One day in the summer of 2022, Lemonada Media’s Stephanie Wittels Wachs received a surprise: an invitation to the White House to witness the signing of a gun safety bill. The invitation was sparked by the tremendous emotional impact of their hit show, Last Day, and especially of this episode, "A Love Story." If you strive to make audio documentaries on the toughest problems we face today, this behind-the-scenes conversation is your road map. Scroll down for several actionable takeaways from this episode. Stephanie Wittels Wachs is a longtime actor, voice-over artist, theater teacher, author and the co-founder, with Jessica Cordova Cramer, of Lemonada Media. Last Day is only one of Lemonada’s 30-plus podcasts, including chart-topping Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Lemonada Media's tag line matches Stephanie’s personality: Humanity. Unfiltered. A note about Sound Judgment: We believe that no host does good work alone. All hosts rely on their producers. We strive to give credit to producers – the true behind-the-scenes talent – whenever it’s possible to do so. The episode: A Love StoryExecutive Producers: Jessica Cordova Cramer and Stephanie Wittels WachsSupervising Producer: Jackie DanzigerProducers: Kagan Zema and Giulia HjortAssociate Producers: Hannah Boomershine and Erianna Jiles Subscribe to Sound Judgment, the Newsletter.  Improve your craft! Read our free, twice-monthly newsletter about creative choices in podcasting and radio. Join subscribers from PRX, AIR (Association for Independents in Radio), Hindenburg, PRPD (Public Radio Program Directors Association), Pacific Content, NPR affiliates, and more.  Help us grow: Please share this episode with a fellow creator. Stay in touch!Follow Elaine:FacebookLinkedInInstagramHelp us find and celebrate today’s best hosts!Who’s your Sound Judgment dream guest? Share them with us! Write us: allies@podcastallies.com. Because of you, that host may appear on Sound Judgment.Work with us! Looking for a production company that understands audiences and puts storytelling first? Visit us at www.podcastallies.com.How to tell sensitive, impactful stories: Stephanie’s takeawaysBe curious. Frame your story around a central question.“I'm a central question psychopath… I'm always saying, okay, but what's the question? What are we trying to figure out? What's the point? That's really critical to any storytelling, but I think it [emerges] over time. And it's so baked into the process of revision and collaboration. And you know when you’ve found it… If the episode isn't working, it's typically because you haven't nailed down what that central question is.” To be vulnerable on tape, you need at least one partner who encourages vulnerability. Stephanie relies on her team of skilled and sensitive producers.“I am used to collaborating very deeply and closely and trusting one another through that process. I don't know how I would do this with a team I didn't trust and feel safe with. The show is a real team sport.”  To help a host be authentic in front of a mic, give them permission to have feelings.“Gloria Rivera [host of No One’s Coming to Save Us and a veteran news broadcaster] was doing tracking…using her broadcast voice. And I was like, “Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, that microphone hates that. Let's shake that off. We're gonna play this tape. Can you just listen to this woman talking about how hard it is for her to juggle a newborn with a toddler with her own job? And I know you've experienced some of that yourself. And can you just close your eyes and then respond to it, just however you feel. And Gloria…she's so full of heart and soul and vulnerability herself. Once she had that permission, she started crying. And she started talking about her own experience having to go to war zones with little kids at home, and how painful that was for her to have to balance. And we kept that as the first moment of the first episode.” Have fun making the show. It shows. “We have fun making the show, and