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The Preamble

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 movement that will shape history. An Audacy Podcast.

Resilience: Asian Immigration and the American West Coast

35 mins; September 26, 2022

How to Learn Science from a 15-Ton Jello Pool with Mark Rober

35 mins; September 23, 2022

Find Relief in the Regular Stuff with Nora McInerny

41 mins; September 21, 2022

What Makes a Great Leader Stand Out with Stephen M. R. Covey

37 mins; September 19, 2022

The U.S. and the Holocaust with Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein

49 mins; September 16, 2022

How History Can Give Us Hope with Dr. Jemar Tisby

40 mins; September 14, 2022

The Formidable Change-Makers of Women’s Suffrage with Dr. Elisabeth Griffith

40 mins; September 12, 2022

Independent State Legislature Theory Explained with Akhil Reed Amar, Part 2

27 mins; September 09, 2022

The Enduring Value of the U.S. Constitution with Akhil Reed Amar, Part 1

34 mins; September 07, 2022

Life Lessons from The Little Mermaid with Jodi Benson

44 mins; September 02, 2022

175. Daniel Boone: Finding Facts in the Folklore

30 mins; August 31, 2022

Elizabeth Monroe’s Journey from Parisian Prison to White House

28 mins; August 29, 2022

The Violence Project with Dr. Jillian Peterson

42 mins; August 26, 2022

Scandal Sells: The Rise of the American Exposé

27 mins; August 24, 2022

Hello, Dolley!: How to Become the Icon of a Nation

32 mins; August 22, 2022

How to Move Forward: Changing the Two Party System with Andrew Yang

47 mins; August 19, 2022

Freedom and the Art of Cookery

24 mins; August 17, 2022

The Widower Jefferson and the Women He Loved

27 mins; August 15, 2022

The Economic Cost of Racism with Heather McGhee

43 mins; August 12, 2022

Ben Franklin: Beyond the Squeaky Clean Reputation

30 mins; August 10, 2022

From Paris With Love: Abigail Adams Travels Abroad

29 mins; August 08, 2022

A Tale of Two Theodosias and a Well-Kept Secret

30 mins; August 05, 2022

163. The Hidden Life of Martha Washington

29 mins; August 03, 2022

162. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 17

27 mins; August 01, 2022

161. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 16

32 mins; July 29, 2022

160. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 15

23 mins; July 27, 2022

159. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 14

29 mins; July 25, 2022

158. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 13

30 mins; July 22, 2022

157. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 12

35 mins; July 20, 2022

156. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 11

32 mins; July 18, 2022

155. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 10

30 mins; July 15, 2022

154. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 9

22 mins; July 13, 2022

153. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 8

23 mins; July 11, 2022

152. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 7

24 mins; July 08, 2022

151. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 6

47 mins; July 06, 2022

150. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 5

30 mins; July 01, 2022

149. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 4

21 mins; June 29, 2022

148. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 3

23 mins; June 27, 2022

147. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 2

23 mins; June 24, 2022

146. Momentum: The Ripples Made by Ordinary People, Part 1

27 mins; June 22, 2022

The Immoral Choices of Rogues with Patrick Radden Keefe

40 mins; June 20, 2022

Legislating at the State Level with Representative Jen Schultz

40 mins; June 17, 2022

The Power of Community, Micro Actions, and Boundaries with Jenna Kutcher

41 mins; June 15, 2022

Why We Love the Things We Love with Aaron Ahuvia

35 mins; June 13, 2022

The History of Gerrymandering with Nick Seabrook

46 mins; June 10, 2022

A Dream Twenty-Three Years in the Making with Tabitha Brown

32 mins; June 08, 2022

The Importance of Preserving Democracy with Senator Mitt Romney

40 mins; June 06, 2022

138. Respect is Contagious: Restorative Justice with Judge Victoria Pratt

37 mins; June 03, 2022

How to Ensure the Stories of our Lives Don’t Stink with Donald Miller

31 mins; June 01, 2022

I Never Thought of It That Way with Mónica Guzmán

44 mins; May 30, 2022

The Powerful Value of Melancholy with Susan Cain

37 mins; May 27, 2022

The Lightness of Choosing Peace with Barb Schmidt

40 mins; May 25, 2022

Consume Smarter: Recognizing News Media Bias with Vanessa Otero

39 mins; May 23, 2022

How to Reboot America with Will Hurd

39 mins; May 20, 2022

131. Embrace Your Almost with Jordan Lee Dooley

33 mins; May 18, 2022

The Brain-Tingles of Narrative Non-Fiction with Candice Millard

38 mins; May 16, 2022

An Impactful Career in Cold Cases with Paul Holes

46 mins; May 12, 2022

Influence is Your Superpower with Zoe Chance

44 mins; May 11, 2022

Connecticut: The Vital Something of Katharine Hepburn with Emily Ley

41 mins; May 09, 2022

The Many Roles of Lady Bird Johnson with Julia Sweig

46 mins; May 06, 2022

When Fixing the Problem Isn't the Answer with Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers

39 mins; May 04, 2022

Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots with Mary Marantz

38 mins; May 02, 2022

The Many Meat Thermometers of Sharon's Kitchen with Kendra Adachi

35 mins; April 29, 2022

Arizona: The Navajo Code Talkers with Lindsay Sherbondy

35 mins; April 27, 2022

Lessons to Save Your Life with Dr. Edith Eger and Dr. Marianne Engle

41 mins; April 25, 2022

Alaska and the Largest Earthquake Ever Recorded with Jeff Dauler

34 mins; April 22, 2022

A Prolific Public Media Career with Cathy Wurzer

33 mins; April 20, 2022

Alabama: The Barrier-Breaking Tuskegee Airmen with Emma Chapman

37 mins; April 18, 2022

Northern Mariana Islands: A Deep and Vast History with Sharon McMahon

26 mins; April 15, 2022

The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism with Matthew Continetti, Part 2

43 mins; April 13, 2022

The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism with Matthew Continetti, Part 1

40 mins; April 11, 2022

U.S. Virgin Islands: Pirates, Rum, and a Steep Price Tag with Sharon McMahon

22 mins; April 08, 2022

I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet with Shauna Niequist

40 mins; April 06, 2022

Puerto Rico: The U.S. Territory Stuck in Statehood Limbo with Jeena Wilder

36 mins; April 04, 2022

The Evolution of Independent Journalism with Emma Jade

33 mins; April 01, 2022

What About Bunny: The Power of Canine Communication with Alexis Devine

34 mins; March 30, 2022

Guam: A Strategic War Island, a Twin Shipwreck, and a Pesky Snake with Adrienne Rolon

36 mins; March 28, 2022

How to Seek Truth and Find Freedom in Our Stories with Lisa Sharon Harper

42 mins; March 25, 2022

American Samoa: The Southernmost U.S. Territory with Ashley Spivey

33 mins; March 23, 2022

The Three Mothers Who Shaped a Nation with Anna Malaika Tubbs

33 mins; March 21, 2022

Washington DC: The Secret Illnesses of Presidents with Sharon McMahon

29 mins; March 18, 2022

The Art of Insubordination with Todd Kashdan

41 mins; March 16, 2022

103. Wyoming: The Grit and Tenacity of Nellie Tayloe Ross with Natalie Hodson

38 mins; March 14, 2022

Why We Deserve a Fair Criminal Justice System with Jason Flom

42 mins; March 11, 2022

Wisconsin’s Master Architect with Sharon McMahon

30 mins; March 09, 2022

Your On-Ramp to Cryptocurrency with Brit Morin

48 mins; March 07, 2022

West Virginia: Proving that Timing is Everything with Annie F. Downs

39 mins; March 04, 2022

Bridging the Divide with Representatives Phillips (D) and Fitzpatrick (R)

51 mins; March 02, 2022

Washington in Flight: The Boeing Aerospace Legacy with Carolyn LePine

46 mins; February 28, 2022

Raising Critical Thinkers with Julie Bogart

44 mins; February 25, 2022

95. Virginia: The Women Who Did The Next Needed Thing with Sharon McMahon

31 mins; February 23, 2022

Two Midwesterners Record a Podcast Episode with Charlie Berens

30 mins; February 21, 2022

Vermont’s Spitting Lyon with Chrissy Lawler

39 mins; February 18, 2022

Creating Change Through Radical Optimism with Dr. Paul Zeitz

35 mins; February 16, 2022

Utah: The Magic of the Osmonds with Sharon McMahon

28 mins; February 14, 2022

The Importance of Hometown Change Makers with Michael Tubbs

27 mins; February 11, 2022

Texas: The Original Goal-Getter with Ashley Rose Reeves

39 mins; February 09, 2022

How to Teach Our Children Emotional Resilience with Dr. Becky Kennedy

42 mins; February 07, 2022

Tennessee’s Incorrigible Andrew Jackson with Richard Lim

37 mins; February 04, 2022

The Power of Storytelling in Politics with Richard Fowler

37 mins; February 02, 2022

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The Preamble

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