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Eating Glass: The Inner Journey Through Failure and Renewal
"I have done my best to name the thoughts, feelings, and opportunities that accompany the journey through failure, because in naming a thing we gain power over it. What I ultimately hope for are empowered men and women who confidently embrace their stories to live more effectively and wholeheartedly in the world."
“FAIL FAST, FAIL OFTEN, FAIL FORWARD”... We live in an age that acknowledges the importance of failure to success. Yet our relentless focus on success can leave us ill-prepared for the trauma, grief, and confusion that can accompany failure, whether in business, relationships, or life.
We all have experiences that shatter our sense of self and leave us gasping to breathe. The aftermaths of these experiences are rich seasons in which we can experience tremendous personal flourishing, but few of us are prepared for them or have trustworthy guides.
In Eating Glass , Air Force officer, Stanford PhD, and serial entrepreneur Mark D. Jacobsen has written a compassionate and practical guide to navigating these seasons. Drawing on his own experiences—including a failed humanitarian nonprofit and a grueling PhD process—he guides readers through four failure, aftermath, healing, and renewal. With unflinching honestly and a consistently redemptive spirit, he names the thoughts and feelings we all experience in these seasons, giving readers permission to embrace their own stories.
Eating Glass will speak to any dreamer or achiever who is navigating the aftermath of a failure experience. It provides steady assurance that we are never alone in our journeys, and that our seasons of failure are fertile times in which we grow.
“FAIL FAST, FAIL OFTEN, FAIL FORWARD”... We live in an age that acknowledges the importance of failure to success. Yet our relentless focus on success can leave us ill-prepared for the trauma, grief, and confusion that can accompany failure, whether in business, relationships, or life.
We all have experiences that shatter our sense of self and leave us gasping to breathe. The aftermaths of these experiences are rich seasons in which we can experience tremendous personal flourishing, but few of us are prepared for them or have trustworthy guides.
In Eating Glass , Air Force officer, Stanford PhD, and serial entrepreneur Mark D. Jacobsen has written a compassionate and practical guide to navigating these seasons. Drawing on his own experiences—including a failed humanitarian nonprofit and a grueling PhD process—he guides readers through four failure, aftermath, healing, and renewal. With unflinching honestly and a consistently redemptive spirit, he names the thoughts and feelings we all experience in these seasons, giving readers permission to embrace their own stories.
Eating Glass will speak to any dreamer or achiever who is navigating the aftermath of a failure experience. It provides steady assurance that we are never alone in our journeys, and that our seasons of failure are fertile times in which we grow.
298 pages, Paperback
Published March 3, 2021
7 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Mark D. Jacobsen
6 books29 followersI am an entrepreneur, leader, and strategist in the U.S. Air Force who believes in a holistic approach to life: continually improving oneself, then one’s relationships, community, and work. I continually envision new possibilities and work to realize them. My life’s work is inspiring, building and leading transformational teams to renew organizations and communities.
I have an eclectic career defined by continual learning, invention, and leadership in pursuit of a better world. As an Air Force cargo pilot I criss-crossed the globe during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, learning about foreign policy and national security. Dissatisfied by what I found, I obtained an Olmsted scholarship to learn Arabic, lived in the Middle East for two years, and earned a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution at the University of Jordan. I went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Strategy. I founded a nonprofit that aimed to break sieges and end the weaponization of starvation in Syria. I earned a PhD in Political Science at Stanford, with the goal of understanding the collapse of states into anarchy. I founded and led an agile software development team at the Defense Innovation Unit aimed at stopping the use of drones for terrorism. I have written a novel, various short stories, and numerous articles to help think through the changing dynamics of warfare. I have also written numerous software applications to make my organizations more effective. I am currently a Professor of Strategy and Security Studies at the Air Force’s School of Advanced Air & Space Studies.
As for my personal life, I love my wife and adore my three children. I rock climb in order to stay strong, continually expand my limits, and overcome fear. I read. I write. I develop software. I love to learn, create, and lead.
I have an eclectic career defined by continual learning, invention, and leadership in pursuit of a better world. As an Air Force cargo pilot I criss-crossed the globe during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, learning about foreign policy and national security. Dissatisfied by what I found, I obtained an Olmsted scholarship to learn Arabic, lived in the Middle East for two years, and earned a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution at the University of Jordan. I went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Strategy. I founded a nonprofit that aimed to break sieges and end the weaponization of starvation in Syria. I earned a PhD in Political Science at Stanford, with the goal of understanding the collapse of states into anarchy. I founded and led an agile software development team at the Defense Innovation Unit aimed at stopping the use of drones for terrorism. I have written a novel, various short stories, and numerous articles to help think through the changing dynamics of warfare. I have also written numerous software applications to make my organizations more effective. I am currently a Professor of Strategy and Security Studies at the Air Force’s School of Advanced Air & Space Studies.
