Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri

In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Dr. Caroline Crocker, a scientist turned author who has dedicated her retirement to preserving the raw, personal histories of her parents and grandparents during World War II.

Dr. Crocker started with Early Dog Stories, but then pivoted into WWII books, focusing on civilian survival, systematic abuse, and wartime trauma that echo across generations.

• Brave Face: Chronicling her mother's survival through the occupied Netherlands and the starvation of the Hunger Winter.
• Unforgivable: Detailing her father Fritz's dual childhood traumas of systemic abuse and surviving wartime occupation.
• The Truth Was Different: Exploring her translation and deciphering of her grandmother's five out-of-print Dutch novels to uncover hidden family trauma, releasing November 2026.
• Ordinary Courage: Highlighting her upcoming 2028 biography about her maternal grandparents' resilient kindness during the occupation.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Craft of Family Preservation: How Dr. Crocker transitioned from a distinguished scientific career as an immunologist and medical researcher to writing creative biographies of her parents, balancing dark historical truths with lighthearted family memories.
• The Spat-In Dessert and Typewriter Authority: A humorous vignette from Brave Face about sibling rivalry and her mother's childhood in the occupied Netherlands, highlighting the power of the writer to preserve the unvarnished truth.
• The Starvation of the Hunger Winter: The devastating physical reality of living through the freezing winter of 1944–1945 in the Hague, where families were forced to eat toxic tulip bulbs and crawl across kitchen floors to find single grains of rice.
• The Miracle of Vera: The inspiring story of Dr. Crocker's premature uncle, who survived the starvation because his mother's best friend, Vera, who had lost her own sons to wartime bombings, walked through the ruins daily to nurse him.
• Double Traumas in Unforgivable: The childhood of Dr. Crocker's father, Fritz, who dealt with the dual traumas of systematic abuse and abandonment at a children's home alongside the outbreak of the war.
• Deciphering the Fiction: Dr. Crocker's meticulous process of translating her grandmother's five out-of-print Dutch novels and recognizing recurring, graphic scenes to piece together hidden, traumatic autobiographical realities.

• The Core Duty of Forgiveness: A profound philosophical discussion on how Dr. Crocker's father and her uncle, a survivor of Auschwitz who lost his first wife and four children there—chose a path of radical forgiveness to heal, famously teaching, "Forgive, forgive, and then forgive."

If you would like to read chapters from Dr. Crocker's books or learn more about her research, visit her website at ramblingruminations.com. Brave Face and Unforgivable are available now, and her upcoming book, The Truth Was Different, releases in November 2026.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe and leave a rating. Follow the podcast on Instagram @letstalkmediava for exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

New episodes drop on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

This episode is dedicated to Keetje van Zanten and her family (Mother Esther, Father Marcus, and Brothers Benjamin and Aron). Keetje became Fritz's friend at the secret orphange in Arnhehemsebovenweg. She and her entire family were murdered in the Holocaust.

Keetje was 13 years old (May 16, 1930 - February 1944).

How does decades of writing legendary British comedy prepare you to build a fantasy universe?

In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with English-born, LA-based author, director, and veteran comedy writer Richard Sparks.

Richard joins the show to share his fascinating late-in-life pivot into writing LitRPG with his immersive, comedy-infused adventure, The New Rock Fantasy Series.

He takes us on a journey through his extraordinary career writing for British TV comedy royalty - from co-writing the legendary "Schoolmaster" sketch that launched a young, completely unknown Rowan Atkinson into stardom, to working on Not the Nine O'Clock News, and sharing a room with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy creator Douglas Adams and the Monty Python crew.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 🎮 The World of "New Rock": The unique, comedic premise of The New Rock Fantasy Series where world-champion online gamers find themselves transported to a very real medieval world with nothing but crappy, "noob-level" gear.
• 🏫 The Rowan Atkinson Breakthrough: The fascinating origin story of the iconic "Schoolmaster" sketch, how Richard wrote it in an empty theater, and how its debut at The Secret Policeman's Ball launched Rowan Atkinson's global career.
• 📺 Writing Beside Giants: Behind-the-scenes stories from the golden age of British TV writing, working alongside Richard Curtis, recommending his friend Mel Smith to Not the Nine O'Clock News, and sharing a small London agency with Douglas Adams and the Pythons.
• 🎸 Directing Jack Black: Richard's experience directing the legendary Jack Black in an LA production of Stravinsky’s The Soldier's Tale.
• ✍️ The Golden Rules of Story Structure: Why writing "lightweight," fast-paced entertainment is actually one of the hardest disciplines to master, and how to construct a narrative from the outside to stay one step ahead of the reader.
• 🧙‍♂️ Dax and the Joy of "Second Chances": How Richard infused his own life as a retired gamer into the book's protagonist, Dax, and the sheer thrill of finding a new creative passion.

