Episode
23. from small town TX to NYC: the reality of swing life on a Broadway tour ft Ryan Winkler
- Podcast
- Kicking It Real
- Published
- Mar 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3783
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Winkler, currently on the First National Tour of & Juliet as a swing and the tour’s social media captain, to talk about what it really takes to build a sustainable career in the performing arts. From growing up in a small town in Texas to navigating the competitive audition scene in New York City, Ryan shares what resilience actually looks like. We talk about being waitlisted for her dream college program, handling rejection in open calls with hundreds of dancers, tracking auditions like data instead of emotion, and why perfectionism will not survive a swing track on a Broadway tour. We also dive into recovering from a labrum tear, booking a Broadway national tour while coming off an injury, managing five tracks at once, and the mental discipline required to stay grounded in a high-pressure environment. Beyond performing, Ryan opens up about building parallel skills in marketing, time blocking her life on tour, and dismantling the starving artist narrative by creating financial autonomy as a dancer. If you’re auditioning, questioning your path, recovering from an injury, or trying to figure out how to make a real living in this industry without losing yourself; this episode is for you. This is the honest conversation about Broadway tour life, swing mentality, rejection, identity, and building a career that lasts. Stay in the loop with me 👇🏼🤍 Instagram: @kickingitrealpod @potentiallygabby TikTok: @potentiallygabby Episode requests: [email protected] Find Ryan here👇🏼 IG/TT: @ryanbwinkler ryanwinkler.net To see her perform visit: https://andjulietbroadway.com/tickets/#north-american-tour