AUGUST 21–24, 2019 / DENVER, COLORADO
2019 Golden Gavel Recipient
Jia Jiang
Toastmasters' most prestigious award, the Golden Gavel, has been presented annually since 1959
to an individual distinguished in the fields of communication and leadership.
Toastmasters International has named Jia Jiang its 2019 Golden Gavel recipient for his
leadership in the field of rejection therapy. The award recognizes Jiang's extensive influence
in encouraging individuals and organizations to become fearless. Jiang will accept the award in
August at the 88th Annual Toastmasters International Convention in Denver, Colorado, United
States.
Jia Jiang is the owner of Rejection Therapy, a website that provides inspiration, knowledge and
products for people to overcome their fear of rejection. He is also the CEO of Wuju Learning, a
company that teaches people and trains organizations to become fearless through rejection
training. In 2015, he authored the Amazon bestselling book, Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and
Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection. In 2017, he was one of the most-viewed TED
Talks.
Several years after Jiang began his career in the corporate world, he took a life-altering risk
and stepped into the unknown world of entrepreneurship. His result was everyone’s biggest fear:
rejection. This was the catalyst that set Jiang on the path to his true calling.
To conquer the fear of rejection, Jiang embarked on a personal quest and started a blog, 100
Days of Rejection Therapy. His journey revealed a world that was hidden in plain sight—a world
where people are much kinder than we imagine. He discovered that rejection can be much less
painful than we believe, and that the fear of rejection is much more destructive than we know.
Jiang grew up in Beijing, China and migrated to the United States at age 16. He holds a Bachelor
of Computer Science from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration from
Duke University.
Jia Jiang
Owner of Rejection Therapy,
CEO of Wuju Learning