This is our Christmas week episode — and a look back at a year that changed everything.

In this conversation, Benjamin Howes and Patrick Richwood reflect on 2025: the growth, the surprises, and the evolution of The Working Actor NYC.

What started as an audio-only podcast recorded at a dining table became:

• a video podcast

• a full YouTube channel

• daily short-form content

• weekly long-form episodes

• and, unexpectedly, a coaching practice serving actors around the world

We talk about:

– the origin story of The Working Actor NYC

– our most popular and favorite podcast episodes

– what content resonated most this year

– how coaching grew out of the work organically

– and the community that made all of it possible

Mostly, this episode is about gratitude. For the listeners. For the viewers. And for each other.

Thank you for being here. Truly.

🎄

Every working actor knows the feeling: watching a truly top-level performer and thinking… “How do they do that every day?”

In this episode, Patrick Richwood and Benjamin Howes break down the real habits, routines, and rituals we’ve seen in the pros — the ones that keep them consistent, resilient, and ready, even when life throws curveballs.

We talk about things like:

🎭 Would you still show up to the theatre every day if an injury kept you offstage? Some performers do — to stay connected to the show, keep their body in therapy, listen from the wings, and remain a part of the company. That level of commitment is a habit, not an accident.

🔥 Mindset that keeps you from spiraling

🥗 Diet, hydration, and fuel that actually support performing

💪 Warm-ups and physical routines Broadway actors swear by

😂 And yes — plenty of the usual chaos and jokes you expect when Patrick and Benjamin get together

These habits aren’t about perfection. They’re about the tiny choices that keep you grounded, prepared, and professional — whether you’re on Broadway, on tour, or building momentum in your hometown.

It’s the holidays, and that means one thing: people everywhere are trying to figure out what on earth to buy the actor in their life.

So in this episode of The Working Actor NYC, Patrick and I put together the ultimate gift guide — featuring 20 actor gifts that range from genuinely helpful… to deeply questionable… to what fever dream did this Etsy creator wake up from?

We’ve got everything from:

🎭 A website promising “How To Get A Restaurant Job With Zero Experience” 🕯️ A “Smells Like World’s Best Actor” candle

🎖️ A Tony Award replica (tell me you don’t want one…)

🛋️ Your own face on street furniture (yes, really)

🔪 A Sweeney Todd straight razor (please don’t give this to method actors)

🧣 A Shakespeare throw blanket for the drama queen in your life

🧑‍🎨 And… The Working Actor NYC Merch Table, obviously. (Truly the perfect gift. I don’t make the rules.)

Some gifts are sweet. Some are ridiculous. Some are surprisingly awesome. And one of them is literally a bus stop bench with your headshot on it.

But honestly? The best gift for your actor might just be what we talk about at the end: love, support, and a soft place to land when the industry gets loud.

Happy holidays from The Working Actor NYC — now go get your theatre kid something magical.