logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2025
1h 2m

Leaders Who Shaped the Future

Dr. Roy Casagranda
About this episode
Why does leadership matter, and how do small decisions ripple across the future? Dr. Roy begins with the hidden dangers of implicit bias, from medicine to global politics, before diving into the story of Theodore Roosevelt. From cowboy adventurer to America’s youngest president, Roosevelt’s choices reshaped U.S. foreign policy, transformed the presidency, an ... Show More
Up next
Feb 2026
Genocide & Dreams: Iraq
Iraq’s modern history is often told through war and geopolitics, but far less often through memory, trauma, and survival. In this lecture, Dr. Roy explores Iraq through the intertwined lenses of genocide, imperial ambition, and the fragile dreams that persist in the aftermath of ... Show More
1h 46m
Feb 2026
Activism in the US: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Activism has shaped the United States at every stage of its history, but not always in the ways we remember. In this lecture, Dr. Roy traces the evolution of American activism from labor movements and civil rights struggles to modern protest culture, examining how power actually ... Show More
2h 6m
Jan 2026
Cyrus The Great
Cyrus the Great ruled at a rare moment when empires could have chosen domination or cooperation. In this lecture, Dr. Roy traces the rise of the Persian Empire under Cyrus, exploring how conquest, restraint, and an unprecedented vision of tolerance reshaped the ancient world. Dr. ... Show More
1h 20m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
<p>"Speak softly and carry a big stick."</p><br><p>The youngest President ever, Lieutenant Colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, uncle to Eleanor Roosevelt, fifth cousin to FDR, and a keen huntsman; Theodore Roosevelt is consistently remembered as one of the United States' top 5 P ... Show More
45m 34s
Jul 2023
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dive into the early life and rise to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. We'll also learn about his diagnosis of polio, his rehabilitation, and the hard work and determination it required to become a senator and then the President of the United States of America.Get $10 off ... Show More
10m 14s
Aug 2024
President Theodore Roosevelt
<p>What kind of a nickname is Bull Moose? How progressive was Theodore Roosevelt's presidency? And how does his legacy live on?</p><br><p>Don is joined once again by Michael Patrick Cullinane, historian of American politics, an award-winning author, and the Lowman Walton Chair of ... Show More
41m 22s
Sep 2025
Buying the Presidency
Money and politics have always been intertwined in America, but before the days of Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg, there was Rockerfeller, Carnegie and Morgan, titans of industry whose political power may have become absolute if they hadn’t underestimated an upstart politician by the ... Show More
40m 17s
Aug 2025
Teddy Roosevelt: The Original Bro
Before there were finance bros, tech bros, or even frat bros… there was Teddy Roosevelt. This week, we dive into how a sickly rich kid from Manhattan reinvented himself as a rough-and-tumble cowboy, a Rough Rider, and eventually a trust-busting progressive president who helped pu ... Show More
1h 10m
Apr 2022
What Leadership Looks Like
From workplaces to schools to national governments, leaders everywhere are being called on to solve complex problems with humility and bravery. This hour, we consider what it takes to be a leader. Guests include executive coach Patrice Gordon, organizational psychologist Tomas Ch ... Show More
49m 41s
Oct 2024
A Lifetime of Leadership with President Joe Biden
Leadership is deeply personal. As people change, the way they lead has to change, too. Few leaders have navigated as much change as Joe Biden. He was elected to the Senate at 29 and will end his time as President at 82. The number of things he has witnessed and been a part of ove ... Show More
32m 52s
Sep 2023
The Rough Rider and the Professor with Laurence Jurdem
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 famousl ... Show More
41 m
Feb 2023
127: Mr. Wilson Goes to Washington (Progressive Policies & Foreign Affairs in South America)
“It would be the irony of fate if my administration had to deal chiefly with foreign affairs.”This is the story of the lesser-known aspects of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency–the events outside of World War I.The Progressive Era is still in full force as Woodrow Wilson enters the Whi ... Show More
56m 50s
Jun 2024
Awakening the Spirit of America with Paul Sparrow
If you are interested in the 1930s and 1940s, or have wondered how the rapid growth of authoritarianism in today’s political climate mirrors that of WWII, this is an episode for you. Sharon McMahon is joined by author Paul Sparrow to discuss his new book, Awakening the Spirit of ... Show More
38m 11s