Serve to Lead® | James Strock
by Mobilizing Citizenship for America's Fourth Founding.
The Serve to Lead podcast includes conversations on a range of contemporary and historical topics. The common theme is advancing our shared American national identity. James Strock writes ‘The New Nationalist’ at Substack. jamesstrock.substack.com
Episodes
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Bruce Friedrich | ‘Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity’s Favorite Food--and Our Future'
Bruce Friedrich, founder and president of the Good Food Institute (GFI), is the author of an important, highly acclaimed new book, Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity’s Favorite Food—and Our Future. Dedicated Website: meatbook.org GFI brings together diverse...
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James Tyson Currie | 'Missouri Mule: How Harry Truman’s Stubbornness and Determination Helped Win World War II and Led Him to the Presidency'
James Tyson Currie combines academic rigor with the savvy garnered from experience in government to illuminate a critical, little-explored turn of American history: Missouri Mule: How Harry Truman’s Stubbornness and Determination Helped Win World War II and Led Him to the Presidency. In four…
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Michael Patrick Cullinane | 'Theodore Roosevelt and the Tennis Cabinet'
Michael Patrick Cullinane is acclaimed as at the top rung of Theodore Roosevelt scholars of his generation. His latest book, Theodore Roosevelt and the Tennis Cabinet, has garnered enthusiastic reviews, including in the Wall Street Journal. Cullinane combines a scholar’s exacting standards with…
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Derek Leebaert | Lessons from History as US Unleashes War Against Iran
A key element of President Trump’s election victory in 2016 was his robust rejection of the “forever wars” that the United States has elected to wage in in the postwar era. In his second term, the president has overseen a hyperkinetic foreign policy. From calling for the annexation of Canada and...
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Kourosh Ziabari | Award-Winning Iranian Journalist Offers Singular Perspective
The United States and Iran are at war. Coordinated US-Israel attacks on February 28, 2026, have unleashed a conflict of unclear objectives and uncertain duration. President Trump unilaterally ordered commencement of offensive operations. There has been no express congressional authorization, much...
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R.R. Reno | 'Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism, and the Future of the West'
From Israel and Palestine to Ukraine and Russia, from China to the various European Union member states, nationalism is surging. The UK Brexit referendum of 2016, followed by Donald Trump’s shock victory in the US presidential election, were milestones in a new populist moment. Nationalism is a...
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David S. Brown | 'In the Arena: Theodore Roosevelt in War, Peace, and Revolution'
David S. Brown is a prolific author who applies academic rigor and a literary sensibility to illuminate key moments and personalities through American history. His highly praised new book, In the Arena: Theodore Roosevelt in War, Peace, and Revolution, analyzes a leader like no other in a time…
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Philip K Howard-3 | 'Saving Can-Do: How to Revive the Spirit of America'
PHILIP K. HOWARD is a distinguished lawyer, best-selling author, and proven civic leader. He is chair of Common Good, a nonpartisan organization aimed at simplifying government. In his new book, Saving Can-Do: How to Revive the Spirit of America, Howard untangles the gordian knot of populism and...
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Samuel George | 'Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals'
Critical minerals are the new oil—and the global competition for the clean energy future is on. As nations around the world transition toward a cleaner, more diversified portfolio of energy sources, the spotlight is turning to critical minerals. Lithium and other minerals have uses from electric...
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Luke Nichter | Trump at 6 Months: A Preliminary Assessment
We are in the midst of a series of transformations—political, financial, economic, international, and cultural. At the center of our public affairs for the past decade—for better or worse or a bit of both depending on your point of view—is President Donald Trump. New York Times reporter Peter…
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Eric Storm | 'Nationalism: A World History'
University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer argues that “Nationalism is the most powerful political ideology on the planet.” Nationalism is flaring across the world in the 2020s. The Russia-Ukraine War can be comprehended as a contest of competing nationalist visions. Nationalist...
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John M Cooper | Woodrow Wilson in Context
Woodrow Wilson was widely admired throughout the twentieth century. Surveys of scholars often included him among the higher ranks of presidents. Many of his critics acknowledged his administration as among the most consequential in our history. In the early twenty-first century Wilson’s star has...
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Elisabeth Griffith | American Women Making History: Past, Present & Future
In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, historian, educator, author, and activist Elisabeth Griffith discusses American Women Making History: Past, Present & Future. Dr. Griffith considers a range of issues, including: her wide-angle view of the state of women in the US today; the...
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Wade Davis | 'Beneath the Surface of Things: New and Selected Essays'
Anthropology is the study of what makes us human. With memorable elan, Wade Davis applies anthropology as a platform for exploring and illuminating a range of phenomena. A polymath possessing a restless intellect and unflagging energy, Davis explores the further reaches of the planet as well as...
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Ken Khachigian | 'Behind Closed Doors: In the Room with Reagan and Nixon'
In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, author Ken Khachigian discusses his important, highly readable, and critically acclaimed new book, Behind Closed Doors: In the Room with Reagan and Nixon. Khachigian has achieved a storied career in American politics. He has been a participant in some...
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Megan Gorman | 'All the Presidents' Money: How the Men Who Governed America Governed Their Money'
In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, author Megan Gorman illuminates a little explored aspect of our best-known political figures: their personal finances. We all know George Washington was our first president, our first of all firsts—First in War, First in Peace, First in the Hearts of...
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Juergen Resch | Echoes of 1924? Understanding Germany's Shock Elections
Germany sustained a political earthquake in recent elections in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony. The parties of the national governing coalition sustained grievous losses—and a populist surge propelled the right-wing Alliance for Germany to record votes. Some sense ominous echoes of…
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Elliot Ackerman | '2054: A Novel'
Elliot Ackerman is a widely respected writer. His reach extends across fiction and non-fiction, from novels to essays to memoir and commentary. He is an exemplar of Theodore Roosevelt’s ideal of service combining thought and action. In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Ackerman discusses...
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Kourosh Ziabari | Iran, America, and Our Intertwined Destinies
In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, noted journalist Kourosh Ziabari shares his perspective on the intertwined destinies of Iran and America. Ziabari represents a rising generation in Iran and the US. Currently enrolled in the master’s program of the Columbia Journalism School, he has...
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Benn Steil | 'The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and The Fate of The American Century'
Benn Steil is an award-winning writer in the fields of finance, history, and biography. He is a senior fellow and director of international economics at the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations in New York. In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Steil discusses his important new book,...
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Philip K Howard | 'Everyday Freedom: Designing the Framework for a Flourishing Society'
Philip K Howard is a leading reformer of American law and government. He combines thought and action: A prolific, best-selling writer and frequent commentator who founded the non-partisan group, Common Good. He is the author of an eagerly awaited new book, Everyday Freedom: Designing the…
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Ted Van Dyk | Lessons from a Witness to American History
Can America overcome the political polarization and dysfunction afflicting us in recent decades? Or are our circumstances so dire and unprecedented that decline is inevitable and history holds few lessons? If you’re a pessimist, veteran political commentator and public official Ted Van Dyk would...
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Richard Norton Smith | 'An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford'
Richard Norton Smith is at the top tier of American presidential historians. He is the author of the highly acclaimed new biography: An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. Smith is widely recognized for his regular appearances on the PBS News Hour, as well...
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Sasha Stone | Writer on Political, Cultural Change
Sasha Stone is a pioneering blogger and founder of Awards Daily, as well as a widely-read, provocative Substack, “Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning.” She is on the vanguard of the realignment and re-sorting underway in our politics and culture. Sasha Stone’s lived experience is...