Book 4 in the series, New Rock, New Roads, concludes the story and is set for release in November 2026. You can buy The New Rock Fantasy Series on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstore.

Download free print and audio book samples (narrated by Richard himself!) at richardsparks.com (remember, no "e" in Sparks!).

If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us share more vital stories. You can find Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri on all major podcast directories and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava.

New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday!

DISCLAIMER: This episode discusses mature and deeply sensitive topics. Listener discretion is advised.

How does a survivor of the unimaginable reclaim her voice and turn her past into a mission for systemic change? In this deeply moving episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Misty Nesbbit, a mother of six, grandmother of five, and the author of the powerful new memoir, The Girl Who Kept Breathing (published by Palmetto Publishing).

Misty joins the show to share her remarkable journey growing up in Texas, navigating severe childhood hardships, being married off at just 14 years old, and ultimately relocating to Tennessee to break generational patterns and build a life centered on family, hope, and healing.

While this conversation touches on heavy themes of childhood adversity and the legal realities of child marriage, Misty’s message is one of ultimate resilience. It is an inspiring testament to the power of choosing to keep going, choosing to keep breathing, and finding the strength to own your own healing.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Reality of Child Marriage in America: Misty sheds light on the shocking legal loopholes that still exist in various states, allowing parents to legally sign off on marrying off children as young as 13 or 14, and her mission to educate the public to help protect vulnerable youth.
• An Unexpected Sanctuary: Why being placed in a state-run home for unruly youth paradoxically provided Misty with her first experience of a safe, structured, and loving childhood environment.
• The Personal Choice to Heal: Misty opens up about her emotional recovery, explaining why healing is an empowering personal responsibility and how she learned to live with her past without letting it weigh down her future.
• Breaking Generational Cycles: How Misty worked daily to raise her six children differently than she was raised, and why relocating to a new state was a vital step in recreating herself.

If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation and needs help, please reach out to your local resource centers.

Where to Buy the Book: The Girl Who Kept Breathing (released December 16, 2025) is available now in all formats, including Amazon and Kindle. It's also available on major retailer websites like Walmart and Target.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to help us share more vital stories. You can find Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri on all major podcast directories and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava.

New episodes drop every Tuesday and Thursday!

Welcome back to Let's Talk Media! In this episode, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with veteran Burning Man attendee, military veteran, and debut novelist Sarah Marshall. They explore Sarah’s profound personal journey of self-acceptance, the transformative power of the Black Rock Desert, and the 20-year labor of love behind her new novel, Playa Dust in My Soul.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Belonging & Breaking Out of the Shell: Sarah shares her journey of transitioning in the mid-1990s and how the unique principles of Burning Man, specifically the Gift Economy and Radical Participation, finally helped her dismantle her protective walls and find true human connection as a transgender woman.
• The 360-Degree Playa Experience: A look inside her novel, which follows seven distinct characters to showcase every angle of the festival, from the grit of the DPW crew to the magic of the art installations. Sarah discusses what is real versus fiction, including the emotional inspiration behind her protagonist Ruben, who is fresh out of prison.
• The Evolution of Burning Man: We discuss how the festival has changed over the decades, analyzing the tension between radical inclusion and the rising $700 ticket prices and exclusive "turnkey camps".
• A 20-Year Creative Hustle: Sarah opens up about the grit required to write her first novel, how she pushed through creative despair, and the beautiful collaborative process of working with her daughter, who designed the book’s cover art and acted as her ultimate story-integrity editor.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to be notified of future episodes. You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava

How do you rebuild your entire sense of self when the structures you grew up with completely fall away? As a creative, how do you stop white-knuckling your way through life to meet other people’s expectations, and instead learn to construct your identity from the inside out?

