Rejected Central

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 us know what you think. Thanks for listening!

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 enough to reject these cuts — which they are — but OSV is creatively reframing and redirecting the conversation.

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!

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 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!

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 traveled to Houston, New Orleans, and Key West to talk to scientists and activists who are invested in and propelling these essential discussions and initiatives. What he discovered was enormous and gracious creativity when it comes to having conversations with climate deniers and those resistant to the idea of human-caused climate change, many of whom work in government and hold positions of influence.

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 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 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.

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!

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. 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.

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 takes the wheel and explores the tainted legacy of Pete Rose, one of professional baseball's most enduringly conflicted figures. 

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!