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Home > The Anxious Achiever > He Built Coach Into a $24 Billion Company, But Feared Failure Every Day | Lew Frankfort
Podcast: The Anxious Achiever
Episode:

He Built Coach Into a $24 Billion Company, But Feared Failure Every Day | Lew Frankfort
Category: Business
Duration: 00:45:36
Publish Date: 2025-10-21 08:00:00
Description:

What happens when one of America’s most admired CEOs admits that fear of failure never left him, even after building a multi-billion-dollar brand? In this episode, I sit down with Lewis Frankfort, the former CEO who transformed Coach from a small leather goods company into a global powerhouse and coined the term “accessible luxury”. Lew shares about the lifelong anxiety that drove him to excel, the depressive episodes that followed high-pressure seasons, and the methods to stay grounded, from meditation and exercise to cognitive coaching and “magic and logic” leadership. Get ready to see how even the most accomplished leaders are powered by the same fears and how facing them with purpose, curiosity, and compassion unlocks greatness.


In this Episode, You Will Learn

00:00 Meet Lew Frankfort, former CEO of Coach, Inc.

02:00 How was the term “accessible luxury” born?

06:15 How do high-performing leaders manage depression?

10:00 Ways to turn fear of failure into fuel for growth.

14:00 The discipline that turned Coach into a best-in-class business.

19:30 What happens when success leads to disconnection and burnout.

23:30 Daily practices that restore energy and emotional balance.

26:00 Lew’s first mental health toolkit.

30:00 Interviewing method to uncover self-awareness and potential blind spots.

36:15 Why great leaders hire for complementarity, not similarity.

40:30 Lew’s “Three-Bucket Framework” for CEOs.

43:00 Why therapy and mental health care should be normalized for every leader.


Resources + Links

Get your copy of Lew’s book, “Bag Man: The Story Behind the Improbable Rise of Coach” HERE 

Get a copy of my book - The Anxious Achiever

Watch the podcast on YouTube 

Find more resources on our website morraam.com


Follow

Follow me: on LinkedIn @morraaronsmele + Instagram @morraam

Follow Lew Frankfort on LinkedIn @lewfrankfort
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