Rejection to Redemption
What Seth Hudson’s Journey Teaches Us About Grit and Growth
Setup Story: 21 Rejections and a Dream That Didn’t Pan Out
Seth Hudson and I go way back. We went to high school together, and I’ve always known him as a guy with a heart to help people and the kind of work ethic you don’t teach—you just have it.
After college, he had one clear goal: get into physical therapy school. He applied to not one, not five, but 21 PT programs. He poured in time, effort, passion—everything he had. And every single one of those schools said no.
Imagine that for a second. Twenty-one times he got the message: You’re not good enough. You don’t belong here. That kind of rejection can crush people. And honestly? No one would’ve blamed him if he’d walked away discouraged and done something safe, something small.
But that’s not what Seth did.
The Strategy: Keep Showing Up (Even When the Door Slams Shut)
There’s a powerful truth here, one I’ve seen play out again and again in coaching and in my own life: You don’t always get what you thought you wanted—but if you keep showing up, you just might find what you were made for.
Seth didn’t let those rejections define him. He didn’t stop showing up. But he did something even more powerful—he pivoted.
This strategy isn’t just about persistence for persistence’s sake. It’s about staying in the game long enough to recognize when it’s time to adjust your path without abandoning your purpose. Seth still wanted to help people heal. That core calling didn’t change. What changed was the route.
We tend to think grit means banging on the same locked door until it magically opens. But sometimes, grit means finding the side door—or building a whole new door yourself.
Application Story: Pivoting into Purpose
Seth shifted gears and applied to nursing school. This time, he got in. And that yes opened up a brand new world. He became a nurse, then a travel nurse, and eventually started his own travel nurse business—a business that took off like wildfire.
He went from being rejected over and over again to running a thriving company that helps nurses find freedom and flexibility. The thing that looked like failure—the rejections, the closed doors—was actually a redirection toward something even bigger than he imagined.
That’s the magic of this strategy. It’s not about forcing things to go your way. It’s about trusting that if you keep showing up with courage, humility, and a willingness to pivot, you’ll eventually find a path that fits you better than the one you started on.
Final Thought
When life tells you “no” 21 times, it’s easy to think the dream is dead. But maybe—just maybe—it’s being rerouted. Seth’s story is proof that what looks like rejection can actually be preparation for something greater.
So if you’re in that space—discouraged, stuck, wondering if it’s time to quit—I want to challenge you: Keep showing up. Stay open. Pivot when you need to. And trust that just like Seth, your redemption story might be closer than you think.