Alice Draper, founder of Hustling Writers and host of My Rejection Story, dives into the transformative power of rejection and vulnerability. She shares her journey from journalist to podcast publicity expert and discusses how self-rejection can hinder success. Alice emphasizes the importance of community and journaling in building resilience, while also providing fresh insights on crafting authentic podcast pitches. This lively conversation encourages creatives to embrace rejection as a stepping stone towards visibility and growth.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Accidental Path to Podcast Publicity
Alice Draper transitioned from freelance journalism to podcast publicity by accident through pitching clients to podcasts.
Her success grew as clients referred her for podcast guest booking due to her initial pitching wins.
insights INSIGHT
Self-Rejection Feeds Impostor Syndrome
Impostor syndrome stems mainly from self-rejection, which is the hardest kind of rejection to overcome.
People from marginalized groups often face more self-rejection, resulting in higher impostor syndrome.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Journaling Builds Rejection Resilience
Journaling cultivates self-awareness by helping diagnose why rejection feels uncomfortable.
This awareness allows people to address challenges and move into action despite feelings of rejection.
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Balancing Quality and Quantity for Lasting Productivity
Mike Vardy
The Productivity Diet offers a fresh perspective on productivity, emphasizing the importance of quality over quantity and encouraging readers to cultivate a deeper relationship with time. It provides actionable strategies for integrating meaningful productivity practices into daily life, focusing on intentionality, deep work, and mindful time management.
Deep Work
Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Cal Newport
In 'Deep Work', Cal Newport argues that the ability to perform deep work—professional activities in a state of distraction-free concentration—is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. The book is divided into two parts: the first part explains why deep work is valuable, rare, and meaningful, while the second part presents four rules to transform your mind and habits to support this skill. These rules include 'Work Deeply', 'Embrace Boredom', 'Quit Social Media', and 'Drain the Shallows'. Newport provides actionable advice and examples from various successful individuals to help readers master the skill of deep work and achieve groundbreaking results.
What if rejection wasn’t something to fear—but a skill to build? In this episode of A Productive Conversation, I chat with Alice Draper, founder of Hustling Writers and host of My Rejection Story. Alice has helped clients land interviews on hundreds of top podcasts and is on a mission to demystify the power of rejection, especially for creatives and entrepreneurs.
We explore what it means to navigate self-rejection, build visibility in an increasingly noisy world, and pitch yourself without compromising your voice. As someone who’s been on both sides of the podcast pitch, Alice shares refreshing insights that go beyond the usual tips and templates.
Six Discussion Points
How Alice went from freelance journalist to podcast publicity expert (accidentally)
Why self-rejection is the most insidious form of rejection—and how to combat it
The link between imposter syndrome and visibility for marginalized voices
Journaling as a path to resilience, awareness, and action
How community can be your greatest hack for rejection resistance
What makes a strong podcast pitch—and why vulnerability is essential
This conversation reminded me that rejection isn’t a sign of failure—it’s a signal that you’re putting yourself out there. Alice’s perspective on vulnerability, rejection, and authentic outreach is something I think more creators and professionals need to hear, especially in an era obsessed with shortcuts and surface-level connection.
A Productive Conversation 
