What's Your Why?

Writing What You See: Pittsburgh Novelist on Craft & Persistence | Patrick McGinty

Patrick McGinty is a novelist, professor, and Pittsburgh writer who spent 13 years revising his second novel from a 1,000-page manuscript to a published book. His journey is the opposite of overnight success. He got an agent young, sent out a massive manuscript, faced rejection after rejection. His response? "Great, I get to keep working on it." We talk about the 13-year revision, his grandfather's advice to "draw what you see, not what you think you see," why he learns about places through art instead of guidebooks, the observational approach to writing, and what it means to be a regional writer in Western Pennsylvania. We also dive into: * The best editorial note he ever got ("move everything up in your story") * Writing about driverless cars and tech in Pittsburgh * Being married to another writer * Teaching creative writing while being a working novelist * Why time is what he fears losing most CONNECT WITH PATRICK: Website: https://www.patrick-mcginty.com/ [https://www.patrick-mcginty.com/] Purchase "Town College City Road": https://amzn.to/46MiA6P [https://amzn.to/46MiA6P] This is What's Your Why, a podcast where creatives talk about imposter syndrome, fear, and what sets our souls on fire. Remember, what broke you made you beautiful. Your story matters because you matter.

All Your F*cks Disappear at 40 (And Other Truths) | Screenwriter Lauren Greenwood on Rejection

Lauren Greenwood spent over a decade as "just a screenwriter." No paid work. No qualifier. Just writing sample after sample, getting rejection after rejection. Then she became a working screenwriter—three TV thrillers on Lifetime, awards, representation, commissions. But here's what got me: imposter syndrome didn't leave her body until her fourth commissioned movie. Not the first. Not the second. Not the third. The fourth. We talk about what it actually takes to make it as a writer. Not the overnight success story—the real one. The ten-year slog. The sample script she's worked on for over a decade that's been optioned twice, won awards, got her an agent, and landed all four TV movies... but will probably never be produced. And she's made peace with that. This is a conversation about persistence, craft, and why loving the process is the only thing that keeps you going. This is What's Your Why—where creatives and dreamers from all walks of life talk about imposter syndrome, fear, and what sets our souls on fire. Connect with Lauren on Substack: https://lsgreenwood.substack.com [https://lsgreenwood.substack.com] What broke you made you beautiful. Your story matters because you matter.

Pastor JP Robles: When the Church Breaks You

Pastor JP Robles: When the Church Breaks You "Christians are exhausting," says Pastor JP Robles' wife. He agrees. This isn't your typical faith conversation. JP grew up in a Pentecostal church where his father was a pastor—until a public divorce shattered everything. He jumped off a roof at 16, lived in an old Holiday Inn, and discovered that music and creativity were his lifelines. Now he's a pastor, priest, music producer, and filmmaker who believes God looks up at us from the bottom, not down from above. He has more in common with atheists and agnostics than religious fundamentalists. We dive deep into: * How "third culture" shaped his identity * Surviving church trauma and his parents' divorce * Why creativity is the ultimate human freedom * How your words literally create your worlds * The intersection of God and the universe * Imposter syndrome as a creative and a pastor * Pain, addiction, fear, and running from yourself * What Jesus would say if he came back today * His "why": Finding joy in creating a new world This conversation went places I didn't expect. Two hours of raw honesty about faith, creativity, and being human. Connect with Pastor JP Robles: jonpaulrobles.com [http://jonpaulrobles.com] | @jonpaul.robles (Instagram) | Sacred Commons on YouTube | Companion Audio on Bandcamp About What's Your Why: Real conversations with creators about the fire that drives us, the fear that shapes us, and how being broken makes us beautiful. Hosted by J. Penberth (@jpenberthauthor) And remember... What broke you made you beautiful. Your story matters because you matter.

The Story That Drives Him: Donavan Clark on Passion, Perseverance, and Purpose

Donovan Clark left union grip work on Westworld and American Horror Story to make the films he actually cares about. We talk about leaving stability for uncertainty, losing his father in 2020, and whether pain actually makes better art. CONNECT WITH DONOVAN:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donavanclarkdirector [https://www.instagram.com/donavanclarkdirector]  Website: https://www.donavanclarkdirector.com/ [https://www.donavanclarkdirector.com/]  Full Notion Media: https://www.fullnotionmedia.com/ [https://www.fullnotionmedia.com/] TOPICS: Filmmaking | Leaving Your Job | Grief | Creativity | Finding Your Why | Independent Film | Career Change FOLLOW:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpenberthauthor [https://www.instagram.com/jpenberthauthor] Substack: jpenberth.substack.com [http://jpenberth.substack.com] What broke you made you beautiful. #WhatsYourWhy #DonavanClark #Filmmaker #Podcast

The Song That Saved His Life: Jacob Luttrell on Pain, Purpose, and Being a Superhero

Jacob Luttrell has written songs you know by heart—"Wild Ones," "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)," "I Can Only Imagine." But the song that matters most? The one that saved his own life. In this raw, honest conversation, Jacob opens up about standing at the edge, the piano that brought him back, and why his real purpose is to help others feel less alone. We talk about pain as a creative valve, the danger of ego, killing your old self to evolve, and why everyone has the chance to be someone's superhero. This is what happens when broken becomes beautiful.