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When Failure is Not an Option

Host, Ken Harbaugh, interviews political leaders, influencers, and other history makers about the choices we confront when failure is not an option. Choices like Alexander the Great made when he landed his troops on the shores of Persia and ordered his men to burn their boats.

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Burn the Boats is a podcast about big decisions, those we face when failure is not an option. Decisions like Alexander the Great made when he landed his troops on the shores of Persia and ordered his men to burn their boats. Listen as Ken Harbaugh interviews political leaders, influencers, and other history makers about the tough choices they've made, starting with columnist Michael Gerson on November 20.

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Recent Episodes

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Mary Beth Bruggeman: Inclusion, Leadership, and Service

Burn the Boats | S:1 E:6
ary Beth Bruggeman, the president of The Mission Continues, talks about her experiences as a woman in the Marine Corps, about the responsibility of teaching military leadership in wartime, and about the work TMC does to harness the energy and skills of veterans to work on social issues in their communities.
Listen to Mary Beth Bruggeman: Inclusion, Leadership, and Service

Bonus: Adam Frankel on Writing for Obama

Burn the Boats | S:1 E:5.5
In this bonus episode, Ken continues his conversation with Adam Frankel, talking about what it was like to write speeches for President Obama.
Listen to Bonus: Adam Frankel on Writing for Obama

Adam Frankel: Healing Family Trauma through Honesty

Burn the Boats | S:1 E:5
Adam Frankel, former speechwriter for President Obama and author of a new memoir, The Survivors, talks about generational trauma - from his grandparents’ experiences in the Holocaust to his mother’s struggles with mental illness and a revelation about Adam’s own identity - and the importance of honesty in his family’s healing process.
Listen to Adam Frankel: Healing Family Trauma through Honesty

Bonus: The Rights of American Samoans

Burn the Boats | S:1 E:4.5
In this bonus episode of Burn the Boats, Staff Sergeant Jeniffer Afualo-Robinson talks about losing her security clearance and, with it, a pathway to career advancement, just because she was born in American Samoa.
Listen to Bonus: The Rights of American Samoans

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