The Preamble

Welcome to unPAUSED, the podcast where bold, unfiltered conversations take place about what it really takes for women to thrive in the second half of life. Every week, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Certified Menopause Practitioner, and #1 New York Times best-selling author, tackles the conversations women actually need to hear. Dr. Haver sits down with a varie...

It’s not something you’ll read about in most history books. Sharon tells the remarkable story of Florence Hall and her Women’s Land Army: the women who took over the farming jobs American men left behind when they went off to fight World War II. These women weren’t just fill-ins, in many cases, the farms they worked on were even more successful than when the men were doing the work. Plus, Sharon i...

A shocking phone call after a routine medical exam. Despite no symptoms, Sharon’s husband had advanced kidney disease and he would die without a transplant. She shares the deeply personal story of a stranger saving Chris’s life, and what it taught her about the selflessness of others. Plus, her fascinating conversation with Colin Woodard, author of Nations Apart , who goes back generations to expl...

Five centuries ago, Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press shattered the barriers to knowledge. Today, AI is doing the same. Sharon takes you on a journey into history that is strikingly similar to where we are today. Plus, she’s joined by Randi Weingarten, author of Why Fascists Fear Teachers whom critics have called “the most dangerous person in the world.” Together, they explore why teachers remai...

Welcome to the very first episode of The Preamble! Sharon kicks things off with a conversation with New York Times bestselling author Ryan Holiday to chat about his new book, Wisdom Takes Work . Ryan shares how reading can be a superpower, allowing us to “communicate with the dead” and learn from those who came before us. And, he explains what you can do to become more wise today. Plus, Sharon ans...

The world feels complicated. The Preamble is where it starts to make sense. Hosted by Sharon McMahon — known for making sense of complex issues — she and her guests dive deep into the stories and ideas driving our future, bringing clarity and honesty to every headline. If you want real insight, bold conversation, and answers that matter, this podcast is your must-listen. Hit play, and join the mov...

Though Hannah Van Buren died nearly twenty years before her husband’s presidency, her life reflected the sweeping historical forces of early America. Sharon unpacks the Dutch roots of New Amsterdam (today’s New York), how they shaped both Hannah and Martin Van Buren, and the lasting influence they left on the nation. Credits: Host and Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon Supervising Producer: Melani...

Despite being one of Sharon’s least-favorite Presidents, she explores the lifelong, and at times scandalous, love and devotion between President Andrew Jackson and his wife, Rachel. It's a story of a First Lady who never got the opportunity to step foot inside the White House, but nevertheless, left her mark on her husband’s two-term presidency. Credits: Host and Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon...

Stepping into the White House at the close of the Founding Fathers’ era, London-born Louisa Adams became the nation’s first foreign-born First Lady. In an age of prosperity shadowed by growing political strife, she turned personal tragedy into resilience, mastering the art of influence, forging powerful alliances, and leaving her mark on history as she helped shape John Quincy Adams’s path to the...

With every episode, Lena Dunham and Alissa Bennett take you on a historical deep dive into the life of a woman society dismissed by calling her mad, sad, or just plain bad: Lindsay Lohan, Judy Garland, Winona Ryder, Mariah Carey, Lil Kim and many more. Join them for a rich, hilarious, and heartbreaking look into exactly what it means when we call a woman “crazy.” The C-Word was originally publishe...

Sharon delves into the fascinating yet often overlooked life of Elizabeth Monroe. As First Lady, her health struggles and preference for formality set her apart, leaving a unique legacy that redefined White House traditions. From her early days in a wealthy New York family to her daring act of saving the life of a well-known French aristocrat during the French Revolution, Elizabeth's story is one...

It’s time to meet the woman who set the gold standard for the role of First Lady. With her natural charm and lively spirit, Dolley Madison hosted countless gatherings for Washington’s elite, turning social events into powerful political tools. Through the art of entertaining, she not only shaped the culture of the capital, but also advanced the influence and career of the nation’s fourth president...

