Sharon is joined today by cultural historian and author Colin Dickey, to discuss America’s fascination with conspiracies, and fear of secret societies. In his new book, Under the Eye of Power, Colin walks through the history of how paranoia is woven into the very fabric of The United States from its inception, and how conspiratorial thinking and even the most irrational beliefs reach the mainstream. From the Salem Witch Trials to Freemasonry to the Satanic Panic, the Illuminati, and QAnon, Colin breaks down this cycle in history and explains why people of all walks of life subscribe to conspiracy theories, and what can be done to break the cycle.

Special thanks to our guest, Colin Dickey, for joining us today.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Colin Dickey

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon sits down with Dr. Devorah Heitner, author of Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World and Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World. At a time where every minor detail, fleeting thought, and potential misstep can be publicly documented and scrutinized online, how are parents, teenagers, and mentors expected to navigate growing up in the digital age? We all want the “right” answers, and have valid questions such as, when is it ok for a kid to have their own phone? How does one safely help their child navigate texting and social media? And where is the line between allowing someone to make mistakes, learn from them, and move forward, versus having controversial posts haunt them the rest of their lives? Let’s dive in together, with radical empathy, for kids who are growing up in a digital world.

Special thanks to our guest, Devorah Heitner, for joining us today.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Devorah Heitner

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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On today’s episode, Sharon is joined by author and professor Laurence Jurdem to discuss his book, The Rough Rider and the Professor, about the unusual thirty-five-year political friendship between President Theodore Roosevelt and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. While Roosevelt famously “rose like a rocket,” in the political spotlight with his larger-than-life personality, it was arguably his machiavellian friend Cabot who lit the fuse, and used his vast social network to boost Roosevelt. In his research, Laurence Jurdem immersed himself in 2,500 letters of archives from the Massachusetts Historical Society to write the story of this unique Presidential friendship, and to remind us that close, meaningful friendships do not always have to perfectly align politically. We can disagree without being disagreeable. 

Special thanks to our guest, Laurence Jurdem, for joining us today.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Laurence Jurdem

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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Sharon’s guest today is Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of American Prometheus, which is the biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer that the blockbuster Christopher Nolan film was based on. Join us while Kai shares his experience of what it was like to have his work turned into a historically accurate major motion picture, and how he conducted the research required to capture the life of Oppenheimer. If you are interested in learning more about the mid-Century, World War II, his wife Kitty, or what happened to them immediately after the war, you will not want to miss this episode. 

Special thanks to our guest, Kai Bird, for joining us today.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Kai Bird

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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American Democracy has faced some challenging times, living through a modern day political crisis. Today, Sharon is joined by Harvard professors of government, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt to dig into all things Democracy. In their new book, Tyranny of the Minority, they explore how democracies break down throughout history and find the striking pattern that political minorities often govern over political majorities. Factor in the unsettling truth that the Constitution – even with its brilliance and reverence – has flaws, which limit the power of majorities, and we’re left wondering: Why have we stopped working to reform and improve the Constitution over the last half century? What are other Democracies doing to fight Authoritarianism? And what is a “Constitutional Republic” in relation to a Democracy? 

Special thanks to our guests, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, for joining us today.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guests: Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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

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On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, we’re discussing all things public schools: The good, the bad, and the controversial. Joining Sharon is Dr. Bettina Love, Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University who has a new book out: Punished for Dreaming. Between chronic school underfunding, pressure placed on standardized testing, the devaluing of educators, teacher burnout, and a list of ongoing systemic challenges, many agree that something needs to change in the school system. The word “reform” is bandied about, but what does “reform” actually mean? And how do school segregation issues – past and present – show up, and impact education for generations to come?

Special thanks to our guest, Dr. Bettina L. Love, for joining us today.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Dr. Bettina L. Love

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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We’re joined today by returning guest, Jasmine Holmes, to dive into the state of Black history education in America, and to discuss her new book, Crowned with Glory: How Proclaiming the Truth of Black Dignity Has Shaped American History. Jasmine shares about Black abolitionists who fought for the dignity of their fellow mankind based on the principle that because people are created in God’s image, they have inherent dignity, worth, and human rights. When pockets of resistance throughout history are glossed over and forgotten about, and curricula are revised to be more palatable, how is one to broaden their perception of American history in a way that does not do it a disservice?

Special thanks to our guest, Jasmine Holmes, for joining us today.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Jasmine Holmes

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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In today’s episode, Sharon is joined by Esau McCaulley for a powerful conversation about his new book, How Far to the Promised Land. In his memoir, he took the story of his family and showed the struggles of Black people in America intergenerationally. 

Esau shares how it’s vital to understand how the stories of our ancestors – though they might seem insignificant – impact and shape generations to come. In a country that highly values “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps,” and the underdog, Esau questions the narrative that we achieve entirely on our own, and asks why our society requires exceptionalism from Black people. 

Special thanks to our guest, Esau McCaulley, for joining us today.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Esau McCaulley

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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On today’s episode, Sharon welcomes back Danielle Coke Balfour, who you may know as founder and illustrator of “Oh Happy Dani.” Sharon chats with Dani about her new book, “A Heart on Fire: 100 Meditations on Loving Your Neighbors Well.” At a time when it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the 24-hour news cycle and information overload, Danielle pauses and shares that it’s important to, “let each day be the evidence of a heart on fire,” by living in alignment with your values. In her book, she helps reframe the daunting realities of daily life by identifying common themes, and focusing on tending to our own important work, in the season we’re in, to better serve the whole. 

Special thanks to our guest, Danielle Coke Balfour, for joining us today.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Danielle Coke Balfour

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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

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Today, Sharon welcomes back comedian and writer Taylor Wolfe to discuss her heartwarming memoir, Birdie & Harlow - Life, Loss, and Loving My Dog So Much I Didn't Want Kids (Until I Did). You might know Taylor from following her online at The Daily Tay, where she’s known for her entertaining videos and impressions of influencers, along with characters we’re all too familiar with from everyday life. Together, they discuss the nuance of modern motherhood when everyone has an opinion, the need for laughter even among deep grief, and how everyone is their own kind of weird. If you have a pet you love dearly or if you’ve faced the challenges of navigating what a chosen family may look like – all with a dose of lighthearted humor – this is for you.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Taylor Wolfe

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

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

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