Robyn Curnow was driving through Atlanta when she stopped at a red light behind a car with a bumper sticker that read: “I miss Ronald Reagan.”

And it made her wonder — do Americans really miss Ronald Reagan… or do they miss the simpler idea of America his presidency has come to represent?

Because nostalgia has become one of the most powerful political drugs in the United States. It doesn’t ask for accuracy. It offers comfort. It smooths over complexity and turns anxiety about the present into longing for the past.

In this episode of Searching for America, Robyn explore how nostalgia is shaping American politics — from Reagan’s mythologized 1980s and the fantasy of the 1950s, to Donald Trump’s mastery of “Make America Great Again.” She looks at how both the left and the right reach backward when the present feels unstable, and why curated memory is often more persuasive than facts.

This isn’t really about Reagan.
Or even about Trump.

It’s about how Americans cope when the country no longer feels familiar — and why nostalgia, when weaponized, can be comforting, seductive… and dangerous.

Takeaways

Nostalgia in politics is often about the present, not the past.
Trump's slogan is a memory trigger, allowing personal projection.
Political nostalgia can sanitize and simplify complex histories.
Both left and right use nostalgia to connect with voters.
Nostalgia can anesthetize critical engagement with history.

Chapters

00:00 The Power of Nostalgia in Politics
05:42 Nostalgia's Role in Political Identity
10:09 Trumpism: Nostalgia and Future Projections
15:49 Reimagining the Future Through Nostalgia

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• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
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• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

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Is Greenland the next frontline of great-power competition?

In this episode of Searching for America, Robyn Curnow examines why the Arctic — and Greenland in particular — has moved from geopolitical afterthought to strategic imperative for the United States. As Washington revives a Trump-era, Monroe-Doctrine-style focus on hemispheric control, allies in Denmark and Greenland are left shocked by the tone — and alarmed by what it reveals about American power and insecurity.

We separate Arctic myth from verified reality: Russia’s expanded military posture in the High North, China’s long-term economic and scientific positioning, and the uncomfortable truth about how NATO and the U.S. allowed leverage to build through neglect rather than invasion.

This is not a story about invasion or hysteria. It’s about trade routes, maritime corridors, missile warning systems, melting sea ice, critical minerals, undersea cables, and why the U.S. doesn’t fully trust alliance capabilities to hold Greenland in a crisis.

The Arctic isn’t frozen anymore — politically or strategically. And Greenland sits at the center of a new Cold War that’s unfolding quietly, far from the headlines.

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More on Robyn

http://www.robyncurnow.net

• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
• Visit her website here.
• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What a start to the year! Robyn Curnow looks at the big picture behind Trump’s Venezuela operation. She says it's not about American adventurism, or regime change, or a greedy neo-colonial oil grab. It’s bigger and more consquential. It was a balance sheet operation.

The trigger points of this century’s conflicts are going to be centered around chokepoints; access to trade routes and control over critical energy. The White House is arguing that Venezuela was America’s belated response to deeply entrenched Chinese economic threats across the world.

But still, be warned, the battle for strategic assets in critical geo-economic nodes is about to go to eleven.

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• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
• Visit her website here.
• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When I first moved to the US, I didn’t fully understand Thanksgiving. Now, after years of living here, this holiday reveals more about America than almost anything else.

In this episode, I unpack the history, the travel madness, the affordability of the classic Thanksgiving meal, and the national instinct toward connection that defines this time of year. I also share my own Thanksgiving list—why I’m grateful for America’s opportunity culture, its democratic protections, and its deep spirit of generosity.

Listen and subscribe to Searching for America, and explore more of my work on Substack, YouTube, and beyond.

• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
• Visit her website here.
• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Journalists have survived every major technological shift, but AI presents a new kind of challenge. Robyn Curnow walks through the excitement, disruption, and uncertainty surrounding artificial intelligence in today’s newsrooms. She reflects on her early days as a reporter, the rapid advance of generative systems, and why the fundamentals still hold.

What we cover

• How AI is transforming newsrooms and accelerating job losses
• Why images, audio, and video can no longer be taken at face value
• The deeper philosophical question: what happens to truth
• Lessons from the printing press and historic disruptions
• Why the core questions of journalism still matter
• The Mandela interview that AI could never replicate
• The irreplaceable value of presence, empathy, and lived experience
• Why the future belongs to reporters who double down on connection, verification, and authenticity

• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
• Visit her website here.
• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dolly Parton is one of the few figures in American life who transcends politics, culture, and class.

In this episode, I ask why.

How does a woman with big wigs, big hair, and an even bigger heart manage to be loved by everyone from evangelical Republicans to progressive feminists?

We travel to Tennessee to find out. Along the way, we explore Dolly’s genius for what her team calls “Dollitics”—a refusal to play partisan games while living out universal values of compassion, humor, and hard work. F

rom her philanthropy to her music to Dollywood itself, she reflects the best of America: faith, grit, generosity, and joy.

• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
• Visit her website here.
• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why does it feel like the news wants us angry?

In this week’s Searching for America, I dig into what I call “angertainment” — the weaponization of news into a cycle of outrage and division. I spent more than twenty years inside the global media machine, from CNN to the BBC, and I’ve watched how fear and fury turned into a profitable formula.

In this episode, I talk about how I reached my breaking point, why I turned off cable news for good, and how I’ve started to rethink what it means to stay informed without being consumed.

Searching for America is my outsider’s field guide to the United States — one story at a time.

Searching for America is produced by Jonathan Warncke, and recorded in Atlanta, USA.

• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
• Visit her website here.
• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why do Americans spend more on Halloween than some countries do on their national defense? Robyn Curnow explores the cultural, economic, and emotional significance of Halloween in the United States. From inflatable unicorns to spooky dog costumes, this episode reflects on what America’s love for Halloween reveals about its people, priorities, and longing for community.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Opening question: Why is Halloween spending so huge in the U.S.?
• 00:30 – Personal observations of Halloween in the Deep South
• 01:20 – Seasonal context: Fall as a lead-in to a trio of holidays
• 01:50 – Shocking stats: $13 billion Halloween spend vs Nordic defense budgets
• 02:00 – Costume culture and kids’ (and pets’) fashion obsessions
• 03:30 – Competitive house decorations and posh pumpkins
• 04:20 – Candy inflation and the politics of mass consumption
• 05:00 – Halloween as an inelastic good: people buy it no matter what
• 06:00 – Escapism and communal joy in an often isolated America
• 07:00 – A nostalgic nod to community and simpler times

• Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
  Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
• Visit her website here.
• To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.

More about Robyn's public speaking
Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.

She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.

She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.