Rejection hurts. Whether it’s a conference abstract, a grant proposal, a mentorship request, or even a new idea you pitched to your clinic — hearing “no” (or hearing nothing at all) can feel like a gut punch.
For oncology rehab professionals, rejection can feel even more personal. We’re a niche field. We’re often fighting for space, funding, and visibility. So when the door closes, it can shake your confidence and make you question if you belong here.
But here’s the truth:
Rejection doesn’t define you — and it’s far more common than you think.
P.S. before you listen to this week’s episode, make sure to listen to Part 1 that aired last week.
My Own Rejection Stories (Yes, Really)
Let’s get real for a second. I’ve been there — more than once.
- In 2023, I submitted a session to APTA CSM. It was rejected — but eventually accepted as a pre-conference session… only to be canceled just two days before Christmas.
- More recently, I submitted two proposals to ICPTO 2025. Both were rejected.
Even with experience, credentials, and passion, rejection still happens. And I know firsthand: it stings.
What Rejection Doesn’t Mean
Let’s be clear about this:
- Rejection doesn’t mean you aren’t skilled or valuable.
- It doesn’t mean your ideas are bad or unworthy.
- It doesn’t mean you should stop trying or sharing your voice.
In fact, some of the most respected clinicians and leaders in healthcare have been rejected — many, many times.
What makes them stand out? They didn’t quit. They kept showing up.
Rejection is part of the process. It’s not a verdict on your worth — it’s often a reflection of external factors (more on that next).
Why Rejection Happens (It’s Not Always Personal)
Here’s the thing:
Most of the time, rejection has nothing to do with your skill or your story.
Rejections happen because of:
- Limited availability (not enough grant dollars or conference slots)
- Lack of “fit” with a theme or objective
- Reviewer or gatekeeper bias
- Internal politics
- Budget, timing, or other logistics
Sometimes, especially in emerging fields like oncology rehab, the people reviewing your work simply don’t understand the urgency or relevance of what you do.
That’s not a reflection of your quality. That’s a reflection of the system.
What to Do After a Professional Rejection
So you got a “no.” Now what?
1. Don’t Disappear
It’s tempting to shrink back and hide — but don’t. Staying visible in your professional community is the best way to bounce back stronger.
2. Repurpose Your Work
Just because it was rejected there doesn’t mean it won’t shine elsewhere.
- Submit it to a local or state conference.
- Turn it into a webinar or podcast episode.
- Write a blog post or article.
- Teach it as a lunch-and-learn at your workplace.
- Offer it to a community ed group or nonprofit.
If you got feedback from reviewers, use it. Don’t spiral — just tweak and keep going.
3. Build Your Own Platform
You don’t need permission to share your expertise.
Start small:
- Social media posts
- Podcast interviews
- Local presentations
- Guest speaking for student groups or your alma mater
These “nontraditional” platforms are sometimes even more impactful than a big conference stage.
4. Get Involved
Volunteer with organizations, mentorship programs, or committees in your specialty area. These connections create opportunities down the line.
You Belong Here — Even If They Said No
If you’re reading this and still feeling discouraged, let me tell you something clearly:
Rejection doesn’t mean you’re not good enough. It doesn’t mean there’s no place for you.
Your voice still matters — especially in cancer rehab.
In fact, that’s why we created The Cancer Rehab Community Conference. Too many oncology rehab pros have been told “no,” and we’re here to change that.
Why You Should Attend TCRCC2025:
Even though speaker applications are closed for this year, attending the conference is one of the best ways to:
- See how a conference works behind the scenes
- Learn what makes a powerful, engaging speaker
- Get inspired to submit next year
- Meet the people who get it — your cancer rehab community
Whether you’re just finding your voice or ready to shout it from the rooftops, there’s space for you here.
👉 Grab your ticket to TCRCC2025 now
Because this community?
It’s waiting for what you’ve got.
Want to watch the episode instead?
Watch this week’s episode of TheOncoPT Podcast on our YouTube channel!
Transcript
Elise Cantu (00:19)
Hey, OncoPT and welcome back to this episode of the OncoPT Podcast. Now, real quick, before we dive into today’s episode, this is part two of our conference proposal professional rejection series. If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode, I’ve linked it in the show notes. Go back and listen to that one first, because this episode is going to build on a lot of stuff that we covered last week. All right. So you have your marching orders. Let’s get into this week’s episode.