In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Christian Hurst, the Executive Creative Director at AARP, brand strategist behind major initiatives for companies like Marriott International, and the author of the acclaimed young adult space opera saga, the Lily Starling series.

In a deeply moving and vulnerable conversation, Christian shares his personal journey of leaving the Latter-Day Saints church (Disclaimer: To find his own identity rather than due to the religion itself), navigating the volatile millennial jungle gym design career during the 2008 financial crisis, and finding his true artistic voice.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Harrisburg Web Design Summer Internship: Christian reflects on growing up poor in Harrisburg, PA, and credits his parents - his creative educator mother and writer/journalist father - for actively supporting his early artistic curiosities. He shares how they secured drawing lessons for him and set up a life-changing summer internship with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, giving him his first hands-on experience with professional design software.
• The Gift of the Outsider Mindset: Christian shares how growing up as the "weird kid" and feeling like an outsider trained him to observe human behavior from the outside looking in, a perspective he considers an invaluable gift for any storyteller or artist.
• Constructing Identity: Inside-Out vs. Outside-In: A brilliant breakdown of how people build their self-worth on external structures and societal expectations with those who actively build their sense of self from the inside out.
• The Millennial "Jungle Gym" Career & The 2008 Recession: Why the linear "career ladder" is a thing of the past for modern creatives. Christian recounts entering the workforce during the 2008 financial crash.
• Conquering Imposter Syndrome in an Uber: Christian describes the moment he realized he was finally "legit" and stopped worrying about where his next creative idea would come from.
• The 10-Second Art Teacher Lesson:  Christian shares a game-changing lesson from an old art teacher who had students draw 10-second gestural drawings. He explains why over-erasing and redrawing ultimately warps the entire perspective of a piece, and why creators must learn to get the idea on the page, trust their instincts, and move on.
• The Science Fiction of Lily Starling: The origin of Christian’s YA space opera series.
• Reconciling the Mask & Releasing Bitter Resentment: Christian's powerful reflections on "masking" to please others, the healing power of letting go of past resentment, and why you should only compare your current self to who you were last year.

You can find Christian's book series at lilystarlingbook.com and connect with him on Instagram @seahurstpublishing.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to be notified of future episodes! You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow the podcast on Instagram ⁠@letstalkmediava.

What happens when you fuse the heavy, riff-forward power of ’70s classic rock with the raw, aggressive urgency of ’90s alt-metal and grunge? And how does an independent band manage to write, record, and regional-tour while balancing full-time lives without burning out?

In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Paul Van Valkenburgh, the lead vocalist of the hard rock powerhouse TubeFreeks. They dive deep into the band's unique genre-bending chemistry, their creative philosophies, and the reality of the independent music grind.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Family Blueprint: Why sheer musical talent is only half the battle, and the #1 foundation a band needs to survive years of writing and touring together.
• Unlocking Live Stage Presence: The clever, strategic lineup shift that transformed Paul from a tethered performer into a dynamic frontman, completely revitalizing their live show.
• The Clint Lowery Masterclass: A look inside their year-and-a-half-long collaboration with the Sevendust legend, and the three specific songwriting upgrades he introduced to elevate their new music from good to great.
• Who Does Your Song Belong To?: Paul's fascinating philosophy on abstract lyrics, and the wild, Rambo-style animated inspiration behind their fan-favorite "Dirty Rabbit" music video.
• The Weekend Warrior Grind: How the band manages to practice three nights a week and coordinate regional tours while balancing marriages, kids, and day jobs - and the key to doing it all without losing their minds.

When searching for their music, make sure to look up TubeFreaks as one word, spelled with two E's (F-R-E-E-K-S), or the algorithms won't find them!

You can stream their music on Spotify, Apple Music, or head over to their YouTube channel to watch their music videos.

If you like this episode, please subscribe and rate the show. Follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava to stay updated on all future episodes!

How does an artist transition from the aggressive, distorted walls of underground heavy metal to the quiet, fragile vulnerability of a single acoustic guitar? And when you decide to handle every single step of your music’s creation yourself, how do you conquer self-doubt and find the discipline to actually finish what you start?

In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with singer-songwriter Rich Clark, performing under the evocative moniker Wayward Sparrow.

Rich discusses the release of his debut album, Devil by My Side, a beautifully self-constrained work rooted in Americana and bluegrass storytelling. He lifts the lid on his fascinating transition from fronting a heavy metal band to embracing a deliberately sparse acoustic atmosphere, shares his hard-learned business advice for DIY artists, and explains why true creative success lies in rigorous self-discipline rather than chasing overnight stardom.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Metal to Americana Pivot: Rich breaks down his unique musical trajectory, from playing fast-tempo underground heavy metal with his band Among These Ashes and southern rock with Clark Country Drifter, to discovering a deep appreciation for the narrative-driven, poetic songwriting of folk and bluegrass as he matured.
• The Power of Silence and Bleak Space: Why Rich deliberately crafts an atmosphere of minimal instrumentation: focusing purely on the intimate, highly vulnerable pairing of a single voice and an acoustic guitar to let the raw songwriting and lyrical storytelling truly breathe.
• Inside the Devil by My Side Album & An Exclusive Scoop: Rich shares the core themes of self-struggle, personal demons, and finding hope in hopeless situations that tie his eight-track album together.
• Writing Like a College Paper: Unpacking Rich's highly structured creative process, where he refuses to touch a microphone until he has a complete album's worth of songs written. He explains why he outlines his tracks just like an academic essay to maintain focus and dodge the trap of endless editing.
• The 100% DIY Business Blueprint: A candid discussion on the realities of self-recording, self-producing, and self-funding an album. Rich explains why independent creators must treat their art like a business.
• The Gritty Truth of Promotion and PR: Why completing the record is only half the battle. Rich warns that marketing is a grueling full-time job and shares his #1 piece of advice for indie artists trying to stick out in a massive daily sea of new music
• Discipline Over Stardom & The Songwriting Battle: Why the ultimate creative victory is simply having the personal bandwidth and self-discipline to finish what you start.

You can stream Wayward Sparrow's music and grab merchandise on Bandcamp, watch his latest video releases on YouTube, and find his debut album on all major streaming platforms.

You can follow the podcast on Instagram @letstalkmediava. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to be notified of future episodes! You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

How do you keep your creative fire burning when balancing a day job, a family, and your own artistic ambitions? Is specialization really the only path to success in Hollywood, or is the modern multi-hyphenate actually holding the master key to creative freedom?

In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with actor, director, writer, podcaster, and ultimate multi-hyphenate, Paul Carganilla.

With a career that spans 15 years as a professional live performer at Disneyland Resort to writing, directing, editing, and starring in his own crowdfunded feature films and hosting five distinct podcasts, Paul is the living embodiment of the adaptable modern artist.

He shares his fascinating journey through the entertainment industry, his heart's fire creative philosophy, and the incredible joy of watching his children build their own Hollywood careers alongside legends like Susan Sarandon, Matthew McConaughey, and Robert Rodriguez.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Disney Breakroom Incubator: Paul shares memories from his 15 years performing at Disneyland - from playing the Genie in Aladdin and the Sheriff of Frontierland, to doing atmospheric improv as a pirate tied to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
• 110 Pages in 6 Days: How Paul transitioned from theater school to the screen, teaching himself to write, edit, and direct through sheer hands-on experience. He breaks down the chaotic, high-intensity shoot of his independent feature film The Haunted Man, which involved filming nearly 94 pages of a 110-page script in a single hotel location across just six days with two camera crews running simultaneously.
• Somewhere a Second Time & Fan Fiction: The origin of his romantic sci-fi mystery screenplay that gives Hollywood icon Natalie Wood a magical second chance after her tragic 1981 disappearance. Paul explains why he wrote this 102-page script purely for the joy of creation, knowing he would never make a dime off of it, and why he chose to release it as a free download.
• Juggling the Multi-Podcast Plate: How Paul manages to host five incredibly diverse podcasts, including Titanic Legacy, Cove Pod, and an upcoming scene-by-scene breakdown of The Adjustment Bureau, by setting his own schedule, prioritizing time management, and treating creative work as his personal equivalent to "Netflix binging."
• The "Heart's Fire" Philosophy vs. Burnout: Paul breaks down why you must protect your creative energy, avoid the trap of constant hustle, and let your internal passion guide you through the industry's inevitable dark period.
• Raising the Next Generation of Hollywood: What it's like living in a household with two generations of performers, including his wife (who toured as young Cosette in Les Misérables) and his children, Everly and his son, who are already starring in major projects alongside Susan Sarandon, Aubrey Plaza, Matthew McConaughey, and Woody Harrelson.

You can check out Paul's feature film The Haunted Man and his web series Winners on YouTube. Download his screenplay Somewhere a Second Time for free at somewherestory.com.

Keep up with Paul's latest updates and podcasts on Instagram @paulcarganilla.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to be notified of future episodes! You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava

What happens when our deepest psychological craving for human connection is outsourced to a highly advanced, beautifully deceptive piece of coding? Why does the timeless story of a monster turning on its creator feel so much more terrifying when the monster looks exactly like us - and is designed to love us?

In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world, host Vedant Akhauri delivers a raw, unfiltered, solo review of SOULM8TE, the highly anticipated sci-fi thriller spin-off to M3GAN and M3GAN 2.0

Recorded immediately after the film's midnight drop on Amazon Prime Video, Vedant breaks down why this fantasy satire serves as a chilling, Black Mirror-esque mirror to our growing AI-companion landscape (MILD SPOILERS!).

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Schrödinger’s Cat of Modern Tech: How the film's premise of AI companions and parasocial relationships acts as a highly topical, near-future warning about the deep psychological dangers of seeking emotional, financial, or mental health support from early-stage chatbots.
• Debunking the "Clone" Controversy: Vedant does the industry math to explain why Soulm8te isn't a copy of the film,Obsession. He compares the robot with feelings trope back to the 2010 South Indian blockbuster Enthiran (Robot) and connects the movie's central horror directly to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
• Claustrophobic Visual Grammar & Color Theory: A close look at the film's stunning cinematography and lighting.
• That, and more!

You can keep up with all show updates on Instagram @letstalkmediava. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to be notified of future episodes! You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Why do so many incredibly talented independent artists fail to build sustainable careers? How does the modern digital landscape quietly turn passionate writers, musicians, and filmmakers into full-time project managers and part-time accountants?

In this episode of Let’s Talk Media, the podcast exploring the craft, careers, and chaos of the creative world, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with writer, coder, entrepreneur, and StarScript co-founder, Zack James.

Zack co-founded StarScript with his brother after hitting his own creative roadblocks while writing the sprawling fantasy-sci-fi novel Arclight Destiny. He shares how StarScript is consolidating fragmented creative tools - including publishing, community, streaming players, and a native job board - into a single sovereign ecosystem.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Dismantling the Algorithmic Jail: Why modern social networks actively "punish" creators who don't post on a grueling, frequent schedule, and how an algorithm-free feed allows artists to retain 100% ownership of their audience lists.
• The Three-Layer IP Franchise Architecture: A deep dive into StarScript's database hierarchy - Productions, Media, and Assets - and how it forces independent artists to transition from a single-upload mindset to thinking like the CEO of an expandable intellectual property universe.
• The Stardust Coin Micro-Monetization Play: How credit card networks levy predatory 30-cent flat transaction fees (as of 2026) that make $1.00 patronage tiers mathematically unviable, and how Zack's bulk pre-purchase token system elegantly bypasses banking friction.
• Automated Revenue Splits and Built-In Hiring: How StarScript's integrated job board allows creators to hire editors, cover designers, and audiobook narrators natively, with smart contracts executing perpetual, automatic royalty splits at the moment of sale.
• Decentralized Intellectual Property & The Sovereignty Paradox: A fascinating look into their Phase V roadmap, exploring whether giving fans voting power over a franchise's story direction is true creative liberation or merely a chaotic new form of decentralized middle management.

You can find more information about the platform's multi-media self-publishing tools and sign up to publish your own work at starscript.com.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to be notified of future episodes! You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava