Listener Reviews

This episode, SoftPower/FulStories, a podcast that beautifully illustrates the importance of peaceful US engagement with the rest of the world, lets us hear the voices of some people in Minneapolis at this time when "US engagement" hasn't been so peaceful, and the people there have braved below-zero weather to stand up for those whose rights and lives are being threatened. As one of the voices said, lots of people in other cities, including SF, where I live, are coming out in support of them and fund-raising for the agencies that protect human rights--even if we are doing it in more temperate weather.

If our country has been awakened by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech saying the world order is in rupture, not transition, the US needs to do something humane about that sharp break and use soft power, not coercion, to establish alliances in the manner Christ Thomas did in Sierra Leone, Pakistan, and Vietnam. Interested in Chris Thomas’ statement that soon 85 percent of the world’s children will live in Africa and Asia, I looked this up and see that United Nations' data for 2026 confirms that close to 90% of the world's 1.8 billion young people already reside in less developed regions than the US. I just finished reading Ian Ewan’s novel "What We Can Know," which takes place in the future (2119), when Nigeria is the world’s dominant superpower. Chris Thomas’ voice of compassion, openness, and appreciation of other cultures is one to listen to.

While working with Plan International in Sierra Leone for several years, I always admired the Peace Corps Volunteers upcountry who showed a kind of grit and grace that stays with you for life. Chris's journey reflects that same lineage. He learned from villagers who lived with dignity amid hardship, absorbed their lessons about community and perseverance, and then carried those values into a global career—most notably through his work with the World Bank and other international institutions. What makes his story compelling is how seamlessly he connects the wisdom of rural Sierra Leone with the demands of international development, paying forward what he gained in those early years and honoring the people who shaped him.

Even though I never lived in Minnesota as did Chris Wurst and Hamse Warfa, like thousands of people all over the world I am alarmed by what's happening in Minneapolis. Hearing Hamse Warfa describe the scene like one he experienced in a refugee camp in Rwanda is both chilling and apropos. His own story is one of great success, and he charmingly names the good experiences he had in the USA, transcending the obstacles of being a "Black person in America" --taking a plane for the first time, enjoying San Diego sun, and because of his wife's wishes moving to Minnesota because there were seasons there. He sounds like a man for all seasons, and I hope Minnesota and the rest of our nation will rise above this murderous "season" and those who propagate it.

An important story of a Somali refugee whose life story demolishes the hateful rhetoric aimed at his community and stands tall against the climate of fear surrounding ICE in Minneapolis. From refugee camps to becoming the highest‑ranking Somali‑American presidential appointee, Warfa’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, leadership, and what real American contribution looks like. Inspiring, timely, and impossible to ignore. Share this with all your friends and colleagues!

Alan J. “Dr. Alonzo” Wind’s joy and unbeatable spirit come through immediately when he relates an exchange with Isaac Asimov and later when he describes being on the radio waves as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, where people welcomed that joy and spirit even with his “Gringo” Spanish. He was unstoppable then, and everything he relates in this podcast episode shows a man of compassion and wisdom as well. His comments on the Palestinians come from being "A Jew in Gaza," the title of his 2024 book, which continues: Humanitarian Heartbreak, Hubris, and Horror." (The podcast was so compelling that I looked him up.)

I was inspired and amazed by my parallel journey with Alonzo. Plan International was also one of my first jobs out of the Peace Corps and I worked for CARE and did some work with Esperanza based here in Phoenix. We both married ladies from Latin America and have written three books. His story is most timeley given the ongoing fighting in Gaza. When he was interviewed over 50,000 Palestinians--many women and children--were killed and now it's over 70,000, so our work as story tellers and advocates for Peace is not over.

So many important points are covered on the value of foreign service from a leader who has experienced a lifetime of contact with other countries. Thanks for another outstanding Softpower, full story! Jody's memoir makes for a captivating book.

I just posted on my Facebook page that I look forward to the Friday podcast of SoftPower/FulStories, which shows why the USA should be engaged with people in other countries in a peaceful way. Every episode is engaging, and the latest made me think of a fiend (Janet Thornburg), who like Jody Olsen (featured this week) served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tunisia (1969). It also made me think of my own experience teaching in Algeria (through International Voluntary Services), where I got to know and appreciate a different culture and know wonderful people like Djamila Abassi Tair, who was then a 15-year-old student at Lycee Bencheneb and is now a grandmother with whom I share life's highlights on Facebook. But Jodi Olsen's experiences and insights about her overseas experience as both a teacher and a PC director are truly impressive and unique. I listened to this episode while doing my PT exercises, which were much less of a bore because of all Jodi Olsen relates--even about a condom used as a water balloon?? (I'm going to listen again.) I see that her memoir A MILLION MILES: MY PEACE CORPS JOURNEY has been reviewed by Evelyn La Torre, who first told me about Chris Wurst's soft power stories. I love how we're all connected to one another and to the world.

How uplifting to hear the voice of Lewis Lucke, who from a very early age followed his passions! I think it was Emmanuel Kant who said in order to live contentedly we need someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. Listening to what Ambassador Lucke relates of his experiences and what has propelled them strengthens the listener's hope!

Instead of having a decade party as I did when I turned 40, 50, 60, and 70, I felt more like quiet contemplation this year when I turned 80, so I decided to reflect on people and entities that had enhanced my life and 2025, when I turned 80, and thank those involved. Chris Wurst, the creator of SoftPower/fulStories, comes to mind. This podcast is a gift to every American who wants to feel connected to the rest of the world. It's an eloquent, compelling plea for international relations to create a better world, artfully produced with really great story-tellers. Thank you, Chris Wurst, and thank you, those of you who've told your stories in such a gripping, compassionate, and life-affirming way. I should add that this is for people of ALL ages! You don't have to wait until you're an octogenarian.

