Send us Fan Mail Becoming the Bison: Monarch Mistakes, Putting Down Roots & Learning to Be a Beginner Again What happens when you move to a new ecosystem and realize you don’t know nearly as much as you thought you did? In this week’s Wildly Rejected: Becoming the Bison, Lauren shares an unexpectedly chaotic lesson involving monarch butterflies, 20 very hungry caterpillars, and one major realization about moving from Ohio to Key West, Florida. After years of watching and tagging migrating monarchs in Ohio, she discovers that island life—and the wildlife that comes with it—plays by a very different set of rules. But the monarch mishap becomes part of a much bigger transition. As Lauren settles into Key West, becomes an empty nester, starts ukulele lessons, joins the Key West Writers Guild, explores volunteering with local parrots, and looks for ways to become part of her new community, the 1,000 Rejection Challenge is beginning to change. Instead of simply asking, Will you accept my work?, the bigger question is becoming: Where do I belong? There’s still rejection, too. Lauren gets an answer after a five-month wait on an environmental art grant, submits a favorite sea turtle photograph to the Sea Turtle Preservation Society’s 2027 calendar contest, and makes another kind of ask—one centered on finding community rather than collecting accomplishments. This episode is about rejection, life transitions, empty nest life, monarch butterflies, citizen science, nature journaling, Key West wildlife, finding community, and giving yourself permission to become a beginner again. Because the goal may still be 1,000 rejections, but it was never supposed to become another hustle-culture checklist. Sometimes moving forward means slowing down long enough to learn the soil beneath your feet. Current 1,000 Rejection Challenge stats: 170 total asks | 39 accepted | 79 rejected | 30 in review | 17 waiting for a response | 2 waitlisted | 3 other. Wildly Unplug is a podcast about stepping away from hustle culture and reconnecting with the wild through stories of nature, conservation, creativity, wildlife, adventure, and personal growth. Until next time, unplug, get outside, and see what develops. Support the show