As for my personal life, I love my wife and adore my three children. I rock climb in order to stay strong, continually expand my limits, and overcome fear. I read. I write. I develop software. I love to learn, create, and lead.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 25, 2025
How do you take a punch and keep fighting?
That's the reality of life. Maybe you get lucky and sail through life without ever finding out what it feels like to have life kick you in the junk when you least expect it, or when you're already reeling from over events.
That's where resilience, grit, and perseverance come into play.
It's also what made Mark D. Jacobsen book, 𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, such a damn good read. The book itself is what has been described as "raw, deeply introspective" and an "exploration of what it means to fail—and grow from it." Failure is part of the human experience. Growing from it is a choice.
What makes 𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 stand out is Jacobsen's refusal to toss out easy answers. There aren't any. Instead, he provides language for the often-inarticulate emotions that accompany failure—shame, grief, defeat—and in doing so encourages readers to embrace them as part of the experience. He writes from the perspective of someone who's endured a few of life's kicks to the junk and emerged with the wisdom to show for it.
𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 captures four key themes that are worth exploring further:
𝟭. 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲. This is the moment of collapse—the shattering of a dream, a career, or a sense of identity. It’s not just the event itself, but the internal unraveling that follows. This stage is marked by shock, shame, and a loss of narrative coherence.
𝟮. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗵. Here, the dust settles, but the emotional wreckage remains. It’s a time of confusion, where people often try to “bounce back” too quickly or grasp for premature solutions. This stage is often the longest and most isolating.
𝟯. 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴. Healing doesn’t mean everything is fixed—it means beginning to reassemble a sense of self. This stage involves learning to sit with discomfort, to accept help, and to rebuild slowly. Importantly, healing is not linear—it’s cyclical and often messy.
𝟰. 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹. This final stage is not a return to the old self, but the emergence of a new one, marked by clarity and a deeper sense of purpose. People in this stage often become mentors, storytellers, or quiet sources of strength for others still struggling with failure.
A great quote to remember: “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭.”
That's the reality of life. Maybe you get lucky and sail through life without ever finding out what it feels like to have life kick you in the junk when you least expect it, or when you're already reeling from over events.
That's where resilience, grit, and perseverance come into play.
It's also what made Mark D. Jacobsen book, 𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, such a damn good read. The book itself is what has been described as "raw, deeply introspective" and an "exploration of what it means to fail—and grow from it." Failure is part of the human experience. Growing from it is a choice.
What makes 𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 stand out is Jacobsen's refusal to toss out easy answers. There aren't any. Instead, he provides language for the often-inarticulate emotions that accompany failure—shame, grief, defeat—and in doing so encourages readers to embrace them as part of the experience. He writes from the perspective of someone who's endured a few of life's kicks to the junk and emerged with the wisdom to show for it.
𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 captures four key themes that are worth exploring further:
𝟭. 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲. This is the moment of collapse—the shattering of a dream, a career, or a sense of identity. It’s not just the event itself, but the internal unraveling that follows. This stage is marked by shock, shame, and a loss of narrative coherence.
𝟮. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗵. Here, the dust settles, but the emotional wreckage remains. It’s a time of confusion, where people often try to “bounce back” too quickly or grasp for premature solutions. This stage is often the longest and most isolating.
𝟯. 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴. Healing doesn’t mean everything is fixed—it means beginning to reassemble a sense of self. This stage involves learning to sit with discomfort, to accept help, and to rebuild slowly. Importantly, healing is not linear—it’s cyclical and often messy.
𝟰. 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹. This final stage is not a return to the old self, but the emergence of a new one, marked by clarity and a deeper sense of purpose. People in this stage often become mentors, storytellers, or quiet sources of strength for others still struggling with failure.
A great quote to remember: “𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭.”
March 24, 2021
Raw and real: Mark tackles some of the toughest but least talked about elements in entrepreneurship and life, in an extraordinarily personal and moving way. To call it insightful would be an understatement; this book puts words to the moments we’ve all experienced, and you see yourself in the pages. I have many highlights and notes in the margins as it made me reflect on past experiences and prepare for future ones. Some of the themes that most stood out to me were around burnout (or "unrequited love"), aftershocks, certainties that should never had been certainties, and boundaries. I also appreciate Mark's disclaimer near the beginning that acknowledges his own privilege, but also that privilege is not armor against the experience of personal failure. All in all, I really admire Mark's work and highly recommend it to all!
May 7, 2021
Eating Glass blew me away by being so much more that a professional "how-to" book. Jacobsen's narrative and description of failure were deeply resonant on professional and personal levels. His craftsmanship is superb. I feel understood after reading the book and, more importantly, will be more resilient when future failures strike. I highly recommend this book for any fallible human being, and especially for those who think they don't fit into this category.
