As AI becomes more embedded into content creation, discovery, and distribution, one truth is becoming clearer: the long-term winners in media may not be the fastest or the most automated. They may be the most human.

That was the core idea behind this conversation with Erin Diehl of Improve It! and the host of the Workday Playdate Podcast, and New Media Show host and Podcast Hall of Fame Inductee Rob Greenlee on New Media Show Episode 654, where we explored what it really means to build a media business rooted in trust, emotional connection, authenticity, and memorable audience experiences.

Erin Diehl, founder of improve it! and host of the Workday Playdate podcast, brings a distinctive perspective to this discussion.

Her work sits at the intersection of improv, leadership, communication, and community-building. On her podcast and in her live workshops, she focuses on helping people reconnect with empathy, listening, adaptability, humor, and playfulness as practical tools for stronger communication and leadership. Erin describes those same qualities as the traits of both a great improviser and a great human, and that framing shaped this entire conversation. (itserindiehl.com)

What made this episode especially timely is that it did not treat AI as the enemy. Instead, it argued that AI is becoming part of the infrastructure of modern media, especially in discovery, distribution, workflow, and scale, while human presence remains the true differentiator. I said during the episode that creators are still in the human media business, and Erin agreed that what continues to work is the authenticity of human experience.

That idea matters because audiences are increasingly surrounded by an abundance of content. When everything becomes easier to generate, the value of presence, perspective, vulnerability, and emotional resonance goes up.

Erin argued that humanity is not becoming less important in the AI era. It is becoming more important. She pointed to empathy, trust, culture, and connection as qualities that are not going away, even as new technologies reshape jobs, workflows, and media formats.

A major theme in this conversation was the role of play in serious work. Erin’s approach is not about being frivolous. It is about using play, improv, and emotional openness to create real breakthroughs in communication. In her workshops, she guides people step by step out of their comfort zones, not to embarrass them but to help them reconnect with spontaneity, attentiveness, and confidence. She explained that many adults lose that natural instinct for play as they grow older, replacing it with judgment, self-doubt, and emotional caution. Her work is

Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

The resurrection of Jesus is the central claim of Christianity. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:17 that if Christ has not been raised, the Christian faith is futile. Everything rises or falls on this single historical question.

In this episode, we examine the historical evidence surrounding the death of Jesus and the rise of the early Christian movement. Using the same methods historians apply to other ancient events, we look at several widely accepted historical facts: Jesus’ crucifixion, the empty tomb, the reported appearances of the risen Jesus, the transformation of the disciples, and the dramatic conversions of skeptics like Paul and James.

We also evaluate common alternative explanations such as the conspiracy theory, hallucination theory, swoon theory, and the idea that the resurrection developed as legend.

When all the historical evidence is considered together, which explanation best accounts for the facts?

Sources referenced in this episode include:

William Lane Craig – On Guard
William Lane Craig – Reasonable Faith
Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell – Evidence That Demands a Verdict
Lee Strobel – The Case for Christ
Peter Kreeft & Ronald Tacelli – Handbook of Christian Apologetics
Gary Habermas & Michael Licona – The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus

All biblical references are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

AI job loss fear is everywhere, and the latest Bitcoin FUD is coming from names you already know. I break down how these narratives get made, who benefits, and what they’re really selling.

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Show Notes

Podcasts begin with a dream and a mic. But to reach the world, they often benefit from having someone in their corner like this week’s guest.

On a new Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts indie creator advocate Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn, founder of Megaphone). Libsyn is the founding sponsor of our Indie PaC Awards, which is an extension of their 20+ years of support for independent creators.

Join Dan and Brendan as they cover: Indie Wins, Definitions, The Creator’s Voice, and more. Let’s dig in.

"  For us, it's: how do we think about bringing revenue to [creators] and helping them fuel their dreams on the business side?”

-Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn)

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WAR IS COMPLETE!

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As before I asked Claude.ai to do a synopsis. I corrected one factual error (informing it, waiting for a new version, not correcting the writing). And I think it may have missed the big points of both, but I will respect its opinion. As always if you really want to know what I said you have to listen. :-)

Dave Winer responds to a recent episode of the David Frum podcast, in which Frum's guest was Tim Miller of The Bulwark. The topic that caught his attention: why young men are turning to Trump. He has thoughts, but first he has a detour to make.

The detour is MeToo. Winer remembers it vividly as a social media-enabled phenomenon that did real damage — to people's careers, to trust, to the basic norms of adult interaction. He watched friends lose everything to accusations he found implausible, and he remembers modifying his own behavior in ways he describes as "horrific." The fear was pervasive and real. He credits the movement with catching genuine predators like Harvey Weinstein, but he also remembers the stampede quality of it — the way platform dynamics allowed something that couldn't have happened before social media. He got a small, personal taste of unwanted physical contact — a forced hug from someone who'd knocked him off his bike in Manhattan — and it clarified something for him about how violation feels.

On the young men question, Winer offers no clean answer — just honest acknowledgment that their complaints about housing costs and economic lockout have merit. What frustrates him is the solution they chose. Trump, he argues, is dismantling the very things young people will need: healthcare, environmental protection, institutional stability. He closes with a characteristic mix of irritation and optimism, pointing to Minnesota as evidence that something better is still possible.

Notes prepared by Claude.ai

I often hear phrases such as "God is bigger than the Bible." Today I'm going to explain why I think we should not say this. There is a sense in which it is true, but typically it is used to subtly lower the authority of the Bible. I hope to convince you today!

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Tina and Adam Curry discuss their upcoming roles as grandparents, their recent health checkups, and their reflections on faith and control

Of course the God-Shot and Question of the week are included as always!

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Join Jimmy & Annette for a second special edition of Living Up in a Down World: Live at Bridge Church (Part 2). The topic is Faith - Family - Freedom.