Barbara Corcoran is showing the world how to persevere!

Over a decade ago, the real estate mogul and TV personality began her role on Shark Tank, which gives people from all walks of life the chance to secure business deals that could make them millionaires.

Now, Barbara has become one of the most recognizable faces on the show. But it almost didn’t happen.

In a new Instagram post, she revealed that after she was asked to join the series, producers “changed their mind” and  considered another woman. That’s when she decided to write a letter:

“How I turned a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’! I was almost on my way to Hollywood to film the first season of Shark Tank 12 years ago when I was told the show had changed their mind,” she captioned the post. 

Read the letter above to know exactly WHY she became one of Shark Tank‘s favorites.

Love you, Babs!