So in this week’s episode, we’re talking about something that you might feel a little uncomfortable about. I know I certainly cringe a little because I hate, I hate rejection. Like it’s a whole thing. I’m working on it. But it’s also really important to talk about because unfortunately, as much as I would love for this to not be the case, we don’t always get what we want. We can work really, really hard for something.
and it just doesn’t work out for many, many different reasons. So today we’re talking a little bit more about the professional rejection. This is probably not the podcast if you want to talk about personal rejection. So we’re going to keep it pretty tight around professional rejection today. So let’s set the scene. You have put yourself out there. You’ve submitted that proposal for the conference that you’re looking forward to. Maybe you applied for a grant. Maybe you
Put yourself out there and ask for mentorship or pitch this really cool idea to your workplace. And you got a “no.” Or worse, silence. Rejection in its many forms can hit very, hard.
And as a human, I am not immune to rejection. Let me tell you a couple quick ⁓ rejection situations that I’ve had actually quite recently. So in last week’s episode, you heard me talk about how Dr. Alexandra Hill, Dr. Kelly Sturm and I repurposed our CSM presentation from this year and submitted it to ICPTO, which is a big international PT conference on oncology. Really exciting stuff. And it’s happening, it’s not gonna happen.
It is happening in Dublin, Ireland next year. And we were super looking forward to it. We really feel strongly about this message about how social media is really the next step for oncology physical therapy to increase awareness, but also to get patients connected and providers connected with cancer rehab professionals in their area who can help them with their impairments. So anyways.
This is something we feel very strongly about. We’ve seen it play out in our own world. We’ve seen how it helps our patients. So we were like, let’s go, let’s go. At the same time, I also had another team that we were working on a different proposal to submit for ICPTO. And I was like, all right, surely one of them is going to get accepted, right? My friend. That was not the case. Unfortunately.
both of these presentations were rejected from ICPTO. And again, if you haven’t listened to last week’s episode, go back and listen to it. We did get some feedback ⁓ on our proposals, namely that there were so many that they don’t have space for everything and they were prioritizing different topics within the curriculum lineup. Okay? Like it was very helpful. I really appreciate them sharing that email because sometimes we just get like a no when we’re rejected.
That was a big bummer. It was kind of a little bit soul crushing to get two conference rejections in one week, let alone on the same day, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
Now this is not the only professional rejection I’ve ever experienced, nor will it be the last. Another example, a few years ago, I was submitting as part of a team to present on pediatric lymphedema at CSM. We got our application ready to go. We were super excited about it. And we unfortunately got the thumbs down. We’re like, dang, that super sucks. All right, we’ll try something different.
So a little while after we got that initial rejection, we were then asked by the CSM, like oncology, APTA committee to turn our presentation into a pre-con. If you don’t know, a pre-conference session at CSM takes place either the day or two before the actual conference. Typically, these are longer in session, so ours was going to be a full eight hour day. So we pivoted and we’re like, okay, you know what?
We’re turning this rejection into something different, something positive. We can dive more deeply into this content. And then maybe those who really want to specialize in it will get a lot out of this experience. So we spent months, literal months, taking this presentation and turning it into an eight hour presentation. And we were starting to practice. We were finalizing things. And unfortunately, two days before Christmas,
of I think that was like 2022, we got the notification from APTA Oncology that, so sorry, we haven’t had enough people sign up for this pre-con, we are unfortunately going to cancel it. And it was like that wound of rejection the first time was reopened back up with maybe a little extra salt poured in the wound that time. It was so disappointing to…
originally, you know, get the news of no, sorry, this isn’t a good fit to hey, why don’t we try something different? Okay, let’s go to then a no at the end of it all ⁓ in such a like, like I said, fantastically soul crushing way two days before Christmas ⁓ and whatnot. Woof. Rejection really stings sometimes. Like it really, really sucks.
and it doesn’t always come when you want it to come or when you have space for it to come. It just is sometimes. Rejection stings, and this is not an ego thing. Like if you’re feeling this, this is real. This is unfortunately like part of being a human is we are disappointed sometimes. And rejection, especially in this very professional capacity, can shake your confidence and it can sometimes make you question your place in the field, especially in a smaller field.
like oncology, physical therapy. But here’s the truth, and the reason why I shared those two stories at the top of the episode. Rejection is way more common than you think, and it does not necessarily mean what you fear or are afraid that it
Rejection does not mean that you are not valuable.
or that you are not skilled or that you are not knowledgeable. Rejection doesn’t mean that your ideas don’t matter. Rejection also, and perhaps most importantly, doesn’t mean that you should stop trying or sharing.
