Watching America

It started with one haircut."One evening in the spring of 2015, I was on my way to a friend's house after work. I didn't make it. I walked past a man who was homeless at the time. I would often stop to speak with him ... but this time was different ... I remembered that I had my tools in my backpack and asked if he'd like his hair cut. In the hour that followed, he told me his story. The next time...

Several years ago, Donna Francart started volunteering for a community crisis response team. She became aware of her innate compassion in dealing with difficult situations, which ultimately led her to a new line of work as a Deputy Coroner. Francart shares her experiences, documented through years of journaling, in her memoir, "I've Seen Dead People: Diary of a Deputy Coroner." In this episode of...

Jeb Corliss has jumped off the Eiffel Tower, the Seattle Space Needle, the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, and more. If you wonder what makes a daredevil tick, you'll enjoy this conversation between Corliss and host Dr. Alan Campbell about God, death, fear, and the meaning of life.

There are approximately 10 times more burial grounds in the U.S. than there are McDonalds, and author Greg Melville believes each one has its own story. In his new book, Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries, he takes readers on a tour of some of the nation’s most intriguing cemeteries, including three in Virginia. Along the way he also explores sustainability, l...

Music legend Patsy Cline was born as Virginia Patterson Hensley in Winchester, Virginia. From humble beginnings she rose to become known as one of country music's greatest vocalists. Tragically, her life was cut short at age 30 when she died in a plane crash. In this episode of Watching America, host Dr. Alan Campbell discusses Cline's music and legacy with her cousin Patricia Hensley and Cline's...

Healing or harming? That's the question Dr. Paul Marik faced as the COVID-19 pandemic spread through the country. Until last year, Marik was a professor of medicine and Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). He resigned last year amid controversy over his use of ivermectin and other COVID-19 treatments in caring for patients. In this interview, Mar...

You might not know about four women who helped develop the Central Intelligence Agency in the Cold War era. That’s a testament to their skill; they were spies. Bestselling author Nathalia Holt reveals their stories in her latest book, “Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage.” In this episode of Watching America, we hear about groundbreaking agents Adelaide Hawki...

Professor Lyell Asher is the creator of the popular video series, “Why Colleges Are Becoming Cults,” where he gives an analysis of university academics and culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. One part of Asher’s critique is focused on the effect of the embrace of “whole language” in lieu of phonics in schools of education and its deleterious effect on reading instruction. Asher received his Ph...

This week on Watching America, we take a trip to London, England. Host (and native Brit) Alan Campbell took a trip "across the pond" to visit the home of Benjamin Franklin, Jimi Hendrix's flat, and the reconstructed Globe Theatre where actor and director Sam Wanamaker labored for years. We hear stories from historians and tour guides about why these gentleman fell in love with London and what they...

Dr. Lynne Fenton is the psychiatrist who treated the mass shooter who attacked patrons of a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. In this episode of Watching America, Fenton discusses her memoir, “Aurora: The Psychiatrist Who Treated the Movie Theater Killer Tells Her Story,” co-authored by Kerrie Droban. We hear an account of the tragedy from the perspective of psychiatry and why Fenton was unable t...

Antonio Salazar-Hobson was kidnapped from his home in Mexico at the age of four. He was trafficked for several years at a famous ranch in California, and he attempted suicide at the age of nine. On this episode of Watching America, we hear from Salazar-Hobson about his new memoir, “Antonio, We Know You.” He shares how Cesar Chavez saved his life and purpose, leading him to law school and an eventu...

When you hear the striking of a chord, there is far more going on than just moving air particles. Music incites emotional and often physical sensations. Critically acclaimed composer, author, and musicologist Nolan Gasser explores the human relationship with music in his book, “Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste.” In this episode of Watching America, Gasser and host Alan Cam...

