Show Notes
Stephanie is off in the exciting (and terrifying) world of book writing. In the interim, we want to share another show that’s near and dear to our hearts. So near, in fact, that it features Stephanie’s entire family! Squeezed, hosted by the incomparable Yvette Nicole Brown (yes, from “Community”), explores the lives of caregivers across America. It’s hard, hard work – but also full of joy and connection. This episode focuses on Stephanie and her dad, who has Parkinson’s disease. If you love Last Day, you’re going to love Squeezed, which brings the same tenderness and compassion to storytelling. Squeezed is a Lemonada Media original. Yvette Nicole Brown is the host of this show. Chrystal Genesis is our senior producer. Giulia Hjort, Tess Novotny, and Hannah Boomershine are our producers. Ivan Kuraev is our engineer. Our theme music is by Andi Kristinsdottir, with additional music by APM music. Jackie Danziger is our VP of Narrative Content. Executive producers are Yvette Nicole Brown, Jessica Cordova Kramer, and Stephanie Wittels Wachs. This show was created in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. Follow Squeezed wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts. Follow Yvette Nicole Brown on Instagram at @yvettenicolebrown. Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Last Day
Stephanie Wittels Wachs is the CEO and cofounder of Lemonada Media, host of Last Day, and author of Last Day: How to Stop Losing Our Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis. Her younger brother, Harris Wittels - the beloved writer and comedian known for Parks and Recreation and Master of None - died of an opioid overdose in 2015 at 30.
Stephen Murray wants to change how we view drug users. After overcoming his own substance use disorder in his early 20s, he went on to save countless lives from overdose as a paramedic. He's now the founder and Executive Director of SafeSpot, the only government-funded overdose prevention hotline in the United States. In this episode, Stephen joins Stephanie to walk through the moments that transformed how he sees recovery and what it actually takes to save more lives.
Stephanie Wittels Wachs and her younger brother Harris were best friends. So when he confided that he was struggling with opioid addiction, Steph believed they’d find a way through it together, like they always had. But Harris didn’t survive his addiction.
Most friendships start because you have something in common: work, hobbies, fashion, books, sense of humor. But not all friendships are formed because of something wholesome in common. Sometimes, you share an experience so life-changing that you are drawn to each other. That is how, nine years ago, Nora and Steph Wittels Wachs became friends. Steph lost her brother, Harris, to an opioid overdose. Grievers can always find common ground: losing someone changes you.
How do we create smart drug education that actually makes an impact on the next generation? After losing their son Charlie to an accidental fentanyl overdose, Ed and Mary Ternan created Song for Charlie to educate young people and their parents about the risks of counterfeit prescription pills and other drugs. In this episode, Stephanie talks to Ed and Marcia Lee Taylor, strategy advisor for the organization, about Charlie's last day and how to have honest conversations with kids about drugs.