From Their Story To Yours: A Historical Leadership Podcast

Episode 8 — Bonus Episode: Lincoln In Private with Dr. Ronald C. White

You think you know Abraham Lincoln. But have you ever met the Lincoln who wrote only for himself?

Welcome back to From Their Story To Yours — and to a very special bonus episode. Elaine sits down once again with the extraordinary Dr. Ronald C. White to explore a side of Lincoln that rarely gets the attention it deserves — the private, reflective, deeply intentional leader who used the simple act of writing short notes to himself to work through the most important questions of his day.

No audience. No political calculation. Just Lincoln, a piece of paper, and the relentless drive to work out exactly what he thought — and why.

In Lincoln In Private, Dr. White reveals how these personal notes weren't idle musings. They were a deliberate leadership practice. A way of stress testing his own arguments, sharpening his perspective, and arriving at clarity before he ever had to speak or act publicly. In a world of noise and instant reaction, Lincoln chose something radical — he slowed down and wrote it out first.

What can that teach us about how we lead ourselves today? More than you might think.

Season 1: Self Leadership continues — and it turns out one of the greatest leaders in history had a journaling practice that would make any modern leadership coach proud.

📚 Learn More About Dr. Ronald C. White:

• 🔗 Dr. Ronald C. White — Official Website
• 📖 On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain — Goodreads
• 📖 Lincoln: A Biography — Amazon
• 📖 American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant — Amazon

✨ Outfit Links from This Episode:

• 💎 Earrings: Jonathan McKinney Jewelry
• 🧣 Scarf: Lauren Good Day
• 
  

From Their Story To Yours — because the best leadership lessons aren't new. They're just waiting to be rediscovered.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 7 — The Expert: In Conversation with Dr. Ronald C. White

The lesson was Cultivate Your Curiosity. Chamberlain was the leader. Now meet the man who has spent years bringing his extraordinary story to life.

This episode, Elaine sits down with the brilliant Dr. Ronald C. White — acclaimed historian and author of On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain — for a conversation that goes deep into the man behind the moment at Little Round Top and what made him truly extraordinary.

Dr. White unpacks how Chamberlain's relentless curiosity wasn't just a personality trait — it was the very foundation of his leadership. A man who never stopped learning, never stopped questioning, and never stopped growing — even when the stakes couldn't have been higher. This is the kind of conversation that reminds you exactly why history matters today.

And if you think Dr. White's insight into Chamberlain is compelling, his work on two of America's other most iconic leaders is equally unmissable. Dr. White is also the author of celebrated books on Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant — two more leaders whose stories have so much to teach us about leading ourselves and others.

Season 1: Self Leadership continues — and this episode is proof that curiosity doesn't just open doors. Sometimes it changes the entire course of history.

📚 Learn More About Dr. Ronald C. White:

• 🔗 Dr. Ronald C. White — Official Website
• 📖 On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain — Goodreads
• 📖 Lincoln: A Biography — Amazon
• 📖 American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant — Amazon

✨ Outfit Links from This Episode:

• 💎 Earrings: Jonathan McKinney Jewelry
• 🧣 Scarf: Lauren Good Day

From Their Story To Yours — because the best leadership lessons aren't new. They're just waiting to be rediscovered.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 6 — The Reveal: Cultivate Your Curiosity

You waited. You wondered. The moment is here.

Welcome back to From Their Story To Yours — and to the reveal behind Lesson 2: Cultivate Your Curiosity.

The historical leader behind this lesson?

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

A college professor turned Union Army officer whose insatiable curiosity didn't just shape who he was — it saved the day at one of the most pivotal moments of the American Civil War. At Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg, Chamberlain faced impossible odds. But it was his lifelong habit of questioning, learning, and thinking beyond the obvious that gave him the edge when it mattered most.

Curiosity wasn't a hobby for Chamberlain. It was a survival skill. A leadership skill. And in this episode, Elaine unpacks exactly how cultivating that same hunger to learn and explore can transform the way you lead yourself every single day.

Season 1: Self Leadership continues — and this story is proof that the most powerful thing a leader can do is never stop asking questions.

And speaking of going deeper — we have a very special expert interview coming up in the next episode. We're not ready to reveal who just yet… but trust us, you are going to want to come back for this one. 👀

🔔 Hit subscribe so you don't miss the announcement.

✨ Outfit Links from This Episode:

• 🧣 Scarf: Madigan Cashmere

From Their Story To Yours — because the best leadership lessons aren't new. They're just waiting to be rediscovered.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 5 — Lesson 2: Cultivate Your Curiosity

What if the most transformative thing you could do as a leader costs nothing, requires no qualification, and is available to every single one of us?

Welcome back to From Their Story To Yours — where history's greatest leaders hand you the playbook, one lesson at a time. Your host Elaine McLoughlin is back with Lesson 2 of Season 1: Self Leadership — and this one is going to stop you in your tracks.

Lesson 2: Cultivate Your Curiosity.

This episode, Elaine introduces us to a historical figure whose hunger to learn, question, and explore didn't just define who they were — it defined what they were able to achieve. In a world that rewards certainty, this leader chose curiosity. And it changed everything.

But who are we talking about? That's the reveal — and it's coming in Episode 6. Trust us, you will not see this one coming. Come back and find out. 🎙️

Season 1: Self Leadership is in full swing — and the deeper we go, the clearer it becomes. The leaders who changed the world were always working on themselves first.

