Lemonada Media
A Serendipity Story
Serendipity Stories bring the practice of serendipity to life in real-world examples.
In the aftermath of losing her brother to an opioid overdose, when Jessica Cordova Kramer was searching desperately for healing resources, she discovered the podcast “Terrible, Thanks for Asking,” hosted by Nora McInerney.
On her birthday in February 2018, Cordova Kramer listened to an episode featuring Stephanie Wittels Wachs, another woman who had lost her brother to an opioid overdose. The parallels were striking—both born in February, both NYU alumni, both lived in the same dorm during college. But instead of the grief she expected during the podcast episode, Cordova Kramer found unexpected laughter and hope in Wittels Wach’s darkly humorous approach to loss.
Moved to turn her chance encounter into a meaningful connection, Cordova Kramer tracked Wittels Wachs down and gave her a call. Their initial phone conversation turned into a 90-minute heart-to-heart, revealing deeper connections between their experiences and worldviews. When Cordova Kramer proposed they do a podcast together about the moments that change us, fundamentally and forever, Wittels Wachs at first declined. But later, when she saw a CNN headline about opioid deaths surpassing those from car crashes, she changed her mind. The next day, Wittels Wachs emailed Cordova Kramer and said, “F*ck it, I’m in.”1
They each invested $40,000 to launch Lemonada Media in 2019. Their first podcast, “Last Day,” was a hit within 12 hours of its debut. Since that time, the network has grown to include over 90 podcasts. They’ve expanded into book publishing with Simon & Schuster, with their story coming full circle as Wittels Wachs writes the “Last Day” book for a 2026 release. Their mission to “make life suck less” has created a profitable media company that helps others feel less alone in their hardest moments.
The story of Lemonada Media shows how serendipity occurs when openness meets the unexpected. Cordova Kramer wasn’t just passively hoping for healing—she actively sought resources, recognized meaningful encounters, and transformed them into tangible outcomes. Wittels Wachs, for her part, could have ignored an unexpected call from a stranger, but she chose to listen and engage. Both women leaned into possibility rather than away from it, transforming their journeys of personal tragedy into widespread positive change.
References
1 Marsh, S (2024, November 17) In Conversation with Jessica Cordova Kramer, Mpls St Paul Magazine. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/in-conversation-with-jessica-cordova-kramer/#:~:text=Jessica%20Cordova%20Kramer%20is%20the,the%20daughter%20of%20a%20chef
Cordova Kramer, J. (n.d.). [Lecture/Presentation]. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.