Just discovered this series and binge listened to catch up on every episode. I find rejection stories like this to be just the inspiration I need to keep pushing forward in my own pursuits. Would love to hear stories about Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, and HBO’s The Wire.

This is a very well produced, interesting podcast. What else would it be with Terry O’Reilly at the helm? I’ve been following him since Under the Influence—brilliant. Every show has been great except for Rejecting Gal Gadot. Why tell her story when there’s no story to tell? There was no suffering, no inspiration, no real rejection. I don’t count flying back and forth to Israel as a challenge or a hardship. The flights are pretty nice and they are expensive. Gadot waited out the audition algorithm—small parts, bigger parts, plum part—until she got Wonder Woman. Boring. You have done way better than this show. Otherwise, awesome podcast. I’m a super fan.

Whenever I need inspiration to keep pursuing my dreams, I listen to this podcast. I wish there were more episodes- it’s that good!

Everyone should listen to this podcast. It is the most positive and uplifting podcast. Some of the stories will take you from tears to feeling good. It is presented perfectly. A must listen

10 stars

Great story telling talent. Did she learn from her father? Entertaining, clever and worth the listen.

During the darkest days of the pandemic I needed something to help me get through the many many days of isolation and remote work. I’m so grateful that I found this gem of a podcast. Each installment is a story of failure and eventual success told in a way that keeps me listening. And for a while I can forget the isolation and boredom. Each episode is a story all it’s own and sometimes the stories are so detailed with so much juice that they stretch to two episodes. I now look forward to the next installment and makes the days go by a little quicker and brighter. My thanks to Apostrophe Podcasts for continuing to produce this show. You rock!

Inspiring stories of now famous and successful people who overcame soul-crushing rejection while overcoming their own physical and emotional hurdles to stay the course and realize their dreams. It is nice to have someone read all of these fascinating biographies and distill them into a a podcast that you will instantly love!

I‘ve really enjoyed these stories but I became alarmed when I heard the story of Spanx. The narrator described Blakely’s experience working at Disney World. The narrator said Blakely wore a chipmunk costume while buckling kids into rides. And Cinderella was smoking cigarettes in the parks. Anyone who knows Disney knows neither could have happened. Characters do not work at attractions and Cinderella is not allowed to smoke and Cinderella never walks the parks without attendants so she couldn’t sneak a smoke. Why do I care? Because these facts are so wrong I’m now wondering what else is incorrect in all these entertaining stories. What else is more exaggerated than poor Pinocchio’s nose?

I love the concept and the host. Very entertaining and everything you need to hear if you’re dealing with rejection letters!

Reviewers will over do it but I’ll give this an initial solid 4 stars. We’ll researched, written, presented and, most importantly, entertaining. I personally love an underdog and more often than not, famous people have been rejected repeatedly and still found their way. I love the concept. We’ll done and let’s watch this evolve. Keep moving forward.

I think that some of the reviews on here are being a bit harsh. Yes we could all do our own research on the subjects presented in the podcast, but I don’t want to. The information is presented in a fun and engaging form and I feel inspired every time I listen to an episode. I enjoy the intro/outro music but I will say that the sound effects don’t add anything to the stories and sometimes are distracting. Overall, I’m glad to have this show and will continue to listen and support and tell my friends about it.

The narration is like Pepsi that has been left open over night, a touch too flat. This makes it difficult to become engrossed in what could be very interesting stories. I may revisit this cast at a later date to see if you have hit your stride.

Don’t love this format. It’s like an audio book when I thought we’d be hearing from guests themselves. The intonations of the reader are really distracting.

The premise is great, and I thought the first ep that covers Stephen King was an interesting and quick listen. But the story of the Duffer Brothers sounds like a Wikipedia entry that they wrote themselves (yes, just as other reviewers have noted). Not for me.

This seemed so promising at first. The names listed in the episode guide were all people I liked and was curious about, so I was excited to hit play and binge a few. Sadly, it’s just a narrator, a bad one, telling you their history and unknown facts about the celebs journey. It’s like if you had the Wikipedia page read to you by Siri… no thanks.

Intro music loud. Sound effects lame and unnecessary. Don’t need guy at end repeating the same premise. Could be better overall.

An absolutely wonderful podcast! The Stephen King Segment literally brought tears to my eyes at the end. I wish they would do two of these every day.

This podcast slaps so hard I love it

This podcast is insubstantial, corny and sometimes just stupid. You can get the same information from scanning a People magazine article. In fact, it’s like having a student from grade 7 summarize a People magazine article. Too bad.

I love the content of this podcast but the narrator’s voice lacks emotion, sort of npr style, which feels weird with the Jay-Z story in particular. Pretty minor critique and I will definitely keep listening, would recommend you give it a listen

Love this podcast! Very interesting to learn about the famous people who were rejected so many times. I never knew that Steven King had so much trouble getting published!

Wow can’t wait for more episodes....! Will recommend to all !!!!

If you’re a creative type, being able to endure rejection is critical. Up to a point, of course. First episode of this podcast reminds us that even the most celebrated did not have an easy road to success.

Great podcast! The hosts are easy to listen to and tell a great, original story. Can’t wait to hear more.