Thomas Jefferson’s wife Martha died nearly twenty years before he took office, yet history still lists her as an official First Lady. Jefferson never remarried, but two very important women supported him through his years as a widower in ways few people know. Their stories were already intertwined long before Jefferson entered the picture, and their influence would leave a mark on the presidency i...

Today, we’d call them the ultimate power couple. Abigail Adams, one of America’s most beloved First Ladies, sets sail across the Atlantic to join her husband, John, in the glittering city of Paris. But their story doesn’t end in Europe. Returning to Boston, the couple quickly steps onto a new stage together as President and First Lady of a young America. Credits: Host and Executive Producer: Sharo...

Sharon takes us into the intertwined lives of the two women who shaped Aaron Burr. Their stories reveal brilliant minds, an unquenchable hunger for knowledge, the griefs of motherhood, and the weight of untimely tragedy. Sharon turns over the stones of their lives and explores a disappearance at sea, a mysteriously scavenged portrait, and a family secret. Credits: Host and Executive Producer: Shar...

Sharon explores the life of America’s first First Lady, Martha Washington, highlighting the many ways she shaped her family, the presidency, and the nation itself. Though the formal title of “First Lady” didn’t yet exist, she was affectionately known as “Lady Washington” and respected as George’s “worthy partner.” Sharon dives into many of lesser known details of her life like her first marriage,...

Imagine being a Pulitzer Prize winning presidential historian, knowing you had extraordinarily rare primary source material and Presidential memorabilia tucked away in the cellar of your own home… and not opening it for decades? Doris Kearns Goodwin joins us today to share her journey of exploring more than 300 boxes, alongside her husband of 42 years, Richard (Dick) Goodwin, that served as a time...

In a time when division often makes the headlines, what truly binds us together? Sharon sits down with Yale constitutional law professor Akhil Reed Amar to explore why the U.S. Constitution remains a powerful force in bringing Americans together. Despite our different regions, backgrounds, cultures, and even languages, what we share is a constitutional framework and the historic events and documen...

What would it take to update the Constitution and should we try? Sharon is joined by former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold to explore this question from his book, The Constitution in Jeopardy . Together, they unpack the tools the framers gave to evolve the founding document, including the never before used, and deeply controversial, Constitutional Convention. Could such a convention be a path to...

With approval ratings of The Supreme Court at a historic low, what can Congress and the average American citizen do to hold the court accountable, and foster transparency? Sharon welcomes law professor Stephen Vladeck to nerd out about all things Supreme Court. Stephen dives into the elusive behind-the-scenes “shadow docket,” and how 99% of what the court does is in the shadows – without public he...

When we know a loved one is about to die, how can we best hold space for them in the in-between? Sharon is joined by Hadley Vlahos, RN, who has written a bestselling book, The In-Between , about her experiences working as a hospice nurse. Hadley walks us through the discomfort of death with great compassion and empathy while considering what it means to live well, and to die well. She also reflect...

We all know that poverty is an existing problem in the United States, but what does that really mean in a country with so much wealth? Sharon is joined by Matthew Desmond, Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and the founding director of the Eviction Lab. Together, they discuss his best-selling book, Poverty, By America, and take a hard look at poverty in one of the richest countries in...

American democracy is going through a rough patch, and the Constitution, for all its brilliance, has some flaws that limit the power of majorities. So why haven’t we made any real reforms in over 50 years? And what are other democracies doing to fight authoritarianism? Sharon sits down with Harvard government professors, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, to discuss their book, Tyranny of the Min...

Ever wonder how a white supremacist becomes an extremist? Sharon has a conversation with Matson and Tawni Browning about their book, The Hate Next Door. Matt gets candid about his time working undercover in white supremacist groups and what it was like to balance his dueling realities: where the job ended and where his home life began. Matt and Tawni also talk about the type of person white suprem...

How does American society uphold the First Amendment while restricting books and censoring diverse ideas? Sharon talks with Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, about the surge in book bans, now over 4,000 nationwide. Suzanne explains how vague language about “protecting children” is used to remove books that reflect marginalized voices, often labeling them as “indecent” without justification. The...