What happens when you try something with no guarantee it’ll work out? In this milestone 10th episode of Messy Minded, Jess explores the fun and inspiring stories of people who dared to take a chance — from Notables you know to normies you’ve never heard of.

You’ll hear about:

• Nikola Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower, a dream of free global electricity that fizzled before its time.
• William Hung, the everyday guy who turned an off-key “She Bangs” audition into unexpected fame.
• Ella Fitzgerald, who risked humiliation in a talent show and instead scatted her way into history.
• Vera Wang, who pivoted careers at 40 and reinvented bridal fashion.
• Curtis Jenkins, a Dallas school bus driver whose small acts of kindness transformed lives.
• Hedy Lamarr, the Hollywood starlet whose “frequency hopping” invention became the backbone of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
• John Krasinski, who almost gave up on acting until The Office found him at the last moment.
• Plus quirky side-quests like the Italian roots of the word fiasco and a failed synthetic rubber experiment.

Jess also shares her own story of how this podcast began as just one of many curiosities. Ten episodes later, Messy Minded is still standing (and still messy af). Guest appearances by Curtis Jenkins, and Jess's friend and wine guru, Jen.

This episode is about trying — whether it’s a failed invention, a career pivot, a quiet act of kindness, or a messy experiment that actually sticks. Not every attempt changes the world, but every attempt shapes a life.

Music by PaoloArgento, Sigma Music Art, Geoff Harvey, Open-Music-for-videos, BackgroundMusicForVideo, Cyberwave-Orchestra, NikitaKondrashev

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