April 27, 2021
Jacobsen is refreshingly open and vulnerable in this well written memoir of sorts, where he shares his personal story and inner most thoughts through periods of success, failure, despair, hope and renewal. We’ve all been there, or will be there, at some level in our lives. It’s rare to get such an inside perspective of this personal journey.
May 21, 2022
This is a journey with the author book. At times you cringe at the pain but see the growth and understanding come to him throughout out. There is no arrival but rather an understanding that life moves forward if you do it right. Good job Mark.
May 4, 2021
"The wilderness is an extraordinary place with wonders of it's own"
The ultimate book on introspection -- I argue, the most important tenant of an effective leader. Thanks, Mark, for for finding the courage and sharing the depth of your journey!
We all can put ourselves in many of these chapters. You won't be disappointed!
The ultimate book on introspection -- I argue, the most important tenant of an effective leader. Thanks, Mark, for for finding the courage and sharing the depth of your journey!
We all can put ourselves in many of these chapters. You won't be disappointed!
November 8, 2022
BLUF: Don’t waste your time. Colonel Jacobsen is a whiny sissy with no internal locus of control and an ego whose size and stability rival the Hindenburg.
BLAB:
This is my first encounter with a book in what I’ll call the “self-improvement” genre that I’ve been very dissatisfied with. This book is not a genuine attempt to convey the lessons learned by bitter failure, but an exercise in personal branding by a field grade officer.
There’s the usual tour of the stoics (because Marcus Aurelius and Seneca are now well enough known that they “brief well”) and mentions of better authors like Ryan Holliday, along with his personal trials that he actually describes as a journey akin to that of Odysseus. Quite humble.
He begins with a tale of how his enormous ego nearly led to him burning down Stanford because he couldn’t take basic safety measures like alerting the fire department before hand that he was going to fly a flammable object over a dry lake bed full of tinder. He then follows a redemption ark with a new project, before demonstrating that he has actually learned none of the “lessons” that he details in his keening, whiny little voice (I listened to the audiobook) as he proceeds to rave against being relieved of command over a squadron in accordance with standard DoD personnel rotation practices.
Why couldn’t the DoD just see that he was doing something SPECIAL? What reason could the Air Force possibly have for rotating out an ass that was late to complete his taxpayer funded PhD, flew drones Willy-nilly through civilian airport airspace, and admits that his leadership was toxic and destructive while simultaneously taking no apparent corrective action?
Christ on a bicycle this book was terrible.
BLAB:
This is my first encounter with a book in what I’ll call the “self-improvement” genre that I’ve been very dissatisfied with. This book is not a genuine attempt to convey the lessons learned by bitter failure, but an exercise in personal branding by a field grade officer.
There’s the usual tour of the stoics (because Marcus Aurelius and Seneca are now well enough known that they “brief well”) and mentions of better authors like Ryan Holliday, along with his personal trials that he actually describes as a journey akin to that of Odysseus. Quite humble.
He begins with a tale of how his enormous ego nearly led to him burning down Stanford because he couldn’t take basic safety measures like alerting the fire department before hand that he was going to fly a flammable object over a dry lake bed full of tinder. He then follows a redemption ark with a new project, before demonstrating that he has actually learned none of the “lessons” that he details in his keening, whiny little voice (I listened to the audiobook) as he proceeds to rave against being relieved of command over a squadron in accordance with standard DoD personnel rotation practices.
Why couldn’t the DoD just see that he was doing something SPECIAL? What reason could the Air Force possibly have for rotating out an ass that was late to complete his taxpayer funded PhD, flew drones Willy-nilly through civilian airport airspace, and admits that his leadership was toxic and destructive while simultaneously taking no apparent corrective action?
Christ on a bicycle this book was terrible.
March 22, 2023
This book hit me like a steamroller.
If you’ve gone through failure (I don’t mean an “our-car-fishtailed-but-we-pulled-it-out-at-the-last-minute” close call; I mean a “barrel-rolled-three-times-into-a-concrete-barrier-now-I- can’t-walk-right” kind of failure) then it’ll likely hit you hard, as well.
Jacobsen doesn’t pull punches. It’s tough to read about the failures he’s suffered, and the emotional and physical toll those failures took on him. But his prose is just as insightful when examining the grim beauty to be found when as strips away the veil of delusions we use to keep plowing deeper into a failed endeavor. Eating Glass has insight that will resonate with anyone who’s gone through a difficult failure, whether that was with a business, a relationship, or a creative project.
It felt like I used the Highlight function of my Kindle more than I ever have before, and I’m confident that this will be a book I return to over the years.
