Fail First Podcast
Turning Setbacks into Success: Pro Athlete Stories, Mental Resilience & The Business of Pickleball
The Fail First Podcast, hosted by Alec Martone, is a deep-dive exploration into the mindset of elite performance. Operating under the philosophy that "The Greatest Fail First," this channel features long-form interviews with pro pickleball players, CEOs, and world-class performance experts to uncover how they transformed their biggest failures into massive success in 2026.
What you will find on this channel:
Pro Player "Failure" Stories: Candid interviews with top stars like Susannah Barr and Zack Taylor, revealing the career pivots and personal setbacks that paved their way to the pro circuit.
The Business of Pickleball: Insider access to the industry’s major power players, including DUPR CEO Tito Machado and USA Pickleball CEO Mike Nealy, discussing the strategy and growth of the sport.
Neuroscience & Performance: Masterclasses with experts like neuroscientist Dr. Scott Frey on hacking mental fatigue and rewiring the brain for high-pressure competition.
Entrepreneurial Blueprints: Deep dives into how building a pickleball career or facility mirrors starting a business, with lessons on branding, investment, and long-term legacy.
Is this channel for you?
Growth-Minded Athletes: If you want to improve your mental game by learning how the best in the world handle pressure and bounce back from defeat.
Industry Insiders: Ideal for entrepreneurs, facility owners, and brand builders who want to stay informed on the business trends and leadership shifts shaping pickleball in 2026.
Podcast Enthusiasts: If you enjoy "Diary of a CEO" style storytelling and prefer vulnerability and deep-dives over standard highlight reels.
Mental Health Threat Assessment: Is success meaningless? (Or is it everything?) | Ep. 66
Most high-performers spend their lives chasing a "summit," only to reach the top and realize the view isn't what they expected. On this episode of Fail First, we conduct a mental health "threat assess...
From $20k in debt to $22,000,000 on TikTok Shop. (The 100% complete blueprint)
Nick Fowler was $20,000 in debt when he found out about TikTok Shop. In this episode of the Fail First Podcast, Nick reveals how he sold over $22 Million on Tiktok Shop while serving in the Military. ...
Pickleball facilities are struggling. This private equity group has the solution.
In this episode of the Fail First Podcast, we sit down with Travis, the Director of Pickleball at Pickleball X, a private equity group investing heavily in the future of the sport. Pickleball X owns a...
This is how pickleball should be played. (Is American pickleball at risk?) - Ron Shell
Limited capital, getting punched in the mouth, keep building anyway. Ron Shell and Australia’s National Pickleball League (NPL) launched just as MLP and PPA announced they were moving into the same ma...
What No One Tells You About Going Pro in Pickleball (Totally Unfiltered) - Susannah Barr
Pro Pickleball Player, Susannah Barr admits her greatest failure was focusing only on playing — while ignoring the bigger picture of sponsorships, brand-building, and long-term career planning. That l...