Good Citizen

Rahm Emanuel has never been shy about being in the arena, whether as White House Chief of Staff, an Illinois congressman, Chicago mayor, or ambassador to Japan. Now he’s weighing a run for president. Ted catches up with him at the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, where Emanuel takes his own party to task over its focus on identity politics and democratic socialism. Ted asks about his bike ride through New Hampshire, and Emanuel details where American leaders are failing us most right now. Passion infuses his every answer, driven, he says, by having “won the lottery ticket of life.”Find him at @RahmEmanuel.For more, visit goodcitizenpodcast.com.Follow us on Facebook @TRPresidentialLibraryInstagram @trlibraryX @TRPresLibraryAnd sign up for our newsletter at trlibrary.com/newsletter to stay up-to-date on the TRPL!--Good Citizen is hosted by Ted Roosevelt V and produced by The Future of StoryTelling in collaboration with Charts & Leisure, on behalf of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation. Learn more about T.R.’s presidential library at www.trlibrary.com.Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation350 Third AvenueMedora, North Dakota 58645Future of StoryTellingFounder and CEO, Charles MelcherDirector, Carolyn MerrimanProducer, Alison Byrne Assistant Producer, Madison BrownProduction Assistant, Tsuki CarlsonCharts & LeisureExecutive Producer, Jason OberholtzerProducer, Meghal JanardanEditor, Garrett CroweMix, Andrew AtkinMusic and Final Assembly, Michael SimonelliWith special thanks to Nikki O'Brien, Regina D'Alesio, Stephanie Condello, Meg Freshwater, Zineb Benchekchou, Allison O’Keefe, Serena Torrey Roosevelt, Edward F. O’Keefe, Robbie Lauf, Courtland Miller, and Matt Briney.  

Willie Winn, a veteran North Dakota builder; Suzanne Medley, a construction-industry leader; Craig Dykers, founding partner of Snøhetta; and Jenn Carroll, the Library’s sustainability director, explore how the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library took shape. They discuss rammed-earth walls, low-carbon concrete, local materials, remote-site challenges, Living Building Challenge standards, and building alongside the Badlands rather than merely on them.

Rye Barcott, a Marine veteran and civic leader, moderates a lively bipartisan conversation with Senators Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. They explore Theodore Roosevelt’s model of public service, the Badlands’ power to heal, conservation as common ground, and ways to restore trust in government. They also discuss the digital age, preserving history, and what active citizenship looks like today.

North Dakota First Lady Kjersti Armstrong leads Michelle Orton, a leadership scholar; Betsy Fischer Martin, an Emmy-winning journalist; and Anita McBride, a former Laura Bush chief of staff, in a lively look at First Ladies and power. They explore Edith Roosevelt’s role in shaping the modern presidency, influence without formal authority, media scrutiny, authentic advocacy, First Gentlemen, and the legacies of Eleanor Roosevelt and Nancy Reagan.

Arthur Brooks, a happiness scientist, author, and Vanderbilt professor, joins Robbie Lauf, executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. They explore Roosevelt’s Badlands transformation, the strenuous life, and three habits for greater happiness. The conversation tackles grief, ambition, faith, genetics, meaningful work, pilgrimage, and how struggle, service, and action can make life feel fully alive.

Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops founder and conservationist, joins North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong, a sportsman and conservation policymaker. They explore how commerce can support conservation, reconnecting young people with nature, affordable access to hunting and fishing, and the communication challenge facing conservationists. Morris also reflects on patriotism, family, and Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, a renowned presidential historian and bestselling author, explores Theodore Roosevelt’s life and legacy. She traces how adversity, curiosity, physical discipline, and the Badlands shaped his leadership. The conversation also examines empathy, political cooperation, reform, conservation, civic duty, and how history can offer hope during uncertain times.

Why do so few Americans remember John Quincy Adams? Bob Crawford, bassist for The Avett Brothers and author of America's Founding Son, argues Adams may not have been America's best president, but he just might have been the greatest ex-president. He describes the election of 1824, with its accusations of corruption bringing rise to a populist leader. And he lays out how Adams' real story began after the White House, when the former president did the unthinkable: he ran for Congress. It was there that this relentless public servant truly shone, fighting for free speech and striking the first major blow against slavery. Find him at: bobcrawford.komi.io For more, visit goodcitizenpodcast.com. Follow us on Facebook @TRPresidentialLibrary Instagram @trlibrary X @TRPresLibrary. And sign up for our newsletter at trlibrary.com/newsletter to stay up-to-date on the TRPL! -- Good Citizen is hosted by Ted Roosevelt V and produced by The Future of StoryTelling in collaboration with Charts & Leisure, on behalf of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation. Learn more about T.R.’s presidential library at www.trlibrary.com.  Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation 350 Third Avenue Medora, North Dakota 58645   Future of StoryTelling Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher Director, Carolyn Merriman Producer, Alison Byrne  Assistant Producer, Madison Brown Production Assistant, Tsuki Carlson   Charts & Leisure Executive Producer, Jason Oberholtzer Producer, Meghal Janardan Editor, Garrett Crowe Mix, Andrew Atkin Music and Final Assembly, Michael Simonelli With special thanks to Katrina Tiktinsky, Sam Mitchell, Edward F. O’Keefe, Robbie Lauf, Courtland Miller, and Matt Briney.  Bob Crawford photo credit: Crackerfarm

Ted comes to this conversation not just as a host, but as a Roosevelt. And he’s sitting down with two people he’s worked alongside for years: Edward O’Keefe, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, and Charlie Melcher, CEO of the Future of Storytelling, as they reflect on what they’ve built together.  The Library opens its doors on July 4th, 2026,  the nation’s 250th birthday, and these two men are most responsible for bringing it to life. Together they trace the arc from vision to reality, including the moment on a snowy Badlands butte when everything clicked. This conversation includes a candid look at how far they’ve come and a preview of what awaits visitors. At the heart of it all is a radical proposition: that TR’s story exists not to glorify one man, but to ignite something in the rest of us.   Learn more at TRLibrary.com and futureofstorytelling.org For more, visit goodcitizenpodcast.com. Follow us on Facebook @TRPresidentialLibrary Instagram @trlibrary X @TRPresLibrary. And sign up for our newsletter at trlibrary.com/newsletter to stay up-to-date on the TRPL! -- Good Citizen is hosted by Ted Roosevelt V and produced by The Future of StoryTelling in collaboration with Charts & Leisure, on behalf of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation. Learn more about T.R.’s presidential library at www.trlibrary.com.  Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation 350 Third Avenue Medora, North Dakota 58645   Future of StoryTelling Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher Director, Carolyn Merriman Producer, Alison Byrne  Assistant Producer, Madison Brown Production Assistant, Tsuki Carlson   Charts & Leisure Executive Producer, Jason Oberholtzer Producer, Meghal Janardan Editor, Garrett Crowe Mix, Andrew Atkin Music and Final Assembly, Michael Simonelli With special thanks to Lor Simpson, Nicole Turchin, WTF Media Studios, Robbie Lauf, Courtland Miller, and Matt Briney.

Lucas St. Clair grew up off the grid in the woods of northern Maine, with a front-row seat to one of the great entrepreneurial origin stories of our time: his mother’s chance encounter with the beekeeper Burt Shavitz, which grew into Burt’s Bees. With his good friend Ted, Lucas traces that story of selling honey out of pickle jars to building a multi-million dollar company, and his mom’s vision to donate tens of thousands of acres of Maine timberland to create a national park. What followed for Lucas was years of backlash, door-to-door discussions, and a humbling reckoning with the Wabanaki Nations, whose history had long been left out of the story of this land. Learn more about the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument at www.nps.gov/kaww For more, visit goodcitizenpodcast.com. Follow us on Facebook @TRPresidentialLibrary Instagram @trlibrary X @TRPresLibrary. And sign up for our newsletter at trlibrary.com/newsletter to stay up-to-date on the TRPL! -- Good Citizen is hosted by Ted Roosevelt V and produced by The Future of StoryTelling in collaboration with Charts & Leisure, on behalf of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation. Learn more about T.R.’s upcoming presidential library at www.trlibrary.com.  Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation 350 Third Avenue Medora, North Dakota 58645   Future of StoryTelling Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher Director, Carolyn Merriman Producer, Alison Byrne  Assistant Producer, Madison Brown Production Assistant, Tsuki Carlson   Charts & Leisure Executive Producer, Jason Oberholtzer Producer, Meghal Janardan Editor, Garrett Crowe Mix, Andrew Atkin Music and Final Assembly, Michael Simonelli With special thanks to Miriam Deauseault, Edward F. O’Keefe, Robbie Lauf, Courtland Miller, and Matt Briney.