✨ Outfit Links from This Episode:

• 👚 Top: Madigan Cashmere
• 💎 Earrings: Barry Doyle Design
• 📿 Necklace: Naiomi Glasses

From Their Story To Yours — because the best leadership lessons aren't new. They're just waiting to be rediscovered.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 4 — Bonus Episode: Lincoln's Global Influence with Richard Carwardine

He shaped a nation. But his reach went far further than that.

Welcome back to From Their Story To Yours — and to a very special bonus episode. Elaine sits down once again with the brilliant Richard Carwardine to explore a side of Abraham Lincoln that doesn't get nearly enough attention: his global influence and what the world made of the man, the myth, and the leader.

How did a self-taught lawyer from rural Illinois become a symbol of hope, freedom, and leadership across the entire world? What did ordinary people in Britain, Europe, and beyond see in Lincoln that made him mean so much to so many? And what does that tell us about the kind of leadership that truly transcends borders, generations, and time?

Richard has dedicated years of scholarship to exactly these questions — and this conversation is as fascinating as it gets.

Season 1: Self Leadership continues — and it turns out, understanding how Lincoln was seen by the world tells us just as much about leading ourselves as anything else.

📚 Read More:

• 📖 Global Lincoln by Richard Carwardine — Amazon
• 🔗 Richard Carwardine — Wikipedia
• 
  

From Their Story To Yours — because the best leadership lessons aren't new. They're just waiting to be rediscovered.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 3 — The Expert: In Conversation with Richard Carwardine

The lesson was Take Your Sense of Humor Seriously. Lincoln was the leader. Now meet the man who wrote the book on it — literally.

This episode, Elaine sits down with Richard Carwardine — one of the world's foremost Lincoln scholars and the author of Lincoln's Sense of Humor — for a conversation that goes deep into the wit, wisdom, and calculated genius behind one of history's most beloved leaders. This is the kind of interview that makes you want to clear your afternoon and take notes.

Richard unpacks how Lincoln's humor wasn't just personality — it was policy. A tool he returned to again and again to navigate impossible pressure, manage difficult people, and keep himself grounded when the world was anything but. If you thought you understood Lincoln after Episode 2, this conversation is going to take you even further.

Season 1: Self Leadership continues — and this episode is proof that the best lessons don't just come from history books. Sometimes they come from the people who wrote them.

🎙️ A special thank you to Higher Ground Leadership at Gettysburg for making this conversation possible.

Higher Ground Leadership at Gettysburg

📚 Learn More About Richard Carwardine:

• 🔗 Richard Carwardine — Wikipedia
• 📖 Lincoln's Sense of Humor — Goodreads

✨ Outfit Links from This Episode:

• 🧣 Scarf: B.Yellowtail
• 
  

From Their Story To Yours — because the best leadership lessons aren't new. They're just waiting to be rediscovered.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 2 — The Reveal: Take Your Sense of Humor Seriously

You waited. You wondered. The moment is here.

Welcome back to From Their Story To Yours — and to the reveal that changes everything about how you think about humor, leadership, and what it really takes to hold it together under pressure.

The historical leader behind Lesson 1: Take Your Sense of Humor Seriously?

Abraham Lincoln.

That's right. One of the most tested, most consequential leaders in American history a man navigating a nation tearing itself apart used humor not as an escape from the weight of it all, but as a weapon, a shield, and a lifeline. His jokes weren't a distraction. They were deliberate. They disarmed opponents, steadied his cabinet, and kept him sane when the stakes couldn't have been higher.

In this episode, Elaine breaks down exactly how Lincoln wielded his wit and what that means for your leadership today. Whether you're in a boardroom, a tough conversation, or just trying to get through the week, this lesson hits differently when you see who lived it first.

Plus — coming up in this series, Elaine sits down with an expert author who has spent years studying this very topic. Their insights are going to take everything you've heard so far to a whole new level. Stay close.

Season 1: Self Leadership is just getting started — and if Episodes 1 and 2 are anything to go by, history is about to become your greatest leadership mentor.

Subscribe, share, and come back for the next lesson. 🎙️

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 1 — Lesson 1: Take Your Sense of Humor Seriously

What if one of the most powerful leadership tools you have is the one you've been told not to use at work?

Welcome to From Their Story To Yours the podcast where history's greatest leaders hand you the playbook, one lesson at a time. Your host Elaine McLoughlin is cracking open the stories behind the people who shaped the world, and pulling out the lessons that will shape you.

We're kicking off Season 1: Self Leadership because before you can lead anyone else, you have to lead yourself first. And we are starting with a big one.

Lesson 1: Take Your Sense of Humor Seriously.

This episode, Elaine introduces us to a historical figure whose wit wasn't just charming — it was strategic, disarming, and absolutely essential to their leadership. Humor wasn't a distraction from the work. It was the work.

But who is this mystery leader? You'll have to come back for Episode 2 to find out. The reveal is coming — and trust us, it's worth the wait. And if that's not enough to bring you back, this series also features an exclusive interview with an expert author who has gone deep on this very subject. You will not want to miss it.

Hit follow and subscribe to our newsletter so you don't miss a thing. 🎙️

✨ Outfit Links from This Episode:

• 👚 Top: Madigan Cashmere
• 🧣 Scarf: Lauren Good Day
• 💎 Earrings: Barry Doyle Design

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.