transcript
show notes
What happens when a challenge about rejection turns into a lesson about monarch butterflies, conservation, burnout, and knowing when to say no?
In this week’s Wildly Rejected: Becoming the Bison, I’m continuing my journey toward 1,000 rejections—but I’m realizing that making 1,000 asks doesn’t mean chasing every opportunity that crosses my path.
After another week of balancing podcast interviews, editing, painting, running Wild Developments Studio, and trying to hit my 10 weekly asks, I’m asking a bigger question: Just because you can pursue an opportunity, does that mean you should?
But first, we need to talk about the monarchs.
After Nemo emerged with a crumpled wing, several more monarch butterflies experienced deformities, failed emergence, or death. That sent me down a rabbit hole researching OE (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha), monarch butterfly disease, tropical milkweed, native Florida milkweed, and how the plants we put in our gardens can affect monarch health.
It’s heartbreaking—but it may also be the beginning of something bigger.
Then I bring that lesson back to the rejection challenge and share the questions I’m starting to ask before making an application, pitch, submission, or big ask: Do I actually have the time, money, and energy if they say yes? Does this opportunity move something I care about forward—or am I pursuing it simply because it exists?
Plus, I share my Week 22 rejection challenge stats, two bigger podcast pitches I finally made, and why becoming comfortable with rejection is turning out to be about much more than hearing “no.”
In this episode:
• Monarch butterflies and crumpled wing deformities
• OE parasite and monarch health
• Tropical milkweed vs. native milkweed in Florida
• Butterfly conservation and responsible monarch care
• Creative burnout and protecting your time
• How to decide whether an opportunity is worth pursuing
• Overcoming fear of rejection
• My 1,000 Rejections / Becoming the Bison challenge
• Week 22 rejection statistics
• Learning when to make the ask—and when to let something go
Wildly Unplug is a podcast about nature, conservation, creativity, adventure, and finding ways to step away from the noise and reconnect with what matters.
Until next time—unplug, get outside, and see what develops.
