounds, professions, and perspectives, the participants of this episode dive deep into who their courage role models are, what courage looks like, and how you can become more courageous. 

I hope you enjoy part 1 of Courage Talks! 

Listen to "Courage Talks Part 1" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.