Are students losing their ability to think critically in the age of Generative AI tools like ChatGPT? In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri dives into one of the most hotly debated topics in academia today: The intersection of generative AI and education.

Joining the show is Dr. Megan Waldron, an educator with a background in English and journalism, and the founder of Smart Solutions Tutoring. With 20 years of experience teaching writing to everyone from third-graders to university pre-med students, Dr. Waldron breaks down the good, the bad, and the ugly of AI in the classroom.

She explores how outsourcing the writing process to AI can cause "muscle atrophy" in critical thinking, while also acknowledging how the technology can be used as a legitimate organizational tool.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Learning Space & Muscle Atrophy: Dr. Waldron references a Duke professor's concept of the "learning space" - the necessary valley of struggle where real learning happens - and explains how skipping the tedious drafting process robs students of vital cognitive development.
• The Revealing MIT Study: A breakdown of a fascinating MIT study showing that students who used ChatGPT to complete writing prompts couldn't remember what they had written because they bypassed the physical act of learning.
• How to Spot AI-Generated Writing: Dr. Waldron reveals her top three telltale signs of AI use in student essays.
• Echo Chambers and Hallucinations: Why younger K-12 students lack the healthy skepticism needed to catch AI's false information (hallucinations), and how AI platforms can trap students in a feedback loop that prevents true improvement.
• K-12 vs. Higher Education Policies: The stark contrast between high schools reverting to pen-and-paper assignments to prevent cheating, and universities adopting progressive syllabus clauses that ask students to transparently cite their AI use.
• When a Tool Becomes a Crutch: How AI can be brilliant for helping students who struggle with executive functioning organize their thoughts, but crosses into a crutch when it takes over the actual creation of the text.

Ultimately, Dr. Waldron reminds us that writing is critical thinking on paper and an essential human outlet for processing stress and anxiety.

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.

New episodes drop on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Ever wonder what it actually takes to get into a Saturday Night Live dress rehearsal? In this episode of the media interview series, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri reunites with returning guest Clayton "Clay" Davis for a massive deep dive into 50 years of SNL history!

They explore the magic, mechanics, and staying power of America's most iconic sketch comedy show. Drawing on his recent experiences taking improv classes, Clay breaks down the intense pressure of live television and the deep trust required between scene partners.

He also shares his firsthand account of attending the November 2025 SNL dress rehearsal hosted by Glen Powell (with musical guest Olivia Dean), revealing surprising behind-the-scenes secrets about the production.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Discovering SNL & 50 Years of Eras: Clay shares how he first fell in love with the show during the Bill Hader era, kicking off a chronological breakdown of the show's evolution - starting from the gritty 1970s and the pop-culture-heavy 1990s, to the 2000s powerhouse era led by Tina Fey.
• Remembering Chris Farley & Comedy Legends: A heartfelt tribute to the larger-than-life physical comedy of John Belushi and Chris Farley. They discuss Farley's legendary characters, his tragic passing, and Adam Sandler's emotional tribute to him at the SNL 50 celebration.
• Improv Insights & The Mechanics of Live TV: Drawing on his recent improv classes, Clay explains why live sketch comedy is like group therapy with laughter. He breaks down the immense pressure of live performances, the absolute necessity of being quick on your feet, and the deep trust required between scene partners.
• The 30 Rock Standby Experience: Clay shares his firsthand account of attending the November SNL dress rehearsal hosted by Glen Powell (with musical guest Olivia Dean). He explains what it's really like to wait 6 hours in a folding chair outside 30 Rock, and his biggest surprise about Studio 8H.
• Favorite Skits, Hosts, and The "Straight Man": An appreciation for the underrated "straight men" of SNL who hold scenes together (like Phil Hartman and Mikey Day) and our favorite hosts.

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.

New episodes drop on Tuesdays and Thursdays!

You can also check out our January 2021 episode about Lost Media from Season 2.

CONTENT WARNING for discussions of toxic relationships and abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Why are we so captivated by toxic relationships on reality dating shows? In this episode of the media analysis podcast, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with licensed therapist, trauma-informed coach, and best-selling author Kate Mageau.

After leaving a toxic marriage herself, Kate turned her personal story and clinical expertise into a mission to help people spot red flags, break harmful patterns, and build safe relationships.

Kate breaks down how she uses pop culture - specifically hit shows like The Bachelor, Love Island, and Love is Blind - to help viewers identify emotional abuse and toxic dynamics in real time.

Host Vedant Akhauri also shares his own behind-the-scenes perspective from his time working on TLC shows like 90 Day Fiance and Match Me Abroad.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Power and Control Wheel: How Kate uses this common domestic violence framework to accurately identify and label toxic behaviors as they happen on screen.
• Spotting "Love Bombing": Why fast-moving reality TV relationships often disguise manipulative behaviors, such as making grandiose promises on day two or monopolizing a partner's time.
• Escaping the "Shame Spiral": Actionable advice for survivors of toxic relationships to avoid blaming themselves, emphasizing why abuse is never the victim's fault.
• Behind the Scenes at TLC: Vedant's firsthand experience working near the nucleus of dating drama on reality shows.

You can find Kate's real-time reality TV breakdowns on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, at @kate.therapist.author. You can also find about her best-selling book Rose Colored Glasses on Amazon as well as The Toxic Relationships Workbook and her online courses at katemageau.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.

New episodes drop on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Are your WIPs (works in progress) stuck in the drafts forever? In this podcast about the careers and chaos in media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with book coach Elyse Seal to unpack exactly why your novel is stalling and how to finally cross the finish line. Her insights are actionable to other fields as well, like screenwriting. If you're a writer trapped in the "messy middle" or stressing over story structure, this episode is your ultimate guide.

This episode explores:

• Who is Elyse Seal?: Elise spills on her background, going from Christian radio and copy editing to becoming a certified book coach trained by Author Accelerator. She realized writers needed way more help with deep-level story problems than just basic grammar checks.
• NPC Characters in God-Tier Worlds: Elise calls out sci-fi and fantasy writers for doing the absolute most on world-building but leaving their characters completely flat.
• Fixing the "Sagging Middle": If your plot is dragging, your protagonist is probably acting way too passive.
• The "Procrastraining" Epidemic: Elise drops the term "procrastraining" - when you refuse to start writing until you know literally everything about your world, characters, and the publishing industry.
• The Story Clarity Hack: Still stuck? Elise’s biggest life hack is boiling your entire story down to a single "story clarity" page to easily expose the plot holes you're missing.

A friendly reminder that your first draft is literally supposed to be "an absolute piece of trash," so stop stressing and just get it on paper.

Contact Elyse on Instagram (@elyse.j.seal) to grab her one-page template.

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

In this episode of Let's Talk Media, the creator-focused interview podcast, host Vedant Akhauri welcomes back engineer, entrepreneur, and author Bob Labbe for a definitive update of his groundbreaking book, Putting by the Numbers.

For decades, golfers have relied on intuition for lag putting. Bob shares how his 50-year engineering background and Edward Stimson's historic 1935 Stimpmeter inspired a highly reproducible, quantitative alternative. By calculating your Individual Power Factor (IPF) and measuring friction, Bob explains how simple arithmetic can reliably shave 4 to 5 strokes off your round.

But Bob hasn't just been revolutionizing the green. He’s been busy engineering household solutions too. Following a recent four-network television tour in Las Vegas, Bob shares the relatable origin story of his newest invention: The Ultimate Coaster, which captures and contains condensation using micro-capillaries. We discuss the surprising business synergy between his two ventures, and why golf pro shops are now stocking his putting book alongside his customizable coasters for club tournaments.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Quantitative Putt: How to replace "touch and feel" with a concrete plan using force and friction.
• Finding Your IPF: Why practicing just 30 minutes a day, three days a week can transform your game in six weeks.
• The Las Vegas Tour: Bob's recent media appearances on ABC, CBS, NBC, and CWTV.
• The Ultimate Coaster: How a ruined silk tie led to the invention of his coasters that stop condensation in its tracks.

