On our podcast, guests share the worst advice they've ever got, and how it shaped their lives. Hosted by Smith + Howard CEO Sean Taylor, along with producer JB, this interview-style show delves into the moments when bad advice led to unexpected outcomes, hilarious anecdotes, or valuable life lessons.
Each episode features a diverse array of guests from various walks of life: entrepreneurs, artists, professionals, influencers, and everyday people with extraordinary stories. From career mishaps to relationship blunders, financial missteps to personal Growth challenges, our guests candidly recount the worst advice they've encountered and the ripple effects it had on their lives.
Recent Content
After a very successful college track and field career, Matt Hemingway decided he was going to try to make the olympic team. It didn't happen the first time and then it didn't happen the second time. …
After a very success…
After a very successful college track and field career, Matt Hemingway decided he was going to try to make the olympic team. It didn't happen the first time and then it didn't happen the second time. Now 10 years later, he decides he's going to try for a third time. Anyone who knew anything about the sport told him "you're too old to make an olympic team." That turned out to be the worst advice he's ever got.
When your father only gives you one piece of advice your whole life at the age of 10, thats apt to stick with you. It made Ryan a two time olympic skiier, the president of a private equity firm at 32 …
When your father onl…
When your father only gives you one piece of advice your whole life at the age of 10, thats apt to stick with you. It made Ryan a two time olympic skiier, the president of a private equity firm at 32 and a multi-milllionaire by 40. But on a flight back from Orlando before his 41st birthday, he realized that was the worst advice he ever got.
When Paul was starting out in advertising, it was the golden age of analytic data so he was told that when it comes to selling a product or service, "brand doesn't matter." He believed it, and worked …
When Paul was starti…
When Paul was starting out in advertising, it was the golden age of analytic data so he was told that when it comes to selling a product or service, "brand doesn't matter." He believed it, and worked for 20 years pushing that data is the only thing that matters to sell your audience. After some pretty big changes in his life, he realized, that was the worst advice he's ever got.
When Jon was told to join the military, he thought that would be a spring board to where he really wanted to be. Turns out, that was the worst advice he ever got.
When Jon was told to…
When Jon was told to join the military, he thought that would be a spring board to where he really wanted to be. Turns out, that was the worst advice he ever got.
When her professor told her "you're not cut out for business" after her very first test in college, Claudia took it to heart. How does hearing something like that effect someone's career path?
When her professor t…
When her professor told her "you're not cut out for business" after her very first test in college, Claudia took it to heart. How does hearing something like that effect someone's career path?
King Of Pops Co-Founder Steve Carse created a wildly successful pop brand. But when it was time to exand, he was told that frnchising would mean he would lose what was special about his brand. That wa…
King Of Pops Co-Foun…
King Of Pops Co-Founder Steve Carse created a wildly successful pop brand. But when it was time to exand, he was told that frnchising would mean he would lose what was special about his brand. That was the worst advice he's ever got.
When a reporter asked him how it felt not to have to worry about Money anymore after winning the FedeX Cup in 2011, Bill Haas didn't know how to answer that question. And now that he thinks about it, …
When a reporter aske…
When a reporter asked him how it felt not to have to worry about money anymore after winning the FedeX Cup in 2011, Bill Haas didn't know how to answer that question. And now that he thinks about it, that was the worst advice he's ever got.
When Kavi's parents moved from Vietnam to the deep south in the U.S., they wanted her to fit in as best she could. They told her to do that, she needed to make sure she didn't stand out. That was the …
When Kavi's parents …
When Kavi's parents moved from Vietnam to the deep south in the U.S., they wanted her to fit in as best she could. They told her to do that, she needed to make sure she didn't stand out. That was the worst advice she's ever got.
if you want to be successful in entrepreneurial business, the worst advice Kirk Halpern ever got was to get his MBA. With so many people striving to get their MBA's today, how can that be his worst ad…
if you want to be su…
if you want to be successful in entrepreneurial business, the worst advice Kirk Halpern ever got was to get his MBA. With so many people striving to get their MBA's today, how can that be his worst advice?
Even saying it out loud made Jason feel icky. Why would you think about money when it comes to love and Relationships? If you're Jason, you wouldn't, and thats what made this the worst advice he's eve…
Even saying it out l…
Even saying it out loud made Jason feel icky. Why would you think about money when it comes to love and relationships? If you're Jason, you wouldn't, and thats what made this the worst advice he's ever got.
Ann Curry tells the story of her career starting from the worst advice she's ever got, "don't buy this business". You have money, why work harder than you need to? Because you owe it to the universe.…
Ann Curry tells the …
Ann Curry tells the story of her career starting from the worst advice she's ever got, "don't buy this business". You have money, why work harder than you need to? Because you owe it to the universe.
Ever since Kyle was old enough to realize not every adult knows what they're talking about (something he learned while Volunteering as an umpire for little league games) he started to push the limits …
Ever since Kyle was …
Ever since Kyle was old enough to realize not every adult knows what they're talking about (something he learned while volunteering as an umpire for little league games) he started to push the limits of the human experience in the professional world. He was told to settle down. That's the worst advice he's ever got.
When actor Johnny Sneed (Parks and Rec, Painkiller, Trumbo, Fever Pitch) got the advice to turn down a role in a blockbuster because "the part was too small for him" he agreed. He was too big to do so…
When actor Johnny Sn…
When actor Johnny Sneed (Parks and Rec, Painkiller, Trumbo, Fever Pitch) got the advice to turn down a role in a blockbuster because "the part was too small for him" he agreed. He was too big to do something so small. Years later, he still regrets turning down that role. Why does this stand out as the worst advice he's ever got?
Come for the brownie guy story, stay for the swear count. It's high. Kat McDavitt talks about the harsh reality of being a leader, and knowing when you have to let someone go, even if they're the guy …
Come for the brownie…
Come for the brownie guy story, stay for the swear count. It's high. Kat McDavitt talks about the harsh reality of being a leader, and knowing when you have to let someone go, even if they're the guy who brings the brownies.
Boy meets girl, boy wants to marry girl, best friends tell boy "don't marry her." What comes next?
Boy meets girl, boy …
Boy meets girl, boy wants to marry girl, best friends tell boy "don't marry her." What comes next?
But what if your interview is on a Wednesday?
But what if your int…
But what if your interview is on a Wednesday?
Don't put baby (Josh Mancuso) in a corner (in a job where he only does one thing)
Don't put baby (Josh…
Don't put baby (Josh Mancuso) in a corner (in a job where he only does one thing)
You've just had a new baby, you're diagnosed with Cancer and your thriving in your career, so naturally you quit your job to start your own business right? When Kathleen asked her sister for advice, s…
You've just had a ne…
You've just had a new baby, you're diagnosed with cancer and your thriving in your career, so naturally you quit your job to start your own business right? When Kathleen asked her sister for advice, she told her "don't start your own business! The timing couldn't be worse!" That was the worst advice Kathleen has ever heard.