Good Citizen Podcast 

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.

The TRPL was designed to last, but also to reflect Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation legacy. In this panel discussion, the Library’s architects and builders discuss the sustainability commitments involved, and the local materials, important partnerships, challenges and innovative solutions that came up along the way.

Jenn Carroll, the Manager of Sustainability at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, speaks with these panelists:

What does President Theodore Roosevelt’s example still offer public servants across the aisle? This bipartisan conversation, moderated by Rye Barcott, features Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Sen. Kevin Cramer discussing the role of government, the future of public lands, and the responsibilities of citizenship, which they find grounded in shared values rather than division.

The First Lady’s job description is famously… nonexistent. No handbook, no contract, no paycheck – just a front-row seat to power, a hugely public stage, and the constant pressure of getting it right, even when nobody can agree on what “right” looks like.

North Dakota First Lady Kjersti Armstrong leads this panel discussion, digging into how the role actually works: not through formal authority, but through presence, relationships, timing, and a lot of judgment calls. She speaks with these extraordinary panelists:

How did a man who fled New York City find himself in the Badlands? And what does it actually take to do it yourself? Happiness scientist and bestselling author Dr. Arthur C. Brooks walks us through 3 important lessons in finding happiness, each drawn from Theodore Roosevelt’s life. He makes the case that TR had the science of a good life figured out a century before Harvard researchers did. And he brings the same wit and energy to this stage that’s made him one of the most sought-after speakers on happiness in the country.

This conversation explores the American outdoor tradition, conservation, and the role of hunters, anglers, and private leadership in protecting land, water, wildlife, and access for future generations. Featuring Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris speaking to North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong, it’s a lively discussion that also touches on children and technology, patriotism, and the experiences that shaped Morris’ life.

One of the nation’s leading presidential historians reflects on Theodore Roosevelt’s life and legacy, and on what history can teach in moments of uncertainty and change. Doris Kearns Goodwin draws on American history to illuminate enduring lessons of leadership, character, resilience, and citizenship.

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.

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.

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.