Fail to Win: How I Turned a Voice Over Rejection into a Google Gig
Fail to Win: How I Turned a Voice Over Rejection into a Google Gig
Have you ever had a moment where a big opportunity slipped through your fingers? You prepared, showed up and delivered, only to hear no or be ghosted. Rejection hits hard no matter what age - like a door slamming in your face.
But the truth is that failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s the first stepping stone. And this is a full-circle moment story: the time I failed a voice-over gig interview… only to land a bigger one with Google a year later.
When Rejection Becomes Redirection
During the pandemic, I auditioned for several voice-over projects. I would send my sister my casting videos to sign off as she had her own experience before sending them to the director. I didn’t get anything. It’s okay I thought, I am used to failure - it’s a kind of first stepping stone by now?
If you don’t understand the reference, failure landed me a TED Talk - failure comes before resilience.
With my glass half full mentality, failure is like laying the brick work before you build the house. It's experience and foundations - the experience of video content, auditioning, presenting my voice confidently, and being approached from online content. Something was working, even if the end result wasn't a win.
The full circle moment came when a big brand like Google gave me the gig - an opportunity to voice over their internal staff videos.
From Rejection to Vision Board Goals
After those failed auditions, I didn’t stop dreaming. I wrote down two goals on my vision board:
Deliver a big voice-over project.
Work with a brand I love - Google.
I focused on honing my skills quietly in the background. I voiced podcasts, keynote videos, and social content. I didn’t know when the big break would come, but I kept showing up consistently. Hard work is key in any state of success, don’t let TikTok videos tell you otherwise.
And then one day, my agent got in touch to say the team at Google liked my approach and wanted to book me for their internal voice over videos - side note to all the voice bullies, google liked my voice! AH!!!
Sonya Barlow x Google
Why Patience and Resilience Pay Off
Truthfully, my ADHD brain and need to hustle forgot this moment until my photos app reminded me of that Google project as a memory. The timing couldn’t have been better.
This year has been tough, from budget cuts to AI disruption, and uncertainty has challenged all of us. So, that notification was a nudge from the universe (or maybe just an algorithm), that resilience + patience + dedication = the win you’ve been waiting for. See, here’s an example of where AI is making my life that little bit better haha!
Long story short, what I want you to take away: failures are not final; they’re stepping stones. Every “no” is preparing you for a bigger “yes. As long as you stay consistent and build on your craft.
3 Practical Tips for Turning Failure Into Future Wins
If you’re navigating rejection right now, here are three things that helped me turn things around:
Reframe failure as feedback – every rejection teaches you something valuable - ask the right questions and understand what can be done better.
Stay consistent – even if no one is watching, keep building your skills - the world doesn’t reward one time wins but those who keep showing up.
Visualise your wins – write down your goals and revisit them often - less woowoo and more a quarterly self appraisal session.
No path to success is straight - and like my mama said in my TED Talk, failure is a temporary disruptor - it takes a detour through failure to reach the dream.
Sonya Barlow x Google
What’s Next For My Career Growth?
I’m grateful for that Google project, and I can’t wait to share the next big thing I’m working on. (Hint: it involves networking and storytelling). But I’d also like to work with YouTube, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix and Polestar.
If you’ve experienced a full-circle moment, I’d love to hear your story.
This week's question is: What was your biggest rejection that turned into a win?
📩 This newsletter was written by Sonya Barlow, entrepreneur, author, and presenter. Work with Sonya Barlow on business strategy, keynotes, and campaigns. Email: hello@sonyabarlow.co.uk
Sonya Barlow is an award-winning entrepreneur, presenter, and author with over 100K followers. She hosts her self-titled YouTube show The Sonya Barlow Show, authored the business book Unprepared to Entrepreneur, and runs a business inclusion consultancy and networking app, the LMF Network. Connect via email 📩 - Hello@SonyaBarlow.Co.Uk