Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee are both professors of politics at Princeton. Together they wrote "In Covid's Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us" (Princeton University Press), named one of the best books of 2025 by The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and The Economist, and featured on The New York Times' "The Daily" and PBS NewsHour.

The book asks a question few want to spend time with: how did we actually handle the pandemic — and what would we do differently next time?

We invited Stephen and Frances on Crazy Good Turns not to relitigate COVID or assign blame, but to look back honestly so that when the next crisis comes, we do a little better.

Macedo is a political theorist who has written widely on constitutional law, ethics, and public policy; Lee is a leading scholar of Congress and political polarization.

In this episode, we discuss:

[04:53] The Book Almost No One Asked For: Why Lee wasn't sure anyone would want to read In Covid's Wake — and why she felt it needed to exist anyway.

[07:34] Why We Look Away (This Wasn't The First Time): On the strange quiet that settled after the pandemic — and the echo of 1918, when the country did much the same thing following the Spanish flu.

[14:47] No Commission, No Reckoning: We studied 9/11 and the Challenger. We never launched that kind of honest look back at COVID — and Lee explores why.

[17:23] Who Suffered the Most: How a response framed as protecting the vulnerable, they argue, so often landed hardest on essential workers, small businesses, and our kids.

[26:57] The Case for a "Team B" in Every Crisis: Macedo on what he calls an "effortful pause" — room for dissent, and a wider table than just the experts who already agree.

[38:06] Reasons for Hope: Why Macedo thinks we will do better next time, and why he's bullish on students who were in junior high in 2020.

My Sincere Thanks

Because of listeners like you, our show now ranks among the top 5% of most-downloaded podcasts by volume per month. Your support has helped take our little idea to celebrate generosity and good deeds and turn it into one of the most-listened-to podcasts available. Thank you for being part of a community that celebrates people who do good things for others.

Please help us continue to grow by subscribing on your preferred podcast platform and sharing our show with friends.

Project D.R.E.W. brings together veterans and songwriters to turn their stories of service into songs.

The nonprofit was founded by Marilyn Zeidner, Mike Winnen and Brian Ferguson in honor of Captain Drew Ferguson, an Army Green Beret and Special Forces team leader who carried a guitar with him on deployment. Frank sits down with Marilyn, Mike and Brian to talk about what happens when a veteran hears his own story sung back to him for the first time.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Story Untold: How a song can surface something a veteran has held in for 40 years or more.
• Hearing It Sung Back: What actually happens when a veteran hears his own song for the first time.
• The Lyric That Lands: The moving, powerful lines that come out of this work — including one that brings a Navy SEAL to tears.
• A Living Memorial: How Project D.R.E.W. is building what it calls "a registry of collective national memory."

Chapters:

[06:29] The Barn That Started It: How a few bands in a driveway became "Barnegie Hall" — and, eventually, a nonprofit.

[15:02] Delivering Restorative Energy: What Project D.R.E.W. actually does over one weekend — Saturday, they talk; Sunday, the song is played out loud for the first time.

[16:02] The Stories They've Never Told: How a stranger with a guitar reaches what decades of family never could.

[23:19] Why It Works: Brian Ferguson on why songwriters who never served are exactly the right people to draw a veteran's story out.

[35:15] A Crazy Good Turn: Our guests on who has done a crazy good turn for them.

[39:50] The Man in the Song: A veteran hears a song about a rescue mission — and realizes he'd been among those rescued.

[42:00] Captain Drew Ferguson's Song: The song Drew wrote as a young man, now sung by the whole room at the close of every workshop.

My Sincere Thanks

Because of listeners like you, our show now ranks among the top 5% of most-downloaded podcasts by volume per month. Your support has helped take our little idea to celebrate generosity and good deeds and turn it into one of the most-listened-to podcasts available. Thank you for being part of a community that celebrates people who do good things for others.

Please help us continue to grow by subscribing on your preferred podcast platform and sharing our show with friends.

Lindy Wood is the founder of Westonwood Ranch, a 10-acre working farm in the Florida Panhandle. When her son Weston was diagnosed with autism fifteen years ago, she realized a terrifying "services cliff" awaited him—and millions of others—the moment they transitioned into adulthood.

Rather than letting her son fall, Lindy built an extraordinary hands-on community where teens and young adults with autism learn life-changing job and life skills. Today, the ranch has grown from serving just four individuals to a full-time program supporting 60 participants.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The "Services Cliff": Why ending high school is a frightening reality for families.

• Growing the Vision: How Westonwood Ranch expanded to a full-time program serving 60 young adults.

• The Power of Small Milestones: Why learning to use a microwave became an emotional victory.

• A Crazy Good Turn: The incredible gift Lindy still has trouble processing.

[04:12] The Diagnosis: How a 2-year-old's diagnosis sparked a much larger, lifesaver vision.

[07:45] The "Services Cliff": Why society stops providing resources just when those with IDD need them most.

[12:30] Building Westonwood Ranch: How a 10-acre working farm went from serving four young adults to 60.

[19:15] The Microwave Milestone: Why small achievements are massive emotional victories for families.

[25:40] An Unbelievable Turn: Lindy shares a "crazy good" gift that changed everything for the ranch.

[31:10] Finding Meaningful Work: Lessons on neurodiversity, inclusion, and the simple dignity of labor.

My Sincere Thanks

Because of listeners like you, our show now ranks among the top 5% of most-downloaded podcasts by volume per month. Your support has helped take our little idea to celebrate generosity and good deeds and turn it into one of the most-listened-to podcasts available. Thank you for being part of a community that celebrates people who do good things for others.

Please help us continue to grow by subscribing on your preferred podcast platform and sharing our show with friends.

Luke Mickelson is the founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit dedicated to building and delivering beds to children who don't have one. What started as a family project in an Idaho garage has grown into a global organization with nearly 400 chapters and more than 300,000 beds delivered to date.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The moment Luke discovered that kids in his own town were sleeping on the floor—and why that was so shocking.

• The Christmas project that helped Luke see poverty through the eyes of a six-year-old.

• How TV personality Mike Rowe got involved—and helped spark a national movement.

• What actually happens at a bed build—and why volunteers keep coming back.

• The 150,000+ kids currently on their waiting list and the plan to reach them.

Chapters & Timed Links:

[04:12] The "Garage" Start: Why great American stories often begin in small, unheated spaces.

[08:45] The Discovery: Realizing "bedlessness" was a crisis in a town of only 4,000 people.

[12:30] The First Design: How Luke measured his daughter's bed to build furniture for the first time.

[17:15] Haley's Story: Seeing the impact of a bed through the eyes of a six-year-old.

[23:40] Avoiding "Mission Creep": Why saying "no" to teddy bears helped SHP scale to 400 chapters.

[31:20] The Mike Rowe Effect: How the Returning the Favor program launched 125 chapters in one year.

[40:05] More Than a Bed: The physical and emotional weight of a good night's sleep.

Bill Gurley is a venture capitalist known for early investments in Uber, Grubhub, Zillow and many others. Gurley joins us to discuss "Running Down a Dream," his new book — which is full of career advice that is as surprising as it is useful.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Power of Mentorship: Why Bill feels a moral urge to share what he's learned with the world.

• The "Safe" Path Trap: Why the jobs your parents think are safe might actually be the most dangerous in the age of AI.

• The Peer Group Secret: Why sharing your best ideas with others actually makes you more successful than hoarding them.

• Finding Your Obsession: Why Bill looks for "fascination" rather than just "passion."

She's the mom of a child with a rare condition, and she wouldn't take "no" for an answer from doctors. He walked 500 miles for his granddaughter, who has the same condition. Together, they're helping a foundation develop a gene therapy treatment faster and cheaper than the big pharma giants.

Today, we speak with Nicole Johnson, founder of the FOXG1 Research Foundation, and Tom Horton, former CEO of American Airlines. Together, they are proving that a lean, parent-led organization can achieve breakthroughs usually reserved for billion-dollar pharmaceutical giants.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Startup Model for Science: How Nicole and Tom applied "lean startup" principles to fund a lab and launch a clinical trial.

• 500 Miles for a Cure: Tom Horton shares the lessons learned from his 500-mile walk carrying the names and prayers of children who cannot walk themselves.

• Defying the Odds: An update on Josie, the beautiful 14-year-old who inspired the movement.

• A Blueprint for Others: Why this breakthrough provides hope for thousands of other rare diseases left on the shelf.

Chapters & Timed Links:

• [04:22] The Diagnosis: Nicole recounts the moment she was told "there's nothing you can do" and why she refused to believe it.

• [10:15] Building the Lab: How the FOXG1 Research Foundation created a new model for gene therapy at a fraction of the usual cost.

• [18:40] The 500-Mile Journey: Tom Horton discusses his walk and the "Gianna effect" that drives his fundraising.

• [25:55] The Science of Hope: Why FOXG1 research holds the key to treating conditions like Autism and Alzheimer's.

• [33:10] Staring Down the Impossible: Nicole's advice for anyone told that their goal is unreachable.

My Sincere Thanks

Because of listeners like you, our show now ranks among the top 5% of most-downloaded podcasts by volume per month. Your support has helped take our little idea to celebrate generosity and good deeds, and turn it into one of the most listened-to podcasts available. Thank you for being part of a community that celebrates people who do good things for others.

Walter Martin spent decades making and playing music, most famously with the indie rock bands Jonathan Fire*Eater and The Walkmen. Recently, he's started a new crazy good turn, helping people like you and me rediscover the joy of music through his Walter Martin Radio Hour show and Substack.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How a single instrument (like the organ) can change how you hear a song.

• Why Walter chooses positivity over rock criticism.

• Moving past the "judgmental" years to love bands you once dismissed.

• The "Crazy Good Turn" of human-to-human music discovery.

Chapters & Timed Links:

[05:07] The Austin Kleon Connection: How two creators found each other through "the magic of the internet."

[07:29] From NYC to Upstate: The origin of The Walter Martin Radio Hour.

[10:16] The Classical Club: Why Walter is diving deep into Strauss and Stravinsky.

[12:07] The Organ Episode: Learning to hear the difference between a Hammond and a Farfisa.

[21:43] Breaking the "Teenage Rules": How Walter learned to love the Grateful Dead and Neil Young.

[23:52] Walter's Favorite new musician right now.

[28:57] Walter's Songs: Discussing "The Rat" and the autobiographical beauty of "The Soldier."

[31:33] Who's done a Crazy Good Turn for Walter?

Frank Blake sits down with Goodwill Industries CEO Steve Preston and truck driver Michael West to discuss the organization's "second chance" mission. From running adult high schools in prisons to providing career paths for those overcoming addiction and incarceration, this is the story of how a 125-year-old mission is still changing lives today.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The surprising scale of Goodwill: 650 job centers and 50 adult high schools.

• Michael West's personal journey from addiction and incarceration to homeownership.

• Why Steve Preston left the C-suite and the Cabinet to lead a "difficult-to-hire" mission.

• The "Edgar Helms" philosophy: Turning charity into a chance.

• How employers can unlock a massive, untapped labor pool.

Chapters:

• [01:38] The Personal Mission: Steve Preston on transitioning from HUD Secretary to Goodwill CEO.

• [06:02] A Missionary in Boston: The 125-year history of Edgar Helms and the birth of Goodwill.

• [12:22] From Processor to Driver: Michael West shares his path from community service to a career in trucking.

• [16:55] A Goodwill Wedding: The community and family culture within the organization.

• [21:33] The Untapped Labor Pool: Why employers should look "beyond the label" of past incarceration.

• [26:52] The Future of Work: How AI and tech-skills training are reaching low-wage workers.

• [31:33] The "Internet Trash" Problem: Steve addresses the common false narratives about the organization.

We invite you to share your feedback about this show with us on social media. We're @crazygoodturns on all of the platforms.

Don't forget to subscribe or follow us on the podcast service of your choice. If you already subscribe, we'd really appreciate a 5-star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687

We appreciate your listening and sharing our episodes. Thank you!

Crazy Good Turns received more than 500 nominations from listeners like you seeking to recognize organizations that are helping others. In this show, we reveal five winners selected to receive a $10,000 grant.

They are:

The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation: Founded by a man who was wrongly imprisoned for sixteen years. Since being exonerated, he's used his own money to free others who've been falsely accused.

Locker #505: A student clothing bank serving disadvantaged kids in Albuquerque in a special way.

Gotta Have Sole: The amazing story of a 5-year-old boy who visited a homeless shelter, wanted to help, and went on to launch a nonprofit that gives children brand new shoes.

Bridge of Hearts: A group of retired North Carolina teachers came up with a creative way to serve the needs of schoolchildren.

Golden String: An Ohio organization that provides residential care, life skills, and other support to hundreds of people with disabilities.

Don't forget to subscribe or follow us on the podcast service of your choice. If you already subscribe, we'd really appreciate a 5-star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687

We appreciate your listening and sharing our episodes. Thank you!

Grey Bull Rescue helps innocent Americans who are stranded, imprisoned, or otherwise trapped in dangerous situations around the globe.

BRYAN STERN founded Grey Bull in August 2021, during the fall of Afghanistan. Since that time, Grey Bull has helped rescue more than 8,000 Americans in 800 different missions.

Stern's own story begins decades earlier. As a young Army intelligence officer, he was at Ground Zero on the day of 9/11, and narrowly avoided being trapped by the collapsing towers. He went on to serve a full and highly decorated military career.

In this episode, Stern discusses his path from the World Trade Center to today, and the missions he and his team of brave volunteers conduct around the globe today.

Don't forget to subscribe or follow us on the podcast service of your choice. If you already subscribe, we'd really appreciate a 5-star review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crazy-good-turns/id1137217687

We appreciate your listening and sharing our episodes. Thank you!