Even though her family says American politicians 'are all crooks,' Sarah Smarsh was asked to run for Senate after she became a rare voice of an ignored part of America; the white, poor, rural working class. She choose not to go to run for office but instead wrote another book about her life in Kansas while working to save the prairies and fight against the stereotypes that paint her people as backwards.

The solution to American polarization? More honky-tonks, dancing and bourbon.

Her favorite landscape? The American prairie where she lives.

American movie? Wizard of Oz (even though everyone always says to her, 'You're not in Kansas anymore.")

Dinner party guests (dead or alive)? Dolores Huerta. Jodie Foster. Toni Morrison.

Three words to describe America? Stressed, militarized and empire. The USA spends to much money policing the world and underinvests in taking care of its own people.

We need to immerse kids in more ambiguity, says headteacher Josh Clark, who is also on the board of the National Association of Independent Schools. How do the divisions in America manifest in schools?

Is pressure to say the right thing and give the 'correct answer' stifling debate and critical thinking in classrooms? Why have kids lost the ability to put themselves in another person's shoes? Does simplification of complicated issues create less empathy?

Josh Clark's dad was a prison warder which meant Josh grew up in the warder's house inside a prison complex in Hopewell, Virginia. "My first friend in life was Nelson. Nelson was an inmate who worked in our yard. He smuggled cocaine into the country in a private plane in the 70s. I was seven. I thought he walked on water."

Growing up in the dynamic of the federal prison system gave Josh a perspective that informs his views on right, wrong, legal, illegal and the need to understand ambiguities and embrace complexity.

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Josh Clark would love to time travel to the 1850's just before the Civil War when the country was dealing with what it meant to be an American. As a Southerner, who grew up Mississippi, he is intrigued by a country that was grappling with itself and at the same time embracing transcendentalism. He lists his favorite books from the pre-Civil War days, written during an time of national tension. Leaves of Grass, Moby Dick and the Scarlet Letter.

Motto: Make it New.

Best President: Abraham Lincoln.

Greatest fear for America: Apathy

What can bring Americans together in divided times? Football, of course. And in particular, college football in the South. (Go Tennessee...)

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What does it mean to die for America? What is it like losing men under your command? Why do so many American civilians dress up like soldiers in camouflage gear and carry deadly weapons of war? (Lt. Gen Mark Hertling has strong opinions about that...)

General Mark Hertling earned the Purple Heart in Operation Desert Storm and commanded the US Army Europe and Seventh Army. He's a Westpoint graduate and has numerous university degrees.

When she was a CNN anchor, Robyn Curnow and Mark Hertling had numerous conversations on air about battles, wars or terror attacks, but now Robyn gets a chance to ask Mark all the questions she never had the chance to during breaking news.

In this episode they dive into what it means to be an American soldier in divided times.

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Why do so many American civilians dress up like soldiers in camouflage gear and carry deadly weapons of war? Lt. Gen Mark Hertling talks about what makes a soldier, and what it means to die for America. Hertling earned the Purple Heart in Operation Desert Storm and commanded the US Army Europe and Seventh Army.

When she was a CNN anchor, Robyn Curnow and Mark Hertling had numerous conversations on air about battles, wars or terror attacks, but now Robyn gets a chance to ask Mark all the questions she never had the chance to during breaking news.

In this episode they dive into what it means to be an American soldier in divided times.

What is Kamala Harris like? Why do Trump voters believe he's on their side?

US Army veteran and a former Democratic Party wunderkind, Jason Kander says he 'sorta ran for President.' He's also ran for Senate along with Kamala Harris so he knows what it's like working with her.

Kander pulled back from public life after admitting he was struggling with PTSD from his time serving in Afghanistan. His book Invisible Storm, a soldier's memoir of politics and PTSD is a New York Times bestseller.

Even though he's no longer in politics he - like everyone in the US - has an opinion on this election.

In this episode, Robyn and Jason talk about who their neighbors might vote for (Robyn is in Atlanta, Jason is in Kansas City) and whether Kamala Harris's progressive agenda is a 'bridge to far' for some, and what that might mean for the vote in November.

Listen now!

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Jason Kander tells the (funny) story of when checked himself into a military psych ward for PTSD

Jason Kander was 'sorta' running to be President when he realized he needed to back out of politics because he was suffering from PTSD after a deployment in Afghanistan. His New York Times Best Selling book is called Invisible Storm, a Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD.

In a humorous account of when he checked himself into a military psychiatric ward, he explains to Robyn Curnow why the doctor thought he was hear ing voices (President Obama really did suggest he should run for President.) With the benefit of perspective and a healthy dose of therapy, Kander talks about the army, mental health and fighting for America.

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Jason Kander on his Field of Dreams and New York New York!

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Listen to a fast-moving summary of what to expect from Robyn Curnow's new podcast called Searching for America.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia after decades reporting around the world for CNN, Robyn Curnow wants to understand what it means to be an American in 2024.

In this trailer she asks Democrats, Republicans, head teachers, ex-CIA officers, US Army Generals, Pulitzer prize winning journalists and photographers, Presidential historians and Americans from across the political spectrum why the country is divided and what can be done to bring people together.

Make sure to tune into her bi-weekly podcasts on Tuesdays and Thursdays

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