That’s the last thing we want. As I’ve said time and time again on this podcast, you have extremely valuable insight and perspective and knowledge and experience that we would benefit from learning from. We need you to share this. We need you to share this information with us so we can learn this, but it can feel really disheartening to be rejected like this, especially if it was something you were really excited about, you were really pumped up about, and you have worked really hard on to ultimately get that
no at the end of the day. Rejection, we are reframing this, is a part of your professional growth journey. Rejection is not a final verdict on your worth. We’re gonna separate that out even in professional rejection. Rejection is not a ⁓ judgment on your worth.
Sometimes it is a, this is not a good fit right now. Many of the PTs and presenters and other people that you admire have faced rejection time and time again. ⁓ I think a really good example of this, and I talked about this a little bit previously, PT school. Many PTs don’t get into PT school on the first try. It is extremely competitive. Something that I tell my students all the time where I teach at college is that PT school is
probably more competitive than medical school when you break down the number of applicants to the number of actual available spots at PT schools. Hugely competitive. And remember, PT schools, like, yes, they’re looking at your, you know, your GPA and your extracurricular involvement and how you interview, but also how do you fit within that cohort of PT students that they are curating for their PT school?
It’s easy to make rejection mean more than what it actually is. Rejection is not a reflection of your worth. Rejection is sometimes a no, this is not a good fit at this time kind of situation. And so I would really encourage you when those absolutely invasive thoughts, disruptive thoughts around your worth and rejection start peeking out, start rumbling to the surface.
we need to recognize that rejection is ultimately a filter. And it is way more commonly about external factors that are outside your kind of zone of control rather than your own merit, rather than your own worth. But with that, we’re still likely asking ourselves, you may be asking yourself, but why does it happen then? Why did I have to be rejected? Like I worked so hard on this. Why did it not get accepted? Understanding.
The process of why rejection can happen can ultimately help us move forward and through it. We’re not gonna go around it, unfortunately, as much as I would really like that. We have to get through it. And working through it is how we’re gonna make that rejection sting a little bit less day by day. Now, some common reasons that you may face professional rejection, there might be limited spots.
or resources to make this thing happen that you want it to. So if we’re talking about a conference, maybe there’s not enough spots at this conference that you’re submitting for, right? Maybe there were hundreds of submissions and you are in N of one, right? It’s really hard to compete for two slots when there’s hundreds of presenters vying for that same spot. Maybe along the more limited resources side of things,
I mean, I don’t want to say like resource automatically equals money, but sometimes there may not be the space, there may not be the money to make that idea happen that you have, for example. Maybe that’s like, that’s literally the only reason why this is happening. Maybe you have a leadership that is super on board, but it’s a, Hey, we can’t commit to this right now. This is not a good time for us kind of situation. Again, not.
It’s not a no entirely. And that’s what I really want you to reframe rejection as in your head. A no doesn’t always mean a final no. Sometimes it’s a not right now situation. Not here, not now. Maybe the idea or whatever that you have doesn’t fit with the organizational goals or the themes. And this one I think can be really hard. Let’s talk about the theme part. So again, if
You know, some conferences or some symposiums may have themes or topics that they are sticking with. If your proposal doesn’t fit, it may be because it didn’t align with those. But let’s talk about organizational goals. And I think this can be a really, really challenging one that can contribute to a lot of frustration. You, as an Onco PT, have a tremendous heart and a tremendous desire to make the world a better place for your patients in your community.
