Why I‘ll Never Make It Podcast
1) What Does “Making It” Even Mean? — A Look Back at Ten Conversations
As Why I’ll Never Make It approaches its tenth season, this special retrospective looks back at ten conversations that helped shape this podcast in meaningful and profound ways. Since 2017, this has b...Show More
2) Kate Baldwin Looks For Creative Purpose Beyond Just Performing (REWIND)
This past fall 2025 I got to see two of my favorite leading ladies on stage. The first was Christine Sherrill, who was making her Broadway debut in Mamma Mia. She and I had first worked together in th...Show More
3) Justin Collette Brings Beetlejuice to Life at the Palace Theatre
Step inside the dressing room with Beetlejuice's Justin Collette for a behind-the-scenes conversation that’s equal parts bone broth and backstage banter. From the rock riffs of School of Rock to the u...Show More
4) Jen Rudolph Helps Actors Focus on the Business of Acting
Being an actor requires a constant balancing act between showing up creatively and understanding how the industry actually functions. And Jen Rudolph has spent years operating at the intersection of c...Show More
5) David Bushman Proves There’s No Expiration Date on a Theater Career
Chicago is now celebrating 29 years on Broadway, with multiple national and international companies as well. And for more than two decades David Bushman has been a part of various Chicago productions ...Show More
6) FINAL FIVE: Trisha Paytas, YouTuber and Broadway Performer in Beetlejuice
The previous episode with Trisha Paytas covered so much ground, from her recent Broadway debut in Beetlejuice to her rise as a YouTube star. But one of the best parts of every conversation is when we ...Show More
7) Trisha Paytas on Media, Missteps, and Making Her Broadway Debut
Trisha Paytas joins the podcast to talk about her unexpected and much-talked-about Broadway debut in Beetlejuice. She shares what drew her to the show, how the opportunity came about, and what it’s be...Show More
8) Apologizing for My Own "Why I’ll Never Make It" Moment...
In this brief update, I open up about the last several weeks—Broadway opening week, getting sick, and a recent injury—and how all of it pulled me away from releasing new episodes. I share what’s been ...Show More
9) FINAL FIVE: Abbie Goldberg & Mason McDowell, Musical Theater Writers
In the previous episode, Abbie Goldberg and Mason McDowell dove into their new musical 504 as well as the obstacles they’ve faced trying to produce their own works, and it was such an insightful conve...Show More
10) Abbie Goldberg and Mason McDowell Turn a Movement Into a Musical
Writers Abbie Goldberg and Mason McDowell are the creative team behind 504: The Musical — a new show inspired by the real-life 1977 sit-in that ignited the disability rights movement. What started as ...Show More