We recently connected with Kenya Rothstein and have shared our conversation below.
Kenya, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
By trying new things, not being great at them at first, and then learning from my mistakes. Taking the time to reflect on lessons learned is a valuable skill.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I host a podcast called Thank You For Saying NO, where we talk about times people were told NO, said NO, or when a situation didn’t work out in a life changing way and how they’re thankful for that because of what it taught them or what it led them to. We find meaning in life’s unexpected turns.
What I’m really excited about this year is for season 2 of the Thank You For Saying NO podcast! Season 2 is filled with incredible interviews and submissions from the Thank You For Saying NO community. The show is quickly growing, and I’m excited to see where the podcast’s reach takes me this year.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three pieces of wisdom that have been most impactful on my journey so far are:
1. Don’t be scared of being told NO.
2. Rejection is redirection.
3. It will work out better than you could have ever imagined.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Allowing room for the natural evolution of ideas. Here’s a story of what I mean…
When I originally had the Thank You For Saying NO idea it was because I was getting a lot of NOs from life. I really wanted to work in Washington DC in the environmental field once I graduated law school. I had applied to hundreds of places but wasn’t getting any interviews or offers. But, after every rejection I kept thinking to myself that one day I’ll be glad this job didn’t work, one day I’ll be saying Thank You For Saying NO to those places that didn’t hire me. So the podcast idea really came out of a moment of being told NO over and over again.
But then once I started the podcast and actually recorded episodes, many of the guests shared about the NOs that came from THEM! Where THEY decided to do something different and make a life changing shift. Those stories are really a testament to the gratitude these guests have toward themselves for saying NO. And I love that twist on things. Because it’s so brave to be the one deciding to do something drastically different and it takes a lot of courage. We can absolutely say Thank you for saying no to ourselves.
As I was reflecting, I realized that if I had stayed with the original narrower idea of just talking about times people were told NO, we wouldn’t have had many of the incredible and inspiring guests that we had in season one. As the meaning of NO moments expanded, so did the podcasts reach.
ALL these unexpected turns helped create the Thank You For Saying NO community. I love how the podcast has evolved and how the community has grown. And I seriously never would have guessed that the podcast would take on this form.
I share all this to point out and give an example of how being adaptable and allowing ideas/concepts to naturally evolve can lead to great outcomes..outcomes you never could have planned but that are better than you could have imagined.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/@thankyouforsayingno
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thankyouforsayingno/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Thank-You-For-Saying-NO-100088038129280/?paipv=0&eav=AfZ_HakgtMCdl7QK0Wqrjz8DG8S6VDuotE5JhENOOSkCRLMnBfSxaPqXQawRWdMgbf4&_rdr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thankyouforsayingno
- Other: TYFSN Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thankyouforsayingno
Image Credits
Head shot by Jaime Levy (kenyalove@earthlink.net). Podcast Logo by Emma Porter (@emmaporter.world)
