The Preamble

Latest Episodes:

Better Together with Will Hurd Aug 11, 2023

Show notes

Presidential Candidate Will Hurd joins Sharon to chat about engaging voters in primary elections to ensure stronger candidates in November. The country is ready to have thoughtful conversations about what issues matter to them in a way that unites, rather than divides. Whether the district was ruby red or a deep blue town, people share the same frustrations and goals. Everyone wants systems that operate fairly and efficiently, from the justice system to immigration. But how might our government address these issues in lasting, meaningful ways that represent what the majority of Americans truly want? Will Hurd shares what solutions have worked in the past, and how he plans to work with leaders from both sides of the aisle to shape the future.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Will Hurd

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The In-Between with Hadley Vlahos Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

Sharon is joined by Hadley Vlahos, RN, who has written a bestselling book 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 explores commonalities in death spanning across a variety of faith backgrounds, many of which have no definitive scientific explanation. We’re encouraged to embrace the dignity in dying by allowing our loved ones to share their experiences in death. And while there is no one right way to die, we can gently hold space for our loved ones in the in-between.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Hadley Vlahos

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Valiant Women with Lena Andrews Aug 07, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode, Sharon is joined by CIA military analyst, WWII expert, and debut author, Lena Andrews, to unveil the scale and scope of what women in uniform contributed during WWII. Over 350,000 American women served in uniform during the war, in every service branch, in every combat theater, and in nearly two-thirds of the available military occupations at the time. This ranged from critical support roles of flying planes across the country, drawing maps to help men get through Normandy, codebreaking, and building & maintaining the behind-the-scenes infrastructural work that made the heroics possible. If you loved our “How Women Won WWII” series, today’s episode will be a treat of untold history.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Lena Andrews

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women in White Coats with Olivia Campbell Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

Sharon is joined by Olivia Campbell, author and journalist who marries the history of medicine in the Victorian era with stories of three audacious women who overcame profound sexism, societal stigmas, and a sea of obstacles to receive higher education. When diving into her book, “Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine,” we are reminded that medicine has not always been viewed in high regard, and once upon a time, “med-school” lasted mere months. Follow these tenacious trailblazers to see how they defied the odds and paved the way to revolutionize health care.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Olivia Campbell

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The Scandalous Hamiltons” with Bill Shaffer Aug 02, 2023

Show notes

Sharon sits down with author and historical researcher, Bill Shaffer, to learn untold stories of a Hamilton descendant in his gripping book, “The Scandalous Hamiltons: A Gilded Age Grifter, a Founding Father's Disgraced Descendant, and a Trial at the Dawn of Tabloid Journalism. Today, if an author pitched a book proposal with as many twists and turns as this true story holds, it would likely be considered too far-fetched to be believable. Learn how curiosity from a fountain in Riverside park led to a deluge of court records, newspaper articles, and this turn-of-the-Century scandal.

Host/Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Bill Shaffer

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shadow Docket with Stephen Vladeck Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon welcomes law professor Stephen Vladeck to nerd out about all things The 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 hearings, and without explanation. With approval ratings of the The Supreme Court at a historic low, what can Congress and the average American citizen do to hold the court accountable, and foster transparency?

Special thanks to our guest, Stephen Vladeck, for joining us today.

Hosted by: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Stephen Vladeck

Executive Producer: Heather Jackson

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learning to be Gutsy with Natalie Franke Jul 28, 2023

Show notes

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon welcomes back author and friend, Natalie Franke. Natalie’s new book, “Gutsy” is all about how we develop the courage in our own lives to do what we need to do. When we treat failure as the scapegoat, we often ignore the fact that fear is truly the culprit for why we get stuck, or postpone handling even simple tasks. Learn what it means to live with bold, brave, and boundless courage.

Special thanks to our guest, Natalie Franke, for joining us today. You can preorder a copy of Gutsy here.

Hosted by: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Natalie Franke

Executive Producer: Heather Jackson

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Undercover Inside Hate Groups with Matson and Tawni Browning Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, 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 supremacist hate groups target for recruitment and the types of messaging they rely on to spread their violent ideologies.

Special thanks to our guests, Matt and Tawni Browning, for joining us today. You can order a copy of The Hate Next Door here.

Hosted by: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Matson and Tawni Browning

Executive Producer: Heather Jackson

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to Tell When You've Joined a Cult with Amanda Montell Jul 24, 2023

Show notes

Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon is joined by author Amanda Montell to talk about all things cultish. There isn’t always a standard definition of a cult, but there are things to look for, and we’ve all fallen for cultish practices or groups before. Language is often used as a tool of influence, like thought-terminating cliches, mantra phrases that are used to shut down independent thinking or questioning. Cultish leaders also take advantage of people by relying on our confirmation biases. We may think we couldn’t be fooled into joining a cult, but human nature is full of mystic moments and irrationality; it’s inevitable that we’ve joined a few cults along the way.

Special thanks to our guest, Amanda Montell, for joining us today. You can order a copy of Cultish here.

Hosted by: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Amanda Montell

Executive Producer: Heather Jackson

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Constitution in Jeopardy with Russ Feingold Jul 21, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon welcomes former Senator Russ Feingold to the show. Russ is a three-term senator from Wisconsin and his new book, The Constitution in Jeopardy, talks about Constitutional evolution; how the framers built in mechanisms to change it when necessary. One of those mechanisms is the Constitutional Convention–a convention that the United States has never held. What might a convention change, and what are the dangers of it? Could a convention gut the Constitution and threaten democracy? What would a productive and successful Constitutional Convention look like?

Special thanks to our guest, Russ Feingold, for joining us today. You can order a copy of The Constitution in Jeopardy here.

Hosted by: Sharon McMahon

Guest: Russ Feingold

Executive Producer: Heather Jackson

Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.