Depends on the Context

Avi Lichtschein
  • 2.0 (4)
  • 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. 5h ago

    🎙️ The Valuable Real Estate Hiding in Plain Sight — with Rafi Katz

    There’s an entire category of valuable real estate hiding in plain sight: empty parking lots, unused acreage, industrial yards, and other land that most of us barely notice. Rafi Katz, founder and CEO of Yardflow, saw an opportunity to connect property owners sitting on underused land with companies looking for places to park fleets, store equipment, stage construction materials, and support projects ranging from telecom infrastructure to data centers. In this episode of "Depends on the Context," Rafi and I discuss how he stumbled into this market and why finding outdoor storage has historically been so difficult. We get into how Yardflow grew to thousands of yards nationwide, the unexpected impact of the data-center boom, and what Rafi has learned building a marketplace for a surprisingly large but largely invisible corner of the real estate world. Learn more about Yardflow: https://getyardflow.com

  2. 3d ago

    25 years since Uncle Ari was killed on 9/11 — a conversation with my brother

    My uncle Ari was killed in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Today is his yahrzeit, and with the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, I wanted to share a conversation I recorded last year with my brother Elie. Elie and I talk about the uncle we knew, what we remember from 9/11 and its aftermath, how losing him changed our family-particularly our father and grandmother- and the questions we wish we could ask him today. This isn’t a polished biography: just two brothers sharing memories of our beloved uncle. New York Times obituary (archived on Legacy.com): “The Favorite Uncle” Note: This conversation was originally recorded in 2025 for An Excuse to Talk to My Brother.

    25 years since Uncle Ari was killed on 9/11 — a conversation with my brother

  3. Aug 30

    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!)

  4. 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/

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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

  8. 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

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Ratings & Reviews

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out of 5
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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.

Information

  • Creator
    Avi Lichtschein
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Avi Lichtschein
  • Show Website
    Depends on the Context