Bret Shuford has spent his career balancing two passions—performing on Broadway and helping others achieve their creative goals. From The Little Mermaid to Paramour, he built a successful stage career while also becoming a sought-after coach for actors and artists. But finding that balance wasn’t always easy. In this rewind episode from 2019, Bret shares how he navigated the highs and lows of the industry, the importance of authenticity in his work, and why he’s passionate about guiding others toward success.

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Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! 

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In last episode with Moshe Lobel, we covered so much ground, from why he left his Hasidic roots and pursued a career as an actor to his latest film project that forced him to confront his past and reconcile who he is with who he was. But one of the most enlightening parts of every conversation is when guests answer the Final Five Questions. It’s where we hear about personal lessons, hopes for the industry, and those moments that truly define an artist’s career.

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Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! 

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 Leaving behind everything he once knew, Moshe Lobel walked away from his Chasidic faith and roots to pursue a life in theater and film—an unthinkable choice for most in his community. A native Yiddish speaker from Brooklyn, he made his New York stage debut as the lead in Awake and Sing! with New Yiddish Rep before joining the award-winning Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, directed by Joel Grey. His career has since expanded into film and television, including HBO’s High Maintenance, Netflix’s Unorthodox, and the one-shot Ukrainian drama SHTTL. As a filmmaker, he’s crafted original works featuring Emmy-nominated talent, proving that sometimes the biggest risks lead to the most unexpected and fulfilling journeys.

Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you!

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In our previous conversation with the talented Akiko Aizawa, we delved into her journey from a modern dancer to a dedicated actress facing challenges in New York City. But there's always more to uncover, and that's where the Final Five Questions come in. This is when Akiko opens up even further to share personal lessons learned, her hopes for the theater industry, and those intimate moments that define her artistic passion. Join us as we explore what success and making it truly mean to her, relive memorable performances, and discuss how meditation plays a role in her life as she navigates the ups and downs of a creative career. Get ready for an inspiring and heartfelt continuation of Akiko's journey.

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Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! 

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When I worked at Tokyo DisneySea, I fell in love with Japan—the culture, the food, the people. But working there was a whole different experience. The structure, the discipline, the expectations—it took time to adjust. As much as I admired it, adapting wasn’t always easy.

Akiko Aizawa knows that challenge firsthand, but from the other side. Originally from Akita, Japan, she built a career in modern dance before transitioning to theater and eventually moving to New York. But that transition wasn’t exactly smooth. She left behind a prestigious theater company, underwent a dramatic personal transformation, and took a leap of faith—only to have her first New York production canceled before it even began. She shares her journey of reinvention, resilience, and risk and how it has shaped her artistic life.

Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you!

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Last week, actor, director and playwright Elizabeth Hess shared some of her missed opportunities as well as the creation of her own theater company The Hess Collective. And while that was such an insightful conversation, there’s still so much more to explore! And that’s why it’s exciting to have Elizabeth back here for the Final Five Questions. These are where we get a little more personal—uncovering lessons learned, hopes for the industry, and a deeper look at what drives her as an artist.

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Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! 

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Elizabeth Hess is Founder of The Hess Collective and has developed various theater projects off-Broadway as well as traveling the globe with her own acclaimed solo works. (Their latest production is No Reservation.) And she joins us today to talk about the early years in her career as she tried to join a theater company in Canada. We also discuss her Broadway debut in M. Butterfly as well as the rather unconventional route that led her to her biggest television role in the Nickelodeon series Clarissa Explains It All. And she’s accomplished all this despite having grown up in the Mennonite faith, which does not look kindly upon the performing arts as a career choice. Nonetheless, Elizabeth has certainly found a community—a family—in the various shows and production throughout her illustrious career.

Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you!

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Last week you heard from the award-winning playwright Lynn Nottage as she shared the joys and struggles of being a writer. Well, now Lynn is back to talk about how the industry has changed throughout her decades as a writer as well as sharing one important lesson she learned from August Wilson by answering the Final Five Questions in this bonus episode of Why I’ll Never Make It.

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Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! 

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As a playwright, Lynn Nottage has crafted fascinating stories and emotionally rich characters. She is a true artist with the credentials to back in up. She has won two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama as well as numerous Off-Broadway awards, not to mention three Tony Award nominations.

She joins me WINMI the first episode for Season 9 to talk about her art and a moment when she realized she was born to write, regardless of whether or not she could actually make a living as a writer. It’s a moment that happens in every artist’s life—when the calling outweighs the worries or doubts, when the desire to create is stronger than the fear of failure.

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Why I’ll Never Make It is an independent production of WINMI Media and Patrick Oliver Jones. To support the ongoing efforts of this podcast please subscribe or donate. Thank you! 

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Well, here we are it's 2025 and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome you to Season 9 of the Why I’ll Never Make It podcast! Every other week this season you'll hear candid conversations and inspiring stories from theater artists across Broadway, regional stages, and beyond.

And we’re kicking things off with someone--the likes of which I never thought I'd get on my humble theater podcast--the incredible Lynn Nottage. After her, we’ll hear from Japanese-American actor and teacher Akiko Aizawa as well as Broadway actress Elizabeth Hess, who you may know as Janet Darling from Clarissa Explains It All, and so many more extraordinary artists throughout the season.

Be sure to follow this podcast on your favorite podcast platform as well as on Instagram at winmipodcast, so you don’t miss a single episode! Join me in February for Season 9 as we talk more about Why I’ll Never Make It.

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