#1 - Carl Henn
Author Carl Henn likes to claim that he has spent two centuries in Africa. And while it may have only felt like 200 years, his actual decades of life-saving work there--as a Peace Corps volunteer, NGO worker, and USAID health specialist--spanned North, East, South, and West Africa. His stories are fueled by the same compassion and ever-present sense of humor that marked his overseas career. Even through some very dark times.
SoftPower/FulStories uses first-person stories to explore why U.S. engagement in the world matters. Through conversations with diplomats, aid workers, Peace Corps volunteers, authors and artists, influencers, businesspeople, and more, SP/FS highlights how soft power and foreign aid and assistance strengthen America's security, prosperity, and global standing.
To learn more about Carl, check out his website here. Carl's weekly Substack blog, Like a Buffalo, Roam, is about reinventing yourself at any age — based on dispatches from Carl's ongoing road trip, stories of freedom, and reflections on modern nomadic life. It's also hilarious.
Carl Henn
Carl with some of his students in Morocco
Carl's first wife, Aisha
Carl's first book (find it on Amazon)
Carl's constant travel companion, the legendary Mr. Bones
Show credits:
SP/FS Producer & Host: Christopher Wurst
Opening Voices: Dmitri Wurst, Elena Wurst, Kjara Wurst, Christopher Wurst
Show Artwork: Kate Furby
Voice of Dubious Aunt Deb: Cathy Zielske
Cold Open Music: BWM – The Brina Band
Dubious Ant Deb Music: Cass County Beauty Queen – Alan Singley
Episode Music:
O Cerebro do Morto – Dr. Frankenstein
Beast on the Soil – Blue Dot Sessions
Kvelden Trapp – Blue Dot Sessions
The Provisions – Blue Dot Sessions
Music – Youssoupha Sidibe
Interview date: April 22, 2025