Summer Hiatus
Leadership and Legacy is on summer break -- but we'll be back in September with new great conversations.
Aug 11, 2025•28 sec
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library
New from the Washington Presidential Library, Leadership and Legacy invites prominent leaders and historians to reflect on their growth, challenges, and innovative approaches that made them the leaders that they are today, as well as how these questions can be informed by the past — in particular the lessons and legacy of George Washington.
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Episodes
Learning from First Ladies with Anita McBride
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Anita McBride—author and former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush—offers an insider’s perspective on the evolving role of America’s first ladies. Drawing on her own White House experience, McBride highlights how communication, altruism, and quiet courage have shaped some of the most impactful partnerships in presidential history. From behind-the-scenes influence to public leadership, she demonstrates how first ladies have helped to define the natio...
Jul 07, 2025•47 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Revolutionary Leadership with Rick Atkinson
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Rick Atkinson delves into the nature of military leadership through the lens of George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Atkinson outlines the essential traits of an effective commander—unshakable resolve, strategic communication, and a keen ability to navigate the complexities of the battlefield across both space and time. He also highlights Washington’s political acumen and talent for recognizing pote...
Jun 23, 2025•43 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Little Wolf and the American West with Megan Kate Nelson
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dr. Megan Kate Nelson illuminates the life and legacy of Little Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne military, political, and diplomatic leader. Drawing from her forthcoming book The Westerners, Nelson explores how Little Wolf embodied leadership values like consensus building, generosity, strategic brilliance, and sacrifice for the greater good—principles deeply rooted in Northern Cheyenne culture. The conversation offers insi...
May 19, 2025•39 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Suffrage and Black Women's Leadership with Martha Jones
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian and legal scholar Dr. Martha S. Jones delves into black women’s battle for voting rights that began, rather than ended, with the passage of the 19th Amendment. Through the stories of several inspirational leaders of the Black Women’s Club movement, Jones highlights how these women earned leverage in their communities, empowered themselves in their churches, and passed down invaluable lessons to the next generation. She also reflects on their la...
May 05, 2025•47 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Historical Lessons of Leadership with Catherine Allgor
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, historian Catherine Allgor explores the early First Ladies of the United States, examining how they navigated gendered power dynamics within their roles. She delves into how these women found agency in a male-dominated world, leveraging the social sphere to influence Washington culture and shape political policy. At the heart of her discussion, Allgor emphasizes the importance of leaders recognizing and treating people as full, complex human beings. Tune...
Apr 21, 2025•38 min•Season 2Ep. 5
The Power of Character with Jeffrey Engel
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy , Jeffrey A. Engel, Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, shares his personal experience with former President George H.W. Bush and the valuable lessons he learned about the presidency—an office for which no one can truly prepare. Engel identifies memory, energy, and empathy as the key traits of an effective leader, while emphasizing that voters should prioritize character and judgement over personality when eva...
Apr 07, 2025•39 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Leadership on the Supreme Court with Steve Vladeck
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Georgetown University Law Center professor Steve Vladeck explores the history of leadership on the United States Supreme Court, the qualities of an effective justice, and how public opinion does—or doesn’t—influence the court. He highlights the importance of institution building—his choice for most important justice in this sense may surprise you—and the influential roles played by justices beyond the Chief Justice. Vladeck also cautions that while Court...
Mar 24, 2025•39 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Leading in Times of Crisis with Michelle Korsmo
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Michelle Korsmo, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, shares expert insights on developing a strong leadership style, navigating crises, and transitioning into new leadership roles. She explores the essential qualities of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and vision that define successful leaders. Korsmo also discusses her greatest leadership role models, from historical figures to the resilient women who have influenced her jo...
Mar 10, 2025•41 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Episode 2 Announcement
Leadership and Legacy season two, episode two: Leading in Times of Crisis with Michelle Korsmo will launch to the public next Monday. For early access to this and other Mount Vernon podcasts, become a member of Mount Vernon today at mountvernon.org/become-a-member
Mar 03, 2025•20 sec
A Balanced Republic with Dr. Yuval Levin
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy , historian, political analyst, and author Dr. Yuval Levin explores the foundations of American democracy, the qualities of effective presidential leadership, and the role of compromise in governance. Levin discusses how a successful presidency requires restraint over aggression and negotiation over conflict, drawing lessons from historical administrations. He also examines the United States Constitution, arguing that while it is not a flawless document, ...