On this episode of Watching America, host Alan Campbell discusses the increasingly common issue of anxiety with psychiatrist and author Ellen Vora. In Vora’s new book, “The Anatomy of Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming the Body’s Fear Response,” she considers how imbalances in the body affect emotional states. Vora offers new insight based on her own clinical work. ellenvora.com

John Gotti was the first celebrity crime boss. His ability to beat criminal charges inspired one of his nicknames: “The Teflon Don.” John Gleeson was an Assistant US Attorney in Brooklyn who failed to successfully prosecute Gotti in 1987 on federal racketeering prosecutions. But Gleeson successfully led the investigation and prosecution of Gotti five years later. On this episode of Watching Americ...

Lawyer and pollster Kellyanne Conway was thrust into the spotlight when she became presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign manager, and after a successful campaign, Senior Counselor to the President. In this episode of Watching America, Conway discusses new memoir, “Here’s the Deal.” In the book, she says working for Trump was “the wildest adventure of my life.”

Jacob Mchangama is a Danish lawyer and human-rights advocate who has worked with Columbia’s Global Freedom of Expression Center in New York and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education in Washington, D.C. He is the founder and director of Justitia, a Copenhagen-based think tank focused on human rights, freedom of speech, and the rule of law. Mchangama’s new book, “Free Speech: A History f...

Horseman and horse whisperer Grant Golliher’s experience training animals began in childhood, but he rejected the aggressive tactics used in mule and horse training he witnessed. Instead, Golliher employs a philosophy centered on empathy, trust, and discipline. In this episode of Watching America, Golliher talks to Dr. Alan Campbell about the psychology behind connecting with animals—including hum...

Humans are born with the ability to laugh and smile. It is built into our nervous system. In this episode of Watching America, we hear from psychologist and Gelotologist (laughter expert) Steve Wilson. He’s the director of National Humor Month and president of The World Laughter Tour. Wilson also provides training in therapeutic laughter and developed “Good Hearted Living” practices. Host Alan Cam...

Do you hear voices ... inside your head? Well, we all do. The secret, according to Dr. Ethan Kross, is to manage the way we talk to ourselves. In this episode of Watching America, Kross discusses the research behind his bestselling book, "Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It." Kross is an experimental psychologist, neuroscientist, and founder of the Emotion & Self...

Dr. Reuben Miller says the American justice system does not aim to rehabilitate people who commit crime. Instead, he says programs like parole create instability and lifelong poverty. In this episode of Watching America, Miller talks about his latest book: “Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration.” Dr. Miller is Associate Professor at University of Chicago Crown Fam...

“Don’t Burn This Book” by social commenter and comedian Dave Rubin is a New York Times Bestseller. He just released a follow-up: “Don’t Burn This Country: Surviving and Thriving in Our Woke Dystopia.” On this episode of Watching America, Dr. Alan Campbell talks to Rubin about issues addressed in the new publication, from hot-button topics like transgender athletics to mental health advice regardin...

The “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM) is referred to as the Bible of Psychiatry. Like any scripture, it has nonbelievers. Award-winning author Sarah Fay is one of them. Fay combines investigative journalism and personal experience in her new book, “Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnosis.” Fay speaks candidly with Dr. Alan Campbell about the unintended impact m...

In this episode of Watching America, we hear from civil rights activist, Hollywood newscaster, educator, and public speaker Luis Alberto Rivera Colon. His father was a Puerto Rican migrant worker; his mother, an entrepreneur. He’s also an old friend of our host, Dr. Alan Campbell. In this conversation, Colon tells stories from his new book, “Living Between Cultures: From Borinquen to Hollywood,” i...

Bestselling author Ken Coleman is called “America’s Career Coach.” He hosts a nationally syndicated radio program about meaningful work, but he’s in the guest seat on this episode of Watching America. Dr. Alan Campbell interviews Coleman about concepts from his latest book, “From Paycheck to Purpose: The Clear Path to Doing Work You Love.” Find more at ramseysolutions.com/ken-coleman

Wildlife is declining across the globe. But environmental historian Dr. Peter Alagona says a whole new ecosystem is developing as wild animals move into urban areas. In this episode of Watching America, Algona shares research from his new book, “The Accidental Ecosystem: People and Wildlife in American Cities.” Is interspecies coexistence possible in the concrete jungle? Listen to hear a surprisin...