Advertise on podcast: The Stephen Mansfield Podcast

Our nation is in trouble. Our birthrate is dropping. Our immigration policy is too restrictive. And as dramatic as it sounds, our population headed toward collapse if things don't change. On top of various societal factors (some of them incredibly vain), there exist huge financial barriers that are scaring young adults away from having children. Stephen's plea: our government must begin to incentivize childbirth. Dive in to hear how we can save a shrinking nation. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

Dolly Parton's passing has taken the world by storm. Why are tears being shed by people who never met her? Why are Stephen's friends in the middle east calling to wish him their condolences? As Stephen illustrates in this episode, it was her self-deprecation, her moderation, her generosity, and her love of family that set her apart in becoming one of the most successful artists, businesswomen, and cultural icons of our time. Together, let's reflect on the life of Dolly. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

Much like the Cold War of the 20th century, America today is in a battle for its ideals, and the stakes are only growing higher. We are living in a country who has forgotten its own history, leaving young and old Americans alike vulnerable to the influences of Marxism, socialism, and communism. Much like Stephen's experience living along the Berlin Wall in the 1970s, we are looking down a dividing wall between freedom and tyranny in our own country, and if we refuse to fight for our precious America, we may lose her altogether. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

For the first time in history, the federal government is stepping in to ration water in areas of the western United States. The reality of "dead pools" — when reservoirs drop too low to flow past a dam — is no longer a distant threat: 45 U.S. states are in drought, and 75% of humanity already lives in water-insecure countries. Today, Stephen examines the three ways water powers civilization — drinking, energy, and agriculture — and why its growing scarcity puts all three at risk simultaneously. From the urgent case for better desalination technology to the long-term payoff of energy independence, this is a conversation about solutions, not blame. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

Eighteen months into Donald Trump's second term, more than half of all U.S. ambassadorships sit vacant — including 80% of Africa — leaving America without meaningful representation across most of the world as midterm elections approach. This isn't just bureaucratic neglect; it's a pattern of action without follow-through that weakens the very diplomatic infrastructure that keeps trade flowing and armies home. America is meant to be a gift shared with the world, but we can't share what we refuse to show up for. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

People in today's age are consuming more words than ever; the problem is, they're empty words. Doomscrolling and short-form content have crowded out great literature, and fewer than half of all American adults read a single book in 2022. While the downward trajectory of long form reading may not be as big a crisis as we think in our informational age, reading forms our minds in ways that no other form of media can. Read on the subway. Read on the plane. Read banned books. Read new books. Read old books. Above all, read what interests you. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

Most Americans do not have the time nor the interest to open 1,000-page academic tomes on American history. Thus, it's crucial that we find meaningful, enjoyable, and reliable ways to take in our history. For this 250th year of our great nation, Stephen has 3 recommendations of high-quality, inspiring works that any American can access and appreciate: "John Adams" on HBO"America's God and Country" by William J. Federer"The Light and the Glory,” “From Sea to Shining Sea,” and “Sounding Forth the Trumpet” by Peter Marshall and David Manuel Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

Carl von Clausewitz argued that the object of war is always the predetermined end state — not the battle itself. In the midst of peace negotiations with Iran, America has won militarily while fumbling the endgame: no regime change, no Strait of Hormuz renegotiation, no nuclear agreement, and a $300 billion rebuild check on the table. The same strategic clarity we demand of individuals has to govern superpowers — and right now, it doesn't. Unless negotiations take a different direction, what’s happening in Iran is shaping up to be a complete national embarrassment. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

Every nation's history contains both beauty and atrocity — America is no exception. Yet increasingly, the American story is being told through only one lens. Recent data suggests that young Americans are being shaped to view their country with contempt rather than complexity. But the root of our failures isn't oppression along lines of race, gender, religion, or class. It's something more fundamental: our shared humanity. There is no perfect system because there is no perfect people. If we’re going to keep our great Republic, we must know and learn from the dark periods of our history while lighting the way toward a brighter future. If we teach American history as an exercise in oppression, we will build a people who hate themselves. Dare to love America. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

The Kurds have been loyal American allies for decades — so why are we getting them so wrong? In this episode, Stephen draws on his book "The Miracle of the Kurds" to set the record straight about one of the most misunderstood people in the world: a moderate, resilient ethnicity spread across the Middle East with no nation to call their own, yet fiercely devoted to their identity and their allies. The Kurds have earned America's friendship time and time again — and it's time we gave it to them. Let's reset our perception of the Kurds. Get a copy of "The Miracle of the Kurds:" https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Kurds-Remarkable-Reborn-Northern/dp/1617950793/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

Ben Sasse — Nebraskan, senator, university president, Harvard and Yale scholar — is dying of stage IV pancreatic cancer, and he is using his remaining time to speak truth to America. Staring death in the face, he's declared that Congress is asleep at the wheel, that our neighborhoods matter more than our political tribes, and that "there are no maverick molecules in the universe." You may not agree with everything he says — but a dying man speaking this boldly deserves your full attention. Watch Ben Sasse's interview on 60 Minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcT9O5Sjmd0 Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

Names like Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, and Adams have become synonymous with the founding of America. But one name, often forgotten, holds just as much influence if we only read the pages of history. The name? Whitefield. George Whitefield, credited with unifying the colonies in the first intercolonial event, preaching the idea of a God-ordained destiny for the colonies, and warning of Parliament's encroachments on the colonies' liberties, was instrumental in tilling the soil for the American Revolution. In this episode, Stephen examines the life and legacy of Whitefield in this episode, drawing on themes from his book, "Forgotten Founding Father." Get "Forgotten Founding Father" today: https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Founding-Father-Whitefield-Leaders/dp/1581821654/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

To understand the tensions occurring today in Iran, we must first understand the religious background of the nation's Shiite Muslim leadership. While the U.S. State Department may view the Iranian conflict in political, geographic, and military terms, the nation's leaders interpret it through a profoundly religious and even apocalyptic lens. As a result, any U.S. administration—including that of Donald Trump—must recognize that negotiations with Iran are not grounded in Western values, but in an ideological and religious worldview that ultimately drives its decisions. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

As the 250th anniversary of America's founding approaches, it's prudent for us to turn back to the wisdom contained in our founding document. Even in the midst of the hellacious upheavals of our time, the eternal words of the Declaration of Independence serve as a foundation for freedom, faith, and revolution, not just in America, but around the world. Listen as Stephen sheds light on pivotal passages of the Declaration of Independence and issues a stirring personal challenge. Connect with Stephen: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites

Utopian dreams, though often clothed in the language of hope and progress, have brought profound suffering by denying the broken reality of the human condition. Rooted in the realism of the Judeo-Christian tradition, Stephen insists that we must see the world as it is—not as we wish it to be—recognizing that no perfect state exists on this side of eternity. By distinguishing between “utopia” (“nowhere”) and “eutopia” (“good place”), we can expose how the pursuit of perfection so often becomes tyrannical, and why wisdom, counsel, and humility remain the safer path forward. LEARN MORE: Website: https://stephenmansfield.tv/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/mansfieldwrites/ X: https://twitter.com/MansfieldWrites