Creating Your Own Rhythm: Finding Balance Beyond Structure

When the curtain comes down and the structure of a show disappears, what rhythm do you choose for yourself?

In this preview with Broadway actor Nick Barasch (Hadestown, She Loves Me, Big River), we explore how to create a personal foundation—your own rhythm or recipe—that sustains you when external schedules fade. Instead of relying on rigid routines, Nick shares how self-led projects, small rituals, and mindful recovery can turn free time into stability.

We talk candidly about the toll of a physical role and the surprising journey of becoming a dancer under Warren Carlyle’s guidance. Nick reflects on the exhaustion that follows a long run and the lessons he’ll carry forward: train for the demands of the part, take recovery seriously, and protect energy with boundaries. From solo hikes upstate to classes taken purely out of curiosity, he reveals how creative agency can transform downtime into a steady anchor.

This is a conversation about authorship—choosing work you love, building momentum without waiting for permission, and crafting a life that stays intact when the industry pulls you in new directions.

✨ Creative takeaways:

• Choose one project you control from start to finish.
• Create one daily ritual that grounds your nervous system.
• Foster one weekly touchpoint with community.

Think of it as writing from your own recipe. The stage may define the show, but you define the life around it.

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Chapters

• 0:46 Teaser And Context
• 1:06 Life After Eight-Show Weeks
• 1:34 Exhaustion And Becoming A Dancer
• 2:12 Freedom Versus Needing Structure
• 2:52 Reframing Structure As Self-Directed Work
• 3:58 Balance That Won’t Disappear
• 4:41 Hobbies, Hikes, And Leading Your Day
• 6:07 The Recipe Metaphor And Wrap

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:23

Hey there. There are so many incredible nuggets from these conversations I have with these wonderful creative artists. And it occurred to me as I was editing my upcoming episode with Nick Barash that before the full episode drops, I just wanted to share a little glimpse of our recent chat. We talked about what it means to find your rhythm again after a demanding eight show week and how structure, balance, and creativity can look very different once the lights go down. Here's a short excerpt from our conversation. What's the rhythm of your day like?

SPEAKER_01: 1:09

Yeah, true. Uh yeah, I'm I'm still finding the rhythm post eight show week, which is like, I don't even know what that is. It's just a blur of running around and surviving almost. I mean, in this show, I mean, I don't know if you know this. I am not a dancer. I mean, I oh come on. Everybody's a dancer. I I, you know, I faked it well, and Warren Carlisle turned me into one. But I was just exhausted all the time. I mean, the next time I have something that physical, I'll know that I need to like really work out, take care of my body in a way that's so so no, I'm just finding my rhythm now. I'm loving the freedom, the space.

SPEAKER_00: 1:53

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 1:54

Uh, to not have every minute accounted for is a luxury. But I told myself after this show that I I need more structure in my life just in general. And so finding that and more community too, and just um entering spaces that maybe I would have been afraid to, or joining some class, or just you know, giving myself uh structure that's so that it's not just the audition or the the act or you know.

unknown: 2:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 2:28

It's interesting. The word I sorry, I I harp on the words with my clients. I'm like, structure, that's an interesting word choice, especially for someone who's lived such a structured life, structured by everything else. So if you were to to maybe, I don't know, reframe that word as something that really worked for you, about what you really what what would that be?

SPEAKER_01: 2:52

I mean, right, yes, struggle. I I think honestly, like giving myself projects, things that I'm passionate about, things that I can look forward to working on every day, um, so that I'm not at the beck and call of some force that might grant me a job. But you know, it's like so. I think it's more about, yeah, if if structure is not the word, then it would be like, I don't know, self-actualization in my days, like, you know, something that I set out to do that I don't need anyone's kind of anyone to sign off on, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 3:35

Yeah. It's interesting because what I'm hearing underneath what you're saying is is balance that won't be disrupted. Yeah. So so I understand what you mean. Like it would make sense, knowing you and knowing just even what you've just told me, that you're used to structure, you're used to the structure of an eight-week show or of an agent, or you know, your whole life has been structured. Yeah. Um, and I and I understand that you don't want to be at the back and call. However, you also acknowledge that that is the life of an actor. Yeah. So, but but when you say structure and your brain knows all that data, uh, you could have been talking about what you do, right?

SPEAKER_01: 4:16

Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 4:18

You said projects, you said work, yeah, passion. That's exactly what you do, Nick. Yeah, you work on projects, you're passionate about. And what I'm hearing, and you tell me if you think this is true, because I could be totally wrong. But what I'm hearing is that you're you're yearning for something that you create that won't go away when, right? That honor it's like something you honor and value, yes, that doesn't go away when when you get drawn that way.

SPEAKER_01: 4:49

Yeah, totally. That's it. That's it. I think it's yes, finding um, yeah, more consistent kind of outlets. And they don't have to be creative. I mean, it could be a silly hobby or it could just be, you know, doing things with friends that I mean, I took a hike the other day, you know, upstate, and that felt so, you know, I didn't tell anyone, you know, it was out by myself, you know. I and it that in a way felt like structure. It could be that, you know, it felt like um something that I could go do that where I'm I'm the leader, and I'm saying, okay, we're going, we're going on a hike now, you know. Totally.

SPEAKER_00: 5:34

You're the chef. Yeah. What I don't know if you cook or whatever, but I'm I what came up for me was it's your own recipe. You want to plot from your own recipe.

SPEAKER_01: 5:42

Love that. Love that.

SPEAKER_00: 5:43

Yeah. So that was a moment I just wanted to share with you from my chat with Broadway actor Nick Barash. He's an incredible actor, storyteller, singer, and an all-around creative soul. And he was so open and curious. And well, it was such a fun chat. I can't wait to share it with you. The full episode drops next week, so be sure to follow the podcast wherever you listen. And in the meantime, maybe ask yourself what's one way that you can create your own recipe for balance today? I'm Lisa Hopkins. Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and remember to live in the moment.