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Derek Leebaert | 'Unlikely Heroes: Franklin Roosevelt, His Four Lieutenants, and the World They Made'
Derek Leebaert—historian, strategist, organizational leadership and management consultant, and bestselling author of a series of critically acclaimed books—has written an outstanding and timely new work: Unlikely Heroes: Franklin Roosevelt, His Four Lieutenants, and the World They Made. In this...
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Ashley Tellis | 'Grasping Greatness: Making India a Leading Power'
Amid the kaleidoscopic changes testing and recasting the post-1945 liberal world order, none is more significant—and consequential—than the ascent of India. India and the United States have long maintained a unique relationship. Each nation is a post-colonial power. Each achieved independence…
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Brooks Newmark | Founder, Angels for Ukraine, Spiritual Descendant of Oskar Schindler
Brooks Newmark is co-founder of Angels for Ukraine. He is serving on the scene, organizing the safekeeping and relocation of thousands of women and children amid the devastation unleashed by the Russian invasion that began on February 24, 2022. In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast…
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Jonathan Darman | 'Becoming FDR: The Personal Crisis That Made a President'
Amid the uncertainty and sense of lack of leadership in American politics and government, and other sectors, there’s a burst of interest in one of our most consequential presidents: Franklin Roosevelt. In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, award-winning presidential historian and…
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Steven Koonin | Climate Denier... or Climate Clarifier?
In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, renowned theoretical physicist Steven Koonin discusses his views on the state of the climate and alternative policy responses. He also shares thoughts about his ideals as an educator; his admiration for Richard Feynman; and examples of where he’s...
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David Pietrusza | 'Roosevelt Sweeps Nation: FDR's 1936 Landslide and the Triumph of the Liberal Ideal'
In our unsettled moment, there’s a burst of interest in one of the United States’ most consequential presidents: Franklin Roosevelt. In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, acclaimed presidential historian David Pietrusza discusses his highly readable, extensively researched new book,...
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Meenakshi Ahamed | 'A Matter of Trust: India-US Relations From Truman to Trump'
The India-US relationship is one of the most significant and fascinating among great nations. In this episode of the Serve to Lead Podcast, historian and journalist Meenakshi Ahamed discusses her new book, A Matter of Trust: India-US Relations From Truman to Trump. Ahamed combines analytical…
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John Halpin | The Case for Liberal Patriotism, Liberal Nationalism
Nationalism has become a word of opprobrium among many in polite society. It’s often associated with right-wing populists or authoritarians—with a provenance stirring unsettling memories of Hitler, Mussolini and other fascist dictators of the twenty-century, interwar period. Even the more anodyne...
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Theodore R Johnson | 'When the Stars Begin to Fall: Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America'
Johnson posits that a blueprint for national solidarity can be found in the exceptional citizenship long practiced in Black America. “Racism is an existential threat to America,” Theodore R. Johnson declares at the start of his profound and exhilarating book, When the Stars Begin to Fall. It is a...
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Susan Berfield | 'The Hour of Fate: Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism'
A riveting narrative of Wall Street buccaneering, political intrigue, and two of American history’s most colossal characters, struggling for mastery in an era of social upheaval and rampant inequality. At the turn of a new century, the United States is in transition. Its financial and economic...
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Philip K Howard | Legal Reformer Sets His Sights On Public Sector Collective Bargaining
Philip K. Howard is a longtime leader of government and legal reform in the United States. Amid the current political turmoil, Howard has set his sights on the remorseless increase in the power of public employee unions. This is a thread linking public sector pension shortfalls; local, state, and...
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William K Reilly | The Past, Present, and Promise of Environmental Leadership
William K. Reilly has achieved a consequential career in environmental leadership. He has served four presidents in high positions and sensitive assignments requiring notable judgment and disciplined discretion. In this episode of the Serve to Lead Podcast, Reilly discusses the past, present and...
