Unscripted Turbulence with Raegan Medgie

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Have you ever wondered what it was really like to work at MTV and VH1 back when music still ran the channel?

Brian Ives did it. Starting in the 90s, he built a career in the music side of the entertainment industry. In this episode he takes us through the whole ride, all the way to 2023.  

Then in 2024 at 54, he made the call to walk away and go back to school to become a therapist.

Brian is proof it is NEVER too late to reinvent.

This one is a straight up time machine back to the 90s. If you're a music lover, or just curious what it was like inside the biggest music channels around, get ready for a nostalgic ride. The music takes me back through middle school, first love in high school, and everything in between. Hometown friends, this one's going to hit the feels.

Like TV news did to me, this industry threw roadblock after roadblock at Brian, and like me, he kept pushing until one day he just couldn't. So he reinvented.

If 90s culture or the pull to start over speaks to you, don't miss this one.

More on Brian & music nostalgia, click HERE

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CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses a serious ongoing health crisis, childhood poverty, and past trauma.

Ever love a place so much you never stopped to ask what it took to build it?

Many of you know the studio I record in. Guests love the vibe. Viewers love the aesthetic. Truth is, I rent that space, and today's guest is the reason it exists: Brianna Peters, who runs Gotham Production Studios with her husband, the power couple behind every bit of magic you've seen on this show.

But behind the founder is a woman still healing a little girl inside her, one who was diagnosed with a rare medical condition that nearly killed her, and one she's still searching for answers on today. She grew up in poverty. She carried trauma she kept secret for years. And she chose Unscripted Turbulence as the place to finally say it out loud.

This isn't a business success story. It's about survival, and what it actually takes to keep moving through the turbulence. We go deep, but we also laugh, about growing up in the 90s watching Sex and the City and dreaming of a life in New York City. Spoiler: she made it here. It's how she got here that makes it sweeter.

If you feel broken, Brianna wants you to know you are not. Stay for her message at the end.

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What happens when you're building something you believe in, and suddenly start questioning EVERYTHING?

That's where I am right now with this podcast. And that's why I wanted you to meet Adam Schaeuble, host of Podcasting Business School and someone who's become a beacon of hope and clarity for me.

Adam is completely self-taught, no professional training, and that's his superpower. He's failed, redirected, experimented, and succeeded, then shared what he's learned so others can avoid the mistakes he made. Most recently, he started an online community to bring podcasters together to get better at this.

If you're thinking about starting a podcast, growing your show, building a business, or simply breaking free from where you are right now, this conversation is for you.

But this goes beyond podcasting. It's about courage. Taking risks. Refusing to quit when things get hard.

When I hit those depths of despair, I remind myself: I could have stayed. Somehow, that thought always reignites the fire. I hope this conversation does the same for you.

Adam's Podcasting Business School : Click HERE

Your invite to Adam's Skool : Click HERE

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Fifteen years of marriage... and neither of us wanted to spend it lying by a pool...well, at least for the ENTIRE time.

I give a rundown of my 15-year wedding anniversary adventure with Pilot. And it was just that. An ADVENTURE. You have to listen to know where we went... or easily click below to see the places we stayed, adventured, ate, and enjoyed.

Glamping, canyons, national parks, a boat, a tiny cabin, and a driverless car... if you're looking for anniversary trip ideas or a couples road trip that's more adventure than vacation, this one's for you.

And a HUGE shout-out to all my new friends I met along the way...WELCOME ABOARD!

ADVENTURE RUNDOWN

Lodging

Glamping at Lake Powell (Under Canvas) 

Tiny Cabin in Escalante, Utah (Ofland)

Las Vegas (ARIA)

Activities

Lower Antelope Canyon Tour

Lake Powell Boat Rental

UTV Tour

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Kanab, Utah

Shaka Guide Audio Driving Tours

Bryce Canyon National Park

The Neon Museum

Sphere Las Vegas

Zoox Driverless Car, Las Vegas

Food

That "1970s" Diner...is actually called Peppermill

Showdowns

Hell's Backbone Grill, Boulder, Utah

MUST sip the Caperberry Vodka Martini at Scarpetta, The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas

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I'm still away...but likely hitting a bit of turbulence, as I'm flying with Pilot, both as passengers, returning from our 15-year wedding anniversary adventure.

Have you ever thought about what it's like sitting next to a pilot on an airplane? I live it everyday (basically), and share what happens when Pilot isn't in control.

I'm also still collecting away messages, so drop yours HERE for a proper shoutout on next week's episode! 

