Rejected Central

Aamir Hussain is a writer, political advocate, TTRPGer, and all-round interesting guy. He joins us to talk about the disappointments and rejections that have brought him to today, where he's releasing a book into the world. He also talks about election disappointments, life as a Muslim who really believes in listening to others, and how writing about a speculative matriarchal society in his novel Under the Crescent Moon can challen...

Celebrating the release of his newest bestseller Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of Catholic Church, veteran journalist and writer Philip Shenon joins us to talk about Rejection, the Church, the 7 modern popes who have shaped how we think about Catholicism, and the one thing the Church should be talking about more.

Rejected Central is a human podcast hosted by bestselling novelist Brent van Staalduinen and educa...

Brent and Dave sit down with award-winning and story-redefining writer Anuja Varghese to talk rejection, writing across the genres, writing for writing's sake, and what cats can teach us about rejection. 

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...

Actor, writer, director, producer, and life-lover Carrie Schiffler joins us to talk about her memoir From the Corner of Bad and Ass (and the forthcoming Beyond the Corner of Bad and Ass) rejection and perseverance and how a life in the arts can carry a person forward. In a wide-ranging conversation, we get real about all of it: laughter, pain, trauma, and joy, and how creativity is sometimes the only response.

Rejected Central is a...

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 podcast...

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 Mariss...

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 ed...

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...

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 no...

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 a...

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...

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 ge...

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 ...

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 bestselli...

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 progra...

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 wh...

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 l...

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 li...

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 CHECKLIS...