
Successful Failure
Lessons Learned Flat on My Face
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Pre-order for $18.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Kevin Fredericks
-
By:
-
Kevin Fredericks
About this listen
Being successful is no laughing matter . . . unless the road there is littered with flops, fool’s errands, fizzles, and straight-up failures.
Kevin Fredericks (aka KevOnStage) is a viral stand-up star, an NAACP Image Award-winning comedian, the founder of KevOnStage Studios, a New York Times bestselling author, and a superstar on social media. But his path to success wasn’t always smooth. As a kid, Kevin noticed something useful: If he made people laugh, the grown-ups would let him stay up late. In church plays, his commitment to the role of Goliath led to a busted lip, and the audience couldn’t get enough. He dreamed of becoming a performer, of finding that big break that would launch him into the bright lights of pop culture fame. But as he soon found, the road to the life we want is longer, weirder, more embarrassing, and more entertaining than we think it will be.
In Successful Failure, the comedian recounts hilarious stories and sincere insight from his adventures (and misadventures) trying to make it in life. From performing under an alias to avoid getting fired from his suit-and-tie day job to breaking a chair onstage and quitting stand-up for six months, from pooping his pants on a bus next to his future wife to starting a clothing line called Dreams Don’t Die (they sure do if the merch doesn’t sell), Kevin reminds listeners that while we might not be The Rock, Warren Buffett, or Kevin Hart, we’re all out here trying, and that’s okay.
Laugh-out-loud in one moment and perceptive in the next, Successful Failure is a wild ride from one of America’s funniest comics and a sendup of our ideals around hustle culture and success.
©2025 Kevin Fredericks (P)2025 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Big Girl Blitz
- Curve, Book 3
- By: Danielle Allen
- Narrated by: Wesleigh Siobhan
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jazmyn Payne fled the small town of Chance the minute she graduated high school. But for one week every summer she returns in order to spend time with her favorite person in the world—Aunt Addison. Even amidst health issues, Aunt Addy encourages Jazz to open herself up to fun, new experiences.
By: Danielle Allen
-
The Trouble with Love
- A Tale of Two Sisters
- By: Christina C Jones
- Narrated by: Eboni Flowers, Marcel Davenport
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hearts are broken and healed. Scars, both physical and emotional, are formed. Happiness is found, then lost, then found again. Over the course of a year, these sisters face shattering blows and remarkable triumphs as they embark on a journey, figuring out that pesky little thing called love.
-
-
Not great!
- By Placeholder on 05-13-25
-
Uncommon Favor
- Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three
- By: Dawn Staley
- Narrated by: Dawn Staley
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A three-time Olympic Gold medalist, six-time WNBA All-Star, and the first person to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award as both a player and coach, Staley has shattered expectations at every level of the game. While her name resonates with both longtime WNBA fans and newcomers, she has kept her personal life private. UncommonFavor reveals the journey that led to Staley’s success, including the challenges she faced.
-
-
A True Leader
- By Global Estates on 06-07-25
By: Dawn Staley
-
Act Like You Got Some Sense
- And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me
- By: Jamie Foxx
- Narrated by: Jamie Foxx, Corinne Foxx
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jamie Foxx has won an Academy Award and a Grammy Award, laughed with sitting presidents, and partied with the biggest names in hip-hop. In Act Like You Got Some Sense, Jamie shares up close and personal stories about the tough love and old-school values he learned growing up in the small town of Terrell, Texas; his early days trying to make it in Hollywood; the joys and challenges of achieving stardom; and how each phase of his life shaped his parenting journey. Hilarious, poignant, and always brutally honest, this is Jamie Foxx like we’ve never seen him before.
-
-
What a Dad
- By Martha Maderal on 10-21-21
By: Jamie Foxx
-
Hello There, Sunshine
- By: Tabitha Brown
- Narrated by: Tabitha Brown
- Length: 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every morning, young Tabitha wakes up and greets the sun. She loves how it brings everyone JOY. But one day she wakes up and the sun is missing! So Tab hops on her strawberry shortcake bike with her puppy in tow and makes it her business to find the sun. Can she do it? Or will Tabitha find out that sometimes the shine we're looking for is inside of us?
-
-
She was the sunshine
- By D Floyd on 06-17-25
By: Tabitha Brown
-
Curvy Girl Summer
- By: Danielle Allen
- Narrated by: Wesleigh Siobhan
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aaliyah is determined to celebrate her thirtieth birthday with a boyfriend. And after a failed blind date, the local bartender, Ahmad, suggests she joins a dating app. Filled with lies, catfish, and fetishizing, the wild world of online dating makes Aaliyah think she’s in over her head. And she is. But with her two best friends and a protective bartender by her side, what could go wrong?
-
-
True love triumphs over trauma
- By S. Holmes on 07-02-24
By: Danielle Allen
-
Big Girl Blitz
- Curve, Book 3
- By: Danielle Allen
- Narrated by: Wesleigh Siobhan
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jazmyn Payne fled the small town of Chance the minute she graduated high school. But for one week every summer she returns in order to spend time with her favorite person in the world—Aunt Addison. Even amidst health issues, Aunt Addy encourages Jazz to open herself up to fun, new experiences.
By: Danielle Allen
-
The Trouble with Love
- A Tale of Two Sisters
- By: Christina C Jones
- Narrated by: Eboni Flowers, Marcel Davenport
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hearts are broken and healed. Scars, both physical and emotional, are formed. Happiness is found, then lost, then found again. Over the course of a year, these sisters face shattering blows and remarkable triumphs as they embark on a journey, figuring out that pesky little thing called love.
-
-
Not great!
- By Placeholder on 05-13-25
-
Uncommon Favor
- Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three
- By: Dawn Staley
- Narrated by: Dawn Staley
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A three-time Olympic Gold medalist, six-time WNBA All-Star, and the first person to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award as both a player and coach, Staley has shattered expectations at every level of the game. While her name resonates with both longtime WNBA fans and newcomers, she has kept her personal life private. UncommonFavor reveals the journey that led to Staley’s success, including the challenges she faced.
-
-
A True Leader
- By Global Estates on 06-07-25
By: Dawn Staley
-
Act Like You Got Some Sense
- And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me
- By: Jamie Foxx
- Narrated by: Jamie Foxx, Corinne Foxx
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jamie Foxx has won an Academy Award and a Grammy Award, laughed with sitting presidents, and partied with the biggest names in hip-hop. In Act Like You Got Some Sense, Jamie shares up close and personal stories about the tough love and old-school values he learned growing up in the small town of Terrell, Texas; his early days trying to make it in Hollywood; the joys and challenges of achieving stardom; and how each phase of his life shaped his parenting journey. Hilarious, poignant, and always brutally honest, this is Jamie Foxx like we’ve never seen him before.
-
-
What a Dad
- By Martha Maderal on 10-21-21
By: Jamie Foxx
-
Hello There, Sunshine
- By: Tabitha Brown
- Narrated by: Tabitha Brown
- Length: 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every morning, young Tabitha wakes up and greets the sun. She loves how it brings everyone JOY. But one day she wakes up and the sun is missing! So Tab hops on her strawberry shortcake bike with her puppy in tow and makes it her business to find the sun. Can she do it? Or will Tabitha find out that sometimes the shine we're looking for is inside of us?
-
-
She was the sunshine
- By D Floyd on 06-17-25
By: Tabitha Brown
-
Curvy Girl Summer
- By: Danielle Allen
- Narrated by: Wesleigh Siobhan
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aaliyah is determined to celebrate her thirtieth birthday with a boyfriend. And after a failed blind date, the local bartender, Ahmad, suggests she joins a dating app. Filled with lies, catfish, and fetishizing, the wild world of online dating makes Aaliyah think she’s in over her head. And she is. But with her two best friends and a protective bartender by her side, what could go wrong?
-
-
True love triumphs over trauma
- By S. Holmes on 07-02-24
By: Danielle Allen
-
#Blessed by Malakai
- To Marry a Madden Series, Book 1
- By: Sherelle Green
- Narrated by: Jakobi Diem, Mari
- Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every man has his weakness. For prominent painter and sculptor Malakai Madden, that weakness has always been women. Now, he's finally ready to settle down and shower one woman with his love. There's just one major problem. Overnight, he's gained thousands of Twitter followers after his obsessive ex decides to leak some private information. To make matters worse, a well-known media source retweets them! Suddenly, every woman wants a piece of Malakai.
