Mistakes Over Failure

Jack Cowin didn’t build billion-dollar businesses by playing it safe.In this episode of Mistakes Over Failure, the founder and Executive Chairman of Competitive Foods and Chairman of International Board of YPO (1985–1986), shares how a bold decision to leave Canada for Australia became a 50 year journey of building iconic brands, navigating setbacks, and leading through change.From franchise battles and the pressures of public markets to creating owner-minded teams, Jack reveals the leadership principles that have guided his success: know your strengths, hire people who are better than you, reward performance, and never mistake comfort for progress.A candid conversation about resilience, calculated risk, lifelong learning, and what it takes to build a lasting legacy.

From Sydney, Australia, Mita Bedi, co-founder and CEO of ResonateCX, joins Mistakes Over Failure to unpack the future of customer experience, leadership, and entrepreneurship. From growing up inside her mother’s business to leading a global SaaS platform, Mita shares how resilience, curiosity, and “mistakes” shaped her path. She explores why delighted customers create delighted employees, why leaders must become grounded catalysts, and how tech can turn data into stories that move people. We hope you enjoy this sharp, human conversation on building brave, learning led companies.

In this episode of Mistakes Over Failure, Fares Akkad, Managing Director, Meta Middle East & Africa, shares a sweeping journey shaped by global perspective, startup turbulence, and reinvention. From surviving the dot-com crash to building and exiting a successful e-commerce venture, Fares reflects on early missteps that sharpened his resilience and long-term thinking.The conversation explores what it truly means to lead in a rapidly evolving, AI-driven world. Fares emphasizes that future leaders must prioritize creativity, cultural intelligence, and human connection over purely data driven decision making. He unpacks the importance of localization, understanding human motivation across cultures, and building trust through authenticity.At its core, this episode is about releasing perfectionism, embracing forward motion, and recognizing that setbacks often serve a larger purpose fueling growth, clarity, and ultimately, better leadership.

This episode of the Mistakes Over Failure podcast begins in Ghana and the UK, exploring the future of global health care with Dr. Elikem Tamaklo — a physician turned CEO turned ecosystem architect. From honoring his father’s legacy at a family hospital in Ghana to scaling multi-site care and now building platforms for Africa’s health care future, his story is part grit, part vision and all impact. This episode explores leadership that holds multiple truths at once: empathy as infrastructure, culture as a system for scale and courage as a daily practice. We discuss gut decisions, boardroom tension, AI’s role in care and why Africa’s next generation isn’t waiting for permission to lead. It’s a conversation about building where systems are fragile, leading where stakes are human and choosing bold action over comfortable indecision. Because the future doesn’t belong to the flawless. It belongs to those willing to design it.

In Mistakes Over Failure Season 4, co-hosts Dr. Christine Crawford and Debby Carreau — alongside fellow YPO members — explore the missteps, breakthroughs and continuous learning shaping leaders of the future. Hear how today’s CEOs are evolving, what they’ve learned along the way and how they’re building lasting impact in an ever-changing world.

In this insightful episode of "Mistakes Over Failure," Dr. Christine Crawford and Leslie Wingo welcome Nicolette Maury and Crystal Lam for a compelling discussion on leadership, cultural adaptation, and personal growth.Nicolette is the CEO of Avani Solutions, a climate technology company delivering ESG solutions to the real estate industry. Listen in as she shares her journey of finding her authentic voice in male-dominated industries and the continuous process of self-discovery. Crystal, a second-generation leader in her family's wood manufacturing business as the Managing Director at Vinawood Ltd in Vietnam, humorously recounts overcoming "triple whammies" of being an overseas Vietnamese, the boss's daughter, and a woman in a traditionally male field, emphasizing the importance of humility and data-backed assertiveness. It's easy to see how they became members of YPO. Both women offer unique perspectives on navigating cultural differences in business and the valuable lessons learned from perceived "mistakes," transforming them into opportunities for impact and understanding.