It’s true. I’m looking into your soul right now in my camera as I am recording this episode. You have a tremendous heart and a tremendous desire to make things better. And you have great ideas. You have great ideas on how to make this happen. Unfortunately, not everybody feels that way. And damn, if that doesn’t sting. Like that hurts my bleeding heart to
sit with that and conceptualize the fact that not everybody has the same ideas and goals that I do when it comes to cancer rehab. You know, we can argue that’s part of what makes our profession so wonderful and diverse is that there are a lot of different perspectives and viewpoints and ideas on how to make things better. But sometimes you work in a place that just doesn’t see the value of what your ideas and what you’re proposing and what you’re laying out would be so beneficial for people. And again, like
Damn, that sucks. And I don’t say that facetiously. I say that with every fiber of my body in all sincerity. Sometimes the environment in which you are working, in which you are trying to get an idea into implementation, they’re not in alignment with it.
And I don’t know that there’s necessarily a quick fix to this, but I need you to recognize this is very much a ⁓ real reason why professional rejection can happen sometimes. ⁓ To take, I’m not trying to catastrophize, but to take it to a next level sometimes, or another reason that we can experience professional rejection, is reviewer or gatekeeper bias. Again, not everybody shares the same ideas that you do on how things should get done.
And if they’re the ones that are holding the purse strings or the keys to the gate, if you will, then it may not happen. And again, like it sucks, it sucks, it sucks, it sucks. The last thing here, we’ve talked about this a bit, is timing or external constraints. Again, maybe this no is a not right now, not here, not now situation. And that’s what I try to move.
with in my work as I am doing this is it’s not a no, it’s a not right now. Not here, not now. And so moving forward, then it’s a, okay, where do I go? When can I try to implement this idea? Do I need to change it up a little bit? Rejection for the most part. I know I talked about a few like very personal or they feel very personal reasons. Most of the time rejection is not personal.
It’s really due to these external factors that you only have so much influence over. And that’s just what it is. So knowing this, what are the next steps for you to take after you get that no? And as you know by now, right, on the Onco PT podcast, no means not here right now. Not here, not now. But maybe somewhere else, right?
So what to do when you experience professional rejection. Again, it’s not an if, it’s a when. Just like we talk about treating people with cancer, it’s not an if, it’s a when. It’s when you get that professional rejection. Do not disappear. It is so tempting. It is so appealing to want to just withdraw from the community or whatever organization, environment you’re in and not try again. And that’s the worst thing that you could do.
you need to keep engaging despite these setbacks. It’s extremely possible that again the powers that be are kind of doing like a how do I want to say this it’s possible that it’s a no because it’s a not here right now but they’re also assessing or they’re kind of looking to see is this a one-off idea that you had that’s fleeting
Or is this something that you are really determined to make happen? That you are devoted to seeing this through and actually into implementation. And so that maybe the next time when an opportunity comes around, maybe that’s time, maybe that’s space, maybe that’s resources. you know what? We have this idea in the back of, know, that this, that you, I’m talking to you, have kept at the forefront of our mind. Now is the time to actually implement this into our environment, right?
Maybe we need to repurpose and pivot, which is our next step here. Maybe you need to adapt your idea or your work for a different venue or format. Again, not here, not now, but when and where. So if, for example, you submitted for a conference proposal, like we did, and it was rejected, how can we repurpose this?
As we speak, which again, this is no guarantee it’s going to succeed, both of the teams that I was on that submitted for ICPTO and was rejected, we’re now turning that conference session into a poster idea. Is it necessarily what we wanted? No, I mean, we wanted to present at the conference, but maybe this is another way of getting that information out that’s going to catch the eye.
of a physiotherapist who says, I need this, I need to be able to implement this into my practice kind of situation. Maybe you could repurpose it for a different opportunity, right? Maybe a more local or a state conference, for example, online summits, webinars, a blog post, an in-service you’re doing in your community, ⁓ any number of ideas here, how can you take this really cool idea that you have and repurpose it?
pivot the goal, the venue, the timing of it all to still get that information out there. And along this line, you can also build other platforms. If you are having trouble getting into those spaces like we’ve talked about, professional conferences, these big conferences, the traditional stage isn’t the only platform on which you can share information. ⁓
Right now, you’re either listening to or watching a podcast.
