What if young people could earn a paycheck, build real skills, and start a career – all before finishing school? Youth apprenticeships make it possible, but too few young people can access these opportunities. In the fifth episode of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's series on what young people need to thrive, host Gloria Riviera speaks with two guests who are making the case for how apprenticeships can open doors to opportunity, mentorship and high-quality career pathways: Laura Burgher, an Annie...
Jun 25, 2026•30 min•Ep. 125
Young people aren’t just future leaders. They’re already leading in their communities today, as caregivers, workers, and activists. In the third episode of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's series on what young people need to thrive, host Gloria Riviera talks with Jasmine Bernard and Tosca Nance-Jones of BRIDGES, a Memphis-based organization building authentic youth-adult partnerships for social change, and Traci Broady, Senior Associate at the foundation, about what it really looks like to invest...
Jun 18, 2026•37 min•Ep. 124
What does it take for young people to thrive? In this first episode of a six-part series, host Gloria Riviera sits down with Lisa Lawson, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and author of Thrive: How the Science of the Adolescent Brain Helps Us Imagine a Better Future for All Children . Lisa makes the case that adolescence is a powerful period of growth, and shares what the science and on-the-ground work tell us about supporting the 48 million young people in America between the a...
Jun 11, 2026•33 min•Ep. 123
Most people think of pollution as something outside, like smog and exhaust. But gas stoves, ovens, furnaces, and water heaters can actually release nitrogen dioxide directly into your home. For renters, that's a problem without easy solutions: unlike homeowners, they can't simply swap in safer, cleaner energy sources, and landlords and policymakers have been slow to act. In this episode, host Gloria Riviera speaks with Adama Moussa Harouna and Tanushree Dutta Isaacman, organizers at Action in Mo...
Jun 04, 2026•35 min•Ep. 122
What if you could lower your utility bill at the polls? In Georgia, that’s exactly what voters have had the opportunity to do. By flipping two Public Service Commission seats in 2025, they’ve shown that elected officials can be held accountable for rising energy costs. In this episode, host Gloria Riviera speaks with Leslie Palomino, Georgia State Director at Poder Latinx, about how the organization has been mobilizing Latino voters around energy affordability and what’s at stake for upcoming el...
May 21, 2026•27 min
Richland County, Ohio used to be a major manufacturing hub. Now, as the plants have closed, residents are looking to renewable energy to revive jobs and development. There’s just one problem: their board of county commissioners issued a blanket ban on large-scale solar and wind projects last summer, bringing those efforts to a halt. Now, residents are waging a historic fight to overturn the ban. In this episode, host Gloria Riviera speaks with two locals behind the campaign: Brian McPeek, Busine...
Apr 30, 2026•35 min
Climate solutions aren’t out of reach. They’re already here, and California is leading the way. In 2025, the state hit a historic milestone: for more than 200 days, its grid hit 100 percent clean energy, often for hours at a time, making it the largest economy in the world to reach this goal. In this episode, host Gloria Riviera speaks with Mary Creasman, CEO of California Environmental Voters, about the state’s race toward total clean energy by 2045, what this transformation means for tackling ...
Mar 19, 2026•35 min
The rent is too damn high, housing quality standards are far too low, and Tara Raghuveer is doing something about it. Tara is director of Kansas City Tenants , a tenant union which organizes to ensure that everyone in KC has a safe, accessible, and truly affordable home. In this powerful conversation with host Gloria Riviera, Tara explains how the union of more than 10,000 members is fighting against our country’s dysfunctional housing market and standing up for what they truly deserve. This epi...
Jun 10, 2025•42 min
Steve Bishop used to be a youth probation officer. He wanted to help young people navigate out of a juvenile justice system he knew was flawed. Now, as the Associate Director for Probation and System Transformation at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Steve works to transform youth probation systems around the country – from one that punishes making mistakes in ways that leave young people worse off and neighborhoods less safe to one that holds kids accountable for their actions by steering them to...
Apr 29, 2025•37 min
There are countless barriers facing immigrant communities when it comes to finding success and economic security in the US. Today we hear from two women who are working tirelessly to level the playing field by reimagining capitalism. Lemonada’s Hoja Lopez chats with Ruby Bolaria Shifrin, head of community at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and Claudia Arroyo, executive director of the non-profit Prospera . They discuss the value of supporting latinx entrepreneurs and putting female-owned busines...
Feb 27, 2024•43 min
When we think of care workers, we often picture individuals who nurture, assist, and heal other human beings. But behind that picture are the harsh realities of domestic work and the many sacrifices this marginalized group makes to uplift others. In this episode, producer and former Lemonada host Hoja Lopez chats with someone who’s uncovering the truth behind the care economy and its exploitative roots. Activist, historian, and Barnard College professor Premilla Nadasen walks Hoja through her mo...
Nov 17, 2023•45 min
We live in an undeniably violent world. Gender-based violence poses a particular threat to the intersecting identities of women, people of color, and marginalized communities. But these survivors are the same folks spearheading some of the biggest efforts to end it. In this special episode, Lemonada co-founder Stephanie Wittels Wachs sits down with two leaders who understand the importance of supporting and empowering survivors in order to achieve change. Stephanie speaks with Aleyamma Mathew, e...
Nov 10, 2023•46 min
This throwback episode is brought to you with support from The Marguerite Casey Foundation. V sits down with Atlanta-based artist, celebrated community organizer, and Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative Executive Director Toni-Michelle Williams. When she isn't protesting injustices or going toe-to-toe with police and city council, Toni-Michelle is finding ways to make Atlanta more joyful for Black and trans folks. From documenting the city’s public safety failures to partnering with the Citiz...
Nov 03, 2023•45 min
When most people think of home economics, they imagine women baking muffins and caring for practice babies. But in this throwback episode, we’re learning that the field was much more than just “stitching and stirring.” It was an empowering way for women to gain respect and recognition. Journalist and author Danielle Dreilinger joins V for a look back at the history of home economics and how it shaped American culture. We’ll hear about the personal lives of home economics women who decided to eit...
Oct 27, 2023•51 min
In this best-of episode, V opens up about something very personal that has shaped the last seven years of their life. Through this tragedy, V found comfort and support in Lemonada’s mission to help “make life suck less” and decided to leave their dream job to pursue a higher purpose. At a time when V didn’t have all the answers, they leaned on one of the most stabilizing forces in their life to help make sense of a loss. In this powerful and insightful conversation, V meets with Lemonada co-foun...
Oct 20, 2023•55 min
“Don’t have sex. You will get pregnant — and die.” This line was delivered by a fictional high school coach in the movie Mean Girls, but it alludes to a real problem within the education system: that the vast majority of U.S. states don’t teach medically accurate or inclusive sex education. Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, an OBGYN and author, is trying to change that. Instead of scaring or shaming people, she’s meeting them where they are and setting the record straight, starting with the vulva. In this t...
Oct 13, 2023•56 min
Coming out as a person seeking therapy to your partner, parents, or friends can be difficult, and sometimes even dangerous. Sometimes the people who are supposed to love us most are the first to hold us back, or we feel guilty for “leaving them behind” as we grow through various seasons of our lives. You’re not alone in your journey — in fact, millions follow clinical counselor Shani Tran for her candid takes on therapy, and this week she chats with V about who can benefit most from therapy and ...
Oct 06, 2023•53 min
This week, we revisit V’s birthday episode! As a gift to their listeners, V invited one of their favorite comedians, Adam Conover, on the show to talk about his Netflix special, “The G Word.” Adam went from ruining everything from weddings to airlines, to investigating the U.S. government. He’ll talk about getting access to some of the most guarded government buildings and taking viewers behind the scenes to build trust. We’ll hear about how the country regulates food and why we’re not subsidizi...
Sep 29, 2023•58 min
Currently, the dominant framing of climate in our media and policy ecosystems centers stories, experiences, and thus solutions that serve privileged communities. The Hip Hop Caucus is working to help rewrite this narrative and center the climate movement in a justice framework. V asks Hip Hop Caucus’ Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer Liz Havstad why we need to stop thinking of the climate crisis as just an environmental issue, how to spot greenwashing on social media, and how you can...
Sep 22, 2023•49 min
Minnesota doesn’t want cops to use excessive force on students at school. Is that really so much to ask? There’s a new biography of Elon Musk out, so let’s highlight all the amazing books to read instead. And V is joined by 1990s TV icon Jodie Sweetin, who played Stephanie Tanner on “Full House.” They catch up on what she’s been up to since then, from working in drug recovery to performing on “Dancing with the Stars,” and ask ‘were the 90s better or were we just more naive?’ Follow Jodie Sweetin...
Sep 15, 2023•56 min
CNN wants to disrupt your favorite HBO show with breaking news alerts, and people are pissed about it. A rise in homeschooling may have ties to Christian Nationalism and dangerous ripple effects for public schools. And V chats with James Beard Award-winning chef Karen Akunowicz about being a restaurateur during the pandemic, some of her favorite recipes from her latest cookbook, and the humbling experience of having her toddler reject her cooking. Follow Karen Akunowicz @chefkarenakunowicz on In...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr 3 min
A non-consensual kiss at the World Cup has led to calls for a resignation, an investigation, and a mom on a hunger strike. We’ll look into Spain’s #MeToo reckoning. Back-to-school season is unluckily coinciding with a late-summer wave of coronavirus infections. And V chats with constitutional attorney Andrew Seidel about how the Supreme Court is weaponizing religious freedom and how and why we must win the fight against Christian Nationalism. Follow Andrew @AndrewLSeidel on Twitter and @andrewls...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Spirit-centered activist and social justice leader Aqeela Sherrills is a firm believer that public safety can’t exist without the public. As the co-founder of Community Based Public Safety Collective and the force behind the famous peace treaty between two of the most violent street gangs in America, Aqeela knows what it takes to provide solutions that center the people most vulnerable and most affected by violence. He tells V what it looks like to successfully implement community-based solution...
Aug 29, 2023•51 min
A shocking revelation about menstrual products has women pissed to learn how their tampons have been tested for all these years. Scientists are using Pink Floyd to study how our brain processes music, which could pave the way for composing music through thought. And V chats with IllumiNative’s Lashay Wesley about her podcast American Genocide , which tells the story of one Native boarding school in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Follow Lashay @Lashay_Wesley and @IllumiNative on Twitter. Keep up with ...
Aug 25, 2023•1 hr 7 min
More and more Americans are traveling overseas to get medical procedures they can’t afford in their own country. Is that safe? Local Hawaiians are telling tourists to cancel plans to visit Maui while wildfire rescue and cleanup efforts continue. And V chats with Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones about his approach to progressive activism and winning reelection after being ousted by state GOP leaders. Follow Rep. Justin Jones @brotherjones_ on Instagram and @brotherjones_ on Twitter. Ke...
Aug 18, 2023•57 min
V chats with advocates who are pushing for evidence-based, comprehensive, and inclusive sex education in schools. V asks 18-year-old Aspen Schenker how they’re breaking down misconceptions about sexual health and helping their peers stay safe. Then, Advocates for Youth Director of Training Brittany McBride and physician Jennifer Cowart weigh in on the important life skills sex ed teaches. We’ll learn about why these courses allow students to confidently transition into adulthood and how to get c...
Aug 15, 2023•54 min
A new pill could help hundreds of thousands of women who suffer from postpartum depression each year. Thousands of beagles are celebrating one year of freedom after being rescued from an inhumane breeding facility. And V chats with NPR culture critic Aisha Harris about her new book, “ Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me ,” and what it means to be a critical consumer of pop culture media. Follow Aisha Harris @craftingmystyle on Twitter and @aha88 on Instagram. Keep up with V o...
Aug 11, 2023•59 min
Blood from young mice could be the new anti-aging serum we’ve all been looking for. New virtual surveillance along the English Channel could help save the lives of migrants crossing perilous waters, but it could also lead to harsher border policies. And V chats with former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich about the urgent need to get involved with organizations fighting for progressive change and how to protect democracy against authoritarian movements. Read Robert’s Substack and follow him ...
Aug 04, 2023•46 min
A certain doll movie is making millennials feel all kinds of nostalgic for the 90s. Financial exploitation of older generations is getting more prevalent – and trickier to spot. And V is joined by New York Times bestselling author Mary Roach, whose latest book explores what happens when animals do things that run a-fowl of human laws. They talk about making science writing fun and accessible, how Mary’s lack of a science background actually helps her with her science writing career, and why her ...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 1 min
V chats with two retired State Supreme Court chief justices about the role these often-overlooked courts play in defending our democracy. V asks North Carolina’s Cheri Beasley and Ohio’s Maureen O’Connor what exactly state supreme courts do, how you can be a more informed judicial voter, and their thoughts on everything going on at the U.S. Supreme Court. This discussion was made possible by United for Democracy, a new campaign shining a spotlight on the impact of this Supreme Court on our famil...
Jul 25, 2023•47 min
