大象传媒

Lee Chambers is an undeniable success. From his parents' single bedroom, with the boiler humming away day and night, he founds an e-commerce video games business that gives him a healthy bank account in seven months. Next comes the car, the house, the fancy holidays with his wife. But all the time, Lee feels like a total failure. Everyone is telling him he鈥檚 a success, but he can鈥檛 see it. He鈥檚 on the verge of being overwhelmed, until his body intervenes to stop him in his tracks.

In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed asks us to question the myths we鈥檙e fed about success and redefine its meaning for ourselves. Is it always about working harder? Can we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, or, actually, do many more of us need a leg up from others? Matthew explores the way toxic myths about successful entrepreneurialism are sold to us, which often ignore the uneven access to risk-taking and the importance of timing. With philosopher Dr Gwen Bradford, of Rice University, Matthew asks us to reconsider what achievement really means. And, ultimately, asks us to create a healthier approach to what it takes to become successful.

Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer and Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Executive Producer: Max O鈥橞rien
Researcher: Nadia Mehdi
Music, sound design and mix: Nicholas Alexander
Additional mixing: Alex Portfelix
Produced by Novel for 大象传媒 Radio 4