

The Preamble
Sharon McMahon
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.
An Audacy Podcast.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 26, 2023 • 37min
An American Love Story with Ilyon Woo
On this episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon talks with Ilyon Woo, author of the new book, Master Slave Husband Wife, a love story between William and Ellen Craft. You may not be familiar with their names, but the Crafts were a determined enslaved couple who made their escape through disguise and performance, and in their success, defied the limitations of gender and race.Hosted by: Sharon McMahonGuest: Ilyon WooExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderResearcher: Valerie Hoback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 24, 2023 • 45min
What's Our Problem? with Tim Urban
Today, on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, co-founder of the website Wait But Why? joins Sharon to talk about a few big ideas, like censorship, the future of big tech, the role of government, and what we can do to combat corruption. They also talk about bad drawings of stick figures, and his new book, What’s Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies.Hosted by: Sharon McMahonGuest: Tim UrbanExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderResearcher: Valerie Hoback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 21, 2023 • 41min
The Nazi Conspiracy with Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
On today’s episode, authors Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch sit down with Sharon to discuss their New York Times bestselling book, The Nazi Conspiracy. The pair discusses their research and writing process, including what it's like to collaborate on a book together. The Nazi Conspiracy takes readers deep inside the events of the Second World War and the semi-secret, in-person meeting between FDR, Churchill, and Stalin in Tehran. The Nazis grew wise to the meeting and conspired to assassinate all three leaders. What followed was a calculated series of spy missions, intelligence gathering, and strategic moves between the Allies and the Nazi powers.Hosted by: Sharon McMahonGuest: Brad Meltzer and Josh MenschExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderResearcher: Valerie Hoback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 19, 2023 • 38min
Shipwrecked: Diving with a Purpose with Dr. Sean Kinglsey
Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon welcomes Marine Archeologist Dr. Sean Kinglsey. Learn about how marine archeology is carried out, what the divers look for when they dive and explore shipwrecks, and how the information is pieced together to fill in gaps of the history of human migration--specifically, the transatlantic slave trade, in which 12.5 million Africans were transported around the world against their will. Dr. Kingsley's latest book is Enslaved: The Sunken History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.Hosted by: Sharon McMahonGuest: Sean KingsleyExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderResearcher: Valerie Hoback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 17, 2023 • 38min
Life in Five Senses with Gretchen Rubin
Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, bestselling author Gretchen Rubin joins Sharon to talk about her newest book, Life in Five Senses. Gretchen talks about how to use our sensory experiences to draw closer to other people and evoke our memories. She is a fan of practical application–trying small things throughout our day to enrich our senses and open us up to more beauty, happiness, and passion for the ways in which we decide to enrich our lives.Hosted by: Sharon McMahonGuest: Gretchen RubinExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderResearcher: Valerie Hoback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 14, 2023 • 39min
An Immense World with Ed Yong
Sharon welcomes guest Ed Yong to Here’s Where It Gets Interesting. Ed’s newest book, An Immense World, How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us. It’s a fascinating look at the rich sensory world of animals, and Ed speaks to Sharon about how exploring this world opens up big, philosophical questions about life. Every creature, humans included, are only really perceiving a very thin sliver of the fullness of reality, and while our perceptions may be limited, we should continue to explore, and let our curiosity guide us into new experiences.Hosted by: Sharon McMahonGuest: Ed YongExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderResearcher: Valerie Hoback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 12, 2023 • 38min
Dinner with the President with Alex Prud'homme
Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon sits down with author Alex Prud'homme about his book, Dinner with the President, all about White House food. He is the coauthor of his aunt Julia Child's memoir, My Life in France, and merges Presidential history with dishes that were the height of sophistication at one point. An on ramp to this book and conversation can be summarized in this passage: “Presidential meals often had personal meaning, and sometimes contained coded political messages. James Garfield and Dwight Eisenhower liked bowls of squirrel soup. William Howard Taft had a taste for possum. Zachary Taylor died after eating cherries and drinking cold milk. Woodrow Wilson had chronic indigestion and consumed dubious elixirs, yet he and Herbert Hoover saved millions of lives with innovative food policies. The gourmand Theodore Roosevelt and his gourmet cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt led the nation over bison steaks and terrapin soups. (A gourmand is someone who eats and drinks to wretched excess. A gourmet is a connoisseur of fine dining.) JFK liked clam chowder, LBJ favored chili, Richard Nixon ate cottage cheese almost every day, and George W. Bush liked ballpark hot dogs. The presidents’ food choices reflected the state of the nation.”Hosted by: Sharon McMahonGuest: Alex Prud'hommeExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderResearcher: Valerie Hoback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 10, 2023 • 37min
A Fever in the Heartland with Timothy Egan
Today on Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon talks with Timothy Egan, a Pulitzer Prize—winning reporter, lifelong journalist, and the author of ten books, most recently the highly acclaimed A Pilgrimage to Eternity and The Immortal Irishman, a New York Times bestseller. His book on the Dust Bowl, The Worst Hard Time, won a National Book Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. His account of photographer Edward Curtis, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher, won the Carnegie Medal for nonfiction.Hosted by: Sharon McMahonGuest: Timothy EganExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderResearcher: Valerie Hoback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 7, 2023 • 43min
Secrets of the Civil War: The Rocky Road of Reconstruction
After four years of fighting, the Union had persevered in bringing the seceded states back into the fold. But the newly reunited country had a great deal of healing to do. Reconstruction took over a decade, and the passage of several constitutional amendments, to create new scaffolding. And even as a new century dawned, the United States was as segregated as ever.Hosted by: Sharon McMahonExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderWritten and researched by: Heather Jackson, Valerie Hoback, Amy Watkin, and Mandy Reid Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 5, 2023 • 44min
Secrets of the Civil War: The Necessity of Innovation
In this series, we have covered all sorts of innovations that arose out of the conflict, from deviled ham spread and spy balloons to surgical advancements. Today we are going to continue that exploration with a wide range of new developments like photojournalism, a national currency, and the evolution of premade clothing. It’s a smorgasbord of inventions, y’all!Hosted by: Sharon McMahonExecutive Producer: Heather JacksonAudio Producer: Jenny SnyderWritten and researched by: Heather Jackson, Valerie Hoback, Amy Watkin, and Mandy Reid Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices


