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Society & Culture

Behind The Story Show

by Jelani Gonzalez
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Latest episodes

  • Can They Strip Your Citizenship? Both Sides of the Omar Case

    October 18, 2026 · 16 min

    Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home on Oct 12, and reporting says the investigation centers on her 2000 naturalization. No one has been charged. This episode steps back from the headlines to answer the bigger question: can the…

  • What If 1% Could Fund the Entire Government?

    October 14, 2026 · 1 hr 5 min

    What if you never filed a tax return again — no April 15th, no IRS — and a single 1% tax funded the entire government? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Gary Barnes, a retired tradesman turned author of…

  • Cut the Boot or Lose the Foot: Reid Robinson's Story Behind the X Leg

    October 5, 2026 · 49 min

    Reid Robinson was a hardworking IT infrastructure architect and father of two in Calgary when an icy-road car crash changed everything. What followed was more than a dozen surgeries, years of crutches, and a recovery that tested his…

  • Why Habits Change When Your Story Does

    September 26, 2026 · 51 min

    What does it take to change a habit that has outlasted every attempt to break it? Connie Kwan, author of Story Habits, says the answer starts with the story you tell yourself about who you are, not with more willpower. Connie grew up…

  • What DEI Actually Is — and What It Isn't | Celeste Warren

    September 19, 2026 · 53 min

    The word "DEI" has been demonized — but what does it actually mean? In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with Celeste Warren, former Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Merck, decades-long HR leader…

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  • The Final Ruling: Inside the Supreme Court's 7-2 Mail-Ballot Decision

    September 16, 2026 · 15 min

    On Monday, September 14, 2026, the Supreme Court closed the book — at least for this election — on a fight Behind the Story has tracked across five episodes. By a 7-2 vote, the justices refused to let the Trump administration enforce a new…

  • The Ali G Movie Firestorm: Banned Before Anyone Saw It

    September 12, 2026 · 18 min

    Twenty-six years ago, a comedian in a yellow tracksuit and orange shades sat across from real politicians, generals, and diplomats — and they answered him seriously. That was Ali G. This fall, Sacha Baron Cohen is bringing the character…

  • Arrested Over an $87 Check — Dr. Sheena Meade on Second Chances

    September 10, 2026 · 49 min

    In 2004, Sheena Meade was a young single mother earning about $18,000 a year when an $87.26 check bounced. Two months later, police arrested her in front of her four children. She paid the check back, completed the courses, and thought her…

  • Robert Kennedy III: The Introvert Who Speaks to Thousands for a Living

    September 1, 2026 · 49 min

    He was born in Jamaica, named Robert Kennedy III by a grandfather who said it "with such glee" — and he's spent his life turning that name into a conversation starter. In this episode of Behind the Story, Jelani Gonzalez sits down with…

  • Judge Rules Trump's Mail Ballot Order Unconstitutional — What Happens Next

    August 29, 2026 · 8 min

    Back where we started — except this time, it's different. The same judge who was forced to lift her block on Trump's mail-ballot rule put a new one right back up, days later — and for the first time in five months, a federal court actually…

  • Mail Ballot Fight Part 2: The Judge Says They Broke Her Order

    August 27, 2026 · 8 min

    We told you two days ago this story wasn't over — it moved even faster than expected. A federal judge has now ruled that the Trump administration violated her own court order restricting mail ballot rules... and then declined to do…

  • Supreme Court Rules on Mail Ballots: Who Controls Your Vote?

    August 26, 2026 · 11 min

    The Supreme Court just ruled 6-3 on who controls your mail-in ballot — but by its own admission, the ruling doesn't decide if any of it is actually legal. "Time will tell," the Court wrote. So what did the justices actually decide today…

Full episode archive on Apple Podcasts →

About the show

Welcome to Behind The Story Show, a long-form interview podcast hosted by Jelani Gonzalez that goes beyond the headlines to uncover the real journeys behind extraordinary people and powerful ideas. Each week, Jelani sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, creators, leaders, and change-makers to explore the defining moments, hard-earned lessons, personal challenges, and bold decisions that shaped their path. From business and creativity to leadership, culture, innovation, and reinvention, Behind The Story brings you candid conversations that reveal not just what people achieved, but what it took to get there. If you are building something, chasing a vision, navigating change, or looking for stories that educate, inspire, and challenge the way you think, this show is for you. Join us as we go behind the success, behind the struggle, and Behind The Story.