logo
episode-header-image
Today
10m 49s

One of America’s Greatest Business Leade...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

On this episode of Our American Stories, long before leading ten publicly traded companies, Jerre Stead was waking up at 3 a.m. to deliver newspapers in rural Iowa. In this story, Stead explains how running a paper route at age nine—through snowstorms, strict deadlines, difficult customers, and personal loss—taught him the fundamentals of leadership, ethics, and responsibility. Those early mornings shaped how he later led companies, treated people, and built cultures rooted in trust and performance.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
The Rise of Adolf Hitler: Why a Nation Chose Tyranny
On this episode of Our American Stories, the Third Reich lasted just twelve years, but the destruction it unleashed reshaped the world forever. In this episode, we examine the rise of Adolf Hitler—not as a sudden coup, but as a political ascent made possible through elections, in ... Show More
38m 16s
Today
Weapons of World War II: Barbed Wire, Mines, Guns, and Artillery
On this episode of Our American Stories, historian Stephen Ambrose explains how World War II was actually fought, not just with tanks and planes, but with weapons that were often refinements of much older designs. From barbed wire and land mines to machine guns and artillery, Amb ... Show More
9m 29s
Today
Atlanta’s “Romulus and Remus”: The Texas, the General, and a City Built by Rail
On this episode of Our American Stories, The Texas is one of the last surviving locomotives of the Western & Atlantic Railroad, the line that helped create Atlanta, and played a starring role as the pursuit engine in the Great Locomotive Chase during the Civil War. Jackson McQuig ... Show More
17m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2025
I Called the Police on My Serial Killer Dad
As a child, April Balascio noticed that people would often vanish. One time it was a labourer working for her dad, another time it was a young couple in town. Then as an adult, April started googling cold cases in her childhood towns. In 2009 she got a match and called the police ... Show More
1h 10m
Dec 2020
From a ‘Street Kid’ in Uganda to Foster Dad in America
<p>Peter Mutabazi spent his childhood feeling alone and forgotten in the streets of Kampala, Uganda, until the generosity of one family changed his life forever.</p><p>That family taught Peter about the love of Jesus Christ and what it meant to be loved and affirmed. Now, as a fo ... Show More
25m 8s
Feb 2025
Alan Cumming
<p>In this deeply personal episode, Monica chats with actor and <em>Traitors</em> presenter Alan Cumming, who shares his story of surviving an abusive childhood with a father obsessed with his hair and the lasting impact it left on him. He reflects on the power of speaking openly ... Show More
51m 10s
Jan 2025
Minnesota Man Caught in Blind Mule Drug Trafficking Scam
<p>Rodney Baldus, a retired truck driver from Minnesota, believes he is the recipient of a large inheritance belonging to his late wife. The inheritance is in Italy, but he is told he must first fly to Africa to sign papers before going on to Italy. Since his travel expenses are ... Show More
48m 50s
Apr 2024
Episode 78: The Chicken Whackers Pt. 1
A man named Luke originally reached out to the show on behalf of his younger brother. His brother Keegan left home to hitchhike and travel the country, which eventually turned into living on the street for years. When the family finally got Keegan off the street, he had many stor ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 2024
#530: Dad fakes it to the border
<p>Dad went out for a carton of milk? Jim and Kathy explore the story of a father and husband who supposedly went missing in a tragic kayaking incident, but as the story unfolds; they discover that things aren't what they seem. A double life is unveiled and the truth is somewhere ... Show More
22m 7s
Jul 2018
Catfishing Strangers To Find Myself | With Cory Michael Smith
<p>As a teenager in Finland, Kalle Oskari Mattila was trying to figure out who he was. For help, he turned to Pamela Anderson. Cory Michael Smith (&quot;1985,&quot; &quot;Gotham&quot;) performed his story live at the Provincetown Film Festival.</p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a hre ... Show More
21m 1s
Aug 2025
Father of Three Faked His Own Death To Runaway With Woman He Met Online
A Wisconsin judge sentences a husband and father to twice the amount of time recommended after he duped authorities and his family into believing he drowned while kayaking at a lake, all so he could make a new life overseas with an Eastern European woman. Amy and T.J. go over the ... Show More
21m 3s