Well hello, it's Patrick Oliver Jones, and 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. She shares her journey from working at Amnesty International to fully embracing her life as a playwright, for which she has two Pulitzer Prizes. Along the way, she opens up about the challenges she’s faced in an ever-evolving industry and how she continues to carve out her unique path.

Following Lynn, we’ll hear from Japanese-American actor and teacher Akiko Aizawa, 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.

You can also become a subscriber and listen to episodes before anyone else and also get to hear special audition stories as well.

Also, there's still those bonus episodes featuring the Final Five questions, and I’ll bring you these bite-sized episodes where guests share their thoughts on life, love, career, and what “making it” means to them.

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.