Thecuriousmanspodcast

What if getting older doesn't mean slowing down—but opening yourself up to entirely new possibilities? At 82, author RW Fields is offering readers a wonderfully timely reminder that creativity, friendship, humor, and reinvention don't have an expiration date. His book, Mullet Man , is a heartfelt and often funny story about two people from very different generations and socioeconomic worlds who fo...

Why do political movements that promote authoritarian ideas often gain support from people who feel ignored, frustrated, or left behind? That question sits at the center of today's conversation. Joining me is David Ost , political scientist and author of Red Pill Politics: Demystifying Today's Far Right , a timely examination of the rise of right-wing populism, authoritarian movements, and the pol...

How do we recognize racism? How do we measure it? And what happens when the way we define a problem makes it harder to solve? Today's guest argues that the frameworks we have used to understand racism for decades may be limiting our ability to effectively confront it. Ainsley LeSure is the author of Locating Racism In The World , a provocative examination of how society talks about racism after th...

What is the American Dream—and what happens when a nation begins to question whether that dream is still within reach? For generations, the American Dream has represented opportunity, freedom, equality, and the belief that individuals can shape their own futures. But it has also been a promise that requires constant reflection, participation, and protection. Today's guest invites us to examine tha...

What if one of the most important skills we could develop today isn't having more answers—but becoming better at asking questions? In a world filled with constant information, instant solutions, and endless distractions, curiosity can sometimes feel like a lost practice. But today's guest believes curiosity is not just a personality trait—it is something we can cultivate through awareness, attenti...

Fifty years ago, a door opened that had been closed for generations. On June 28, 1976, the United States Air Force Academy welcomed its first class of women cadets. These 157 pioneers stepped onto the Academy grounds and into a military culture that had never been designed with them in mind. They faced skepticism, resistance, inadequate resources, and the message—sometimes openly—that they did not...

Summer is often remembered as a season of freedom, adventure, and discovery. But for some children, it's also a time when they first encounter the complicated realities of the adult world—where courage is tested, innocence is challenged, and growing up happens much faster than expected. Today's guest explores that emotional landscape in his debut novel, Into the Night Woods . Author E. Davis Enloe...

Every industry has its digital revolution. Music had MP3s. Film had streaming. Newspapers faced the internet. But one of the most fascinating—and least understood—transformations happened in publishing. For more than 500 years, books remained remarkably unchanged. Authors wrote, publishers printed, bookstores sold, and readers turned physical pages. Then, seemingly overnight, everything changed. E...

The United States is approaching the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—a milestone that invites both celebration and reflection. At the same time, the nation finds itself wrestling with profound questions about democracy, the rule of law, political polarization, economic opportunity, executive power, and the rapid rise of transformative technologies like artificial intelligence....

What if everything you thought you knew about the story of human civilization was only part of the picture? For generations, we've been taught a familiar narrative: humans evolved from small bands of hunter-gatherers into farmers, then cities emerged, kingdoms rose, civilizations flourished, and history marched steadily toward the modern world. It's a neat story—but according to today's guest, it...

On September 11th, most people were running away. Michael Dorian ran toward the smoke. Toward the destruction. Toward the uncertainty. He wasn't seeking recognition. He wasn't chasing glory. He simply saw people who needed help. And that decision became part of a lifetime defined by service, sacrifice, and extraordinary humanity. Today, we're telling the story of a hero many people have never hear...

Imagine fighting the American Revolution... In Gibraltar. In the jungles of the Yucatán. On an island in the English Channel. Or inside a palace in India. The American Revolution wasn't just America's war. It was a world war. And without allies from across the globe, the United States might never have existed. Today, we're uncovering one of history's most overlooked stories.

Birds are everywhere. They soar above our cities, sing outside our windows, and migrate across continents. Yet every sparrow, eagle, penguin, and hummingbird carries an astonishing secret: They're dinosaurs. In this episode, I'm joined by renowned paleontologist, Jurassic World science advisor, and bestselling author Steve Brusatte to discuss his fascinating new book, The Story of Birds: A New His...

