New to the Failure Files? Start here.

Hi, I’m Danielle. And this is The Failure Files.

If you’re new here, here’s the short version. If you’re not, feel free to skip ahead. We’re all about efficiency around here.

I’m from South Carolina and have a background in education, adult learning, and organizational work. I started my corporate career at a tech company in central Florida before moving into HR at Lockheed Martin, where I spent 6.5 years. Eventually, I reached a point where I felt ready for the next step.

I founded The Productive, an HR consulting firm focused on helping organizations become more productive by strengthening their people, processes, and practices. At its core, my work looks at the inside of a business. The systems, the culture, and the day-to-day ways of working that ultimately determine how healthy and effective an organization can be.

Leaving corporate was emotional. I didn’t just leave a job. I left a career, friends, mentors, and memories. But I also felt ready. Ready to apply my skills locally, invest back into my community, and build something of my own. I don’t believe the grass is greener on the other side. I just knew it was time to water my own backyard.

That brings me to this blog.

A big part of the culture at Lockheed Martin is learning how to fail. Failing quickly, learning from it, and trying again. That mindset stuck with me. I’ve never been afraid to try, even when I worried about being embarrassed, feeling small, or getting it wrong. Trying is how progress happens, and failure is often part of that process.

But failure only becomes useful when you take the time to understand it. The missteps, the environment, the circumstances. When you slow down enough to learn from it, failure becomes one of the best teachers there is.

That’s what The Failure Files is about.

This blog will document my failures as I build this consulting business, the attempts that didn’t go as planned, and the lessons that came from them. The goal is to remove the stigma around failure and highlight the growth, clarity, and perspective that can come from it.

I plan to publish once or twice a month, depending on how eventful that month is. At its biggest, I hope this becomes an inspiration to many. At its smallest, I hope someone reads this and feels proud of themselves for trying.

I recently came across a quote that’s become a personal motto:

“Everything is a win if experience is the goal.”

Here’s to failing: fast, forward, and together.

— Danielle