Leaders and Legends

17/05/2024

Bob Ryan is one of the most famous and respected sportswriters of the past 50 years. You’ve seen him on TV and (if you’re smart) you follow him on X, and this week he is our guest on the “Leaders and Legends” podcast. We discuss Larry Bird, “Deflategate”, the impact of Caitlin Clark, and a whole bunch more. It was like having the sports page all to myself…hope you enjoy our conversation.

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17/05/2024

Professor Allen Guelzo is a best-selling, award-winning historian of Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War, and our enduring republic. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, Dr Guelzo makes a second appearance to discuss his new and insightful book: “Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment"

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17/04/2024

ICYMI: Martin Davidson is an award-winning author, producer, director for the BBC, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel. He is also this week's guest on the “Leaders and Legends” podcast. We discuss Mr Davidson’s scholarship, his research about Germany, Germans, and the Holocaust. His is a unique insight which created a fascinating and informative conversation.

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15/04/2024

“Historians at the Movies” is a brilliant and popular podcast hosted by Jason Herbert, Ph.D. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we talk with Dr Herbert about how movies make history relatable and some of his favorite films.

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17/03/2024

Is Abraham Lincoln a Hoosier? The three-way fight among Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois to claim precedence regarding the Great Emancipator rages on. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast we sit down with Evansville attorney and historian Joshua Claybourn as he makes the case for how Lincoln’s experience living and maturing in Indiana made him the leader who saved the Union.

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16/03/2024

Harry Gonso is a famous Hoosier athlete, a pioneering attorney, one of the proudest IU alums you’ll ever meet, and a former chief of staff to Governor Mitch Daniels—he is also this week's guest on the “Leaders and Legends” podcast. We are joined by Hall of Famer Jim Shella—and a special guest to read Harry the Five Questions.

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15/03/2024

Harold Holzer is one of the world’s foremost scholars on the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln—he served as the historical advisor for the movie “Lincoln”—and he makes his third appearance on the “Leaders and Legends” podcast. We discuss his latest book “Brought Forth on this Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration.” Like all his other works, Harold digs deep into Lincoln’s thoughts to bring us an unvarnished look at the Great Emancipator’s views on a subject all too relevant to today.

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01/02/2024

Why did Adolf Hi**er declare war on the United States on December 11, 1941? Strategic or just stupid…both? On this week’s Leaders and Legends podcast, we interview historian and Professor Brendan Simms author of “Hi**er’s American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and Germany’s March to Global War”. The book is incredibly fascinating, and Prof. Simms is a first-rate writer and podcast guest.

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08/01/2024

Debby Knox was welcomed into our homes as a trusted and beloved journalist for more than 40 years—and this week she is our first guest for 2024 on the “Leaders and Legends” podcast. Debby talks about her career, some of the biggest stories in Indy (and beyond), and answers our Five Questions. We are joined by her former colleague and Hall of Famer Jim Shella.

27/11/2023

Rick and Karen Fuson represent the best of involved and authentic community leadership. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we discuss the growth of Indianapolis, its wonderful people, and what needs to happen next for our city to grow. Rick and Karen share some funny memories and dish on what it’s like to negotiate with each other. We are very honored to have them on the podcast. Rick Fuson is the President/COO at Pacers Sports & Entertainment. Karen Fuson is the former President and Publisher of Star Media, and is currently Board Chair of Free Press Indiana.

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13/11/2023

What was Indiana’s role in the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s? And how did a violent loser like D.C. Stephenson attain so much power? On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we interview Timothy Eagan —author of the superb book “A Fever in the Heartland” which details in splendid prose exactly how Hoosiers made the 20th century version of the Klan a powerful force of political violence. Egan also tells the story of Marge Oberholtzer, her brutal attack at the hands of Stephenson, and how her courage exposed the Klan and its cruel misdeeds.

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10/11/2023

Mark Lawrence, Director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, and Mark Updegrove, President of the LBJ Foundation, are two of this country’s most preeminent historians of the American Presidency—they also host the superb history podcast “With the Bark Off”. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we have a wide-ranging discussion of the most powerful job in the world and the men who made it so.

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02/11/2023

Allan Haw of WISH-TV's All INdiana Podcast Network interviewed Brad Miller at this weekend's podcast conference, PodIndy, where our own Chris Spangle will be a speaker along with Dave Jackson and others. If you want to start a podcast, this is a great event to attend! And the tickets are very low priced!

Prospective podcasters in Central Indiana will want to mark their calendars for the upcoming PODINDY podcast conference.

31/10/2023

Prussia’s victory in the Franco-Prussian War altered world history like no other European conflict of the 19th century. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, Professor Rachel Chrastil discusses her superb new book “Bismarck’s War: The Franco-Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe.” She was also a Herman B. Wells scholar at Indiana University, so you know she has to be super smart.

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23/10/2023

For the last century, President Warren G. Harding has appeared on the list of worst presidents in American history—but is this ranking valid? On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we discuss Harding’s time in office with historian Ryan Walters whose book “The Jazz Age President: Defending Warren G. Harding” takes a unique look at the 29th president of the United States.

