When it comes to performing, whether in musical theater or in the pop world, a singer’s voice can be their identity, their money maker, the one instrument that often defines their careers. And so losing their voice can be life-changing and demoralizing. On my other podcast Closing Night I did an episode on the Broadway production of Victor/Victoria and chronicled the surgery that ended Julie Andrews vocal career. There’s also a new documentary out about Celine Dion and her battle with Stiff Persons Syndrome that has left her unable to sing. I’ve even had my own struggles with vocal paresis, which for me means that one of my vocal cords moves weakly and has a hard time fully closing compared to the other. And today’s guest has had her own vocal struggles and knows what that loss feels like.

Sarah Hester Ross has become a one-of-a-kind entertainer and social media star, amassing 2.4M followers on TikTok and over 260K on Instagram. She has also been touted as the “Best Of Las Vegas” for her comedy and one-woman show. And she’s achieved all this with a vocal injury that still affects her to this day. We talk about that as well as her struggles with a lack of motivation and even interest in her comedy work. Nonetheless, her good-natured, comedic exuberance has earned her the moniker of "The Hilarious Redhead!" And I think you'll hear why in this witty and thoughtful conversation.

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Why I’ll Never Make It is an award-winning, Top Theater Podcast with actor and singer Patrick Oliver Jones and is a production of WINMI Media. Background music is by John Bartmann and Blue Dot Sessions and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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