podcasts were not a thing like 20 years ago, maybe more, maybe less at this point. And what a fantastic way to share information, to make those connections, to build an audience of people who are looking for this exact information. Again, you don’t have to start a podcast. Maybe you’re going on social media, which you know that we fervently believe in here on TheOncoPT. ⁓ Local networking, doing informal talks.
volunteering for committees or mentorship roles to where you can still build this platform and the momentum behind this idea that you are wanting to implement. This is a perfect example of how persistence and creative outreach, excuse me, can open new doors. Literally, for example, the whole reason that we, Kelly and I, the…
the brainchild behind the cancer rehab community and our now cancer rehab community conference is that we saw so many physical therapists were getting rejected despite having these really, really cool ideas and didn’t really have a platform on which to share this stuff, to build their network, to make changes happen within oncology rehab. We built this space exactly for that because we know
that if we’re ever going to get like in order to get to those high levels, sometimes we need that practice at, you know, more local experiences or online or non-traditional experiences. And the cancer rehab community and the cancer rehab community conference are the perfect methods by which we did this. Literally, we built our own conference. We built our own platform because of the rejection that we kept running into. And so I really like this. Again, this is a like,
This is so me, this is so Kelly of, okay, things aren’t happening. How can we make them happen kind of situation? What could that be for you? Right? We made the cancer rehab community. We made the cancer rehab community conference. What is that for you? What is that space or that avenue or that method, that stage by which that you can share this information even after encountering
professional rejection, which we all will do at some point if you haven’t already. Again, another opportunity is probably just around the corner. And I’ll kind of wrap up with this. I would argue if you are not experiencing some degree of professional rejection, you’re not thinking and acting big enough. If your ideas are so safe that everybody is like, yeah, or most people are like,
That’s a good idea. I’m going to challenge you. I’m going to push you. Think and act bigger.
If you’re not getting a little pushback from time to time, I don’t think it’s big enough, it’s bold enough for what we need to happen within oncology physical therapy.
Now at this point in the episode, if you are excited and this has maybe uplifted you a little bit, it’s inspired you, it’s given you a little more oomph, a little more fire under your butts at this point. And if you want a space that is designed to welcome and amplify your voice, here is a fantastic opportunity. As I’ve mentioned previously, I know rejection stinks. I have been there. I have been there very recently. Like again, last month,
two conference rejections in one week. But then also, which was super cool, like again, just flip it around. We also got a conference proposal accepted that same week, different conference. But we have to keep putting ourselves out there. You have to keep trying. You have to keep putting yourself out there, knowing that sometimes rejection is part of the game. But it’s not the end of the road, especially for this amazing idea or work that you’ve been working on.
I faced rejection, I will face rejection again and you will too if you are thinking and acting big enough. Here’s the thing, remember rejection is not the end. Rejection does not mean anything about your worth or the very valuable contributions that you have as a clinician. Rejection is a lot of times kind of out of our control. It is due to some external factors.
You know, if you’re doing your best, if you are implementing changes, sometimes there are still things outside your control that are going to contribute to you facing some kind of professional rejection. But remember, you still have a voice and you still have something powerful to offer to this field, to this profession, to this community, which is exactly why we created the Cancer Rehab Community Conference, because too many oncology rehab professionals
who had really important stuff to share were being told no repeatedly and didn’t have an opportunity to share this message or share this idea that they have. And so if you’re looking for a place where your voice is welcomed and not ignored, I want you to check out the Cancer Rehab Community Conference. This is a conference that was built for cancer rehab professionals by cancer rehab professionals. And while the speaker applications are closed for this year,
Attending the conference is a great way to see how conferences work behind the scenes, learn what makes a great speaker, believe me friend, we have a bunch lined up at this year’s conference, yet again, and to get inspired to keep sharing your knowledge. So then, if you feel so called when we open up speaker applications for next year’s conference, you know exactly what you’re getting into, and again, you’re pumped.
and excited to share your ideas and perspective and experience with the world. Whether you are still finding your voice or you are ready to share what you are building, there is space for you at the Cancer Rehab Community Conference. Head over to TheOncoPT.com/conference to grab your ticket and join us at this year’s conference. Remember, rejection does not define you. This community is waiting, is ready.
for what you’ve got to share. Until next time, this is Elise with the Onco PT. And remember, you are exactly the physical therapist that your patients with cancer need. So let’s get to work.