The Strategerist

Nadia Hashimi, an international bestselling author, joined us on this episode of The Strategerist. The daughter of Afghan immigrants, she was born and raised in New York and New Jersey, became a pediatrician, and now writes powerful stories about the women of Afghanistan. Her latest novel, City of Widows, takes us into Kabul in the summer of 2021. She’s here with us to discuss hope, resilience, and how to hold on to both even when everything is taken away from you.

Our next guest on The Strategerist is leading economist and Harvard Professor, Jason Furman. He served 8 years as an economic advisor in the Obama administration, notably as the President’s chief economist, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. He currently contributes to the New York Times’ Opinion section, and has edited several books alongside his teaching and research activities.

On this episode of The Strategerist, hosts Andrew Kaufmann and Natalie Gonnella-Platts are joined by Rebecca Blumenstein, Diana Kapp, and Mursal Rahim to discuss "The Last Free Women." The book follows the harrowing 2021 rescue and subsequent American adaptation of four young Afghan women -- Marwa, Mursal, Maryam, and Samira -- following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. The authors and Mursal discussed the book and the rollercoaster ride of women's rights in Afghanistan. Rebecca Blumenstein is the President of Editorial at NBC News, and was previously at the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. She has won numerous awards for her journalism, including a Pulitzer Prize and an Emmy Award. Diana Kapp is a journalist who has written extensively about women and girls in today’s culture, specifically in the northern regions of Afghanistan. She has authored 3 books, including The Last Free Women. Mursal Rahim is a policy and legal professional from Afghanistan who specializes in refugee resettlement. She graduated from Cornell University with her Master of Public Administration, and regularly speaks on the challenges faced by Afghan women.

The Strategerist recently hosted Reggie Dickson, a man who dedicated nearly three decades to the United States Air force. For nineteen of those years, he served as a flight attendant entrusted with the care and safety of the nation's highest leaders — supporting two Vice Presidents and three Presidents of the United States.

The next guest on The Strategerist is Chris Meek, co-founder of SoldierStrong, a nonprofit he created in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Chris is also a 2018 Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program scholar, and more recently, a filmmaker. He joined us to discuss what it was like being in New York on 9/11, how he leads SoldierStrong, and his documentary, 'The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11” hopes to transform “never forget” to “we remember.”

The Strategerist welcomed Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary. He was the primary spokesperson for President Bush and delivered the daily White House press briefings from 2001 to 2003. In his almost four years working for President Bush, Ari served as spokesperson during the historic presidential recount, September 11th, two wars, and the anthrax attack. He’s currently a best-selling author, president of his own firm, and Fox News Contributor.

Sara Armstrong has spent nearly 30 years operating at the highest levels of American government and leadership, from the East Wing to the boardroom. She began her career in the George W. Bush Administration, serving as a special assistant to the President and deputy chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush, and later as director of the White House Visitors Office. Today, Armstrong is vice president and managing director of Federation Relations and Coalition Partnerships at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Host Andrew Kaufmann sat down with Armstrong last year to discuss what she's learned behind the scenes in building coalitions across politics, business, and government.

The Strategerist recently hosted the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the United States Air Force, JoAnne Bass. In 2020, she made history by becoming the first woman to serve as the highest-ranking enlisted leader in our military. She joined Strategerist host Andrew Kaufmann to discuss her career in service and service beyond the uniform.

On this episode of The Strategerist our guest is Rear Admiral John Kirby. He is currently the director of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics after a long career in the military and then our government as a spokesperson and communications professional. He served in both the Obama and Biden administrations, as White House National Security Communications advisor, leading Pentagon communications, as well as serving in the Department of Defense and Department of State.

On this episode of The Strategerist, Walter Isaacson, known as one of America’s pre-eminent biographies joins host Andrew Kaufmann to discuss some of the world's greatest innovators: Steve Jobs. Elon Musk. Benjamin Franklin. Jennifer Doudna. Albert Einstein. Even Leonardo DaVinci. His most recent work takes a look not at a person, but at a turning point in history: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, a small but inspiring book that analyzes the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence.