Podcast
V Interesting with V Spehar
Hosted by Lemonada Media · EN
Sometimes TikTok superstar V Spehar needs more than a minute to bring you the news. The Under the Desk News anchor is bringing their sharp outfits and sharper commentary to a new weekly show with Lemonada Media. V highlights the interesting parts of stories we often lose in the chaotic news cycle and goes deeper into the complex, evergreen Big Issues that matter most, but don’t have a simple, Tweetable solution. Part explainer, part thought-starter show, V’s goal is to make you the most well-informed and “v interesting” person in any crowd.
17episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Thrive: Taking Youth Leadership Seriously
1w ago00:36:45Tap to summarizeYoung 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 in young leaders today. This episode was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities. Learn more at aecf.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Thrive: What Adolescents Need to Successfully Cross the Bridge to Adulthood
2w ago00:33:16Tap to summarizeWhat 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 ages of 14 and 24. She also introduces the five pillars shaping the path to adulthood that will guide the rest of the series: basic needs, permanent connections, education and credentials, financial stability and well-being, and youth leadership. This episode was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities. Learn more at aecf.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →In Maryland, Tenants Are Fighting for Their Right to Clean Air
3w ago00:34:57Tap to summarizeMost 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 Montgomery, about their work pushing for safer living conditions, lower toxic emissions, and a more sustainable energy future for renters. This episode was made in partnership with Action in Montgomery. To learn more about their work, visit actioninmontgomery.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →In Georgia, Energy Affordability Is on the Ballot
May 2100:27:12Tap to summarizeWhat 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 elections later this year. This episode was made in partnership with Poder Latinx. To learn more about their work, visit poderlatinx.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Ohio Citizens Are Standing up for Wind and Solar
Apr 3000:34:43Tap to summarizeRichland 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, Business Manager and Financial Secretary of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and Shayna Fritz, the Executive Director for the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum. Together, they break down what’s at stake, from job development and homegrown energy to the rights of farmers and landowners to earn a living from their property, and how Richland County can be a model for communities across the country to shape their energy futures. To learn more about the campaign to reject the ban on large scale solar and wind in Richland County, visit nobanonpropertyrights.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Listen Now: How California Is Proving Climate Solutions Are Possible
Mar 1900:35:25Tap to summarizeClimate 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 wildfires, flooding and droughts, and how we can all push politics toward climate solutions that work. This episode was made in partnership with California Environmental Voters. To learn more about their work, visit envirovoters.org. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Listen Now: Rent Too High? Join a Tenant Union.
Jun 10, 202500:41:59Tap to summarizeThe 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 episode is presented by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. MCF supports leaders who work to shift the balance of power in their communities toward working people and families, and who have the vision and capacity for building a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org or visit on social media @caseygrants.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Sick of Bad News? Try Good Things
Apr 29, 202500:37:26Tap to summarizeSteve 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 toward the guidance and support that can help them grow into responsible adults. In this eye-opening conversation with host Maya Rupert, Steve talks about how we can create a more just and restorative system that’s steeped in relationships, trust, and community. This episode was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization that develops solutions to build a brighter future for children, youth, families and communities. Learn more at aecf.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Bonus: From Charity to Solidarity
Feb 27, 202400:43:29Tap to summarizeThere 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 businesses at the forefront of their local economies. This episode is supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our local communities. CZI's mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone. To learn more, visit https://chanzuckerberg.com. Thank you to Prospera for joining this conversation. Prospera advances Latina economic empowerment through leadership development, entrepreneurship and cooperative business ownership. Prospera believes that when women are at the forefront of our local economies, entire communities thrive. To learn more and get involved, visit https://prosperacoops.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Bonus: The Real Cost of Care Work
Nov 17, 202300:44:55Tap to summarizeWhen 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 most recent book, CARE: The Highest Stage of Capitalism. The two discuss the unfair treatment low-wage workers, immigrants and women of color face in an industry that’s built on inequality, and how despite all this, they’re actually the people whose work “makes all other work possible.” You can learn more about Premilla’s work by following her on Twitter @premillanadasen. This episode was made possible by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Learn more about Marguerite Casey Foundation at https://www.caseygrants.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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