# How I Built Resilience (Special Edition): Guy Raz

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2020-09-12
- Length: 30m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz

## Summary

Guy Raz, host of NPR's 'How I Built This' and author of the book 'How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World's Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs', discusses the show's origins and philosophy with guest host Stacey Vanek Smith. Raz explains how his background as a war reporter and a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard inspired him to create a narrative-driven podcast focused on the 'hero's journey' of entrepreneurs rather than traditional business metrics. He details the show's deliberate choice to start with Sarah Blakely to signal its unique approach and emphasizes the importance of sharing failures and struggles to make success relatable.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=0) Introduction and Book Promotion
- [2:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=130) Raz's Family Background and Early Skepticism
- [4:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=266) From War Reporting to Journalism Burnout
- [6:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=381) The Nieman Fellowship and the Birth of the Idea
- [8:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=497) The Hero's Myth and Narrative Structure
- [11:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=663) Choosing Sarah Blakely as the First Guest
- [14:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=858) The Philosophy of Failure and Vulnerability
- [18:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=1109) Personal Struggles and Career Pivots
- [21:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=1311) The Meaning of 'Wow' and Empathetic Interviewing
- [26:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-09-12-how-i-built-resilience-special-edition-guy-raz#t=1564) Luck, Hard Work, and Conclusion

## Topics

- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Creator business](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/creator-business)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- How I Built This (product)
- How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World's Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs (product)
- NPR (company)
- CNN (company)
- Planet Money (product)
- The Ted Radio Hour (product)
- Wow in the World (product)
- Sarah Blakely (other)
- Spanx (product)
- Jamie Simonov (other)
- Ring (product)
- James Dyson (other)
- Gary Hirshberg (other)
- Stonyfield Yogurt (product)
- Airbnb (company)
- Apple (company)
- Kate Spade (other)
- Cosmo (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [The Pilot: Unveiling the Blueprint of "The Builder Circle"](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2023-05-13-the-pilot-unveiling-the-blueprint-of-the-builder-circle) (The Builder Circle)
- [The Reluctant Entrepreneur: Mike Konrad's Journey Through Entrepreneurship, Networking and SMTA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2025-03-14-the-reluctant-entrepreneur-mike-konrads-journey-through-entrepreneurship-network) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [Episode 182: Been trying to sell out for years](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2018-09-07-episode-182-been-trying-to-sell-out-for-years) (Making It)
- [How to Start a Successful Industrial Podcast with EECO's Chris Grainger](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2021-02-02-how-to-start-a-successful-industrial-podcast-with-eecos-chris-grainger) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [S7E18 Aaron Moncur | Building Pipeline, the Being An Engineer Podcast, and Engineering Communities](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-04-24-s7e18-aaron-moncur-building-pipeline-the-being-an-engineer-podcast-and-engineeri) (Being an Engineer)

## Citing this page

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