This week it's our mid-season break, and that means an encore presentation of one of our most-loved episodes: Rejecting Pedro Pascal.

Pedro Pascal is the man of the moment. In 2020 he was named one of Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year, and in 2023 he became one of the highest-paid actors on television. But only 10 years ago, Pascal was struggling to make rent, rejected for parts and told he was aging out of Hollywood – quick. Until one afternoon, when he picked up a script for a 30-something bisexual Lothario from the 15th century...

Tell us YOUR rejection story, and you may be featured in an upcoming episode:

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Online graphic design platform Canva is worth $26 billion. 85% of Fortune 500 companies utilize Canva, and its users span 190 countries. But when Australian entrepreneur Melanie Perkins pitched Canva to investors, she got the following feedback:

“Your headquarters are too far from Silicon Valley.”

“You didn’t go to Harvard, Stanford or MIT.”

“Your idea is too ambitious.”

“Your idea isn’t ambitious enough.”

And, “The market is too small.”

185 million monthly users later, Canva holds the title of world’s most valuable startup founded and led by a woman.

Hope you'll join us.

Tell us YOUR rejection story:

Record your voice: https://speak-to.us/rejection

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Over the past five years – and 85 episodes – we’ve come across so many rejection stories that aren’t long enough to fill an entire episode. But that doesn’t mean they're any less filled with insight. Join us this week for a special “Short Stories” podcast – the inspiring pint-sized rejection stories of Melissa McCarthy and Jennifer Aniston.

Before getting their big breaks on Gilmore Girls and Friends, both Melissa McCarthy and Jennifer Aniston were struggling actors in New York City. McCarthy landed auditions, but not parts. And eventually, she stopped landing auditions altogether. Meanwhile Aniston was landing parts – in low-budget sci-fi and horror comedies. Their careers were going nowhere and the rejection was crushing.

Aniston’s father, Days of Our Lives actor John Aniston, begged her to quit the business. McCarthy set a do-or-die date for her 30th birthday.

Tell us YOUR rejection story:

Record your voice: https://speak-to.us/rejection

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Hi – Sidney here. You may not recognize the name Bessie Coleman, so you may be wondering whether or not to tune into this episode. But, I highly encourage you to give it a listen. It’s a story our team – from our director Callie to our engineer Geoff – all declared one of their favourites of the entire series. Because it’s a story about the ripple effects of bravery. Coleman battled racism, sexism, poverty and rejection to – just 20 years after the Wright Brothers successfully flew the first controlled airplane – become the first Black woman pilot. What Coleman didn’t know, was that her resilience would inspire another incredible woman – whose story we’ve already told on this show. Turns out, the sky is not the limit.

Hope you’ll join us.

Tell us YOUR rejection story:

Record your voice: https://speak-to.us/rejection

Write to us: hello@apostrophepodcasts.ca

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The Sopranos is widely considered the greatest television show of all time. Just ask TV Guide, The Writer’s Guild of America and Rolling Stone. But before revolutionizing the one-hour drama and ushering in what’s become known as the second Golden Age of Television, the idea for The Sopranos was rejected. By every major network. At nearly 50 years old, the show’s creator David Chase nearly shelved his script – then his manager got an idea.

Tell us YOUR rejection story:

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Since the year 1937, over 60 Dr. Seuss books have been published. Over 650 million copies have been sold. Leading to film adaptations grossing over $1.7 billion at the box office. But before the late author was Dr. Seuss, he was Theodor Geisel. And his first children’s book “A Story That No One Could Beat” was a story that no one would want. After being rejected by every publisher in Manhattan, Geisel decided to burn his drawings. Then, a chance encounter changed everything.

Tell us YOUR rejection story:

Record your voice: https://speak-to.us/rejection

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In Part 2 of our Rejecting Manon Rhéaume episode, for the first time, Rhéaume plays with women. It’s Canada vs. the USA at the World Championships. Then, the goalie gets a strange letter in the mail – from the brand-new Tampa Bay Lightning. Hope you'll join us.

Tell us YOUR rejection story:

Record your voice: https://speak-to.us/rejection

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Manon Rhéaume was told hockey was for boys. Manon Rhéaume was cut from teams for being a girl. Manon Rhéaume was heckled by parents in the stands. Manon Rhéaume was told she was taking a spot away from boys with NHL dreams. Manon Rhéaume was told she’d never play pro. Manon Rhéaume became the first woman to ever play in an NHL game.

If you enjoyed our Hayley Wickenheiser episodes last season, give this one a listen. It’s a story of courage, vulnerability and unbelievable determination.

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