In this powerful episode, Valeria sits down with multidisciplinary artist, author, and businessman Karan Wadhwani to talk about how rejection often starts from within—and how embracing intuition, creativity, and spiritual practice can lead to a more fulfilling and resilient life.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• Why “others can only reject you when you reject yourself”
• The difference between fear and intuition
• Building resilience through adaptability, self-trust, and self-compassion
• Why being your own best friend is the key to overcoming external and internal rejection
• What it means to be successful—and how to redefine failure
• Tai Chi, spirituality, and how martial arts can teach us how to flow with rejection
• The importance of making the most of every moment and acting despite fear
• Creative balance, joy, and how to not hold yourself back
• Lessons from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
• Understanding that we’re all walking our own paths, but not alone

Career Advice You’ll Love: Karan shares why liking what you do matters more than titles, and how working across industries made him more resilient. Hear his practical tips on building a path that’s authentic—even when it's unconventional.

Karan’s Book: So You Want To Be A... – Order now on Amazon

Learn more: karanwadhwani.ca

Connect with Karan:

• Instagram: @kwadhwan
• Email: info@whoiskaran.com

📢 Connect with Us:

📸 Instagram: @the_rejectedpremed_podcast

💼 LinkedIn: Valeria Rusnak

📩 Email: valerusu55@gmail.com

☕ Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/valeriarusnak

If you need support navigating rejection or feeling lost, book a private meeting at calendly.com/valerusu55. I may not have all the answers, but there is beauty in sticking together in tough times 🫶

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal, medical, or professional advice.

Listen Now on Your Favorite Platform: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | RSS

Remember: "Don’t be fearful of things that are intuitively who you are." Let go of the fear and let yourself become who you're meant to be.

Discover the real meaning of resilience with Dr. Michael Ungar, Canada Research Chair at Dalhousie University and the world’s leading social work scholar. In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Ungar unpacks the science of adaptation, the power of community support, and how moments of rejection can spark profound transformation in your life.

🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn:

🌱 Why resilience is not a fixed trait—it’s a skill anyone can develop through adaptation and community support. 💡 How setbacks, rejection, and failure can be stepping stones to transformation and personal growth. 🏘️ The vital role of community support systems in building resilience and helping you thrive, even in uncertain times. 🌍 How cultural differences shape our adaptation strategies and definitions of success, from academic achievement to meaningful social connections. 🎭 Why you’re more than a single career—embrace your multidimensional self for a richer, more satisfying life. ⚠️ How to recognize the difference between healthy resilience, toxic positivity, and knowing when it’s time to persevere, pivot, or let go.

📚 Whether you’re a premed, former premed, or anyone facing rejection and questioning your path, this episode will help you harness adaptation, lean on community support, and embrace transformation.

🎙️ Bonus: Hear Dr. Ungar’s personal stories, including the teacher who changed his life, plus insights from his groundbreaking books on resilience and adaptation.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Michael Ungar 📍 Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience 📍 Director, Resilience Research Centre, Dalhousie University 📬 Email: Michael.Ungar@dal.ca 📞 Phone: (902) 494-3445 (Office) | (902) 229-0434 (Cell) 🌐 Website: www.michaelungar.com 🌐 Resilience Research Centre: www.resilienceresearch.org 📘 Follow on X: @MichaelUngarPhD

📚 Explore Dr. Ungar’s Books & Resources: 📖 The Limits of Resilience: Knowing When to Persevere, When to Change, and When to Quit 📖 Change Your World: The Science of Resilience and the True Path to Success 📖 Multisystemic Resilience: Adaptation and Transformation in Contexts of Change (Open Access) 📖 Working with Children and Youth with Complex Needs: 20 Skills to Build Resilience (2nd Ed.) 📘 What Works: A Manual for Designing Programs that Build Resilience (Free Download) 📝 Nurturing Resilience Blog, hosted by Psychology Today

📢 Connect with Us:

📸 Instagram: @the_rejectedpremed_podcast

💼 LinkedIn: Valeria Rusnak

📩 Email: valerusu55@gmail.com

☕ Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/valeriarusnak

If you need support navigating rejection or feeling lost, book a private meeting at calendly.com/valerusu55. I may not have all the answers, but there is beauty in sticking together in tough times 🫶

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal, medical, or professional advice.

What IF rejection could be the spark for your greatest personal growth? In this inspiring episode, Dave Robens, MOT & Coach, shares his raw story of facing rejection from Occupational Therapy school—despite better grades and a stronger application—and how he transformed that setback into a powerful redirection. Learn how Dave used the energy of rejection to silence his inner critic, embrace the STOP technique, and ultimately build a meaningful, resilient career as an Occupational Therapist.

We dive deep into how your responses and reactions to negative thoughts can shape your reality, and why the language you use with yourself matters. Discover practical tools like the STOP technique to pause, reflect, and choose your responses, helping you gain control over your mindset and cultivate personal growth. Dave also unpacks how redefining 'failure' and quieting your inner critic can set you on a path toward greater self-compassion and fulfillment.

You’ll learn:

- How to channel the energy of potential rejection into personal growth

- Why the STOP technique is a game-changer for resilience and emotional control

- Simple strategies to turn down the volume on your inner critic and rewire your mindset

- The power of the stories we tell ourselves—and how to rewrite yours for success

Packed with actionable insights and uplifting mindset shifts, this episode will motivate you to see rejection as redirection and inspire you to show up for yourself, no matter what life throws your way.

Stay tuned for a special offer from Dave exclusively for our listeners!

🎙️ Connect with Dave:

🌐 Website: daverobens.com

📸 Instagram: @daverobens

📘 Facebook: Dave Robens

🔗 LinkedIn: Dave Robens

📧 Email: dave@daverobens.com

📢 Connect with Us:

📸 Instagram: @the_rejectedpremed_podcast

💼 LinkedIn: Valeria Rusnak

📩 Email: valerusu55@gmail.com

☕ Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/valeriarusnak

If you need support navigating rejection or feeling lost, book a private meeting at calendly.com/valerusu55. I may not have all the answers, but there is beauty in sticking together in tough times 🫶

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal, medical, or professional advice.