Daniel Lubetzky Turns Personal Setbacks into a Public Podcast and Art Exhibit

Entrepreneur Daniel Lubetzky, founder of Kind Snacks, introduced an interview-series podcast titled “Build or Break.” The show features conversations with high-profile guests—including Mark Cuban, Matthew McConaughey, Kendra Scott and Chris Paul—focused on how their biggest setbacks shaped their later success. To complement the podcast, Lubetzky’s team staged a three-day “Art of Failure” pop-up exhibit in New York City in early September, displaying artifacts that represent each guest’s most significant mistakes, such as a jar of Lubetzky’s first failed sun-dried tomato spread.

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Lubetzky reflects that the values that propelled Kind Snacks—a company he grew from a $10,000 startup to a $7 billion valuation over 16 years—originated in earlier ventures. He founded PeaceWorks before Kind, a company that struggled for a decade but taught lessons he credits with enabling Kind’s eventual birth. The new podcast and exhibit are extensions of his ongoing effort to translate those entrepreneurial lessons into parenting guidance and broader leadership advice.

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Daniel Lubetzky – Founder of Kind Snacks and PeaceWorks; now a podcaster and public speaker on failure, resilience, and ethical leadership.

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• Lubetzky reports having logged 30 interviews for “Build or Break.”

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• Kind Snacks reached a $7 billion valuation after 16 years of growth.

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• The “Art of Failure” exhibit ran for three days in New York City.

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Lubetzky argues that treating failures as “pieces of art” encourages introspection and growth. He advises separating personal self-worth from professional outcomes and emphasizes that true leadership involves respecting others while contributing positively to society. By showcasing guests’ mistakes publicly, the exhibit aims to normalize failure, suggesting that acknowledging setbacks can distinguish individuals and organizations over the long term. The initiative serves both as a teaching tool for his children and a broader cultural statement about the role of adversity in personal and professional development.

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