Duologue with Leslie Heaney

Confused about the SAT vs ACT? In this episode, Leslie sits down with Bryan Bibler, CEO of Thirty-Six Education, to break down everything parents and high school students need to know about standardized testing, college admissions, and test prep strategies for 2025.

They cover the key differences between the ACT and SAT, how to choose the right test, when to start preparing, and how recent test-optional college admissions policies—including at Ivy League schools—are changing the landscape. Bryan also shares proven methods to improve SAT and ACT scores, realistic prep timelines, and affordable test prep resources for families without access to private tutoring.

Perfect for high school students, parents, and college applicants, this episode delivers actionable insights on SAT prep, ACT prep, college application strategy, and maximizing test scores.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Five years ago, Genevieve "Veve" Wheeler Brown flipped over a jug and found a woman's signature. What followed was a five-year quest across three continents — and a book. In this episode, Leslie sits down with her longtime friend and author of Beyond Blue and White to trace the hidden history of Delftware: from Dutch Golden Age workshop owners who built trade empires, to the Gilded Age women who founded their own museums when no one would let them in. Four centuries. One ceramic. Countless women history forgot to credit. The perfect listen to close out Women's History Month.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re revisiting a powerful conversation from The Interview vault with author and journalist Ed O’Keefe.

In this episode, Ed shares the remarkable story behind his book The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President. What began as a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School led to an unexpected discovery: unpublished letters between Theodore Roosevelt and the women who shaped his life. Those letters uncovered a deeper, more nuanced history... one where Roosevelt’s rise was not his alone, but profoundly influenced by the extraordinary women around him.

As we reflect this Women’s History Month, this re-release feels especially meaningful. It’s a reminder that behind some of history’s most influential leaders are stories that deserve to be told.

If you missed this episode the first time, it’s one you won’t want to skip.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode of Duologue, Leslie sits down with Nicholas Varney.

Nick is the founder and designer behind Nicholas Varney Jewels. His work has earned him widespread recognition—from appearances in Vogue, Town & Country, and W Magazine, to being named by Forbes as one of the “Five Jewelers Working Today That You Will Be Collecting Tomorrow.”

In their conversation, Leslie and Nick discuss his creative inspirations, his design process, and what it was like growing up as the son of the legendary interior designer, the late Carleton Varney.

They also explore where the world’s most extraordinary gemstones come from, the global journey they take before becoming jewelry, and how Nick approaches his work not just as a designer, but as a true artist.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this week’s episode, Leslie Heaney sits down with Vasant Dhar—professor at NYU Stern School of Business and the Center for Data Science at New York University, founder of SCT Capital, and author of Thinking with Machines: The Brave New World of AI.

Together, they explore how artificial intelligence evolved, why language prediction changed everything, and what it means now that machines can think alongside humans. The conversation examines the growing divide between those who use AI to sharpen judgment and those who rely on it to think for them, as well as the broader implications for work, education, power, and responsibility.

This is a grounded, honest conversation about the power of AI—and how we choose to live with it.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.