My best newsletter of the year

Plus: Gigantic news about my new musical, Marathon! / Issue 1,495

Oh, hi friends!

For two years, I’ve asked you to finish this sentence during Thanksgiving:

This year, I’m grateful I finally decided to…

Your responses are inspiring, personal, and deeply energizing.

(Here’s 2022: Part one, part two. Here’s 2023: Part one, two, three.)

Between travel and pie and weird “what day is it” vibes, this is a good time to reflect.

What has been going on?

To answer my own question…

This year, I’m grateful I finally decided to…believe in myself.

Next week, Kris and I are thrilled to be holding two industry readings of our new original musical Marathon with a dream cast, dream director, and dream collaborators. I literally dreamed this up — and kept believing it could actually happen!

I mean, look at this!!!!

Directed by Tyrone L. Robinson (Swept Away), the cast will feature Tony nominee Liz Callaway (Baby, Miss Saigon), Thom Sesma (Dead Outlaw), Leana Rae Concepcion (Merrily We Roll Along), Stephanie Bacastow (A Little Night Music), and Tracy Sallows (The Audience).

Marathon is described as "a journey of endurance, hope, and finding connection over 26.2 miles."

The article in Playbill is here.

I’m dead.

(This explains my infrequent newsletters! Had to finish the draft, finish the ha, pick up the cat.)

It’s amazing to be fully immersed in a project — and we’re not even in rehearsals yet! But I can trace this all back to deciding, again and again, to do hard things, and things I’ve never done before.

(And alternating between wanting to cry or throw up.)

Many more lessons to share about the process, but for now, I want to hear what you’re grateful for this year…

Drop your answer in this Google form (or comment below!) and I’ll compile them for a special Thanksgiving edition.

I love you. Dream big. Believe in yourself. Have fun. Don’t forget to sleep!