🎙 Episode 25: Should You Take “No” for an Answer?
A real talk about persistence, boundaries, rejection, and knowing when to push — and when to let go.

🔸 Samar opens the episode by naming the tension behind this question: is “no” something you peacefully accept and move on from, or is it something you challenge and push through? She admits that not taking “no” for an answer often sounds like being rude, nagging, or overly pushy — especially outside the classic sales context.

🔸 Wafa then shares a raw, slightly embarrassing and very powerful story from six years ago, when she was finishing her master’s and desperately looking for her first HR job with no experience. After applying to a big financial firm, she received a rejection email within hours. Convinced they hadn’t even truly reviewed her application, she refused to accept that “no.”

🔸 Instead of giving up, she searched online for executive emails, wrote a bold message, attached screenshots, and CC’d multiple leaders to say, essentially: “This is not acceptable. At least give me a fair chance.” Within an hour, she started receiving calls and messages. The result? She got multiple interviews with that company — even though she ultimately didn’t get the job. The lesson: her refusal to accept a fast, automated “no” actually opened a door that would have stayed shut.

🔸 Looking back, Wafa recognizes that her approach wasn’t very professional at the time. But it came from a deep conviction that each opportunity mattered. She also acknowledges that depending on the hiring manager, her persistence could be seen as courage and seriousness — or as attitude. Even so, the story shows that sometimes “no” is not final; it’s just the beginning of the conversation.

🔸 Samar, on the other hand, is wired very differently. When she hears “no,” her instinct is almost the opposite: “Okay, no problem — there is abundance, I’ll find something else.” For her, taking “no” for an answer feels natural and even healthy. But as they unpack it, she also realizes it depends on the context:

• If a person clearly says “I’m not interested” (like in a relationship), that “no” must be respected, not negotiated.

• In other areas, especially work and ideas, taking “no” too quickly can look like giving up.

🔸 The conversation shifts to what “no” can really mean in practice:

• In business or career, a “no” can be feedback:

  • Your skills aren’t there yet.

  • Your product isn’t strong enough.

  • Your pitch isn’t clear.

• When you treat “no” as information rather than a verdict, you can improve your skills, refine your product, and increase your chances of getting a “yes” next time.

🔸 Samar connects this to not giving up: maybe you accept the “no” from this company or this person, but you don’t accept it as the end of the story. She brings in the well-known example of J.K. Rowling, who faced many rejections before Harry Potter was finally accepted by one publisher. She didn’t force one “no” to become a “yes” — she kept moving until she found the right “yes.”

🔸 Wafa adds that sometimes “no” exists because you haven’t made it easy enough for others to say “yes.” You might be:

• Half-prepared.

• Unclear in your communication.

• Leaving too many questions unanswered.
  Before walking away, it’s worth asking: Can I turn this “no” into a “yes” by being more prepared, clearer, or more thoughtful? And if not, what can I learn for next time?

🔸 By the end of the episode, they circle back to the core principle of the whole series: two opposing viewpoints don’t have to compete — they can work in sequence. Sometimes you push. Sometimes you accept. Sometimes you turn “no” into feedback. Sometimes you honor it as a boundary. The key is to use your personal context to decide which response fits this moment.

📖 Read the full article:
25. Should You Take “No” for an Answer or Not? — Personal Context Is Key
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/25-should-you-take-answer-personal-context-key-wafa-zdtjc/?trackingId=v7yymD%2BYTjihS8zOCrYqHQ%3D%3D