Why Playing It Safe Is Holding You Back (and How to Fail Forward Instead) with Lorraine H. Marchand | 389

We talk a lot about dreaming bigger — but not nearly enough about what it actually costs to play it safe. Fear of failure keeps brilliant ideas stuck in our heads, careers stalled, and confidence quietly eroding.

In this episode of This Is Woman’s Work, Nicole Kalil is joined by Lorraine H. Marchand, innovation expert, Wharton professor, and author of No Fear, No Failure. Together, they unpack why failure isn’t the enemy — avoidance is. From reframing fear as data, to designing smarter experiments, to creating cultures (and inner narratives) where learning beats perfection, this conversation is a permission slip to try, fail, learn… and keep going.

If you’ve ever felt paralyzed by getting it wrong, worried about failing publicly, or trapped by environments that say they want innovation but punish mistakes — this episode is for you.

We explore:

• Why fear of failure shuts down growth faster than actual failure ever could

• How to reframe failure as learning (and why that changes everything)

• Why women are more likely to internalize failure — and how to stop

• How to test ideas without burning it all down

• What “failing forward” looks like in real life (not just on LinkedIn)

• How to stop being afraid of other people seeing you try

Because growth doesn’t happen without risk — and playing it safe has a cost.

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Connect with Lorraine:

Website: https://www.lorrainemarchand.com/ 

Book: https://www.lorrainemarchand.com/no-fear-no-failure/ 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorrainemarchand 

Related Podcast Episodes:

• 197 / Fear & Failure (Part 1) with Amy Green Smith
• 181 / Stress Less and Fear(Less) with Rebecca Heiss
• VI4P - Perfectionism and Failure (Chapter 6)

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