Ayush Prakash Podcast

Arik Brueckner is the CEO of Choice, a pioneering global online booking platform for paid companionship and intimacy.

In a world grappling with what his company calls "the global pandemic of loneliness," how do we address the growing disconnect between technology's promise of connection and our deepest human needs? This conversation explores how one entrepreneur is attempting to de-stigmatize paid companionship while increasing safety for everyone involved.

Expect to learn how technology is revolutionizing an industry that extends far beyond sex work, why traditional approaches to combating loneliness may be failing, what ethical frameworks look like when building platforms for vulnerable populations, how identity verification and safety technology can transform intimate services, why the stigma around paid companionship might be more harmful than the practice itself, what the intersection of business and basic human needs reveals about our society, and how we might redefine what healthy connection looks like in the digital age.

Find Arik: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arikbrueckner/

Website: choice.ch

-

Info: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect: 

Website: https://ayushprakash.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ 

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books: 

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

Sally Raymond is a mother, speaker, and the author of The Son I Knew Too Late, a raw and deeply personal account of losing her son to suicide.

What happens when a parent realizes too late what their child was silently enduring? In a world where mental health is discussed more than ever, it’s still rare to hear such unfiltered truth from the inside of grief, regret, and love.

Expect to learn what signs often go unnoticed, why good intentions aren’t always enough, how boys are silently suffering under the weight of emotional isolation, why vulnerability must start at home, what conversations can save a life, how to make space for pain without fixing it, and why it’s time to redefine what it means to truly know someone and love them well.

Find Sally: 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Son-Knew-Too-Late-Survive-ebook/dp/B086HWN3KY

Website: https://sallyaraymond.com

-

This is episode 140 of the Ayush Prakash Podcast. 

Info: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect: 

Website: https://ayushprakash.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ 

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books: 

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

This is episode 139 of the Ayush Prakash Podcast. 

John M. O’Brien, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, professional speaker, and executive coach.

Find John: 

Rudeness Rehab book: https://www.amazon.com/Rudeness-Rehab-Reclaiming-Civility-Workplace/dp/1957651911

Website: https://rudenessrehab.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Incivility and rudeness

10:11 Is rudeness learned behaviour?

14:05 Cultural relativism

20:41 Rudeness on social media

39:27 Communication styles

43:27 Anger

50:50 John's beginnings

53:19 Social dynamics

56:50 Health factors

59:09 Advice for rudeness

1:03:59 Magic wand

1:06:33 Hope

1:07:50 Find John

-

Info: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect: 

Website: https://ayushprakash.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ 

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books: 

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

Why are young people called fragile, entitled and narcissistic when they may be responding rationally to a world older generations created? Physician and youth advocate Dr. Zee argues that emotional honesty is being mistaken for weakness, healthy work boundaries for laziness and demands for accountability for overreaction.

We discuss why adults have forgotten how to listen, what older generations can learn from Gen Z and how Dr. Zee’s Listen to the Kids program creates direct conversations between young people and adults. She explains why books and media about younger generations cannot replace speaking with them, and why leadership begins with hearing someone before trying to fix them.

The conversation then turns to technology, youth entrepreneurship, social media and cancel culture. Dr. Zee describes technology as both a megaphone and a maze, defends young people who use platforms to build businesses and reframes cancel culture as a demand to stop harm. We finish with accountability, repair, world hunger and why the youth give her hope.

Chapters:
00:00 Young people are ready to make change
00:23 Why adults call Gen Z too sensitive
04:00 Emotional honesty is being misread
05:36 Is Gen Z entitled or avoiding hard work?
06:04 Why work-life balance is wisdom
09:45 What older generations can learn from Gen Z
11:55 Building a bridge between generations
12:25 Why people have forgotten how to listen
14:37 Is listening to children realistic?
15:02 How Listen to the Kids works
17:53 Young people inherited problems they did not create
20:53 Why Gen Z should not conform
22:53 Who gets to define a generation?
29:13 Can adults accept that they are wrong?
30:02 What Dr. Zee learned from young people
35:34 Technology as a megaphone and a maze
42:25 Why banning social media can harm young entrepreneurs
46:42 Is cancel culture really conscious culture?
47:39 Accountability, harm and the possibility of repair
53:46 Why Gen Z is labelled narcissistic
55:49 The personal reason Dr. Zee listens to children
01:01:08 Advice for older and younger generations
01:02:40 Listening means sharing power
01:04:11 The problem Dr. Zee would solve first
01:05:50 What gives Dr. Zee hope?
01:06:10 Where to find Dr. Zee

Connect with Dr. Zee:

Website: https://www.dr-zee.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrZee_md

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drzee_md

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drzee_md/

Info:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect:

Website: https://ayushprakash.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books:

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

What happens when children grow up fluent with devices but without the judgment to use them well? Amy Love calls them the Glass Generation and argues that parents need to stop treating screens as babysitters, learn alongside their children and make technology part of the family conversation.

We discuss how personalized learning could change education, why schools may struggle to adapt and how families can set practical rules for homework, creativity and responsible AI use. Amy explains the difference between digital literacy and digital leadership, the six traits she believes young people need and why resilience has more to do with taking action than knowing every answer.

The conversation then turns to work, from radiology and public relations to fast food, retail and elite MBA careers. We examine why dramatic predictions of job loss have not yet arrived, how entry-level opportunities may disappear and why Amy believes the future can still be brighter for young people who create more, consume less and keep learning.

Chapters:
00:00 The cost of education when careers change overnight
00:35 What makes this conversation different
01:52 Personalized learning and the end of memorization
04:18 Intentional parenting versus helicopter parenting
07:25 Why parents must learn alongside their children
11:40 When families should have the technology talk
12:38 Raising creators instead of passive consumers
18:27 What happens when families have different technology rules
21:20 Small steps for busy parents
25:14 Why schools cannot adapt fast enough
31:40 The six traits children need to become resilient
37:24 What Amy means by the Glass Generation
40:37 Will AI repeat the mistakes of social media?
47:48 Which jobs will survive?
52:20 Why the predicted employment shock has not arrived
53:40 The job changes companies may not announce
58:08 How young people can build a better future
01:03:56 The one human problem Amy would solve
01:04:28 What gives Amy hope
01:05:56 Where to find Amy

Connect with Amy: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amydlove/

X: https://x.com/amydlove/

Info: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect: 

Website: https://ayushprakash.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ 

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books: 

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

This is episode 136 of the (rebranded) Ayush Prakash Podcast.

G. Scott Graham works as an existential handyman — fixing what’s broken, realigning what’s off-kilter, and helping others rebuild their lives with meaning, purpose, and a bit of duct tape when needed. He’s also an author, a career coach, a business coach, and a psychedelic support coach in Boston, Massachusetts.

Connect with Scott: 

Website: https://gscottgraham.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grahamgscott/

X: https://x.com/grahamgscott/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bostoncareercoach/

Timestamps:

0:00 True Azimuth

5:07 Grief

18:24 Superficiality with love

31:51 Meta-commitment

35:57 Meditation

39:57 Western destruction of Eastern concepts

46:05 The Soul

50:19 Critiques of LGBT community

56:15 Psychedelics

1:07:13 Against Cannabis legalization

1:16:28 Magic wand

1:17:29 Hope

1:20:05 Google Stalk Scott

-

Info: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect: 

Website: https://ayushprakash.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ 

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books: 

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

What if the thoughts you call your own are only a fraction of what your mind can access? Pediatrician and hypnosis specialist Dr. Ran Anbar explains how the subconscious shapes behaviour, why boredom can help us hear it and how young people can build a stronger relationship with themselves.

We discuss experiences people call paranormal, the difference between an unusual perception and a hallucination, and why Western medicine often avoids questions it cannot easily explain. Dr. Anbar shares the patient encounter that led him into hypnosis, his criticism of professional resistance and his belief that the mind may act as both an organ and a receiver.

The conversation then turns to creativity, flow, illness, death, evil and redemption. Dr. Anbar explains why he sees kindness as the purpose of life, how parents can let teenagers learn through manageable mistakes and why listening across political and religious differences matters. We finish with the limits of language, the nature of consciousness and the story behind “this too shall pass.”

Chapters:
00:00 How the subconscious shapes behaviour
02:22 Why we are afraid of doing nothing
03:19 Boredom, phones and the relationship with yourself
06:35 Is the self inside us or beyond us?
11:12 Paranormal experience or hallucination?
13:49 Why Western culture dismisses unusual experiences
18:40 The professional risk of talking about spirits
20:11 How Dr. Anbar discovered hypnosis
24:03 Will medicine become more open-minded?
26:47 Why many clinicians avoid the subconscious
27:38 What keeps better treatments from spreading?
31:50 Pharmaceutical incentives and non-drug care
37:15 Is the subconscious a tether or a portal?
40:56 Creativity, flow and receiving ideas
46:03 Choosing happiness when life is painful
50:32 What do demons represent?
52:48 Kindness, evil and the purpose of life
59:15 Can inner awareness make society less divided?
01:03:34 The question Dr. Anbar still cannot answer
01:04:16 How language limits inner experience
01:08:33 What is consciousness?
01:10:44 What gives Dr. Anbar hope?

Connect with Dr. Anbar: 

Website: https://www.centerpointmedicine.com/provider/ran-d-anbar-md-faap

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randanbarmd/

Info: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect: 

Website: https://ayushprakash.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ 

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books: 

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

This is episode 134 of the Gen Z Diplomat Podcast. 

Joshua Shea is a certified pornography addiction and betrayal trauma coach, author, and speaker who specializes in helping individuals and couples affected by pornography addiction and related trauma.

Connect with Joshua: 

Website: thatcorncoach.com

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatcorncoach

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-shea-7b9932194/

Timestamps: 

0:00 Does porn addiction really exist? 

2:47 What's happening in the brain? 

10:09 Effect on young people

17:10 Exposure

22:59 Male vs female usage

27:05 Porn-Induced Erectile Dysfunction

33:01 Emotional component

37:09 Sexual violence and consent

44:12 Healthy use

49:32 Magic wand

50:59 Hope

53:48 Find Joshua

-

Info: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect: 

Website: https://ayushprakash.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ 

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books: 

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

This is episode 133 of the Gen Z Diplomat Podcast. 

Tiffany Zehara is the Founder and Owner of Humanitarian Entrepreneur®.

Connect with Tiffany: 

Bento: https://bento.me/tiffanyzehara

Timestamps:

0:00 Misunderstandings of sex work

7:04 Drive and personality

12:29 Emotional toll and legality

19:27 Acting in sex work

20:41 Sex worker community

25:11 Mental health

31:03 Ethical and unethical porn

41:56 Magic wand

43:19 Hope

-

Info: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect: 

Website: https://ayushprakash.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/ 

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books: 

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135

What happens when a machine gives a writer a better idea than anything he could produce alone? Mike Todasco explains why that experience still unsettles his creative ego, how he uses AI without surrendering his voice and why a machine-generated image forced him to reconsider what counts as art.

We discuss an experiment testing whether people judge the same story differently when they believe a human or AI wrote it, why trust in technology varies across cultures and how AI could transform medicine without eliminating doctors. Mike also explains why people give language models too much authority, what meaningful human agency looks like and why society remains unprepared for a world shaped by more capable systems.

The conversation then turns to work, purpose and Mike’s eleven years at PayPal. We explore what large companies can learn from artists, why impressive technology fails when it solves no real problem and how experimentation can take years to become useful. We finish with loneliness, artificial friendship, commercially motivated companions and Mike’s belief that humanity will continue finding its way through disruptive change.

Chapters:
00:00 When AI has a better idea than the writer
01:12 Creative ego and machine collaboration
02:06 Mike’s AI-assisted writing process
04:25 Can an image made by a machine be art?
07:33 The art Turing test
09:17 Why cultures trust AI differently
11:13 Does embracing AI give countries an advantage?
14:36 How AI could transform medicine
17:01 Health data, regulation and acceptable risk
19:51 Personalized health advice and human agency
21:35 Why people trust language models too much
23:31 Could society have prepared for AGI?
26:25 Work, purpose and life after advanced automation
29:24 What countries can learn from one another
30:35 What corporations can learn from artists
34:05 How innovation time works inside a company
35:48 The difference between innovation and flashy technology
38:29 Mike’s eleven years at PayPal
38:51 When failed experiments become real products
40:21 Why everyone is making it up as they go
42:14 Loneliness, phones and community
43:24 Will artificial friends make us more alone?
45:26 What gives Mike hope
46:10 Where to find Mike

Info:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ILhje5HSua1FEOlTyFAhG

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3qXL37W

Connect:

Website: https://ayushprakash.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-ayush/

Instagram: instagram.com/ayushprakashofficial

Books:

AI for Gen Z: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0981182135