Doris Kearns Goodwin

We know presidents in public: the motorcades, the speeches, the Oval Office, the confidence required by the most powerful office in the land. But what happens when the cameras are gone, the advisers have left, and the president is alone with a decision that may alter the course of history? For nearly six decades, Doris Kearns Goodwin has explored this private side of power, beginning with President Lyndon Johnson, whom she knew personally and who revealed to her a vulnerability few ever saw. That experience inspired a lifetime of studying the human beings behind the presidency—from Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin Roosevelt and others. Drawing on intimate stories and revealing moments, Goodwin explores the insecurity behind public confidence, the doubt that accompanies consequential decisions, the loneliness of command, and the adversity that can shape a person long before reaching the White House. In this lecture or fireside chat, she also takes us into quieter moments: how presidents managed anger and grief, found friendship and renewal, escaped the pressures of office—and somehow slept at night. Beyond the pageantry of power, Goodwin reveals something deeply human: leaders wrestling with responsibility and uncertainty, grasping for hope in difficult times, and the challenge of leaving the country better than they found it.

Not since the 1850s has our country been so politically divided. Not since the Great Depression have we faced a crisis that touched every American as deeply as COVID. Not since World War II has democracy felt so fragile. And not since the 1960s has there been a time so marked by unrest, upheaval, and political violence. And yet, through each of these dark chapters, the nation endured. That’s why these moments in history matter: they show us that hardship is not the end of the story. Time and again, we have emerged with greater strength, renewed purpose, and a spirit of shared sacrifice. To put the past in its proper perspective and help us navigate our current challenges, “America’s historian-in-chief” Doris Kearns Goodwin shares stories and insights grounded in fact and experience. With depth, clarity, warmth, and even humor, she brings to life the nation’s most consequential presidents—Washington, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson—who guided the country through some of its most difficult days. History, Goodwin reveals, is more than a record of what was—it’s a guide to what can be. History provides lessons, solace, and above all, hope—to serve as our compass today.

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin offers a powerful reflection on our nation’s extraordinary journey—from the founding ideals of 1776 to the challenges and triumphs that have defined each generation. Drawing on her study of visionary leaders, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson, Goodwin explores how leadership, civic courage, and a shared sense of purpose have guided America through moments of division and transformation. In this dynamic and timely presentation, Goodwin connects the lessons of history to today, urging us to unite around our common purpose and consider how we can work together toward a more inclusive, hopeful, and united future. With a personal connection to the nation’s founding—through an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War—she brings a unique, intimate perspective on the American experiment. Audiences will leave inspired, uplifted, and equipped to think differently about leadership, unity, and their role in shaping that future.

With September 2025 marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and as the memory of the conflict recedes, world-renowned presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin takes audiences back in time for a gripping journey through the heroics and horrors of the war that changed the world forever. With an uncanny gift for both depth and detail, Goodwin reveals the distinctive leadership styles of the leaders who carried us through this tumultuous time at home and abroad—Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman. With her signature storytelling ability, Goodwin provides an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the historic meetings between Churchill and FDR, the challenging agreements made, the power of words, the staggering productivity of the greatest business/government partnership in American history, the sacrifices on the home front, the preparations for D-Day, the lives lost, and the decision to use the atomic bomb that finally brought the war to an end. Drawing from her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II (1995) and her decades of leadership study, Goodwin demonstrates that the cautionary and ultimately uplifting lessons from a war fought eight decades ago still resonate to this day.

More than twenty years after the publication of her best-selling and award-winning Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin returns to Lincoln’s enduring story to provide audiences with essential and fresh leadership lessons for any profession and for all of us in our everyday lives. By deeply examining Lincoln’s life and deeds, Goodwin shows how this ordinary and extraordinary leader surprised both his colleagues and critics as he rose to political prominence and today is remembered as arguably our country’s best president for saving the Union, winning the war and ending slavery forever. But Lincoln, Goodwin posits, should also be heralded and emulated for who he was—a man of great character who displayed empathy, humor, passion, humility and kindness—providing a moral compass to guide us today and always. Goodwin infuses this deep and stimulating talk with stories of her involvement in Steven Spielberg’s hit film Lincoln, based in part on her book, that saw Daniel Day-Lewis so convincingly bring Abraham Lincoln to life for millions of moviegoers, and as an executive producer of the recent three-part History Channel miniseries Abraham Lincoln.

America’s “historian-in-chief” Doris Kearns Goodwin shares powerful insights from her latest #1 New York Times bestseller (“I can’t recommend it enough,” said Bill Gates), An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, providing a front-row seat to the corridors of power based on her own White House experiences and those of her husband, Richard Goodwin. Offering a captivating look at one of America’s most transformative decades and the leaders who shaped it, Goodwin reveals personal examples and keen analysis of iconic figures—John and Jackie Kennedy, Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.—demonstrating how they inspired a generation, influenced and navigated change, and the invaluable insights they provide for today’s leaders. Drawing poignant parallels between the turbulent 1960s and our own complex time, Goodwin explains what enormous progress was made, as well as the opportunities that were lost, offering timeless lessons that illustrate how effective leaders can galvanize public sentiment and drive progress, overcoming even the greatest of challenges.

Not since the 1850s has our country been so politically divided. Not since the Great Depression have we experienced a collective hardship that cut through the entire population as COVID did. Not since World War II has democracy been in such peril. And not since the 1960s has the struggle for social and economic equality been at the forefront. To help us understand and navigate today’s challenges, “America’s historian-in-chief” Doris Kearns Goodwin transports us back in time, providing perspective, analysis and advice from our country’s best presidents who maneuvered the country during other difficult days —George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. With a deep and broad knowledge, grace and good humor, Goodwin puts our defining time in historical context and illustrates how as a country and as a people we’ve not only survived trying times before; in each instance, we emerged with greater strength. Through her masterful storytelling, audiences will gain fresh perspectives on timeless leadership qualities— humility, empathy, resilience, courage, vision, the ability to build a collaborative team, to communicate persuasively, and to pivot with changing times. History, as Goodwin demonstrates, provides lessons, solace, and even hope.