Fail Better with David Duchovny Podcast By Lemonada Media cover art

Fail Better with David Duchovny

Fail Better with David Duchovny

By: Lemonada Media
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To be human is to fail – period. And not just to fail once, but to fail a lot. As the author Samuel Beckett said: “Fail again. Fail better.” This saying means a lot to me and my family – so much so that my daughter got a tattoo of it. Why are we, and so many others, so deeply concerned by failure? And if it’s something we all do so often, why are we so afraid of it – especially those of us here in win-at-all-costs America? In this podcast, I sit down with successful, thoughtful people like Ben Stiller, Bette Midler, Sean Penn and more to talk about failure – or what they labeled “failure,” but what was really an unparalleled opportunity for growth and revelation. I even want to delve into my own hardest moments, when I wrestled with setbacks, shame, and fear. We’ll still fail again. And again. But maybe if we fail better, we’ll feel better -- and maybe if we can all laugh together in failure, that's a start.

2025 Lemonada Media Inc. Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Family Business with Robert Downey Jr.

    The Family Business with Robert Downey Jr.
    Jul 22 2025

    The spotlight has certainly taken its toll on Robert Downey Jr. over the years. But much like his beloved MCU character Tony Stark, there's an undeniably powerful force inside Robert that keeps him pushing forward. When we sat down over iced coffees, we found ourselves unpacking the fraught relationship Robert had with his father — the experimental, countercultural filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. — whose unconventional lifestyle created lasting ripples throughout the family. Their shared documentary, “Sr.”, stands as a powerful testament to the healing they found. Plus, we talk about sobriety, the belief it took to become Iron Man, and the full-circle moments spanning the decades since we first crossed paths on the set of Chaplin.

    Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

    For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • What Jake Clark Wants You To Know About Trauma

    What Jake Clark Wants You To Know About Trauma
    Jul 15 2025

    Jake Clark is an unexpected hero. As the founder of the Save a Warrior program for veterans and first responders, he helps those suffering from post-traumatic stress uncover the core of their pain, which often stems from trauma that came before combat or violence. His work has led to surprising breakthroughs for many people, mirroring his own journey of self-discovery after years of self-destruction. Jake and I talk about the program’s core practices of meditation and reflection, as well as the community and outcomes that arise from Save a Warrior. And as if being a founder, a veteran, and a former agent for multiple federal agencies wasn’t enough, Jake is also a big X-Files fan. Naturally, we discuss what it’s really like to be in the FBI.

    Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here.

    Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

    For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • A Forensic Analysis with Emily Deschanel

    A Forensic Analysis with Emily Deschanel
    Jul 8 2025

    Emily Deschanel spent over a decade portraying the brilliant and meticulous forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan on the hit crime procedural Bones. Yet, what many viewers never knew about was her personal battle behind that confident performance: diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at a young age, Emily often struggled to master the intricate anatomical jargon week after week. Pushing through panic attacks on set and challenging moments with showrunner Hart Hanson, Emily persevered, going on to carry one of television's longest-running dramas. We look back at her career and unpack the very real demands of balancing constant filming with mental health, as well as raising a family, and we get into my experience directing her on Bones. I even toss my notecards aside to try to solve the true mystery of an authentic conversation.

    Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here.

    You can watch and listen to Emily Deschanel and Carla Gallo rewatch and revisit episodes of Bones and interview past cast and crew members on Boneheads.

    Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

    For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show more Show less
    59 mins
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This is such an amazing, relaxed conversation between friends, with so many interesting stories.

This is instantly my favourite podcast.

This is a Down to Earth View from the Top

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I started listening to this podcast out of my own live and appreciation for David Duchovny as an actor, musician, and writer and within the first few minutes of the first episode I realized I’d keep listening because it felt more real and raw than I was expecting. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, and I’ve come to very big realizations through his various interviews and anecdotes that are inherently based on the fundamental truths we all face. I have enjoyed every guest he’s had on, even those I wasn’t familiar with, and I’m so thankful he’s decided to do this podcast on failure and how one can ultimately succeed through their failures. I highly recommend listening to this podcast, especially for those on the fence simply because of the thought “another celebrity pretending to be relatable, but I’m no where near famous or accomplished enough to relate” - this is NO WHERE near that. This podcast is filled with relatable, real problems, the thoughts and doubts that run through us all, and how everyone fails, and THAT’S OKAY.

Thank you for sharing this with us, David. I truly can’t say how much I appreciate your candid words, even if you have doubt about sharing them in the first place. They matter.

Imperfectly Perfect

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