📩 Leaders and Legends Podcast is brought to you by Veteran Strategies, a VBE PR agency. DM us for public relations services.

17/10/2023

On March 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most compelling speeches in the history of spoken language. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we discuss the meaning and impact of the president’s second inaugural address with Ed Achorn, author of “Every Drop of Blood: The Momentous Second Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln”

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09/10/2023

Joel Richard Paul is a law professor and one of this century’s leading historians. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we discuss his book “Indivisible: Daniel Webster and the Birth of American Nationalism.” It’s a magnificent journey through the Early National Period in American history, and how it was shaped by one of our country’s greatest orators, politicians, and statesmen.


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02/10/2023

Actress Carolyn Mccormick is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet in “Law & Order”, but her career has encompassed many different starring roles on stage and screen. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, Ms. McCormick discusses her career, her time as America’s favorite psychiatrist, and what’s next for her award-winning, successful career.

📩 Leaders and Legends Podcast is brought to you by Veteran Strategies, a VBE PR agency. DM us for public relations services.

25/09/2023

The friendship of Mike O'Brien and Andy Miller is a perfect example of how politics is supposed to work. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, Jim Shella and I talk to Mike and Andy about working together, the issues they faced at the Statehouse, and how Ed Treacy’s mentorship changed their lives.

📩 Leaders and Legends Podcast is brought to you by Veteran Strategies, a VBE PR agency. DM us for public relations services.

22/09/2023

Known as “LBJ”, Lyndon Baines Johnson is one of our most consequential presidents. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast we interview Dr Mark Lawrence—author and director of the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. We discuss the president’s contribution to career before the White House, his reaction to the assassination of President Kennedy, his contribution to landmark civil rights and healthcare legislation, and the bloody quagmire known as Vietnam.

📩 Leaders and Legends Podcast is brought to you by Veteran Strategies, a VBE PR agency. DM us for public relations services.

11/09/2023

In July 1918, Russian Czar Nicholas II, his wife, their five children, and the few remaining members of his household were slaughtered in a dim and dreary basement by Bolshevik Revolutionaries. Could they all have been saved? And, if so, by which of their royal cousins? On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we interview best-selling historian Dr. Helen Rappaport. She discusses this ghastly murder and how—and if—it could have been prevented and the family rescued. Dr Rappaport also doesn’t mince any words regarding the Mad Monk.

📩 Leaders and Legends Podcast is brought to you by Veteran Strategies, a VBE PR agency. DM us for public relations services.

St. Martin's Press Macmillan Publishers

29/08/2023

Randall Shepard served as chief justice of Indiana’s Supreme Court for twenty-five years. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we interview one of our state’s most distinguished jurists and scholars about his career, the law, and his famous friends at Princeton and Yale Law School.

23/08/2023

The movie “Oppenheimer” is in theaters to (deservedly) rave reviews. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast ( #228), our conversation is with historian James Kunetka, author of “The General and the Genius: Groves and Oppenheimer, the Unlikely Partnership that Built the Atom Bomb.” His book is a wonderful and thorough account of the Manhattan Project, its science, and its impact on world history.

07/08/2023

Were the Duke and Duchess of Windsor N**i sympathizers or just embarrassing, inept dupes? How did the wartime performance of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth help save the British monarchy? On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, our conversation is with Alexander Larman about his superb book “The Windsors at War: The King, His Brother, and a Family Divided”

18/07/2023

Professor Michael Burlingame has no peer when it comes to understanding Abraham Lincoln, his philosophy, and his presidency. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast ( #223), we discuss his latest book on the Great Emancipator--“The Black Man’s President: Abraham Lincoln, African Americans, and the Pursuit of Racial Equality"

10/07/2023

Lesa Dietrick and Diane Masariu are wonderful, delightful, amazing, and have never let politics get in the way of an enduring friendship. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, Jim Shella and I talk with two of our state’s most respected Hoosiers about their lives in politics and their impact at the Statehouse.

26/06/2023

Ray Boomhower is one of the Hoosier State’s most talented historians. He is also this week’s guest on the “Leaders and Legends” podcast. Ray serves as the senior editor of the Indiana Historical Society Press and is in demand as an unsurpassed storyteller. His books include biographies of Ernie Pyle, Gus Grissom, and President Benjamin Harrison. Ray was very generous with his time, and we hope you enjoy our conversation.

19/06/2023

While the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences during World War II get the most attention from scholars, the Casablanca Conference in 1943 demonstrated how the Allies planned for the destruction of the Axis powers while also signaling the emergence of the United States as the dominant partner in the Anglo-American alliance. In this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we explore the Casablanca Conference with historian James Conroy, author of “The Devils Will Get No Rest: FDR, Churchill, and the Plan that Won the War.”

06/06/2023

The friendship of Patty Spitler and Ken Owen stretches back to the last century and Indianapolis is the better for it. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we feature a delightful conversation with two cherished members of our media landscape.

31/05/2023

General George S. Patton is one of the most successful and polarizing military leaders in American history. On this week’s “Leaders and Legends” podcast, we interview Kevin Hymel —the world’s premier biographer of Patton. He separates man from myth and explains why Patton’s actions during World War II deserve both praise and scrutiny.