-
-
Good story
- By Shay on 07-31-19
By: Sherelle Green
-
Only for the Week
- By: Natasha Bishop
- Narrated by: J. Shani Michaels, Winston James
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Amerie Cross and Arnold Hightower.
-
-
A real love story
- By Kimette Almon on 05-22-24
By: Natasha Bishop
-
Mega Man
- By: Mel Dau
- Narrated by: Myles Washington, Opal Black
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Megatron Loric Manfield is the definition of perfect imperfection. He is not scared to love—he just knows that when it comes along, he wants it to be God-sent. When the right woman comes along, he will fall in line to receive his favor. Ruth Lindsay Gordon is saved, sheltered, and suffocated. Being a preacher’s kid is never easy and even harder when the preacher sometimes references himself more than the God he claims to serve. Desperately, she wants to be released from the hold that is her father, so she prays for God to send her Boaz. They say to be careful what you pray for.
-
-
MEGATRON!!!
- By Chantelle' Blackson on 10-29-24
By: Mel Dau
-
Capone
- Season One: Delgato Family, Book 1
- By: Jahquel J.
- Narrated by: Katherine Dollison, Winston James
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I shouldn't have felt this way about her. She's my brother-in-law's first love. She was forbidden fruit. Ain't shit ever been forbidden for me. I take what I want, and I want her. I shouldn't have these strong of feelings for a woman I just met. I wanted to lay every man who even thought about looking her way… including my brother-in-law. Erin was mine before she even knew it. Our paths were meant to cross, our futures to intertwine.
-
-
Captivating Story
- By Rainmaker911 on 02-27-25
By: Jahquel J.
-
Sweatpants Season
- By: Danielle Allen
- Narrated by: Wesleigh Siobhan
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I don’t believe in objectifying men. I don’t catcall men. I don’t ogle the bodies of men. I don’t view men as objects of my affection rather than complex people with feelings, wants, and needs of their own. I don’t treat men the way society often treats women. I treat men the way I want to be treated as a woman - with respect! So, when Carlos ran into me while I was reviewing my interview questions in the park, it surprised me to see my photography classmate out of class. I was also surprised to see as much of him as I did.
-
-
Wesleigh Was The Best Thing About The Book
- By Ya Book Girl on 02-04-22
By: Danielle Allen
-
The Kingmaker
- All the King's Men Duet, Book 1
- By: Kennedy Ryan
- Narrated by: Jason Clarke, Jo Raylan
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My path takes me far from home and paints me as the black sheep. At odds with my father, I'm determined to build my own empire. I have rules, but Lennix Hunter is the exception to every one of them. From the moment we meet, something sparks between us. But my family stole from hers, and my father is the man she hates most. I lied to have her and will do anything to keep her. Though she tries to hate me, too, the inexorable pull between us will not be denied. And neither will I.
-
-
I CAN NOT WAIT for The Rebel King...
- By Sweet Red Reader on 11-10-19
By: Kennedy Ryan
-
How to Build a Fashion Icon
- Notes on Confidence from the World's Only Image Architect
- By: Law Roach
- Narrated by: Law Roach
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Law Roach is the mastermind behind looks that have broken the Internet time and again—from Zendaya at the Met Gala to Anya Taylor-Joy at the Golden Globes, from Lewis Hamilton’s iconic streetwear to Céline Dion’s style renaissance. Nobody knows better than Law how to turn an outfit into a moment of fashion history. Now, for the first time ever, Law shares the secrets of his approach. With How to Build a Fashion Icon, he takes listeners behind the scenes of his process and journey.
-
-
Inspiring Read!
- By Ashley Benoit on 11-04-24
By: Law Roach
-
Undefeated
- Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms
- By: Shaunie Henderson
- Narrated by: Shaunie Henderson
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today, Shaunie Henderson is a force to be reckoned with—a TV personality, producer of multiple hit reality shows, entrepreneur, philanthropist, mother of five children, First Lady of her husband’s church, and role model. But before she found her voice and her purpose, she was one more young woman trying to find her way as a partner, a parent, and a person. In Undefeated, Henderson opens up about the struggles, heartbreaks, losses, and triumphs that have made her who she is today.
