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PODCAST

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow

Robyn Curnow, Bleav

Why is America the way it is? That"s the question we seek to answer in Searching for America, hosted by award-winning foreign correspondent, Robyn Curnow. As a South African living in Atlanta, Georgia, Robyn is on a quest to understand her neighbours, her community, and her adoptive nation. Join Robyn as she dives into everything from Dolly Parton to Halloween and political homelessness, hoping to understand the impossible large puzzle of America by putting together its pieces.

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

00:09:33

Can Dolly Parton save America?

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/11/10

Dolly Parton is one of the few figures in American life who transcends politics, culture, and class. In this episode, I ask why. How does a woman with big wigs, big hair, and an even bigger heart manage to be loved by everyone from evangelical Republicans to progressive feminists?We travel to Tennessee to find out. Along the way, we explore Dolly’s genius for what her team calls “Dollitics”—a refusal to play partisan games while living out universal values of compassion, humor, and hard work. From

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00:09:53

Angertainment: How I Escaped the Business of Outrage

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/11/04

Why does it feel like the news wants us angry?In this week’s Searching for America, I dig into what I call “angertainment” — the weaponization of news into a cycle of outrage and division. I spent more than twenty years inside the global media machine, from CNN to the BBC, and I’ve watched how fear and fury turned into a profitable formula.In this episode, I talk about how I reached my breaking point, why I turned off cable news for good, and how I’ve started to rethink what it means to stay

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00:07:38

Halloween and the American Psyche

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/10/29

Why do Americans spend more on Halloween than some countries do on their national defense? Robyn Curnow explores the cultural, economic, and emotional significance of Halloween in the United States. From inflatable unicorns to spooky dog costumes, this episode reflects on what America’s love for Halloween reveals about its people, priorities, and longing for community.Timestamps:00:00 – Opening question: Why is Halloween spending so huge in the U.S.?00:30 – Personal observations of Halloween in the

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00:12:40

Happiest Place in the World | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/07/02

The American Dream is about working hard and being rewarded. In Denmark, the dream is more about contentment and consistency than bigger and better. Robyn Curnow has been visiting Denmark the past few weeks and she reflects on what makes Danes, and her Danish husband, 'happier' than most.New! Substack! http://robycurnow.substack.com http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow http://www.x.com/robyncurnow http://www.searchingforamericapod.com

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00:11:09

Politically Homeless in the U.S.A | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/06/17

Many Americans are politically homeless, says Robyn Curnow. The loudness and anger of the extremes leaves many decent Americans left out of the national conversation.The political and media machine reinforce left and right position, staking a claim to one view. So what does being politically homeless look like in America right now? Robyn Curnow thinks it's a bit like being one of those wandering souls of unbaptized babies in medieval Europe trapped in a centrist purgatory. Can you be an independent

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00:11:37

How Biden gave Trump the White House | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/06/10

Who's blame for Donald Trump being President again? One simple answer. Joe Biden. Robyn Curnow has interviewed a US Presidents, a First Lady and been in the Rose Garden at the White House during press conferences.The recent exposes on the coverups over Joe Biden's health tell her one thing .. the Biden administration handed Donald Trump a big beautiful second term when they lied about the President's capacity. Many Americans and people around the world are lamenting Trump's world (dis)order but

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00:10:09

Are American Jews ok? | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/06/03

The firebombing of Jews in Colorado is not just about rising anti-semitism but a worrying broader trend, says Robyn Curnow. Identity politics - couched in the Free Palestine rhetoric - threatens to unleash more violence against Jews and anyone who is viewed as an 'oppressor' or 'colonizer.'Robyn Curnow reflects on the language of 'resistance' and why it's so

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00:25:35

Leadership lessons from the CIA | Marc Polymeropoulos...

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/05/27

What can spycraft teach business leaders? Marc Polymeropoulos is one of the CIA's most decorated operatives. He spills secrets to Robyn Curnow about the leadership lessons he learnt in the shadows.Memorial Day honors America's fallen warriors. The CIA men and women killed in action are remembered by stars at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Marc lost colleagues and agents because of mistakes made in the field during post-9/11 years in hostile environments. Marc Polymeropoulos talks to Robyn

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00:20:14

Why has Trump zero-ed in on South Africa? | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/05/22

Out of all the foreign policy tit-for-tats to have - why has President Trump picked South Africa? Why is he concerned about minority white farmers who speak Afrikaans in the rural areas of a continent that's not a strategic priority for the USA?Robyn Curnow is South African, lives in Atlanta, Georgia and she was CNN's Africa correspondent for many years. She has known the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa since the 1990's when he was part of Nelson Mandela's team. She has also interviewed

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00:10:17

An MBA from the Vatican | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/05/20

Business schools across America should run an MBA course on corporate succession and the Catholic Church says Robyn Curnow who's covered the Vatican. The ease of transition from one leader to another is smooth and seamless. And it's a key part of the enduring nature of the Vatican's well-oiled machine. Pope Francis to Pope Leo, and the others that came before them for hundreds of years, are chosen by their peers (or the Holy Spirit, if you so wish) to lead the church (corporation) and to keep it

