Episode #9 Job Rejection Hit Hard? How to Heal & Move Forward
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[00:00:00] Welcome back to yet another inspirational podcast episode brought to you by yours truly, Carina from Healergy. I'm your truth speaker, truth seeker, truth keeper, and I am so glad that you're here with me today You know that feeling when you finally plant something, a job, a dream version of yourself, and it doesn't grow?
Last time, we talked about clearing what doesn't belong and planting the seeds that are truly yours. But what happens when one of those seeds [00:01:00] fails to take root? In this episode, I'll take you into a moment like that, a job I didn't get, a door that slammed shut, and how it cracked something open in me that I didn't see coming.
Because this isn't just about rejection. It's about grief, identity, and the fire that comes when life tells you, "Not this." By the end of this episode, you'll feel clearer about how to sit with the sting of rejection without bypassing it, what your body might be telling you through that no, and how to tell the difference between ego loss and soul redirection.
This one's a little fiery, a little tender, so stay with me. Maybe you've been there too. You did the work, you made the vision board, you followed the signs, you opened your heart, and you said [00:02:00] yes, only to be met with a no. And it wasn't just disappointment, it was identity collapse. It was shame. It was, "Was I wrong to want this?"
I remember applying for that EA role for the then CEO at my old job. It was a long shot, but part of me believed maybe this was it, the thing that would finally make me feel like I mattered again. It felt like the thing that would give me some control, some grounding, some dignity, maybe even a little authority.
I wanted to feel seen, really seen, for the first time in a long time. I wanted to feel [00:03:00] appreciated. I wanted my skills recognized. I was tired of being the quiet worker bee in the background. I wanted to be the queen. I wanted to feel valued, needed, indispensable, and yes, I wanted the pay that came with it.
But here's the thing, that role asked more of me than I may have been willing to give. It was full-time, and I was con- um, content working part-time. It involved travel to various locations, which would impact the children. The kind of ripple effect that doesn't just show up in the job descriptions, but lives in your body as guilt, tension, mental load.
It came with pressure, big expectations, and responsibility, including writing speeches the CEO would deliver to rooms full [00:04:00] of bigwigs and notoriety. It wasn't just a job, it was an identity shift, a whole new mask And I only told a couple of trusted people at work about the application. Why? Because if I didn't get the job, I'd have to explain why to everyone I'd told.
It was self-preservation on the surface, but what if, on a deeper level, my body already knew I wasn't gonna get it? Was I already ignoring the warning signs that were there? I mean, I knew I'd be up against the existing EA, who had already proven herself over the last 18 months, and my body knew it too. The minute I saw her name, something tightened in me, like I'd have to pull a rabbit out of a bloody hat to [00:05:00] even have a shot.
And did I think I could do the role? Abso-bloody-lutely. But did I truly want to? Or was it just my inflated ego trying to make me feel like I mattered? I poured, ugh, so much energy into that application and interview, crafted every word, held my breath, tried to believe it was possible. The nausea in my gut when I even imagined that job, the nerves waiting to hear back if I was successful, and let's face it, employers like to drag that type of thing out, don't they?
Making sure all their boxes are ticked first. Woo-hoo, go HR. Only to be met with a big, fat no. That question stayed with me [00:06:00] long after the rejection email landed in my inbox, because sometimes we want things not because they're aligned, but because we think they'll finally make us feel worthy, feel whole.
The truth is, I wasn't just grieving the job, I was grieving the version of me who still believed her value had to be earned. It's confronting to realize the life you built is one no... is one you no longer wanna live in. That moment, that job I didn't get, cracked the illusion. It forced me to reckon with the fact that I'd outgrown something and hadn't been brave enough to admit it yet.
In hindsight, that moment was sacred, not because it felt good, but because it burned clean. It was the kind of fire that didn't just destroy. It cleared. It cleared my [00:07:00] path. It forced me to choose differently. I didn't realize it then, but that no was the beginning of this life I now live. The life I never would've created if they had said yes
Rejection is redirection, but only if you're willing to sit in the ache long enough to hear what it's telling you. I could have gone back, tried again, minimized myself more, but instead, I let the fire teach me. I let the grief move through me. I let the shame melt into clarity. I started to see the bigger picture of what was happening here, to have faith and trust in a higher power than myself, to trust that this was divine timing, that it was happening for a reason I couldn't yet see, but I can now [00:08:00] with hindsight.
And oh, what a wonderful thing hindsight is, isn't it? It's just a shame that it doesn't show up before we have to go through the crap first. But then, we wouldn't learn from the experience, would we? Oh, the double-edged sword. Oh, and slowly, I began to rebuild, not from the version of me that wanted to be accepted, but from the truth of who I actually am.
Just because it was doesn't mean it will be. Your body always knows. Mine did. It's a shame I, I don't listen more often or in fact blatantly choose to ignore what my body is trying to tell me, because it would make it real then, wouldn't it? It would mean I'd have to confront it head-on, which is uncomfortable and also [00:09:00] avoidance.
The tension in my chest, the nausea in my gut when I even imagine that job, the way my jaw clenched every time I tried to convince myself I could make it
work. The no wasn't just in their email. It was already living in my nervous system. So I ask you, where in your body have you already outgrown something? What rejection are you still grieving that might actually be a gift, one you haven't yet realized? And this week, here's your invitation What part of you is grieving a door that closed?
And can you let that grief be your teacher, not your enemy?
Next time, [00:10:00] we're going to be talking about something that often gets confused with healing, decluttering, but not in the Pinterest perfect way. I'm talking about 21 bags full of stuff, bookshelves emptied, root chakra releases, and lower back pain that had something to say. Because clearing the physical is never just about the physical, and your body always knows when it's safe to let go.
If you don't wanna miss that one, hit follow or subscribe now, and if this episode cracks something open for you, I'd be so grateful if you shared it with someone who might need it, too. Thanks to you, this podcast is now starting to show up for the people who really need it. You following and sharing makes that possible, and I'm so deeply grateful.
We'll keep walking this together. Until next time, just because it was doesn't mean [00:11:00] it will be. With love, Carina.