From Small Village to Global Industry: The Honda Story

From Small Village to Global Industry: The Honda Story

July 15, 2026 · 18 min · Season 10 · Episode 34

About this episode

This episode explores the inspiring journey of Soichiro Honda from humble beginnings to becoming a global automotive innovator.

Welcome to Epic Fails, Epic Comebacks: How Great Leaders Turned Setbacks into Success—the podcast where we uncover the true stories of visionary leaders who hit rock bottom … then rewrote the ending. Epic Fails, Epic Comebacks is an offshoot of The Leadership Playbook, the podcast of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics and the Center for Leadership Formation. In this episode, we tell the story of Soichiro Honda and uncover his inspiring journey from humble beginnings to global automotive innovator, highlighting resilience, innovation, and leadership lessons. Writing and hosting by Viviane Lopuch and music/production by Alvarez Audio. Follow Epic Fails, Epic Comebacks wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe now and join Viviane Lopuch as we explore the fall, the fight, and the rise of the world’s greatest leaders. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show.

People in this episode

Host: Viviane Lopuch

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Albers School of Business and Economics, Center for Leadership Formation, Alvarez Audio

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Leadership Playbook podcast page.