-
-
Interesting take on things
- By Risque on 12-25-24
-
Diamond Doris
- The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief
- By: Doris Payne, Zelda Lockhart - contributor
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up during the Depression in the segregated coal town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, Doris Payne was told her dreams were unattainable for poor Black girls like her. Surrounded by people who sought to limit her potential, Doris vowed to turn the tables after the owner of a jewelry store threw her out when a White customer arrived. Neither racism nor poverty would hold her back; she would get what she wanted and help her mother escape an abusive relationship.
-
-
5 Star Book; 2 Star Life
- By Dionna on 12-22-19
By: Doris Payne, and others
-
Master of Me
- The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative
- By: Keke Palmer
- Narrated by: Keke Palmer
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keke Palmer thought she knew who she was. What it means to be a good person and what it takes to be a success. It all seemed so simple, until she realized the challenges she would have to face to prove to herself who she wanted to be. From feeling alienated to having to restart her career after ten years in to becoming a single mother just months after her son was born—everything she worked for in life that she felt granted her what she wanted now also reminded her that “life is going to life” and throw curveballs regardless of what you deserve.
-
-
Self-Help Book in Disguise
- By Anonymous User on 03-28-25
By: Keke Palmer
-
African Origin of Civilization - The Myth or Reality
- By: Cheikh Anta Diop
- Narrated by: Frank Block
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This classic presents historical, archaeological, and anthropological evidence to support the theory that ancient Egypt was a black civilization.
-
-
History told from an honest point
- By Lee on 12-19-21
By: Cheikh Anta Diop
-
Teach Me
- Romey University, Book 1
- By: Alexandria House
- Narrated by: Jakobi Diem, Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stable, safe, predictable—all words that aptly describe Professor Nadia Day’s life. An existence she’s carefully crafted for herself despite her unconventional upbringing and what, to her, is an unseemly past. The last thing she would ever do is rock the boat when it comes to her life and livelihood. When retired football player and single dad, Nathan Moore, walks into her psychology classroom, all fine and dreadlocked, he does more than rock her boat—he rocks her world and causes her to question her buttoned-up existence.
-
-
Jakobi Diem's voice will melt you like chocolate!
- By LexiLikesLiterature on 12-10-19
By: Alexandria House
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Marriage Be Hard
- 12 Conversations to Keep You Laughing, Loving, and Learning with Your Partner
- By: Kevin Fredericks, Melissa Fredericks
- Narrated by: Kevin Fredericks, Melissa Fredericks
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up in the church, Kevin and Melissa Fredericks were taught endless rules and expectations around dating, sex, and marriage, but not a lot about what actually makes a relationship work. There were conversations that they didn’t know they needed to have, deep-rooted fears that affected how they communicated, and seasons of change that put their marriage to the test.
-
-
Vulnerability Matters
- By A on 09-19-22
By: Kevin Fredericks, and others
-
Do You Believe Me Now?
- By: Al B. Sure!
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Simon & Schuster book. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every listener.
By: Al B. Sure!
-
Adversity for Sale
- Ya Gotta Believe
- By: Jeezy
- Narrated by: Jay Jenkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To Jeezy’s legion of fans, his name is synonymous with hustle, grit, and the integrity to go out there and achieve your dreams. In his first book, Adversity for Sale: Ya Gotta Believe, Jeezy shares never heard stories of what it took for him to beat the odds and get out of the streets, his mindset he carefully honed to get an edge, and the lessons that changed his life and business.
-
-
Couldn’t turn it off!!
- By Anonymous User on 09-11-23
By: Jeezy
-
The Best Man
- Unfinished Business
- By: Malcolm D. Lee, Jayne Allen
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Recently divorced and fresh off a Pulitzer Prize win, Harper Stewart is in a new era. He’s working on a movie and living the ultimate bachelor life in his Brooklyn penthouse. But still, something is missing. What else explains the stubborn creative block? The carousel of women? And seventh-wheel status with his friends? Jordan Armstrong had to flee New York. First, to give herself distance from Harper and, second, to escape the corporate grind. In her beachfront Malibu property, the façade of a “healed” Jordan flourishes.
