Sophia Amoruso on Why Failing Forward is the Key to Designing Your Path

Heroine

What is your relationship to failure?
My guest this week, Sophia Amoruso, believes that, as long as you’re learning from your experiences, there’s no such thing as failure. The founder of Girlboss Media and author of #GIRLBOSS, Sophia watched her first business, online fashion retailer Nasty Gal, go bankrupt after a successful run. Rather than hide or quit when the challenges came, she chose instead to learn from the experience her first business gave her.
Sophia started her new venture, Girlboss Media, in 2017, with a fresh perspective on what success really means and a healthy relationship to failure. In this interview, you’ll hear how Sophia emerged from the challenges of losing her first business and the way these trials shaped who she is today. Even when the darkest days come and life puts obstacles in your path, there’s always something you can be grateful for.
Show Notes
- Growing up a troublemaker who had a distaste for authority and convention.
- Hear about Sophia’s high school years with ADHD and mental health struggles.
- A few compelling reasons why the traditional education system fails many people.
- Leaving home at 17 to live in the city in a purple “closet” with a bunch of musicians.
- How Sophia's teenage anti-establishment phase spilled over into her mischievous life in Portland.
- Find out why Sophia describes her time as a stripper as a positive experience.
- How privilege and special treatment made her feel entitled to indulge in delinquent behavior.
- The lessons in social engineering and acting that help Sophia to combat imposter syndrome.
- Learn about Sophia's journey to starting Nasty Gal and its exponential growth.
- 2016: the year her husband left her, her company went bankrupt, and Trump was elected.
- Breaking free from the binary concepts of success and failure.
- Seeing the good things in life amid the difficulty and embracing the mystery of our existence.
- The wonderful hindsight that comes with being a second-time entrepreneur.
References
Sophia Amoruso on Twitter - https://twitter.com/sophiaamoruso
Sophia Amoruso on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sophiaamoruso
Girlboss - https://www.girlboss.com
Girlboss on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/girlboss
#GIRLBOSS - https://www.amazon.com/GIRLBOSS-Sophia-Amoruso/dp/039916927X
Nasty Gal - https://www.nastygal.com
Isabel Allende - https://www.isabelallende.com
Majo Molfino - https://majomolfino.com
HEROINE (Podcast) - https://majomolfino.com/podcast