PodcastsDocumentarySearching for America with Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

Robyn Curnow, Bleav
Searching for America with Robyn Curnow
Latest episode

85 episodes

  • Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

    What Willie Nelson, at 93, Still Teaches Us

    2026/05/19 | 9 mins.
    I went to a Willie Nelson concert in suburban Atlanta and accidentally had an existential crisis.

    There was Willie, hunched over Trigger, joking about death, singing “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,” and performing Just Breathe like a man quietly writing his own goodbye letter in real time.

    This episode is about outlaw country, aging without panic, cowboy philosophy, and why a 93-year-old stoner might understand America better than the rest of us.

    Watch on Youtube and subscribe

    http://youtube.com/@therobyncurnow

    FREE weekly email from Robyn - about America and her outsider perspective

    http://robyncurnow.substack.com

    More about Robyn Curnow

    http://robyncurnow.net

    Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
    Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
    Visit her website here.
    To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.
    More about Robyn's public speaking
    Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.
    She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
    She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.
    She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

    Remembering Ted Turner: Bathrobes, Lions and Pirate Journalism

    2026/05/11 | 9 mins.
    I first met Ted Turner in 1998, when I began what became a twenty-five-year career at CNN as a foreign correspondent and anchor. My husband Kim still works there and remembers the early days, when Ted would wander into the newsroom wearing a bathrobe because he lived upstairs in the penthouse at CNN Center.

    Ted’s office was guarded by a giant taxidermied lion he’d shot in Botswana. He once asked a room full of confused international journalists whether they liked “sex,” before proudly clarifying that yes, he meant actual sex with Jane Fonda.

    Completely inappropriate. Completely chaotic. Also one of the men who invented modern television news.

    This week on Searching for America, I remember the pirate-ship era of CNN, when journalists disappeared into war zones for weeks, Atlanta ran the global news business, and reporters were trusted to chase stories instead of managing Slack messages and compliance training.

    It’s an obituary for Ted Turner, but also for the wild old journalism culture he built.

    More on Robyn Curnow's career

    http://robyncurnow.net

    Sign up for Robyn's outsider take on America right now. Free Newsletter

    http://robyncurnow.substack.com

     

    Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
    Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
    Visit her website here.
    To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.
    More about Robyn's public speaking
    Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.
    She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
    She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.
    She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

    Korean Pop and America's Biggest Fans

    2026/05/04 | 11 mins.
    I went to a BTS concert in Tampa expecting to chaperone my daughter. Instead, I found myself inside something much bigger.

    This is not just a boy band. It is a global system built from the ground up—powered by fans who translate, organize, and decide what matters before the mainstream catches up.

    Why are so many of these fans Latina and Black girls? What does K-pop reveal about class, identity, and belonging in America? And what does it mean when soft power no longer comes from Washington, but from Seoul?

    This episode is about music, yes—but it is really about how culture moves now, and who gets to shape it.

    Sign up for a weekly newsletter from Robyn Curnow - it's free, and fun.

    http://robyncurnow.substack.com

    More on Robyn - http://robyncurnow.net

    Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
    Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
    Visit her website here.
    To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.
    More about Robyn's public speaking
    Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.
    She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
    She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.
    She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

    What Baseball Taught Me About Power

    2026/04/27 | 8 mins.
    I went to a baseball game in Atlanta this week and, thanks to a corporate perk, found myself in some of the best seats in the stadium. Right behind the catcher.

    Which sounds ideal.

    Close enough to hear the players. Close enough to see the grip on the ball. Close enough to feel like you really understand what’s going on.

    Except… I didn’t.

    When the Braves hit a home run, I had to look up at the jumbotron to see where the ball actually went. I had the best seat in the house and still missed the play.

    Which felt uncomfortably familiar.

    Because this is a bit like how we follow politics. Especially right now.

    From Washington to Iran, we are flooded with updates, analysis, hot takes, and people who sound extremely confident about what is happening. We’re close to the noise. The statements. The drama. The personalities.

    But that doesn’t always mean we can see the full field.

    In this episode of Searching for America, I use a slightly confused night at a baseball game (I’m still not entirely sure what “bases loaded” really means) to think about perspective, power, and why sometimes the smartest move is to step back.

    Or at least… go get a pretzel and come back next inning.

    It’s a short reflection on how America sees itself, how the world sees America, and why the view depends so much on where you’re sitting.

    And if all else fails, there’s always the jumbotron.

    Weekly newsletter http://robyncurnow.substack.com

    More on Robyn Curnow http://robyncurnow.net

    Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
    Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
    Visit her website here.
    To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.
    More about Robyn's public speaking
    Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.
    She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
    She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.
    She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

    The Masters Golf, Gnomes and the America's Open Tab

    2026/04/20 | 5 mins.
    What can The Masters teach us about America’s $30+ trillion debt? Quite a lot. Augusta’s polished traditions, booming merchandise sales, and open-wallet culture offer a surprisingly sharp metaphor for Washington’s spending habits.

    Robyn Curnow is a foreign correspondent living the American South - this is her outsider/insider take on life in America.

    Sign up for the Searching for America newsletter http://robyncurnow.substack.com 

    More about Robyn here http://www.robyncurnow.net

    Got a great idea for an episode? Drop Robyn a message here with the subject line PODCAST IDEA
    Subscribe to Robyn's Substack.
    Visit her website here.
    To book Robyn to speak at your event, get in touch here.
    More about Robyn's public speaking
    Robyn Curnow is a sought-after public speaker on what it takes to create positive leadership in complicated times. As a South African now living in the American South, Robyn is determined to bring a hopeful and light-hearted tone to all conversations.
    She reflects on her interviews with U.S. Presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and First Lady Michelle Obama. She has impactful stories of working alongside Nobel Peace Prize Lauretes Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
    She has delivered talks and hosted events around the Blue Economy in the Principality of Monaco where she introduced Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince William, Prince of Wales and French President Emmanuel Macron, the Lincoln Centre in New York, the Science Museum in London, the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm, the YPO annual conference in Cape Town, the United Nations, a Haaretz newspaper panel in Jerusalem, the Nantucket Yacht club and many more.
    She has recently worked with Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco and Philadelphia, the Swedish royal family in Stockholm, Made by Dyslexia in London, the Red Cross of Georgia in Atlanta alongside Delta Airlines.

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
More Documentary podcasts
About Searching for America with Robyn Curnow
From global correspondent to local observer. Understanding America from the inside, as an outsider. Short, sharp dispatches on power, culture, and politics from a South African living in the American South. Sign up for Robyn’s take on sororities, Southern manners and insults, Costco, Dolly Parton, Elvis and much more at robyncurnow.substack.com More on Robyn Curnow and her unique perspective on the USA at www.robyncurnow.net.
Podcast website

Listen to Searching for America with Robyn Curnow, Freakonomics Radio and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features