Depends on the Context

Avi Lichtschein
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  • Society & Culture

Depends on the Context is a podcast about moments, stories, and ideas — the only constant is that that it's something interesting. Hosted by Avi Lichtschein, each episode dives into something worth pausing on. Because, well… it depends on the context.

  1. 2d ago

    Ms. Rachel Put Her Daughter Next to Mine on the Swings — So I Brought Up Israel.

    I was at the park on Shabbos, pushing my 8 month old daughter on the swings, when Ms. Rachel put her daughter on the swing next to mine. So I said something. What followed was a conversation about Israel, Gaza, Zionism, the genocide accusation, antisemitism, and the consequences of having an enormous platform. She pushed back. I pushed back. She said some things that genuinely surprised me, she got a little emotional and walked away — and I subsequently finished the conversation with her husband. (sorry about the edit overlay at 6:29 where I clarify that she said she’s NOT an anti-Zionist... I’m still learning how to edit!)

  2. Aug 18

    🎙️ Wheelchairs, Medicare, & the Moat AI Can't Solve — Natan Wise, Conduit Health

    Natan Wise is the co-founder and CEO of Conduit Health, a healthcare startup making it easier for patients to access medical equipment and supplies through insurance. Natan and I talk about how Conduit got started, the pivot that changed the business, why healthcare is so difficult to navigate, how AI is transforming its operations- and the parts AI still can't solve. We also get into what it's like to build a company with a close friend, stacking wins, and Natan's advice for founders entering industries they don't fully understand. Chapters: (00:00) From Thrasio to medical equipment (12:46) Tearing up the marketplace model (15:20) One wheelchair, start to finish (21:00) Where AI helps, and where it doesn't (28:03) What surprised him about being CEO (37:07) Five years out Links Conduit: https://www.conduithealth.com/ Careers: https://www.conduithealth.com/careers Natan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natan-wise/

  3. Aug 13

    "Hey what Phish song am I 'playing' now?" (no instruments, just voices)

    My good buddy Cantor and I are both avid Phish fans and have been playing a game for over 20 years: one of us recreates a Phish song using only our voice, and the other has to guess it. No instruments or lyrics allowed - just our mouths "playing" the riffs and bass lines. This episode is either: a) incredibly entertainingb) something you'll switch off within 2 minutes ... with absolutely no in between.

  4. Aug 10

    🎙️ The Golden Age of Coding — Blake Johnson

    Blake Johnson taught himself to code before ChatGPT, went on to teach at Flatiron School, and today is an engineer at Clay. In this episode, we talk about Blake's journey from teaching himself to code to teaching others, how AI has completely changed the way he builds software, and what his work at Clay looks like today- where he's using AI to rethink how software gets built.

  5. Aug 6

    Remembering Paula Falkenstein z״l (with Noah Falkenstein)

    In this special episode of Depends on the Context, I sit down with one of my oldest friends, Noah Falkenstein, to remember his beloved mother, Paula Falkenstein z״l. Paula passed away from cancer in 1998 when Noah was just 12 years old. Nearly three decades later, Noah reflects on the woman who shaped his life, what he remembers from her illness, the day she died, the people who carried him through unimaginable loss, and the values his mother instilled in him that he now hopes to pass on to his own children Topics discussed: • Growing up in Riverdale and Noah's earliest memories of Paula• Paula's warmth, love, and devotion to her family• Her breast cancer diagnosis and the family's experience• Losing a parent at twelve years old• Friends, community, and healing after tragedy• Becoming a parent without your own mother there• The values Paula left behind• What Noah hopes his children will remember about his mother

  6. Aug 3

    🎙️ Healthcare's Incentive Problem (with Chris Look)

    Why is healthcare so expensive, and can AI actually help fix it? In this episode, I sit down with Chris Look, a founding engineer and healthtech builder who has worked across Amazon, Blueberry Pediatrics, Fortuna Health, and his own startup. We explore why incentives, more than technology, often determine healthcare outcomes, where AI can meaningfully improve care, and what the healthcare system could look like over the next decade. We discuss: • Why Chris has spent his career in healthcare • The incentive problems driving rising healthcare costs • Where AI can create real value—and where it can't • Prior authorization, value-based care, and administrative burden • What the future of healthcare might look like

  7. Jul 31

    Phish in Five: Recapping Night 5's Instant Classic (7.29.26)

    Phish just wrapped up its "Phish in Five" run at Madison Square Garden with one of the most memorable shows in recent memory. I'm joined by my good buddy phish29, to break down what made Night 5 truly special. From the rarity-filled first set and Harpua narration filled with historical callbacks, to the epic YEM and Crosseyed jams, we discuss why this show was more than just another great Phish concert.

  8. Jul 28

    🎙️ Most Ecommerce Brands Don't Know Their Customers | Dov Quint (OuterSignal)

    Most ecommerce brands know what their customers buy- but very few know who their customers actually are. That gap may become one of the biggest competitive advantages in ecommerce over the next decade. In this episode, I chat with Dov Quint, VP of Customer Experience at OuterSignal, about why customer identity is becoming one of ecommerce's biggest competitive advantages, how AI is changing the way brands understand their customers, and what the future of ecommerce could look like. Dov and I discuss: Why most ecommerce brands don't actually know their customersWhy traditional customer personas often miss the markHow AI is making individualized customer understanding possibleThe surprising stories hidden inside customer dataWhat convinced Dov to join OuterSignal as employee #2 Learn more about OuterSignal: https://www.outersignal.com/

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About

Depends on the Context is a podcast about moments, stories, and ideas — the only constant is that that it's something interesting. Hosted by Avi Lichtschein, each episode dives into something worth pausing on. Because, well… it depends on the context.

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