Feb 17, 2025•49 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The Civic Bargain with Brook Manville
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Brook Manville, author of The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives, discusses the concept of leadership in a democracy. He emphasizes that democracy is fundamentally a bargain, a system of self-governance where citizens act as checks on one another's power, ensuring that no single individual or "boss" can dominate. Drawing upon historical examples from Athens, Rome, and Great Britain, Manville highlights the challenges democracies face as they grow in s...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Communication and the Digital Future with Dr. Colleen Shogan
This podcast episode features an interview with Dr. Colleen Shogan, the director of the National Archives and Records Administration. Dr. Shogan discusses the importance of effective leadership and communication, particularly in her role overseeing a vast collection of historical records. She emphasizes the need for clear and direct communication, especially when delivering difficult messages. Dr. Shogan also reflects on her career path, highlighting the influence of her academic background in p...
Nov 12, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Learning from History with General David Petraeus and Andrew Roberts
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, General David Petraeus and historian Andrew Roberts discuss the art of leadership, drawing from their book Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine. They explore the timeless principles of strategic leadership, emphasizing the importance of getting the big ideas right, communicating them effectively, overseeing their implementation, and adapting to changing circumstances. Through examples from history, including Napoleon, George III, and C...
Oct 29, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Service and Respect with General John Allen
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Dr. Patrick Spero interviews General John Allen, a retired U.S. Marine Corps four-star general, about his views on leadership. General Allen defines leadership as the means to accomplish difficult tasks and emphasizes the importance of humility, service, and respect. He shares his personal experiences, from his early days as a Marine officer to his strategic command roles, highlighting the influence of his father and the lessons he learned from his nonco...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 3
Integrity and Democracy with Representatives Steve Womack and Pat Ryan
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Representatives Steve Womack and Pat Ryan, two elected officials on opposite sides of the aisle, discuss their views on leadership. They emphasize the importance of integrity, direction, and leading by example, drawing on their military experiences to illustrate these principles. Both congressmen reflect on the challenges of leadership in a polarized political landscape and the complexities of making difficult decisions that balance party loyalty with th...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 2
Leading Change with Carly Fiorina
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Dr. Patrick Spero interviews Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett Packard. She discusses her experiences at AT&T and HP, highlighting the challenges of leading change within large organizations. Fiorina also reflects on the role of technology in leadership and the importance of preserving history in the digital age. The conversation also touches on Fiorina's views on corporate responsibility and her vision for the 250th anniversary of the American Re...
Sep 17, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 1
NOW AVAILABLE: Inventing the Presidency
Now Available on all platforms! In this new podcast from the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, we'll explore George Washington as both President and precedent. From the very origins of the US presidency at the Constitutional Convention to Washington’s final warnings in his Farewell Address, we will break down how one man shaped the Presidency—and the many times that it could have all fallen apart. Learn more at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com....
Mar 12, 2024•2 min
229. A Final Conversation with Dr. James Ambuske
In this final episode of Conversations at the Washington Library, Drs. Anne Fertig and Alexandra Montgomery bid farewell to former Digital Historian and host, Dr. James Ambuske, through a retrospective of his time and work at the George Washington Podcast Network.
May 08, 2023•54 min
228. Editing the Adams Family Papers with Dr. Sara Georgini
The Adams Family is one of the more prominent families in American history. They were at the center of the American Revolution, they helped create a new republic, shaped the young nation’s foreign policy, and later were central to the development of the history profession. Fortunately, we know much about their lives because of the countless letters and diaries they’ve left us. And it is up to a team of editors at the Massachusetts Historical Society to help us make sense of it all. On today’s sh...
Nov 28, 2022•43 min•Season 6Ep. 228
227. Welcoming a Deserving Brother with Mark Tabbert
In 1752, George Washington joined the Masonic Lodge in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was just twenty years old. Despite his early interest in masonry, Washington was not as active in the organization as some might imagine, but Masonic Lodges became important sites of social gathering for men in early America. And while masons and masonic rituals played important roles in the American Revolution and in the early days of the Republic, you won’t find any conspiracy theories here. On today’s show, Ma...
Nov 14, 2022•26 min•Season 6Ep. 227
226. Cross-examining Washington's Heir with Prof. Gerard Magliocca
When George Washington wrote his final will in the months before he died in December 1799, he named Bushrod Washington as heir to his papers and to Mount Vernon. He took possession of his uncle’s Virginia plantation when Martha Washington passed away in 1802. But Bushrod was not as interested in agriculture as George had been. He was a lawyer who later became an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court, where he became a staunch ally of Chief Justice John Marshall. Yet, like George, ...
Oct 31, 2022•43 min•Season 6Ep. 226
225. Doing Public History with Dr. Anne Fertig
Why is the way that we remember the past oftentimes different than historical reality? And how can we use public history to inform conversations in the present about events that took place centuries earlier? On today’s episode, Jim Ambuske introduces you to Dr. Anne Fertig , our newest colleague here at the Washington Library, who will help us think through some of these questions. Dr. Fertig is a specialist in eighteenth century literature, historical memory, and women’s history. She’s the foun...
Oct 17, 2022•27 min•Season 6Ep. 225
224. Unpacking the Slave Empire with Dr. Padraic Scanlan
In the early decades of the nineteenth century, the British Empire began dismantling the slave system that had helped to build it. Parliament banned the transatlantic slave trade in 1807, and in 1833 the government outlawed slavery itself, accomplishing through legislative action what the United States would later achieve in part by the horrors of civil war. Abolition has long been a cause célèbre in the British imagination, with men like William Wilberforce receiving credit for moving the empir...
Jun 25, 2022•40 min•Season 6Ep. 224
223. Attending a Lecture on Female Genius with Dr. Mary Sarah Bilder
In May 1787, George Washington arrived in Philadelphia to attend the Constitutional Convention. One afternoon, as he waited for the other delegates to show up so the convention could begin, Washington accompanied some ladies to a public lecture at the University of Pennsylvania by a woman named Eliza Harriot Barons O’Conner. Eliza Harriot, as she signed her name, had led a transatlantic life steeped in revolutionary ideas. On that May afternoon she argued in favor of the radical notion of Female...
May 19, 2022•42 min•Season 6Ep. 223
Introducing Intertwined Stories: Finding Hercules Posey
We're delighted to bring you one of the bonus episodes from our other podcast, Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon . In Intertwined Stories , we're featuring extended interviews with some of the expert contributors to the main Intertwined show. Today, you'll hear part of the conversation that Jim Ambuske and Jeanette Patrick had with Ramin Ganeshram about Hercules Posey. Posey was the Washington’s enslaved chef, and for more than 200 years old we didn’t know h...
Apr 06, 2022•20 min•Season 223Ep. 6
221. Reading the Political Poetry of Hannah Lawrence Schieffelin with Dr. Kait Tonti
Hannah Lawrence Schieffelin was an American poet who rhymed about some of the most important issues facing the early United States in the eighteenth century, including the British occupation of New York City during the American Revolution, the debate over the gradual abolition of slavery in the early days of the republic, and the legacy of George Washington. Schieffelin sat at the heart of the New York literary scene in these years, but until recently, most of her manuscript poetry remained undi...
Mar 09, 2022•55 min•Season 6Ep. 221
220. Educating Early Americans with Drs. Mark Boonshoft and Andrew O'Shaughnessy
In eighteenth-century America, you would’ve had little opportunity for formal schooling or an advanced education. Unless you were among the elite or at least of some means, your chances of attending a local academy or Harvard College weren’t great. But the American Revolution ushered in a new era of education in the United States that paved the way for the educational opportunities we take for granted today. Education became seen as central to the survival of the republic, with local communities...
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 220
219. Negotiating Federal-State Relations with Dr. Grace Mallon
For years after the ratification of the Constitution, Americans debated how the Federal Government and the several states should relate to each other, and work together, to form a more perfect union. The success, if not the survival, of the new republic depended on these governments cooperating on any number of issues, from customs enforcement to Native American policy. But where there was collaboration there was also friction among them over matters like state sovereignty, slavery, and land. Un...
Feb 02, 2022•44 min•Season 6Ep. 219
218. Finding Washington at the Plow with Dr. Bruce Ragsdale
In the 1760s, tobacco was one of Virginia’s chief exports. But George Washington turned away from the noxious plant and began dreaming of wheat and a more profitable future. Washington became enamored with new ideas powering the agricultural revolution in Great Britain and set out to implement this new form of husbandry back home at Mount Vernon. His quest to become a gentleman farmer reshaped Mount Vernon’s landscape and altered the lives of the plantation’s enslaved community, and his own idea...
Jan 20, 2022•45 min•Season 6Ep. 221
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