If you’ve gone through failure (I don’t mean an “our-car-fishtailed-but-we-pulled-it-out-at-the-last-minute” close call; I mean a “barrel-rolled-three-times-into-a-concrete-barrier-now-I- can’t-walk-right” kind of failure) then it’ll likely hit you hard, as well.
Jacobsen doesn’t pull punches. It’s tough to read about the failures he’s suffered, and the emotional and physical toll those failures took on him. But his prose is just as insightful when examining the grim beauty to be found when as strips away the veil of delusions we use to keep plowing deeper into a failed endeavor. Eating Glass has insight that will resonate with anyone who’s gone through a difficult failure, whether that was with a business, a relationship, or a creative project.
It felt like I used the Highlight function of my Kindle more than I ever have before, and I’m confident that this will be a book I return to over the years.
October 14, 2024
This is a very basic book that follows the life - part of which is an academic life - of Mark Jacobsen.
There is very little research in the book. The structure of the chapters follows a catastrophic research failure, and how he regrouped. Yes - the failing forward trope.
He suffered a lot. Lost confidence from the failure. But throughout the process, the privilege of having an opportunity to fail in a Stanford doctoral programme - from which he did gain a PhD - was unrecognized.
A man lost confidence. Felt like an imposter.
OK. Fine. Nothing theoretically complex or rigorous here. A bloke confronting failure and suffering from it.
As expected, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca made an appearance in the last few chapters...
Yawn.
Silicon Valley is not a model for success in life. Entrepreneurship is not a proxy for life. And yes - the title comes from a statement by Elon Musk.
Yep.
No.
There is very little research in the book. The structure of the chapters follows a catastrophic research failure, and how he regrouped. Yes - the failing forward trope.
He suffered a lot. Lost confidence from the failure. But throughout the process, the privilege of having an opportunity to fail in a Stanford doctoral programme - from which he did gain a PhD - was unrecognized.
A man lost confidence. Felt like an imposter.
OK. Fine. Nothing theoretically complex or rigorous here. A bloke confronting failure and suffering from it.
As expected, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca made an appearance in the last few chapters...
Yawn.
Silicon Valley is not a model for success in life. Entrepreneurship is not a proxy for life. And yes - the title comes from a statement by Elon Musk.
Yep.
No.
April 18, 2021
If you work in the defense sector and have a passion for innovation and creating new concepts and ideas that will help our nation fight wars in the future, you must read this book. I've had the opportunity to meet and know Mark while he worked both on Uplift and Rogue Squadron. I always believed in his work. This book goes through the greatest challenges Mark experienced leading those organizations and his failures. Leaders in our military need to see what innovators we have in the DoD, the passion they have for their projects, and the absolute great lengths they go through to reach success. If we want our Airmen to continue to care, we have to find better ways to support their efforts. We need to do better. If you have experienced failure and it has challenged you greatly both personally and professionally, please read Mark's book. Mark, thank you for writing this.
May 16, 2021
Not just for leaders and innovators who battle every day to improve from within the government’s bureaucratic construct (but these folks will certainly appreciate the honesty and shared experience). This book is well worth picking up for anyone who has started to recognize the cycles of success and failure that comprises life. Mark’s raw and frank testimony is not only commendable but also reassuring for others out there trying to navigate life’s frequent bewildering path.
June 5, 2021
Go read this book.
November 14, 2021
Feels like having a conversation with a friend who knows the behind the scenes hardships of running a business. Beautifully written and thoughtfully told insights. I highly recommend.
July 11, 2021
Entrepreneurship and innovation isn’t sexy…it’s hard and brutal and, as Mark Jacobson reminds us, like eating glass most days. It is inherently much more fraught with failure than success and Mark provides a beautiful and poignant roadmap and recounting of what it was like to travel down the dark road of failure. Particularly powerful because it’s not hypothetical. This is what Mark experienced and he’s brave to share it with us, the reader.
April 19, 2022
Once every couple years a book comes along and captivates you. This year it’s Eating Glass, the title alone is beautiful. To talk about love, power and how that is a byproduct of failure is beyond comprehension. However, mark does exactly that. He has experience how failure can break you to your soul. Then how you can emerge better, stronger and wiser.
His transparency and emotion through this book consumed me as I read through the pages. It made me identify points in my life where I was that broken. The only way is forward and that sound easy, but we all know it is not.
I recommend everyone read this book, correction consume this book. Leave the pages wrinkled as you grip it tight with shared emotion.
There are five books that are on my desk, this book is number six!
His transparency and emotion through this book consumed me as I read through the pages. It made me identify points in my life where I was that broken. The only way is forward and that sound easy, but we all know it is not.
I recommend everyone read this book, correction consume this book. Leave the pages wrinkled as you grip it tight with shared emotion.
There are five books that are on my desk, this book is number six!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews