What It Takes®

The ocean covers 70% of the earth. It regulates our climate and it provides most of the oxygen we breathe. And yet we still know very little about it. Well, this is the story of two people who have spent the past 60 years discovering the mysteries of the deep. Sylvia Earle is one of the world’s greatest marine scientists, and David Doubilet is one of the world’s greatest underwater photographers. Each tells the story of falling in love with life underwater. Each talks about how technology has transformed their ability to explore. Each describes the rapid destruction of the oceans they have witnessed first-hand. And each delivers a powerful message that if we humans continue to damage the oceans with abandon, we put human life at risk.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019

Babe Ruth's home run record held for almost four decades. But then Hank Aaron came along and smashed it. On the way to making baseball history, Aaron persevered through poverty, segregation, racism, and threats on his life. He talks here about joining the Negro Leagues, about playing through a period of transformation in America, and about helping to change the world by doing what he did best - swinging that bat.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019

In honor of the 4th of July, we are featuring the foremost champion of civil liberties in America, and a man who embodies the American Dream. Anthony Romero tells the inspiring story here of his path from a housing project in New York City to an Ivy League university and eventually to the head of the ACLU, where he has been Executive Director since 2001. Romero also talks about the tremendous growth of the organization during his tenure, the non-partisan philosophy that drives their work, and some of the issues they are most focused on at the moment. And he reveals a powerful personal story about overcoming mistakes in life.#WhatItTakesNowwww.achievement.org(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019

Alice Waters has been called a food revolutionary. In 1971, she opened a cozy restaurant in Berkeley, California called Chez Panisse.  It showcased seasonal, local, organic fruits and vegetables and meats... a radical departure from the kind of food Americans were used to eating. Waters and her restaurant ushered in the farm-to-table movement and raised Americans' consciousness about fresh ingredients and healthy eating.  She talks here about the trip to France that started it all, about her dedication to taste, and about the environmental impact of our food choices.  (c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019

He is considered by many to be the greatest military strategist since Dwight D. Eisenhower. General David Petraeus was the man President George W. Bush turned to, four years into the War in Iraq, when it was clear that the war was failing dismally. Petraeus took command of "The Surge," completely changed the U.S. military's approach, and turned the war around. He then moved on to the War in Afghanistan, before President Barack Obama appointed him Director of the CIA. David Petraeus talks here about his reputation as a fierce competitor, the big ideas and the strategy that he implemented in Iraq, the scandal that derailed his public-service career, and the lessons that allowed him to move on with his life.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019

Ballet changed course on the day that George Balanchine met Suzanne Farrell. It was 1960. He was 56. She was 15, and had just arrived in New York from small-town Ohio, with dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Within a couple of years, she would become the greatest ballerina of her generation, and muse to the greatest choreographer in history. Their collaboration at the New York City Ballet crossed boundaries of art and love, and sent ballet pirouetting in new directions. But it was not without turmoil. Suzanne Farrell talks here about their enigmatic relationship, about how she withstood being fired (twice) from her artistic home, and about the beauty of living and dancing in the moment.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019

This Pulitzer-Prize winning biographer began writing his first book when he was still in college (it earned the National Book Award), and he has devoted each of the last five decades to telling the life story of one 20th Century American giant: Charles Lindbergh, Woodrow Wilson, Katharine Hepburn, Samuel Goldwyn and Maxwell Perkins. Scott Berg tells some of the most fascinating stories from his subjects' lives here, and he describes the joys of his own life - as a researcher, a writer, and a detective of history.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019

It’s a remarkable American story: a poor peanut farmer from the Deep South becomes a nuclear naval officer, then governor of Georgia, and finally President of the United States. And what Jimmy Carter has done for peace and human rights in the 40 years since leaving office is just as remarkable. The 39th president talks here about his early life in rural Plains, Georgia, where his deeply-held beliefs about equality and fairness took root, and he describes his unlikely rise through the political landscape at a moment when the U.S. was undergoing tumultuous change. He also speaks candidly about some of the most difficult moments in the White House, the transition to his “post-presidency,” and his assessment of what makes a great president.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019

"Sledgehammer," "In Your Eyes," and "Red Rain" are some of the hits that made Peter Gabriel a rock superstar in the 1970's and 80's. Before he became a solo artist, he was already a star -- as lead singer of the band Genesis. But somewhere along the way, Peter Gabriel also became a political activist, particularly after his song "Biko" became an anthem of the anti-Apartheid movement. Since then, he has devoted much of his time to creating two organizations dedicated to human rights, justice and peace… as well as a festival and record label that have given exposure to hundreds of artists from around the world. Gabriel talks in depth here about his multi-faceted career, and he shares his revelations about the nature of talent.Language Advisory: There is an expletive at 24:49.*The cuts of music from Real World Records https://realworldrecords.com are "Fanm" by Bokanté + Metropole Orkest, and "Resistencia" by Los de Abajo.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019

If you're a senator, a military leader, or a business executive accused of wrongdoing, Brendan Sullivan is the lawyer you probably want to call. Sullivan is considered one of the greatest trial lawyers in the country, and has represented some of the most high profile defendants of the past fifty years, including Oliver North, Ted Stevens, and the Duke lacrosse players. But he began his career defending a group of soldiers during the Vietnam War, who dared to peacefully protest conditions in the stockade. Sullivan talks here about his cases and the abuses of government power he has unearthed. And he explains why he has such a pessimistic view about the state of our judicial system.(c ) American Academy of Achievement 2019