To learn more about Bob’s putting methodology, watch his free training videos, or buy the book, visit boblabbe.com or puttingbythenumbers.com. To check out his new invention, visit ultimatecoasterco.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

How do you transition from a 20-year career as a practicing pathologist to writing medical thrillers? In this episode of Let's Talk Media, the podcast about the careers and chaos in media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with author Devan Greene. With a PhD in biochemistry and decades of hands-on medical experience, Devan writes gripping thrillers that combine real-world science with high-stakes crime (WARNING: The plots are NOT gory, but contain inherently dark and heavy subject matter).

In this episode, we discuss her following books:

• Unnatural: The first book in the Erica Rosen MD trilogy. The plot focuses on human embryonic genetic engineering, specifically following a Chinese program attempting to mutate a specific gene to create super-athletes.
• Unwitting: The second book in the Erica Rosen MD trilogy. It explores the topic of autism, featuring a severely autistic character (based on Greene's own son) who struggles with communication but holds crucial information about s*icide b*mbers extorting money.
• Unforeseen: The third and final book in the Erica Rosen MD trilogy. This thriller tackles the dark side of the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on a corrupt company that cuts dangerous corners.
• Ties That Kill: This novel centers on DNA fingerprinting and features a chemistry professor as an amateur sleuth. The story follows an adopted man who uses a genealogy website to find his half-siblings, only to discover someone is murdering them.
• The Organ Broker: This novel explores a dark concept regarding organ donation, specifically investigating what might happen if the organs of executed inmates on death row were made available for harvesting.
• Happy Sun Farm: Behind the Facade: This novel deals with bioterrorism, agricultural genetic modification, and a secret, foreign-owned bio-lab in California housing genetically engineered rats and dangerous viruses.

• Rhino Horn Underground (Releases August 25, 2026): The story follows a female protagonist and hinges on a unique, science-based idea for how to actually save rhinos from being wiped out. Devan is also currently looking for a female audiobook narrator with a wide vocal range for her upcoming August release—contact her through her website if you have the experience and equipment!

We also discuss the following:

• The 5-Year Pivot: How Devan mapped out a five-year plan to retire from her demanding medical career and transition into a full-time author, adhering to a strict, disciplined routine of writing 1,100 words a day.
• Predicting the Headlines: The eerie prescience of writing heavily researched medical thrillers. Devan discusses writing about a secret foreign-owned bio-lab in California just before a real one was discovered, and exploring human embryonic gene editing shortly before it made real-world international news.
• Personal Vulnerability in Thrillers: How Devan translated deeply personal experiences into her novel Unwitting, basing the main character on her own severely autistic son to explore how individuals with intense communication barriers could be exploited by bad actors.
• The Amateur Sleuth Genre: Why Devan grounds her books in realism by using pediatricians, chemistry professors, and farmers as her protagonists, rather than relying on standard police procedurals.

You can learn more about Devan's work and sign up for her newsletter at devengreene.com (remember the 'e' at the end of Greene!).

All her books are available wherever you buy books, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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.

New episodes drop on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Are your dreams ever past their expiration date? For Dublin-based singer-songwriter Garrett Anthony Rice, the answer is a resounding no.

In this episode of the creator-focused podcast, Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Rice to uncover one of the most unbelievable underdog stories in the modern music industry.

After putting his artistic dreams on hold in the mid-1990s to pay his mortgage and raise a family, Rice spent 30 years away from music. Following a post-COVID life reassessment, he finally decided to record the songs he had been quietly holding onto.

Releasing his debut album, titled Reflections Part Two, The Very Best Of, under the alias "i Consult," Rice independently racked up 150,000 streams across 93 countries despite not even having an Instagram account to promote it.

Just two months later, his music caught the ear of legendary producer Chris Potter - who has worked with icons like The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and The Verve. Potter immediately cleared his schedule to work with Rice. The result? Equinox - an ambitious 18-track project that makes Rice the first solo artist in musical history to release a double album for their second record.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The 30-Year Hiatus & DIY Success: How Rice completely bypassed traditional industry gatekeepers to launch a global music career later in life.
• A Historic Collaboration: What it's like going from complete obscurity to recording in the home studio of one of the world's greatest producers in just four months.
• Unconventional Songwriting: Rice’s highly unique approach to crafting songs, from building his own guitar chords from scratch, to structuring an anti-war anthem like James Joyce's famously complex stream-of-consciousness novel, Ulysses.
• "My Sons" & Classic Rock Legends: The story behind the song he wrote for Peggy Gallagher pleading for her sons (Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis) to reconcile, plus an incredible one-take studio moment paying tribute to his idol, Jimi Hendrix.
• The "Dumbed Down" State of Modern Pop: Rice’s fierce, unfiltered critique of modern acoustic music, and why he believes the industry has replaced the otherworldly magic of artists like David Bowie and John Lennon with a boring, algorithmic formula purely designed to generate streams.
• Recorded in October 2025: Garrett has since released more music worth checking out.

Stream his new singles from Equinox on Spotify under Garrett Anthony Rice. Stream his debut album Reflections Part Two, The Very Best Of on Spotify under his alias I Consult.

Follow him on Instagram & TikTok: @Garrett AnthonyRice and on Facebook: Garett Anthony Rice.

If you like this podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating. You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediava.

New episodes drop on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Welcome to Let's Talk Media, the podcast series with conversations from the media and entertainment industry! Today, host Vedant Akhauri interviews crisis PR veteran turned debut author, John David, about his brand-new investigative thriller, The Bystander.

If you're obsessed with true crime vibes, media manipulation, and high-stakes conspiracies, this book needs to be on your reading list immediately.

• What is The Bystander About? Our main character is Pete Lamaster, a TV reporter who is just trying to cover a pre-game party for the Florida-Georgia football game when an active shooter situation suddenly goes down. Pete catches the whole thing on camera—including the exact moment an armed civilian takes out the shooter. The footage goes viral, but Pete quickly realizes that the narrative is totally skewed, dragging him into a dark, twisty conspiracy where nothing is what it seems
• Ripped from the Headlines: The inciting incident is heavily inspired by the tragic 2022 Indiana mall shooting, where a young armed bystander named Elisjsha Dicken stopped an attacker. While the opening mirrors reality, John promises the rest of the book's conspiracy is fiction.
• No Politics: The book touches on polarizing, heavy topics like the Second Amendment, gun rights, and veteran suicide. But don't stress. It's not an ideological tale. It’s designed to be a fast-paced, page-turning piece of entertainment that doesn't push any directional agenda.
• The Romance Arc: To balance the heavy suspense, there’s a romance subplot with Police Lieutenant Rebecca. She also acts as the ultimate plug for explaining police procedures so the story stays super realistic.
• Awards Season: This debut is already crushing it, winning the 25 Page Turner Award for mystery and landing as a finalist for the Story Trade Book Award.

You can support local indie bookstores by buying The Bystander on Bookshop.org, or grab it from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Lemaster Files series is officially a trilogy. Book two, ⁠The Pawn⁠, is available now and takes Pete all the way to Singapore after his college buddy "Uncle Scotty" is framed and arrested for drugs.

You can find John on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook @byjohndavid. Get exclusive behind-the-scenes content on IG at @letstalkmediava.

Did teenagers in the 1970s really not have supervision? What darker secrets were hiding behind the nostalgic peace, love, and unsupervised drive-in keg parties?

In this episode of Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with best-selling novelist Laura Van Wormer. She's best known as the author of the Alexandra Chronicles, which follows the lives of media industry professionals, and the Sally Harringon mystery series, which features a broadcast journalist (both universes are connected!).

We explore her scripted podcast dramedy, The Class of '74. Set in a fictional Connecticut suburb in 1971, this narrative soap opera follows 15-year-old Cynthia Skyler as she navigates a wild, unregulated era completely without cell phones or the internet. It was a time when parents had no idea where their kids were, and teenagers routinely drank and drove long before the days of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. But beneath the fun, period-piece nostalgia lies a gritty exploration of a society in massive transition.

Laura reveals exactly how she weaves explosive true history and raw teenage rebellion into this addictive audio drama!

In this episode about The Class of '74, we discuss:

• The Dark Realities Swept Under the Rug: Discover why Laura intentionally explores the hidden traumas of the 70s. In a time when eating disorders, severe depression, and child abuse "didn't exist," teenage girls were left to starve themselves and suffer in absolute silence.
• Unchecked Bullies & High School Dangers: Hear how the podcast tackles the extreme homophobia and unchecked high school bullies who literally locked kids in locker rooms for torture. But, rest assured, Laura promises the show delivers them ultimate karma, and the bullies get exactly what's coming to them!
• Living Through Explosive History: Learn how the characters' fictional lives collide with massive real-world events from the time period, from the terrifying media blackout during the Attica prison rebellion and the anxiety of the Vietnam War draft lotteries, to 16-year-old Chrissie Evert revolutionizing women's tennis.
• The Liberation Generation: Why the Class of '74 was so unique. They were the very first generation of young women explicitly told they could grow up to be whatever they wanted.
• Interactive True Crimes (The Detention Club): Find out how Laura actively uses her Patreon community, "The Detention Club," to let listeners shape the story.

You can listen to the first season of The Class of '74 and join "The Detention Club" Patreon at www.classof74podcast.com. You can also request Laura to join the private Facebook group to share your own untold high school stories.

Whether you lived through the 1970s or just love nostalgic period dramas, this episode is your ultimate time machine!

Are record deals a gamble? How do you survive the realities of the music industry without losing your soul?

In this episode of Let's Talk Media, host Vedant Akhauri sits down with Emmy-winning musician, songwriter, and SAG actor Scot "Little Bihlman" to expose the gritty, unpolished realities of the entertainment business.

From playing alongside music legends like Jelly Roll, John Fogerty, and B.B. King, to navigating the empty promises of Nashville record labels, Scott holds absolutely nothing back.

Scot breaks down his unique genre of "motorcycle poetry for truth seekers" and reveals the harsh survival tactics every creative needs to hear.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The 90% Rule of Fake Record Deals: Why almost no label actually delivers what they promise on paper, and the untold secret to actually making money in music.
• The Sync Licensing Goldmine: Stop sitting in your room hoping to get discovered! Learn why you need to put 50% of your energy into publishing, and how Scott hustled to get his catalog featured on over 30 hit TV shows like Sons of Anarchy, Burn Notice, and All My Children.
• The Shocking Secret of "Motorcycle Zen": Learn how riding a Harley at top speeds forces a meditative presence that shuts down the brain. Scott reveals how this extreme focus generates 90% of his lyrics and riffs, and acts as his ultimate shield against an industry plagued by massive egos and heavy drug use.
• Why Perfection is a Lie (Embracing the "Road Rash"): Scott refuses to wipe the dust, sweat, and fingerprints off his guitars. Discover how true art must always reflect the scars of the human condition.
• How to Survive The Industry: The brutally honest truth about why you can never be a one-trick pony, why you must always be a songwriter, and the daily choice to actively live in joy so the business doesn't beat you down.

• You can stream Scot's solo, Heavy Head, on Spotify.

• Catch Scott acting and roughing up Nicolas Cage in the upcoming Spider-Man Noir series!

• Learn more about his hard rock blues trio, Grinder Blues

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.

New episodes drop on Tuesdays and Thursdays.