And if you have a question for Pilot about flying - fire away!

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I'm on assignment this week... to celebrate my 15-year wedding anniversary! It's important to unplug, rest, and realign so I can show up better for myself, my loved ones, and all of you.

I couldn't step away without saying something on Unscripted Turbulence, so enjoy this shorter episode. Because I'm not one to leave a party without a hug and making plans for the next gathering.

When I was in news, I would schedule this away message in my email, and I'm doing it here as well:

Your message is important... and so is my time off. I will respond to you when my adventure is over.

Leave a message HERE, don't forget your name, and I will give you a shout-out in my return episode!

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CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses 9/11, sudden loss, and suicide.

September 11, 2026 marks 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and this is one of the heaviest conversations I've had on Unscripted Turbulence.

My guest, Anthoula Katsimatides, lost her older brother John, who was working in the North Tower of the World Trade Center that day. But to understand Anthoula's story, we have to go back further. Two years before 9/11, she lost her youngest brother to suicide.

Anthoula takes us inside what happens to a family after a suicide loss: the questions, the guilt, the endless WHYs, and how grief caused her to lose pieces of herself along the way. We also talk about her Greek upbringing (a culture I know well since marrying into it), the help she finally reached out for, the help she learned to accept, and how she slowly began rebuilding her life.

Then came September 11.

Today, Anthoula serves on the Board of Trustees for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, helping preserve the memory of those killed that day, including John, and carrying forward the advice she was given before he died: LIVE YOUR LIFE IN COLOR.

After unimaginable loss, Anthoula did.

Fair warning: this episode is heavy. But it comes with a promise too. You are never alone. Ask for help. Accept it. It does get better, and life becomes colorful again.

More on Anthoula, CLICK HERE

If you or someone you know is struggling, Anthoula wants you to have access to what helped her: CLICK HERE

If you're remembering someone you lost on 9/11, she's keeping you in her prayers, and she encourages you to visit if you haven't yet: CLICK HERE

If you are in crisis, call or text 988.

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Have you ever walked into a room and felt like you didn't belong, until one person made you feel like you did?

That's what happened to me at the Webby Awards Creator Weekend this spring, my first major creator event since leaving TV News. I went alone, the room was younger and more established than what I was used to, and I was way outside my comfort zone.

So I worked the room the way I know how, asking everyone about themselves. That's how I met Jeremiah Neil.

Jeremiah had just moved to New York City alone, with a deep background in social media and content creation. He's using it to heal, to rally others, and to support people who have so much potential but are too shy to let their light shine, because he's been there.

Jeremiah grew up in a conservative Christian household that wasn't always accepting of who he is, and found comfort and stability through 90s music and pop culture, something that still shapes his work today.

This episode is for the parents. For anyone who feels lost. Jeremiah is here to help you shine your light.

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Have you ever met someone in the middle of your hardest chapter, and they became one of the best parts of your life? That's Smitha Rao. We met when I was still in TV news in NYC, drowning through a story she was handling as my PR contact. She'd left the news industry herself after being treated unfairly, and that day, she made sure every live shot of mine sparkled. If you're a reporter, you know exactly what that means.

This is a first for Unscripted Turbulence: a full crossover episode with Smitha's podcast, Unglamorous in the City. Our friendship grew over the years, usually over a martini, so that's exactly what we did here. I mix this month's proud sponsor, Kastra Elion Vodka, in real time while we sip and talk like you're pulled up next to us at the bar.

We get into finding our voices, our careers, the ups, the downs, and how our friendship turned into a real support system, still riding this unscripted, unglamorous turbulence in and outside the city we call home.

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Beth Karas started out as a lawyer in the 80s, then in the early 90s got "discovered" while working a case and became the face of Court TV for the next three decades. If you've ever followed a high-profile crime trial, chances are Beth was the lead reporter covering it. She's now a legal analyst across true crime TV, most notably Investigation Discovery, and she genuinely laid the groundwork for the genre as we know it today.

In this episode, Beth shares a story that left me speechless. But we go deeper than the headlines. We talk about what happened when she got let go from Court TV, that moment when your whole world stops and you're left wondering "now what do I do?" It's something a lot of us in this industry live through. Me included.

Beth and I met at a mutual friend's birthday party, and one conversation about the state of journalism sparked the need to sit down and go deeper. We are both VERY passionate about it.

This one is about reinvention, rediscovering who you are, and staying true to the work and the responsibility that comes with it.

Special "efharisto" (thank you) to my sponsor, Kastra Elion

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