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00:07:25

FOR SALE: Everything but the House! | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/05/13

What happens to our stuff when we die? The estate of Robyn Curnow's late neighbor has been up for sale next door. Antique bargain hunters and second-hand vultures have been 'shopping' the contents of the couple's house.Strangers streamed through the neighborhood carting off everything the elderly couple owned, loved and collected for decades. Tupperware, silver, mattresses were all carried out of their front door for a few dollars. Everything was sold off to the lowest bidder. The odd-couple

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00:10:35

The Long Goodbye | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/05/06

We're in the middle of graduation season. Americans love a party, a theme and an excuse to put signs in their front yards announcing the celebration of the moment. Sometimes it's an election, other times it's July 4th and for these few weeks of spring.... it's graduation.There is a constant rotation of goodbye parties. Graduation is not just a ceremony, it's a never-ending marathon of emotional and expensive moments. Nowhere else in the world goes so BIG when school is finished. I'm embracing it

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00:11:40

Dead Pope's Society | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/04/29

What to expect from the next conclave? Robyn Curnow reflects on the options for the cardinals as they chose a new Pope.Robyn has covered many papal deaths and reported on the politics of the Catholic church. Pope Francis was a different kind of pope to John Paul, and Ratzinger who succeeded him. Both John Paul and Francis were epoch defining popes. John Paul was one of the 20th century's great leaders against communism. Hewn from stone behind the iron curtain he was unbending and formidable. Dogma

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00:14:37

Strip Malls and the Cheers Bar | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/04/22

What do you think of when you read the words... STRIP MALL?Firstly, there's no stripping. No pole dancing. No one dollar bills. Secondly, they're everywhere and form the backbone of Main Street - the small mom-and-pop businesses that underpin American capitalism. The rows of grubby one-story shops occupy a slice of real estate along side main roads and intersections. We have a bunch littered around us. Odd places, but filled with fascinating slices of Americana. In just about every strip mall, even

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00:12:17

The 101 year perspective of politics | Robyn Curnow

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/04/15

When politics get crazy who do you listen to? Your financial advisor who’s watching the stock market? A friend in government?Robyn Curnow turns to her favorite analyst when times get complicated.... her 101 year old grandmother. She's has lived through world wars that redrew the map, economic depressions that shattered lives, technological revolutions that have fundamentally altered how we connect and communicate. She’s seen empires rise and fall, social norms transform, and scientific

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00:14:01

Why we went to Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee | Robyn...

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/04/08

When Robyn Curnow moved to America she didn't take her family to Washington, or New York or Disney. Instead, they went on a pilgrimage to Graceland. The home of the King of Rock 'n Roll.Elvis Presley is a rare thing in America. Most Americans would agree that his legacy and his music are the best of the USA. Robyn Curnow reflects on why she made a trip to Graceland. It wasn't just Elvis and his music she was paying homage too, it was also the journey to Graceland that the Paul Simon sings about in

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00:08:19

Ooh La La! Coming back to America from France | Robyn...

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/04/01

The paper-white flowers of the dogwood trees are out, along with fairy pink blossoms and bright azaleas. Spring is here in the American South.After hosting an event with Prince Albert in Monaco, Robyn Curnow reflects on coming 'Home' to America and using her new US passport for the first time. http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow http://www.x.com/robyncurnow http://www.robyncurnow.net http://www.searchingforamericapod.com http://www.instagram.com/searchingforamericapod

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00:33:55

Fishin' with Jesus, Hell and losing religion | Drew...

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/03/25

Growing up in a hyper religious household, Drew McCoy had to 'come out' to shocked family and friends when he realized he no longer believed in God. Now he tries to understand the religious instincts of his Texas community via his hugely popular You Tube channel called Genetically Modified Skeptic.Drew talks to Robyn Curnow about creationism, the bible and Donald Trump's evangelical political base. Both Drew and Robyn live in the South and they talk about country music, persecution themes in

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00:43:09

Standup comedy, politics, and being Reasonably Happy...

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/03/18

He was one of the first employees at Facebook, and then retired at 42 to follow his passion for stand-up comedy. Paul Ollinger talks to Robyn Curnow about his time at Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and what his secret is to telling jokes in divided times.http://www.x.com/robyncurnow http://www.instagram.com/robyncurnow http://www.instagram.com/searchingforamericapod SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS HERE: http://www.searchingforamericapod.com PAUL OLLINGER http://www.paulollinger.com

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00:34:51

Hamas tunnels, Ukraine and city warfare | John...

Searching for America with Robyn Curnow ·

2025/03/11

Urban Warfare expert John Spencer says the conflict in Gaza is unlike any other. Spencer tells Robyn Curnow about his four trips into Gaza with the IDF since the October 7 massacre. As a combat veteran, national security and military analyst, he has served as an advisor to Pentagon to the U.S. Military Academy. Israel's fight in Gaza is unique in modern warfare, he says. "Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza was the first one I've studied where the underground was more important than the

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