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Frank DiStefano | 'The Next Realignment: Why America’s Parties Are Crumbling and What Happens Next'
Frank DiStefano is a Washington, D.C.-based writer who focuses on the history and future of United States politics. He is the author of The Next Realignment: Why America’s Parties Are Crumbling and What Happens Next. The book has received praise from leaders and experts across the political...
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Samuel Goldman | 'After Nationalism: Being American in an Age of Division'
Nationalism is back in the news. 2016 was a hinge moment. Brexit in the United Kingdom, combined with the Trump and Sanders insurgencies in the United States, focused attention on populism and evolving notions of national identity. What does nationalism mean in our time? Is American nationalism a...
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John Roy Price | 'The Last Liberal Republican: An Insider’s Guide to Nixon’s Surprising Social Policy'
Richard Nixon is often recalled as a historic foreign policy president, but his consequential domestic policy initiatives have been obscured amid the wreckage of the Watergate scandals. In fact, Nixon’s policies—from health care to welfare to the environment—reverberate through subsequent...
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Aaron Renn | American Meritocracy and its Discontents
In a turbulent, populist moment across the world, the costs and benefits of elites and meritocracy are very much contested. In this episode of the Serve to Lead Podcast, Aaron Renn discusses the American meritocracy and its discontents. Renn recently penned a provocative article relating to the...
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Stephen Wertheim | 'Tomorrow the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy'
Stephen Wertheim is a historian of the United States in the world. He is the director of the Quincy Institute’s Grand Strategy program, and a Research Scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University. He is the author of an influential new book, Tomorrow the…
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Steven B Smith | 'Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes'
Steven B. Smith, the Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science at Yale University, has written an important new book: Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes. In this episode of the Serve to Lead Podcast, Smith discusses why patriotism matters and why it must be reclaimed from the…
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Richard Norton Smith | Presidential Historian, Director of Presidential Libraries
Richard Norton Smith is a presidential historian, biographer, essayist, and former leader of presidential libraries. He is a frequent commentator on C-SPAN and for many years appeared on the Lehrer Report on PBS. In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Smith discusses the art and craft of...
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Howard Behar | Starbucks and Servant Leadership
Winston Churchill was undeniably one of the great leaders of history—was he a servant leader? In a new episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks Coffee Company International, explores the Churchill conundrum and other aspects of servant leadership. Behar...
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HR McMaster | 'Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend Freedom'
In a new episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, General HR McMaster discusses geopolitics and his important new book, Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend Freedom. HR McMaster is perhaps best known for his service as the 26th National Security Adviser to the president, in 2017-18. This was a…
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Katherine Gehl | 'The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy'
In a new episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Katherine Gehl shares insights and observations from her important new book, The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy, co-authored with Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter....
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Theresa Lina | 'Be the Go-To: How to Own Your Competitive Market, Change More, and Have Customers Love You For It'
In a new episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, author Theresa Lina shares actionable insights on strategy and execution for enterprises aiming for dominant market positions in competitive and emerging markets. She has written a well-received new book, Be the Go-To: How to Own Your Competitive...
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Larry Kamer | Crisis Leadership in a Tumultuous Time
In a new episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, noted communications expert Larry Kamer shares his unique, actionable insights on crisis leadership. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing financial turbulence, no individual or institution—corporate, governmental, not-for-profit, military or...
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Andrew Roberts | 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny'
In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, acclaimed historian Andrew Roberts discusses his new book, Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History, as well as his recent book Churchill: Walking with Destiny. Churchill was published by Penguin in October 2018, became a…
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Mark Plotkin | 'The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know'
In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Dr. Mark J. Plotkin discusses his important new book: The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know, from Oxford University Press. He explains why the Amazon matters, what the coronavirus portends in human interaction with nature, and why the leadership...
About this show
The Serve to Lead podcast includes conversations on a range of contemporary and historical topics. The common theme is advancing our shared American national identity. James Strock writes ‘The New Nationalist’ at Substack.
jamesstrock.substack.com
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Mobilizing Citizenship for America's Fourth Founding.
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