By: Malcolm D. Lee, and others
-
I Can't Make This Up
- Life Lessons
- By: Neil Strauss - contributor, Kevin Hart
- Narrated by: Kevin Hart
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Superstar comedian and Hollywood box-office star Kevin Hart turns his immense talent to the written word by writing some words. Some of those words include: the, a, for, above, and even even. Put them together and you have the funniest, most heartfelt, and most inspirational memoir on survival, success, and the importance of believing in yourself since Old Yeller.
-
-
Best Audiobook I Ever Listened To
- By Sam Clear on 07-13-17
By: Neil Strauss - contributor, and others
-
Master of Me
- The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative
- By: Keke Palmer
- Narrated by: Keke Palmer
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keke Palmer thought she knew who she was. What it means to be a good person and what it takes to be a success. It all seemed so simple, until she realized the challenges she would have to face to prove to herself who she wanted to be. From feeling alienated to having to restart her career after ten years in to becoming a single mother just months after her son was born—everything she worked for in life that she felt granted her what she wanted now also reminded her that “life is going to life” and throw curveballs regardless of what you deserve.
-
-
Self-Help Book in Disguise
- By Anonymous User on 03-28-25
By: Keke Palmer
-
Marriage Be Hard
- 12 Conversations to Keep You Laughing, Loving, and Learning with Your Partner
- By: Kevin Fredericks, Melissa Fredericks
- Narrated by: Kevin Fredericks, Melissa Fredericks
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up in the church, Kevin and Melissa Fredericks were taught endless rules and expectations around dating, sex, and marriage, but not a lot about what actually makes a relationship work. There were conversations that they didn’t know they needed to have, deep-rooted fears that affected how they communicated, and seasons of change that put their marriage to the test.
-
-
Vulnerability Matters
- By A on 09-19-22
By: Kevin Fredericks, and others
-
Do You Believe Me Now?
- By: Al B. Sure!
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Simon & Schuster book. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every listener.
By: Al B. Sure!
-
Adversity for Sale
- Ya Gotta Believe
- By: Jeezy
- Narrated by: Jay Jenkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To Jeezy’s legion of fans, his name is synonymous with hustle, grit, and the integrity to go out there and achieve your dreams. In his first book, Adversity for Sale: Ya Gotta Believe, Jeezy shares never heard stories of what it took for him to beat the odds and get out of the streets, his mindset he carefully honed to get an edge, and the lessons that changed his life and business.
-
-
Couldn’t turn it off!!
- By Anonymous User on 09-11-23
By: Jeezy
-
The Best Man
- Unfinished Business
- By: Malcolm D. Lee, Jayne Allen
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Recently divorced and fresh off a Pulitzer Prize win, Harper Stewart is in a new era. He’s working on a movie and living the ultimate bachelor life in his Brooklyn penthouse. But still, something is missing. What else explains the stubborn creative block? The carousel of women? And seventh-wheel status with his friends? Jordan Armstrong had to flee New York. First, to give herself distance from Harper and, second, to escape the corporate grind. In her beachfront Malibu property, the façade of a “healed” Jordan flourishes.
By: Malcolm D. Lee, and others
-
I Can't Make This Up
- Life Lessons
- By: Neil Strauss - contributor, Kevin Hart
- Narrated by: Kevin Hart
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Superstar comedian and Hollywood box-office star Kevin Hart turns his immense talent to the written word by writing some words. Some of those words include: the, a, for, above, and even even. Put them together and you have the funniest, most heartfelt, and most inspirational memoir on survival, success, and the importance of believing in yourself since Old Yeller.
-
-
Best Audiobook I Ever Listened To
- By Sam Clear on 07-13-17
By: Neil Strauss - contributor, and others
-
Master of Me
- The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative
- By: Keke Palmer
- Narrated by: Keke Palmer
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keke Palmer thought she knew who she was. What it means to be a good person and what it takes to be a success. It all seemed so simple, until she realized the challenges she would have to face to prove to herself who she wanted to be. From feeling alienated to having to restart her career after ten years in to becoming a single mother just months after her son was born—everything she worked for in life that she felt granted her what she wanted now also reminded her that “life is going to life” and throw curveballs regardless of what you deserve.
-
-
Self-Help Book in Disguise
- By Anonymous User on 03-28-25
By: Keke Palmer