Frank Lavin talks with Eli Merritt, Professor at Vanderbilt and the author of "Disunion Among Ourselves," to discuss the critical issues the Continental Congress faced at the dawn of the American republic, with the most important failure being the failure to eliminate slavery. Eli discusses how the sectional differences and the need to forge some type of political consensus drove the Founders to leave this issue unresolved. In addition to his book, Eli also suggests reading Jeffrey Rosen's book, "The Pursuit of Happiness," which explores how the Founders were inspired by classical discussions of virtue.

Frank Lavin talks with Chris Kirchhoff, defense innovation guru and the author of "Unit X" to discuss the importance of tech in U.S. national security. The adaptation of tech in the U.S. military is as urgent as it is complicated, and Chris observes that we are burdened by our success. Chris also suggests reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk, "Elon Musk."

Frank Lavin talks with Olaf Groth, the author of "The Great Remobilization" and discusses the six major trends that will drive decisions in our personal lives, government policies, and business decision-making: 1. Covid and CRISPR; 2. Cognitive Technologies; 3. Crypto and distributed power; 4. Cyber security; 5. Climate Change; 6. China. Olaf moves on to discuss how corporations and governments should respond to meet – and perhaps even benefit from – these challenges. Olaf also suggests reading Ezra Klein's "Abundance" and the work of our previous guest, "Apple in China" by Patrick McGee.

Frank Lavin talks with Patrick McGee, the author of "Apple in China" and discusses how Apple came to enjoy enormous success in China and eventually came to pay a price for that success, which Patrick terms "Faustian." It is a fascinating book that encompasses some of the more important themes in the world today, including Globalization, the rise of China, tech policy, and supply chains. Patrick suggest also reading "The Maniac" by Benjamin Labatut.

Frank Lavin talks with Allen Weiner, the author of "The Highflier Handbook: How to be Seen and Become a Leader at Work" and discusses why some people fail to move ahead, even if they are strong performers. It has a lot to do with soft skills, collegiality, and perceptions. Allen challenges us as to how we can stand out while still being true to ourselves. In addition to reading his "The Highflier Handbook" Allen also recommends the Tom Clancy novels for insight as to how people can communicate and shape a consensus to advance their goals, starting with "Clear and Present Danger."

Frank Lavin talks about Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. with John Sullivan, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia and former Deputy Secretary of State. John was serving in Moscow when Putin launched Russia's invasion of Ukraine and this was the basis for his book, "Midnight in Moscow." John also recommends H.R. McMaster's "At War With Ourselves."

Frank Lavin talks about Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan with Ken Khachigian, author, speechwriter, strategic consultant, and presidential advisor. His book, "Behind Closed Doors," discusses his work with these two presidents. Ken also recommends Geoff Shepard's "The Nixon Conspiracy" and Richard Nixon's "Memoirs."

Frank Lavin talks about Indonesia and Southeast Asia with Gita Wirjawan, Visiting Scholar at Stanford University and former Minister of Trade for Indonesia. For insights on successful societies and successful lives, Gita recommends "Range" by David Epstein and "The Narrow Corridor" by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson.