8 Setbacks to Make A Child a Success: With Michelle Icard

8 Setbacks to Make A Child a Success: With Michelle Icard

From The Self-Driven Child by Ned Johnson

March 3, 2026 · 57 min · Season 1 · Episode 68

About this episode

Ned Johnson discusses with Michelle Icard how setbacks can contribute to a child's success.

If you’ve ever watched your child struggle and felt that almost unbearable pull to step in, fix it, smooth it over, or make it disappear, this episode is for you. In this conversation, I sit down with author and parent coach Michelle Icard to explore why setbacks—real, uncomfortable, sometimes humiliating ones—are not detours from development but the very path toward adulthood. Michelle joins me to talk about her latest book, Eight Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success, and to unpack why ...

People in this episode

Host: Ned Johnson

Guest: Michelle Icard

Topics covered

  • child development
  • setbacks
  • parenting
  • success
  • coaching

Keywords

  • setbacks
  • child success
  • parenting
  • development
  • coaching

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Eight Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success

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