Having just read Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory" and seen a live production with music of the story in which fruitcake plays prominently, I enjoyed hearing Aunt Deb both defend this often maligned Christmas treat and give her own recipe. This is followed by her hearing many defenses of being connected with the rest of the world, all compelling.

This afternoon I told a friend from Chile about this episode, knowing that she would find it as compelling as I did. Denise Devereaux speaks with heart and humor of her experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chile, relating acts of kindness she received from the townspeople and humorous situations like her assignment to explain to village men how to use the new shower and toilet. She also illustrates why sending Americans to other countries benefits both the USA and the countries receiving aid. The question she is asked, "I read about the world in school. What did I miss?" might just as well be "I read about life in school. What did I miss?"

Peter Hessler is famous, and his illustrations for how the US benefits from soft power are compelling, as are those heard previously on this podcast. He explains how the US gained by sending Peace Corps Volunteers to China and how the Peace Corps volunteers benefitted too as journalists and novelists. I like his contrast between tax money spent waging war in Iraq, where nothing was gained, and that spent peacefully in China, where important connections were made. Like all of the SoftPower/Ful Stories I've heard so far, this episode was very engaging.

Such thought-provoking comments by four Americans who have lived abroad. Good insights as we begin a new year.

I've been reviewing on Spotify, but every week I look forward to the next episode of your podcast, and on Thanksgiving week, I appreciate the multitude of reasons given for being connected to the rest of the world. All of the episodes show through examples how the US benefits when we help out other countries. There's a serious joke about a survey asking for opinions on the "food shortage in the rest of the world," and saying it failed because starving people didn't understand the word "food," Europeans didn't understand the word "shortage," and Americans didn't understand "the rest of the world." Your wise and wonderful podcast gives me hope that the US will understand and contribute, creating a safer, healthier, and more interesting world for us and everyone else.

(Full disclosure: I am a friend of Steve’s and have given some pro bono advice for dismissed VOA employees.) As with Steve’s book, this is a an informative and very human account of both Steve’s life-long personal fascination with broadcast media, particularly shortwave and VOA, and the impact VOA has had on world events. Steve’s recitation of and adherence to VOA’s guiding principle “you were not expected to be first; you were expected to be correct” not only exemplifies his personal philosophy but illustrates just how far we as a society have removed ourselves from that standard, whether from the impact of social media or the government’s now ever-expanding efforts to control the narrative. Those of us who were fortunate enough to grow up with reliable news sources, Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley, The New York Times, Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner and 60 Minutes, have a devastating recognition of what we have lost and, even worse, looks like we may never regain. Unlike Steve, I have never been to North Korea, but as an immigration attorney I have traveled widely, including visiting a mom who went to Belarus (already under Lukashenko) for three summers while in her 60’s for the U.S. Information Service to teach English to others ESL teachers, so I have seen my share of how people in less-free countries valued American honesty, warts and all, when it came to reporting the truth. Never has Santayana’s statement been more true: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Chris, Fred, this kind of inspiring, solutions oriented journalism is exactly what the world needs. Change is possible - if we live our lives with understanding, repect for others and a never ending search for ideas.

Do you crave stories about people that have made a real impact around the world? This is the pod for you. Masterfully narrated and produced, you get immersed into life changing experiences from diplomats, humanitarians, journalists, business leaders, and unique individuals that you simply wouldn’t hear from in mainstream news. Here you learn about love for country and passion for helping people. Enjoy every episode like I do!

Full of depth, variety and impact. A necessary listen for today’s world with bearing on all our futures.

SoftPower/FulStories is a wonderful podcast, full of inspiring and amazing stories. Chris Wurst is a gifted interviewer, who somehow manages to get people to talk freely and openly about the most interesting, difficult, complicated issues and experiences. I encourage everyone who hasn't yet started listening to do so now.

This podcast is a revealing tapestry of human connection, where foreign aid is not a transaction but a relationship—and where Peace Corps voices like Glenn Blumhorst, Betsy Small, and Flo Reed illuminate the real, often complicated, pathways to change. Blumhorst, a fellow PCV in Guatemala and longtime advocate for global service with whom I’ve worked, praises the series for its authenticity and emotional depth, noting how it reframes diplomacy through lived experience. Betsy Small’s episode, rooted in her struggles serving up-country in Sierra Leone, was inspiring. At the same time, Flo Reed’s reflections on reforestation in Panama underscore the power of collaboration and grassroots resilience. Together, these stories challenge conventional narratives and offer a compelling argument for soft power grounded in humility, listening, and long-term commitment.

In Episode 8 of SoftPower/FulStories, Warren Acuncius radiates the same energy and excitement that has characterized all the earlier guests — the kind that comes from being deeply connected to the wider world. His story highlights how much there is to gain when we step out, explore, and reconnect beyond our familiar borders. This podcast powerfully illustrates the positive impact of soft power — both globally and on the lives of individuals who choose to look outward.

Christopher Wurst has given us a gift through these stories told by remarkable people who are truly engaged with the rest of the world and address the question of "Why care?" This podcast in unique in how it's edited and produced with music, definitely not a droning podcast, while the people we hear about are given free reign to express their opinions and describe their experiences with humor, candor, warmth, and the wisdom they've gained from their experiences. I look forward to this every Friday.