Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice quits job hunt after 130 rejections
After 130+ job rejections, former Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice is giving up the job hunt and starting her own business instead.
Rice landed a CEO role 18 months ago but resigned before starting, convinced God had another plan. Rice applied to 130 jobs over eight months, made final rounds on five, and lost every one.
Two days ago she got rejected again. That's when she decided to stop looking for work and start her own company instead.
In an emotional Instagram video, she said the repeated rejections were actually a sign pointing her toward the business idea she'd been sitting on for six months. She now plans to throw her energy into building that, rather than chase another traditional job.
- 130+
- Job rejections
- 5
- Final rounds reached
- 6 months
- Business idea timeline
- 0 days
- Time as CEO
Why it mattersA high-profile athlete's public struggle with rejection reminds workers that setback and self-doubt are normal, and sometimes the path forward is sideways, not up.
AustraliaRice is an Australian household name after her Olympic swimming wins; her candid story about job rejection and pivoting to entrepreneurship speaks to many Australians facing their own career uncertainty.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
