Speakers

Stephanie Wittels Wachs is co-founder and CEO of Lemonada Media, an  award-winning podcast network with a mission to make life suck less. In 2024, The Hollywood Reporter named her among “The Most Powerful People in Podcasting.” Wittels Wachs co-created and hosts Last Day, Lemonada's flagship show that has won Third Coast, Webby, and Gracie awards. Its first season focused on the opioid crisis, which took the life of her brother, writer-producer-comedian Harris Wittels (Parks & Recreation, Master of None). After losing her brother, she authored the best-selling book Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love, and Loss, which Kirkus anointed “a powerful debut” upon its release. Thanks in part to her wit and forthrightness, Wittels Wachs has been featured in major publications (The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, TIME Magazine) and appeared as a guest on a plethora of podcasts (from Comedy Bang Bang to Everything Happens), public radio programs (NPR’s Morning Edition), and TV shows (Late Night with Seth Meyers). She’s been a well-known voice actor for decades and co-founded the nonprofit arts organization Rec Room Arts in 2016. Today, Wittels Wachs is the creative north star for dozens of award-winning podcasts under the Lemonada network, including Wiser Than Me with Julia-Louis Dreyfus, which was named Apple's Best Podcast of the Year in 2023. She’s currently working on a book adaptation of Last Day, which is slated for publication by Simon & Schuster in 2026.