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Pop Syllabus

Pop Syllabus with Christiana Mbakwe Medina
Pop Syllabus
Latest episode

21 episodes

  • Pop Syllabus

    The Celebrity Couples Game with Erin Lim Rhodes

    27/05/2026 | 56 mins.
    Celebrity couples today don’t just date, they trend, and every move instantly becomes part of the cultural conversation online. 

    In this episode, Christiana sits down with E! Entertainment host Erin Lim Rhodes to play our signature Celebrity Couples Game and debate some of pop culture’s most talked-about pairs, from Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet to Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, and more. Expect hot takes, chaotic rankings, and a few moments that will definitely have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about these couples.

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    Email: [email protected] 

    01:03 Meet Erin Lim Rhodes

    04:24 Erin’s move to Singapore 

    06:18 Getting hired by E! 

    11:46 “The Rundown” and using social media 

    18:29 The Celebrity Couples Game

    19:30 Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner

    20:43 Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade

    24:36 Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra

    28:40 Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck 

    33:14 Olandria and Nic Vansteenberghe

    36:28 John Legend and Chrissy Teigen

    41:57 Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco

    48:49 Zoë Kravitz and Harry Styles
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  • Pop Syllabus

    The Conversation We Need About Womb Health With Dr. Kemi Doll

    20/05/2026 | 1h 15 mins.
    Womb health is still one of the most misunderstood areas of women’s care, especially for Black women. 

    In today’s episode, Christiana sits down with gynecologic oncologist and author of A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing to walk us through fibroids, endometriosis, and the symptoms that are often dismissed, plus what women should be asking about care and diagnosis.

    Dr. Kemi’s website

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    Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack

    Merch available now!

    Sponsor Pop Syllabus: [email protected]

    If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments.

    Email: [email protected] 

    01:00 Meet Dr. Kemi Doll

    03:40 How Dr. Doll’s background has informed her work 

    07:30 Understanding womb suffering

    08:55 Black women with womb suffering getting misdiagnosed 

    10:47 Womb condition #1: heavy menstrual bleeding 

    23:40 Options for people with the BRCA1 gene

    25:36 Womb condition #2: endometriosis 

    35:29 Teenagers and young women with womb suffering 

    39:05 Womb condition #3: fibroids 

    51:18 Womb condition #4: endometrial cancer 

    01:01:28 Advice for dealing with doctors and medical institutions

    01:08:45 Combining holistic wellness with medicine

    01:11:55 Setting boundaries in order to heal 

    01:13:00 Where to find Dr. Kemi Doll’s work 
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  • Pop Syllabus

    The Pop Culture Debrief: Mess, Drama & Headlines (Christiana Solo Episode)

    13/05/2026 | 45 mins.
    Welcome to another week in pop culture, where nothing is calm and everything is a headline.

    In this episode, Christiana flips through the latest tabloids and magazines, breaking down celebrity chaos, unhinged headlines, and the editorials everyone can’t stop talking about.

    Sydney Sweeney, Doja Cat, Timothée Chalamet, Anne Hathaway, and more all show up in this week’s rundown as Christiana shares her hot takes on what’s worth the hype and what’s just noise.

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    If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments.

    Email: [email protected] 

    01:50 Sydney Sweeney’s “Magazine Milkies” Moment

    02:59 Sofía Vergara’s Sketchy Skechers Ad

    03:54 Sydney Sweeney’s Viral Lingerie Editorial

    08:15 Why Everyone Is Suddenly Obsessed With Tyriq Withers

    10:04 Twilight Taylors

    10:22 Is Robert Pattinson the New Leonardo DiCaprio?

    12:40 Teyana Taylor as Lady Liberty

    14:26 Inside the “MAGA Land” Editorial

    21:54 Doja Cat on Vogue

    24:48 India’s Growing Influence on Pop Culture

    27:10 Bhavitha Mandava, Versace & Fashion’s Rising New Faces

    29:08 Jelly Roll’s Weight Loss Transformation

    34:20 Sarah Michelle Gellar’s People Magazine Cover

    35:48 The Royal Roundup: Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle & More

    37:22 Anne Hathaway’s Best Oscars Look

    38:14 Sarah Michelle Gellar Is Making a Comeback

    40:19 Harry & Meghan “Exiled” From Hollywood?

    43:21 Christiana’s Top Magazine Recommendation
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  • Pop Syllabus

    Inside Hollywood’s Obsession With “Perfect” Faces With Dr. Carl Truesdale

    06/05/2026 | 52 mins.
    In Hollywood, everyone wants a “perfect” face, but the goal now is to make it look like nothing was ever done. But behind that natural look is a growing set of procedures most people would never recognize.

    Today, Christiana sits down with Double Board Certified Facial & Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon Dr. Carl Truesdale to understand what’s driving Hollywood’s obsession with undetectable plastic surgery, from subtle lifts to revision procedures, as well as how cosmetic work among men and AI are shaping today’s beauty standards.

    Dr. Truesdale’s website 

    Follow Dr. Truesdale: Instagram 

    Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack

    Merch available now!

    Sponsor Pop Syllabus: [email protected]

    If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments.

    Email: [email protected] 

    01:02 Meet Dr. Carl Truesdale 

    02:07 How Dr. Truesdale got into cosmetic surgery 

    03:50 Cultivating a diverse practice with cultural competency 

    09:05 The costs of cosmetic surgery 

    10:01 Thread lifts, fillers and botox 

    12:20 How Dr. Truesdale contributes to beauty standards and pressures 

    15:00 Psychological shifts for patients

    17:00 Patients who are unhappy after their procedures  

    18:55 Dr. Truesdale on sharing his work on social media 

    21:46 Not being able to share the work he does for some celebrities 

    22:58 Celebrities who don’t share that they have had work done 

    25:20 Karama Brown 

    25:38 Lower blepharoplasty

    26:06 Men getting plastic surgery 

    30:08 Looking younger longer 

    31:24 Revision surgeries  

    34:17 Knowing when to operate and turning patients away 

    34:57 Mid-facelifts 

    35:45 Responding to those who say plastic surgery is bad 

    39:10 A rapper whose “friend” paid for her cosmetic work 

    40:41 The future of plastic surgery, AI, and beauty standards 

    46:02 Christiana requests a free consultation from Dr. Truesdale  

    47:30 Dr. Truesdale doing his parents’ plastic surgery 

    49:00 Where you can find Dr. Truesdale online
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  • Pop Syllabus

    Why Open Relationships Are More Common Than You Think With Dr. Amy Moors

    29/04/2026 | 1h 8 mins.
    Non-monogamy is everywhere right now, and so are the opinions about it.

    In today’s episode, Christiana sits down with psychologist and Chapman University Professor Dr. Amy Moors to unpack open relationships, ethical non-monogamy, and why more people are exploring love outside the traditional mold.

    Dr. Amy Moors research

    Follow Pop Syllabus: YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Substack

    Merch available now!

    Sponsor Pop Syllabus: [email protected]

    If there’s a topic you’d like us to deconstruct, tell us in the comments.

    Email: [email protected] 01:07 Meet Dr. Amy Moors

    03:31 Defining non-monogamy 

    04:30 Defining polyamory and open relationships 

    05:50 Different types of polyamory 

    07:06 Who engages in consensual non-mongamy? And how common is it?

    10:25 Loving multiple people

    14:10 Stigmas towards people who practice consensual non-monogamy 

    17:35 Christiana’s familial experiences with polygamy 

    21:35 Both monogamy and non-monogamy can be messy 

    22:40 How societal inequities show up in relationships 

    25:19 Lindy West, millennial feminism, and trad wives

    27:04 Gender ratios among non-monogamous couples

    28:10 Measuring “success” among non-monogamous relationships 

    31:01 Couples who open their relationships after being monogamous 

    34:20 Why is non-monogamy seemingly everywhere? 

    39:18 Americans don’t like to talk about sex 

    41:45 LGBTQ+ couples and non-monogamy 

    44:28 Learning from people who practice non-monogamy 

    46:16 Non-monogamous parents and their children 

    53:20 Non-hierarchical polyamory 

    55:30 Finding the time to sustain non-monogamous relationships   

    57:42 The future of consensual non-monogamy

    01:04:30 Where to find Dr. Moors’ work 
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About Pop Syllabus
Pop Syllabus is a show where host Christiana Mbakwe Medina deconstructs the zeitgeist and answers the big cultural questions. How did we swing from body positivity to thin-being-in? Why do so many people trust wellness influencers over medical doctors? And how did tech oligarchs become the new celebrities? Think of Christiana as a cross between a messy news anchor and guerilla academic. Each week, she and an expert guest will unpack a buzzy topic, and help us understand the moment while going through it.
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