Episodes

Skip Waskin's long career at USAID involved leading some of the Agency's largest and most important missions, including Russia and Afghanistan. But these illustrious roles almost eluded him — because he almost didn't make it past his very first assignment, as an embassy intern and a beginner contractor in a country formerly known as Zaire. Skip worked for USAID for more than three decades, including as Mission Director in Russia and Afghanistan; Deputy Mission Director in Karachi, Pakistan; and ...

Steve Herman had a notion — already as a child, discovering the magical "SW" button on his grandmother's radio — that broadcasting somehow lay in his future. He began his career early and settled into a long tenure as a foreign correspondent and bureau chief with the Voice of America (VOA), eventually landing a position in the White House. Here, he outlines the history of the storied US soft power juggernaut along with a wealth of firsthand stories. Steven L Herman was the Voice of America’s Whi...

Reverend Jennifer Butler sensed as a young person that she might need to leave her community and her known world in order to find herself. She did. And then she did. And in finding herself, she has also found ways to help countless others. Rev. Jennifer Butler has spent the last three decades strengthening and rebuilding the progressive faith movement. She has dedicated her life to helping individuals and communities ground themselves in liberative spirituality that empowers them to speak out wi...

This episode is inspirational. Nothing has come easy for Michael Varga. In the Peace Corps, he had the toughest assignment in an already difficult country. As a diplomat, he faced huge challenges. And now, in retirement, battling cancer, he is dealing with brutal obstacles. But as an artist--which he also is--he meets the world with unwavering wonder and kindness. In work, as in life, he remains an inspiration. You can read Michael's most recent article, "From Diplomat to Dissenter," HERE . To l...

Journalist Fred de Sam Lazaro created the Under-Told Stories Project more than three decades ago, bringing stories from some of the most remote parts of the world into the living rooms of PBS NewsHour viewers and classrooms of journalism students. He has reported from more than 60 countries and numerous US communities, always seeking the small, "under-told" story that compellingly illustrates larger themes. Here, he shares some favorites, weighs in on US soft power, and gives a peek behind the c...

Ben East is a writer. His work shows him to be an astute student of soft power. There is a clear through line running between his time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi, his experiences as a U.S. diplomat, and his work as a writer and editor. His career has been decidedly exceptional--which, it should be noted, is the opposite of mediocre. For more information about Ben, visit his website HERE or follow him on social media at @beneastofeden . Ben East Ben & John East, 1976 Ben with students i...

Flo Reed believes--no, she knows--that when people work together, they can overcome challenges and create significant change. Her work in Central America in the Peace Corps allowed her to see the threats that small farmers faced and gain insight into how to confront them, leading eventually to her founding of Sustainable Harvest International. Since then, SHI has helped thousands of rural farming families restore degraded land, increase food security, and build more sustainable livelihoods. The ...

Dr. Julia Irwin is the leading scholar writing about the history and impact of US disaster relief. In this fascinating conversation, she shares some entertaining and little-known stories to outline the evolution of American aid and the implications of American disengagement from disaster efforts around the world. (Note: This episode is a companion piece to SP/FS #8 with Warren Acuncius.) Julia Irwin is the T. Harry Williams Professor of History at Louisiana State University. She earned her Ph.D....

Warren Acuncius has seen a lot. His work for USAID as a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) leader took him all over the world. He saw the aftermath of cataclysmic tragedies and suffering on a scale that most cannot imagine. But he also saw what can be accomplished when humans--from different countries and backgrounds--come together to give each other aid and comfort. It turns out that both earthquakes--and people--can move mountains. Warren's speech at the US Air Force Academy's National C...

Before Alexa West became the quintessential Solo Girl traveler, inspiring a new generation of women to confidently explore the world on their own, she was a solo girl (Peace Corps) volunteer--still helping women, but from a very foreign village in remote Bulgaria. It was a vital stop on the journey to becoming a truly badass traveler. For more information about Alexa and her work, check out her website or follow her on Instagram . Alexa West Alexa as a Peace Corps volunteer with friends in Bulga...

In this short companion piece to novelist Roland Merullo's regular SP/FS episode, he discusses his deeply unique--and even more deeply remote--Peace Corps role, in perhaps the most remote location ever assigned. Postage stamps commemorating the Peace Corps in Micronesia 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 B...

In the waning years of the Soviet Union, the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) mounted massive exhibitions about American culture throughout the USSR--with everything from fully equipped American kitchens to a car display featuring a little red Corvette. Roland Merullo managed one such exhibition, "Design USA," and had plenty of stories about it. Roland Merullo's books are enjoyed worldwide. They blend close observations of regular life with humor and spiritual insight. Many are set in Revere, Mass...

Betsy Small grew up aware of both her privileged place in the world and her family's rapid rise from poverty and persecution. Both left a mark, resulting in decades of empathy and action--at home and in some of the most vulnerable places in the world. For more information about Betsy, check out her website here . Betsy Small Getting started in Sierra Leone, 1984 A day at the Tikonkor Primary School, 1985 With Ms. Sando's daughter and namesake, Bondu Betsy Visiting the village church, now a pre-s...

In this short companion piece to Ambassador Pamela White's regular SP/FS episode, she discusses the art of diplomacy, using her time with The Gambia's fascinating but deeply flawed former President Yahya Jammeh. Pamela White served as the U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia from 2010 to 2012; her focus was on strengthening governance, health, and development partnerships. Yahya Jammeh ruled The Gambia from 1994, when he seized power in a coup, until 2017, maintaining control through repression, human ...

Pamela White has given more than four decades of her life, serving the United States all over the world. As a Peace Corps volunteer, with USAID, and eventually as the U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia and Haiti, she has--and continues to--embody the best of American diplomacy and assistance work overseas. Ambassador Pamela White Ambassador White looks on as Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe welcomes then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Haiti Greeting a Haitian audience Show credits: SP/FS...

Glenn Blumhorst is a global citizen who has lived, worked, and travelled in more than 70 countries. Starting as a Peace Corps volunteer in a tiny Guatemalan village, he would grow into a local legend: "Don Glenn de las Luces" -- literally, 'Sir Glenn of the Lights." It also sums up his lifetime pursuit of serving others. Glenn is a distinguished Peace Corps leader and social entrepreneur, currently spearheading the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation's campaign to establish a national landmark ...

Elizabeth Gore, founder of the hugely successful fintech company Hello Alice, has spent her life breaking down barriers and helping others to help themselves. Whether college classmates seeking independence, Bolivian women farmers seeking empowerment, or a million and a half entrepreneurs seeking business success through her company, Elizabeth's impressive accomplishments are inextricably linked to the progress of others. For more information about Elizabeth, you can visit Hello Alice or follow ...

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. enga...

SoftPower/FulStories is a storytelling podcast that highlights human connections around the world, featuring a diverse array of accomplished storytellers with decades of experience in soft power. Because no one can go it alone, and everybody needs friends. Even mighty nations. Podcast launches 9/5.

SoftPower/FulStories launches on September 5, 2025.