Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri

What if dyslexia isn't a neurological deficit, but a visionary superpower? In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Hillary Summerbell, CEO of the literary technology company Summerbell, to discuss a groundbreaking innovation in media accessibility. After struggling with severe visual dyslexia and made to feel stupid in a traditional education system, Hillar...

Join returning guest Tess Cheng and I as we review the 2025 satirical black comedy film, The Roses . Directed by  Jay Roach  and written by Tony McNamara, the film is a modern reimagining of the 1981 novel  The War of the Roses  and its 1989 film adaptation.  The story follows Ivy ( Olivia Colman ) and Theo Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch), a seemingly perfect couple whose lives unravel when Theo’s car...

In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Israeli-born, New York-based artist Mifarma to discuss her evolution from a singer of romantic Hebrew ballads to a creator of dark and gothic English anthems. We explore the origins of her moniker - a play on the Hebrew word for monster - and how her alter ego serves as an avatar for the contradictions of the human experi...

Episode #146: In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Aidan Kushner , the creator of the new YouTube web series, Why Try . This comedy celebrates the God-given right to be miserable in a modern world that constantly tries to force a negative into a positive. Aidan discusses his background in stand-up and sketch comedy (including his time at Second City) and how he t...

Before The Sopranos or The Wire , there was Tales from The Crypt . In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri hears untold stories with Alan Katz (frequently credited as A L Katz), the writer, producer, and legendary "Keeper of the Franchise" for HBO’s Tales from the Crypt . Alan takes us on a wild ride through what he calls the Hollywood excess-era of the 1990s, revea...

If you’ve ever tried to quit smoking or quit vaping and realized willpower alone is not enough, this episode is for you. I’m joined by Jessi Hartnett , a former smoker, author of Honor Your Heart and creator of the You Can Quit Smoking podcast, to break down a more sustainable way to overcome nicotine addiction - without spiraling into shame. In this conversation, we unpack the difference between...

In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri interviews Geraldine Carriere - an Indigenous serial entrepreneur, author, and recording artist. Coming from a small, isolated northern community, Geraldine shares her mission to help women and Indigenous youth find their authentic selves. Geraldine argues that entrepreneurship is women into their DNA. Key themes explored in this episode inc...

In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with the legendary Deborah Lindquist , a visionary designer and pioneer known as the “Green Queen” of the fashion world. With a career spanning over four decades, Deborah has redefined sustainable luxury through her unique process of upcycling, transforming recycled and organic materials into one-of-a-kind couture. Deborah shares t...

In this episode, host Vedant Akhauri breaks down Primate , the new creature feature from director Johannes Roberts ( 47 Meters Down , The Strangers: Prey at Night ). He saw this film during a blind screening where the audience didn't know the movie's title or details beforehand, other than being a horror film. It stars Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, and Troy Kotsur, Victoria Wyant as...

In the Season 7 premiere of Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri interviews Jordan Holman - known artistically as Kentucky - about his major career pivot from the lead guitarist of heavy rock bands to a solo indie folk artist. They discuss the literal meaning behind his album Second Chance Music , the liberating but lonely process of building a song entirely alone, and his profound philosophi...

Content Warning: This episode discusses mature subject matter, specifically physical violence, physical threats, and narcissistic personality disorder. Listener discretion is advised. In this episode of Let’s Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri sits down with C.F. Micky , the author of the memoir Cultivating Freedom: Finding My Way from Fear to Freedom . C.F. Micky is a pseudonym used to give the aut...

Host Vedant Akhauri welcomes author Lindsey Goldstein to discuss her debut novel, Gap Year (releasing February 3, 2026). This novel explored the journey of Jane, a 46-year-old CPA who faces the perfect storm when her husband leaves, her daughter goes abroad for a gap year, and she is offered a promotion she doesn't want. Instead of leaning in, Jane quits her job to climb the Cotopaxi volcano in Ec...

In this episode of Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri is joined by author, poet, and "Neurodiverse Language Wizard," William May. Together, they deconstruct the craft of writing through the lens of May’s new chapbook, Blaze Without Burning . May details the collection's unique twinning structure, where the poems in the second half of the book mirror the first half in reverse o...

In this episode, host and award-winning podcaster, Vedant Akhauri speaks with author and screenwriter, Leslie Anne Lee. We cover how one can turn their passion for writing into a viable, profitable career. Discover Leslie’s proven strategies for defining her authorship as a business, demanding professionalism and investment, having learned that skimping on professionalism costs more in the long ru...

Join host and award-winning podcaster, Vedant Akhauri as he interviews Sam Mitchell , the Executive Director of Autism Rocks and Rolls (ARAR) . Sam, a podcaster, international speaker, and TEDx speaker , shares his journey of starting this 501c3 nonprofit corporation after falling in love with his high school media club. This essential episode dives into how ARAR uses media - including its own pod...

Join host and award-winning podcaster, Vedant Akhauri, as he dives into the rapidly developing story that Netflix has won the bidding war for the Warner Brothers side of Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD). This is a huge deal that involves Netflix strategically offering $28-$30 per share, valuing the enterprise at $70-75 billion. Vedant breaks down why Netflix's bid seems attractive to WBD and wh...

Join Let's Talk Media host and award-winning podcaster Vedant Akhauri for a comprehensive review of the latest film in the Knives Out movie franchise, Wake Up Dead Man . In this threequel, Daniel Craig reprises his role as detective Benoit Blanc, investigating a murder at a church in a claustrophobic tiny town in Upstate New York. The cast also includes: Josh O'Connor  as Reverend Jud Duplenticy....

In this episode, we step back in time to explore early 20th-century Iowa through the pages of a century-old diary. Host and award-winning podcaster, Vedant Akhauri, welcomes author Sue E. Burns to discusses her book, A Common Life: A Voice from the Progressive Era . Sue’s book brings to life the diary of her great-great-grandmother, Mary Anne Briggs , offering an intimate portrayal of rural womanh...

Award-winning podcaster, Vedant Akhauri, reviews Wicked: For Good , the highly-anticipated second installment of the two-part adaptation of the iconic musical, staring the magnetic duo of Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba/The Wicked Witch of the West. While acknowledging the production's technical brilliance and the outstanding talent of its leads, this episode delves into the i...

Host Vedant Akhauri welcomes author, Julie Seyler, about her part memoir, part recipe book , Gluten for Punishment: Just Desserts for the Heartbroken, Lovesick, and Jilted . Explore Julie's journey as she analyzes three decades of dating through inventive dessert analogies and baking analogies . Learn about the inspiration behind her book, which utilizes her experience as a classically trained...

Host Vedant Akhauri interviews Michelle Steiner , a disability advocate, writer, photographer, and paraeducator supporting students with disabilities. Michelle shares her powerful journey of turning lifelong challenges - including dyscalculia , limited hand dexterity, and visual perception issues - into a platform for awareness and empowerment. This episode delves into how Michelle defied critics...

In this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri interviews Rebecca Engel , a neurodivergent educator, author, and advocate who has turned her early life challenges into a global platform for change . Rebecca shares her extraordinary journey from silence to self-expression , having been non-verbal until the age of four . She discusses overcoming early predictions from doctors and defy...

In this powerful episode of Let's Talk Media , Vedant Akhauri is joined by entrepreneur, author, mentor, and international speaker, Craig Satskovski . Craig, who is known to many as "The Shaman from Jersey" , is a human behaviorist and business mentor who helps entrepreneurs uncover their true identity and define their purpose in life. Craig explains how he was able to alchemize ever...

On this episode of Let's Talk Media , host Vedant Akhauri welcomes author Joshua Blum to discuss his fantasy book series, The Thirteen Hour . Blum, who grew up during the 1980s, shares how his writing is deeply inspired by his upbringing and classic '80s pop culture, including films like Back to the Future , Labyrinth , and The Last Starfighter . The story, influenced by '80s fairy tal...

Welcome to this insightful episode of Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri, featuring special guest Aaron Diecker , a dialogue editor with over 20 years of experience in animation. Aaron has worked for Fox Television Animation, Paramount+, and Nickelodeon . His career journey began in sound for television and included work on Dora the Explorer . He explains the critical role of an animation dialog...