Rejection, Resilience, and Becoming
A personal reflection on fear, faith, and the quiet power of becoming more you in the face of adversity.
When I think about my life, the past, the present and the future, the essence of who I am is woven with threads of resilience, joy, discomfort, rejection and growth.
What you don't know is that I've moved houses more than 20 times, I lived in 8 cities, I changed schools 7 times before graduating from high school, not because of bad behaviour or a troubled upbringing. Like many parents who want only the best for their children, often leaving their hometowns or birth countries, my parents moved cities a few times in pursuit of professional growth and better opportunities for their four children. I learned what hard work, dedication, resilience and perseverance was by their example. They were and still are a constant source of support and encouragement.
I've lived many versions of myself in my 47 years. I’ve started over with every new school, city, and job, making new friends, finding new communities, and learning how to belong again. I’ve made fearless decisions and taken leaps of faith across countries and oceans, into new careers, in and out of love, always following my instincts. I’m driven by a deep sense of self-efficacy, determination, and the belief that life is what you make of it.
I recently shared in my ICF members profile on LinkedIn that I’m an 11th-generation French Canadian. My ancestors were among the first founding families, incentivised by King Louis XIV with promises of land and opportunity. That pioneer spirit, endurance, resilience, and a deep connection to land and belonging has always lived in me.
Maybe that’s why I’ve always had wanderlust, and why change has never scared me as much as it’s called me forward. Moving to Perth, as an act of faith and heart, was by far the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Part of me was secretly hoping someone might talk me out of it! But if there’s one thing my people know about me, it’s this: I’m courageous, bold and likely wouldn’t have been dissuaded anyway.
I remember, in the beginning walking on the foreshore with the shocked realisation of just how far I felt from my family, my friends and the land that ran through my bloodline for over 350 years. I’m from Calgary, Alberta which is more than 15,000 kilometres away from Perth and visiting home isn’t simple or cheap. For my son and husband to join me to go back to visit, flights can cost around $10,000, and travel time can be around 30 hours. Despite the distance and the longing to be closer to my people, I’ve made Perth my home.
Having lived in Perth now for almost a decade, I am an Australian citizen, mother to a 4.5-year-old beautiful Australian boy who does not have my accent, I live in a lovely community where I can walk down the street and wave to friends.
This past weekend, I was out with friends enjoying the beautiful sunshine, dancing to great music at a block party, smiling at all the happy faces who were out without pretension, simply being present and having fun. The girls I was with, born and raised Perth girls. This lovely group of women accepted me and brought me into the fold 9 years ago. We have an active group chat, and every year we do a Christmas brunch.
If there is one thing I know without a doubt, is that I truly value and nurture meaningful connection and friendship. Having moved so much in my lifetime, I have friends around the world!! Being adaptable, finding belonging, making new friends, becoming a part of a community takes a lot of effort. I’ve had no choice but to put myself out there, make myself vulnerable to rejection and there have been many lonely days, were I questioned my choices and felt terribly home sick.
While I was at the block party, I had an interesting conversation with a friendly stranger who asked my friend and I how we knew one another. I told him that this lovely group of women welcomed me and made me part of their crew. He said matter-of-factly and not meant in a negative way "You're lucky, as Perth can be very cliquey and insular", which I found interesting as it wasn't the first time I had been told this. When I first moved to Perth, trying to navigate the professional landscape and network to find work, I was told, “Perth is all about who you know.”
Maybe that’s true, but it’s also made something even clearer to me: belonging doesn’t happen by accident it’s created. The spaces we create in workplaces, friendships, and communities’ shapes how safe people feel to show up as themselves. Real leadership isn’t gatekeeping, it’s opening doors. It’s choosing connection over control, presence over performance, and widening the room so more people can belong. As I forge a new path into coaching and leadership development, I’m reminded of that reality, and I’m also reminded that I’ve always been wired for business.
This past year, I have said “yes” to the opportunities I felt aligned with. Even when I was unsure, I still said “yes” and considered what that might mean for me and the path I’m on. You never know where your next opportunity might come from. Some of those opportunities turned into rejection, and that’s okay. I’m a big girl, and I can handle rejection with grace.
The real temptation isn’t the “no.” It’s what rejection can trigger in us, the urge to put the mask back on, to perform, to people-please, to shrink and to be defensive… just to feel safe.
Rejection is not a character flaw; it’s a feature of striving towards our goals and entrepreneurship; the fear of failure holds far too many people back from ever beginning. (In the most recent Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reporting, nearly half of respondents said fear of failure would stop them from starting a business.)
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for creating, building, starting my own, and chasing the deep desire to become a successful entrepreneur. Anyone who knows me well can tell you all about my many business ideas over the years… and I’m sure they’ll continue to hear about all the new ones I’ll have in the years to come.
That might be part of the reason why I’ve finally turned my business idea into reality. For years, the timing, the circumstances, the ideas were never quite right… or maybe, deep down, it was that fear of rejection.
Now, as I work towards building a business, a network of like-minded individuals, a supportive community, and a coaching practice founded on the values I embody, I expect to continue working hard. I don’t expect handouts because, to be honest, I’ve never had them. Everything I have in my life; I have because of intelligent persistence.
So, the point isn’t to “toughen up”, it’s to lead differently: name the bias, protect your energy, widen the room, and keep moving, one aligned decision at a time.
What’s most important is this: perseverance isn’t blind grit. It’s strategic resilience, building the safety, language, and support that turns “no” into information and keeps you moving with clarity.
I see moments of adversity and rejection as powerful opportunities for growth and transformation, if we remain open to them. Over time, I’ve discovered that the key difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset lies in our ability to choose new perspectives, to draw on the strengths we already possess, and to see each setback not as failure, but as a lesson shaping the way forward.
This is where transformation happens, where you have the courage to step into discomfort, have the resilience to rise after falling, the wisdom to treat every stumble as a teacher, and the faith to believe that we are always becoming.
This is where it becomes bigger than me. It is the heart of personal leadership: choosing courage over comfort, staying open when it would be easier to shut down, and letting rejection refine you rather than define you. Transformation isn’t a dramatic reinvention, it’s the quiet, consistent practice of becoming more you, one aligned decision at a time. Growth asks for courage, honesty, and the willingness to be shaped by the very things that once scared you.
Authentic leadership doesn’t stop with one person; it ripples outward into the culture around us. When one person chooses presence over perfection and curiosity over control, it signals to others that it’s safe to do the same. That’s how empowerment spreads.
If you’re in my LinkedIn network, in Perth or anywhere across Australia, I invite you to take a chance and start a conversation with Evolved Ethos and the bold Canadian who leads it. I might be nobody for you, but I could be everything for someone else.
Thank you,
Chantal Blais
#EvolvedEthos #PersonalLeadership #Resilience #WomenInLeadership #GrowthMindset #Entrepreneurship #PerthBusiness #LeadershipDevelopment #Coaching
Reach out to connect for your complimentary clarity and strategy sessions.
Evolving perspectives. Elevating leaders. Shaping an Ethos for a future where we all rise together.