More than a century after the guns of World War I fell silent, the scars of that conflict still stretch across Europe—in fields, forests, cemeteries, and quiet villages that once stood at the center of history. After years of pandemic isolation, historian, photographer, and author Briana Gervat set out on an extraordinary journey: to walk the entire Western Front Way alone. Carrying only a backpac...

What happens when the hardest question you'll ever face is one you ask yourself? For veteran and author Devin Fish , that question was both devastating and life-changing: "Do I want to die?" In his deeply personal memoir Answering the Hard Questions , Devin chronicles his journey through military service, depression, suicidal ideation, hospitalization, poverty, self-hatred, and trauma—and the diff...

What do we inherit from the people we lose too soon? Author Hilary Plattner joins the show to discuss her memoir The Momma Puzzle , a poignant story of grief, discovery, and family history. After her mother's death by suicide, Hilary spent decades carrying unanswered questions. Eventually, she began piecing together her mother's life through personal artifacts, family interviews, and historical re...

What happens when you leave everything familiar behind and start over in a place where you can't read the signs, speak the language, or even confidently order lunch? For many people, immigration is not an abstract political topic—it's a daily reality filled with uncertainty, adaptation, frustration, discovery, and growth. In this episode, I'm joined by award-winning author and educator Janet Flaug...

The Holocaust is often told through statistics—millions murdered, thousands of communities destroyed, entire cultures erased. But history is ultimately made up of individual lives, individual families, and individual acts of courage. In this episode, I'm joined by journalist and author Keith Morgan to discuss his powerful book Ruta's Closet . The book tells the remarkable true story of Ruth Kron S...

In this episode, I'm joined by historian, national security intelligence veteran, and author Ralph DeFalco to discuss his new novel The Counterfeit . Set in a chilling near future, the novel imagines an America defeated in a Pacific war, politically fractured, economically broken, and increasingly authoritarian. At its center is a daring intelligence operation involving identity, deception, resist...

In this episode, I'm joined by global health advocate, founder and CEO of the Initiative for Medicines, Access, and Knowledge (I-MAK), and author Tahir Amin to discuss his groundbreaking book Pharma Monopoly: The Battle for the Future of Medicines . Drawing on decades of work challenging pharmaceutical patents and advocating for equitable access to medicine, Amin argues that the modern drug system...

Monaco is often seen as a playground for the rich and famous—a tiny kingdom of casinos, superyachts, and royalty. But according to veteran intelligence operative and author Robert Eringer , beneath the glamour lies a far more complicated world of espionage, organized crime, money laundering, and political intrigue. In this episode, we discuss his explosive memoir The Spymaster of Monte Carlo , the...

Family stories are often built on cherished memories, treasured photographs, and carefully preserved traditions. But sometimes, buried beneath those stories are secrets, tragedies, and wounds that ripple across generations. In this episode, I'm joined by Phyllis Karas , New York Times bestselling author, professor of journalism at Boston University, and longtime journalist, to discuss her powerful...

In this episode, I'm joined by acclaimed anthropologist and longtime ethnographer of political movements Ida Susser to discuss her book The Yellow Vests and the Battle for Democracy . When the Yellow Vest movement erupted across France in 2018, it confounded observers. It drew support from across the political spectrum, united people from different classes and backgrounds, and challenged conventio...

Why do some founders thrive under pressure while others burn out trying to scale? In this episode, I'm joined by entrepreneur, investor, and five-time CEO Patrick J. Sweeney II to discuss his book The Founder's Creed . Drawing from neuroscience, high-stakes leadership, and decades spent building companies and investing in startups, Sweeney argues that hyper-growth isn't driven by strategy alone—it...

Some memoirs tell the story of a life. Others tell the story of survival, identity, and the invisible emotional currents that shape generations. In this episode, I'm joined by physician, healthcare leader, and author Mai Pham to discuss her debut memoir Bridge from Saigon . As a child refugee fleeing Saigon, Mai's journey carried her from war and displacement to institutions like Harvard and Johns...