Welcome to Epic Fails, Epic Comebacks: How Great Leaders Turned Setbacks into Success—the podcast where we uncover the true stories of visionary leaders who hit rock bottom … then rewrote the ending. Epic Fails, Epic Comebacks is an offshoot of The Leadership Playbook, the podcast of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics and the Center for Leadership Formation.

In this episode, we tell the story of Hal Sperlich, the quiet visionary who saw how people really lived and imagined a car no one else believed in: the minivan. Rejected at Ford, embraced at Chrysler, Sperlich’s persistence reshaped the auto industry and changed family life forever. It’s a story about vision, power, and what happens when the right idea meets the wrong boss—and why believing in it anyway can change the world.

Credit goes to the Wall Street Journal and Capital One Auto Navigator for providing details that went into this podcast episode—writing by Alicia Kan and music/production by Alvarez Audio. Follow Epic Fails, Epic Comebacks wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe now and join Viviane Lopuch as we explore the fall, the fight, and the rise of the world’s greatest leaders. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show.

The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome.

Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes.

Beverly Anderson, President and CEO of BECU—the fourth-largest credit union in the United States—shares her 30-year leadership journey in financial services on the Albers Executive Speaker Series. From her Kentucky small-town roots learning credit fundamentals at a local corner store to leading a major financial institution, Anderson reveals the career strategies and leadership principles that shaped her path to the C-suite.

In this conversation, Anderson discusses her leadership philosophy built on three pillars: authenticity, excellence, and courage. She offers practical advice for women executives navigating corporate leadership, emphasizing the importance of self-advocacy in career advancement.

Anderson details a pivotal career decision that changed her trajectory: leaving a toxic leadership environment, a bold move which ultimately positioned her for the CEO appointment at BECU. Her experience demonstrates how strategic career pivots can accelerate executive success in the financial services industry.

The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome.

Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes.