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Our instincts might say otherwise, but uncertainty can indeed be a safe space. Therapist and writer Jen Watt joins us in studio to have a wide-ranging and revealing conversation about creativity, pare…

Our instincts might …

Our instincts might say otherwise, but uncertainty can indeed be a safe space. Therapist and writer Jen Watt joins us in studio to have a wide-ranging and revealing conversation about creativity, parental kid-shaping, religious questioning, and creating safety.  Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening!

Marissa Stapley is a bestselling novelist and fabulous human, and the author of the newly released The Lightning Bottles. She is the only Canadian writer ever to have been chosen for the prestigious R…

Marissa Stapley is a…

Marissa Stapley is a bestselling novelist and fabulous human, and the author of the newly released The Lightning Bottles. She is the only Canadian writer ever to have been chosen for the prestigious Reese's Book Club, a massive nod to her craft and storyweaving, and she has gotten the chance to work with some big, big names as a result. Still, life is life, and rejection finds even those who earn successes and accolades: for Marissa, family and staying present are the keys to keeping a successful life on the ground. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van S…

In the middle of another chaotic week in Washington, Brent chats with Ukrainian political strategist Kateryna Odarchenko about shepherding the challenges of post-Soviet democracy through DC's halls of…

In the middle of ano…

In the middle of another chaotic week in Washington, Brent chats with Ukrainian political strategist Kateryna Odarchenko about shepherding the challenges of post-Soviet democracy through DC's halls of power, navigating the polarized atmosphere in the media, and the power of gratitude amidst global conflict and upheaval. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by award-winning and bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listen…

Lana Starchuck is an author, speaker, motivator, producer, screenwriter, and record-holding skydiver with a dream of helping others. She sits down with Dave and Brent to talk about what happens when a…

Lana Starchuck is an…

Lana Starchuck is an author, speaker, motivator, producer, screenwriter, and record-holding skydiver with a dream of helping others. She sits down with Dave and Brent to talk about what happens when a parachute fails, life gets complicated, and how rejection can give you a new perspective on life. The answer, of course, is to turn those rejections into something better, of course, and fill the gaps with creative and artistic things. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get yo…

When Caroline Topperman returned to her ancestral homeland of Poland, she discovered that having heritage from a place and being from the place don't always line up, and that one can feel like a rejec…

When Caroline Topper…

When Caroline Topperman returned to her ancestral homeland of Poland, she discovered that having heritage from a place and being from the place don't always line up, and that one can feel like a reject in places that seem familiar from that familial connection. We sit down and talk dancing, pilates, Poland, famous clients, and her fabulous memoir Your Roots Cast a Shadow. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us kno…

American professor and author Randall J Stephens joins us from his home in Norway to talk about exploring pop and Christian Contemporary music, his creative resistance on BlueSky, and using graphic de…

American professor a…

American professor and author Randall J Stephens joins us from his home in Norway to talk about exploring pop and Christian Contemporary music, his creative resistance on BlueSky, and using graphic design to help us assess the present by illuminating the past. He can be found on BlueSky, Facebook, and Instagram. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by award-winning and bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening!

As we move through the deepest, often gloomiest part of the winter, Dave and Brent sit down with psychotherapist and counsellor Stephen Doucet Campbell to talk about why this season can affect us more…

As we move through t…

As we move through the deepest, often gloomiest part of the winter, Dave and Brent sit down with psychotherapist and counsellor Stephen Doucet Campbell to talk about why this season can affect us more profoundly than others, and what we can think about, do, and say to each other to process the winter moods and feelings that challenge us.    Note: this episode contains discussions of Mental Health challenges, which can be activating for some people: if you're experiencing a mental health crisis, please know that there are real life and online resources available to you, so do reach out and ta…

Actor Richard Willis has seen a few things along his TV, stage, and film journey. We chat with him about his creative bio-pic Strolling Player, love, and acceptance. He has also made Strolling Player…

Actor Richard Willis…

Actor Richard Willis has seen a few things along his TV, stage, and film journey. We chat with him about his creative bio-pic Strolling Player, love, and acceptance. He has also made Strolling Player available for our listeners to view: click here to watch.  Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by award-winning and bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening!

On inauguration day, Elon Musk delivered not one, but two Nazi/Fascist salutes, solidifying his increasingly vocal position that whites should work harder than ever to grab power, and demonstrating wi…

On inauguration day,…

On inauguration day, Elon Musk delivered not one, but two Nazi/Fascist salutes, solidifying his increasingly vocal position that whites should work harder than ever to grab power, and demonstrating with perfect Clarity that he is a white supremacist. This should be horrifying to anyone with a conscience, and yet very few influential voices in the US convincingly condemned his actions. Well, we at Rejected Central decided that Nazi Elon is a clear and present danger to the globe, and are calling out his racist dogwhistling (and all his horribleness). Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted b…

Sometimes life gets fuller when you allow yourself to have more questions than answers. Meghan Crozier is the creative force behind The Pursuing Life, a multimedia journey where she evolves through fa…

Sometimes life gets …

Sometimes life gets fuller when you allow yourself to have more questions than answers. Meghan Crozier is the creative force behind The Pursuing Life, a multimedia journey where she evolves through faith deconstruction to a reconstruction of who she is as an evolving human. We talk about her present steps, rage reading, and her hopes for the conversations she has yet to have.  Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let …

Brent and Dave chat with Lynn Courville and Olamipo Ognunnote from Ontario Student Voices, an organization dedicating to helping ensure Ontario college and university students have a voice in governme…

Brent and Dave chat …

Brent and Dave chat with Lynn Courville and Olamipo Ognunnote from Ontario Student Voices, an organization dedicating to helping ensure Ontario college and university students have a voice in government. The Canadian federal government is cutting immigration quotas and levels, including the number of student visas issued to international students hoping to study here. This reduction is having an incredibly negative impact on programs and resources, forcing institutions to cut staff and programming, and providing fewer opportunities for foreign students hoping to invest in Canada. It's not enou…

We chat with Alycea, more popularly known by her online persona Transvangelical, who grew up conservative, evangelical, and Republican, about how her passion for the Bible and theology has been shaped…

We chat with Alycea,…

We chat with Alycea, more popularly known by her online persona Transvangelical, who grew up conservative, evangelical, and Republican, about how her passion for the Bible and theology has been shaped by coming out as a trans woman in her 30s. She's become a wise, relevant voice for trans and queer folk who wrestle with a religion who doesn't accept who they are, and we talk religion and politics, how purity culture has deformed what sexuality should be, and about the safety issues around being trans and outspoken about the Bible and conservative Christianity.  Rejected Central is a human po…

Ironically, Brent drove through a storm and rising floodwaters to visit with marine biologist, fisher, and activist Mimi Rogers at her stilt-home in Key West. We talked climate and resilience and how …

Ironically, Brent dr…

Ironically, Brent drove through a storm and rising floodwaters to visit with marine biologist, fisher, and activist Mimi Rogers at her stilt-home in Key West. We talked climate and resilience and how even though most Conches recognize the climate challenges ahead, it can be hard to get entrenched businesses to care. Which is concerning when the average height of Key West is 8' above sea level, with much of the infrastructure much lower than that. About the series: There are some places where discussions of climate change, sea level rise, and extreme weather events are very uncomfortable. Brent…

Dave and Brent discuss extreme examples of folks who've ditched civilization and  ask themselves whether they'd ever consider leaving all our tech and amenities behind. Would you? Rejected Central is…

Dave and Brent discu…

Dave and Brent discuss extreme examples of folks who've ditched civilization and  ask themselves whether they'd ever consider leaving all our tech and amenities behind. Would you? Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening!

Writer and inspirer Carrie-Ellise Poirier reached out via BlueSky, and we're so glad she did. What a story! She has taken hold of success by reverse-engineering the childhood Trauma and BDD challenges…

Writer and inspirer …

Writer and inspirer Carrie-Ellise Poirier reached out via BlueSky, and we're so glad she did. What a story! She has taken hold of success by reverse-engineering the childhood trauma and BDD challenges she has faced throughout life, successfully publishing six editions of THE CABIN CREW INTERVIEW MADE EASY, a go-to resource for those interested in becoming a flight attendant. She's also writing a memoir called THE GOOD GIRL CHECKLIST, which we're excited to read, continues to help others who struggle with BDD with her inspiring stories of bodybuilding and rising above when things get tough. Rej…

Brent chats with "the internet's youth pastor" Mason Mennenga about rejection, deconstruction, and how his online life mirrors his de/construction journey. Follow Mason on YouTube, X, Threads, Instagr…

Brent chats with "th…

Brent chats with "the internet's youth pastor" Mason Mennenga about rejection, deconstruction, and how his online life mirrors his de/construction journey. Follow Mason on YouTube, X, Threads, Instagram, and BlueSky: he's worth paying attention to! Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening!

Chatting with the talented and driven horror/sci-fi/speculative writer Geoffrey W Cole about Bowie-tribute-orgies, mushroom/mountain/god conversations, and all the rejections writers seem to collect. …

Chatting with the ta…

Chatting with the talented and driven horror/sci-fi/speculative writer Geoffrey W Cole about Bowie-tribute-orgies, mushroom/mountain/god conversations, and all the rejections writers seem to collect. Geoff also speaks whale, and we get a small sample.  Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening!

Dave and Brent sit down with sociologist and professor Katelan Dunn for a fascinating talk about the psychology of rejection, and how it wires/rewires our brains in positive and negative ways. Rejecte…

Dave and Brent sit d…

Dave and Brent sit down with sociologist and professor Katelan Dunn for a fascinating talk about the psychology of rejection, and how it wires/rewires our brains in positive and negative ways. Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educator and life-embracer Dave Parkinson. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, follow us online and social media, and let us know what you think. Thanks for listening!