63. How Fascinating: Rethinking Failure, Resilience, & Growth with Tom Hicks

Failure tends to feel personal.A missed opportunity.A mistake at work.A relationship ending.A plan falling apart.For a lot of us, failure doesn’t just feel like something that happened.It feels like evidence about who we are.In this episode, I’m with keynote and workshop speaker Tom Hicks to talk about what happened when a really difficult season of life unexpectedly led him to a set of juggling balls…and ultimately to a completely different relationship with failure.Tom now teaches people and organizations how to juggle while helping them rethink perfectionism, growth, resilience, and what it actually means to fail.

We talked about:

Why so many high-achievers struggle with failure

The difference between understanding growth mindset intellectually vs. actually experiencing it

Why play matters more than we realize as adults

How curiosity changes our relationship with mistakes

The phrase “how fascinating” and why it’s more powerful than it sounds

Why many “failures” are actually redirections

The importance of kindness toward ourselves

One of my favorite parts of the conversation was this reminder…You already have the ability to navigate failure. You’ve been doing it your entire life. You may just need to reconnect with it.Also… it feels important to mention that we had multiple technology issues and recording glitches during this episode…which made the entire “how fascinating” conversation even more fitting. 😂

About TomTom Hicks is the founder and CJO (Chief Juggling Officer) of Throw & Catch Consulting based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He provides practical and fun leadership development experiences that blend storytelling, reflection, and active learning to create deeper connections while playing with a purpose for individuals, teams, and organizations. Tom has worked at all levels in higher education for the past 20+ years and has coached thousands of students, staff, and executives on failure, growth, and resilience. When he’s not on campus or conducting workshops, Tom enjoys cycling and traveling with his wife Megan and cheering on their daughter Emily in all of her activities.

Here’s where you can find Tom…