So... it’s finally happening.

Right now, as I type this, I’m in the middle of teaching Learning to Fail™ to a group of undergrads at Duke University. Which is where this whole thing began.

It’s a weird class: instead of lectures and slides, there are jellybeans, donut sculptures, and jenga challenges.

It’s something I like to call “Deviant Learning.” It involves leading my students through real world interactions, challenges, and exercises that often lead to deep insights about life and entrepreneurship.

It’s challenging.

It’s creative.

It’s fun.

But most importantly, it helps my students stop being so darn afraid about screwing up, asking dumb questions, and trying things!

We all have different relationships with failure, and some of these relationships get in the way of reaching for what we want most out of life.

I started sharing bits of the class online: The stories, the challenges, the insights.

And something kind of wild happened:

I’ve been teaching Learning to Fail™ at Duke for over a decade, and for most of that time, it’s only been available to enrolled students. An on-campus thing. 

However, your questions and comments made me think…can I bring this class to more people?

It started out as a crazy idea but turned into one of those “crazy ideas that just might work!”

So here’s the announcement:

For the first time ever, I’m opening Learning to Fail™ to the public.

Your DMs and comments have been an inspiration.

So, this Spring 2026 we’re launching a live, online, open to anyone course!

Not just Duke students. Not just current college kids.

You. Me. Live classes. One unforgettable experiment in doing the things that scare us.

Why now?

I kept telling myself this class only worked in person. You had to be in the room, doing awkward things together. The magic couldn’t translate online.

But some really bright friends and colleagues showed me how it could translate to an online format incredibly well with only minor adjustments.

Here’s the thing: Part of me already knew that. So what was the hold up?

Then I realized something profound, silly, maybe both… I was doing the exact thing I teach students not to do.

I was making excuses to avoid doing something I was afraid might fail.

So this spring, I’m doing what I ask my students to do.

I’m trying something crazy, different, out of the box.

What is this class?

This class is creative, organic, and I’ll be inviting in special guests to help me…some you have likely admired from afar on social media.

There’s a syllabus. There are assignments. There will be awkward silences. And there will be failure — real, personal, probably mildly uncomfortable failure.

But this is the point!

We’ll meet live, each month for three months.

The first session of each month introduces a challenge. Something you’ll have to do in real life. Something a little terrifying. Something you’ll probably mess up.

Then you’ll record a short “failure log” — a quick video reflection — and turn it in.

In the second session of each month, we come back together to talk. About what happened. About how it felt. About what you learned. And slowly — sometimes suddenly — things start to shift.

Also: guest speakers who’ve failed spectacularly. Maybe some folks you’ve seen on your screens before. ;) 

The Learning to Fail™ Spring 2026 Schedule

Wednesdays @ 8PM ET
→ March 5
→ March 19
→ April 2
→ April 16
→ May 7
→ May 21

Six sessions. Real-time. Live.
Replays will be available, but live is where the good stuff happens.