When the World Tilts: A Conversation with Admiral Michael Franken
What happens when you bring a retired three-star admiral, a hotel room in Wisconsin, a NATO security conference in The Hague, and the global chaos of 2025 into one conversation? You get clarity—sober, candid, and often chilling clarity.
I recently sat down with Admiral Michael Franken, whose 38-year Navy career spanned continents, crises, and command posts from Africa to the Middle East. We covered everything from the fallout of the U.S. bombing in Iran to the hidden geopolitics of climate change, sleeper cells, drone warfare in Ukraine, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, and even the existential fragility of American democracy under threat.
On this platform, and in this column, we have an opportunity to have an uninterrupted, one-hour, conversation about issues. And our Monday Zoom sessions are open for any subscriber of this column to join (free or paid). It is an opportunity like no other I know of where regular folks can engage with some of the brightest minds, and extraordinary influencers of our times.
Think about how technology has opened the airwaves. No longer does one need to have the money to buy a radio or television broadcast license to reach not only a local but global audience.
This conversation with Iowa native Admiral Mike Franken wasn’t a tidy soundbite session. This was the kind of in-depth, global briefing you wish cable news could deliver—but never does. He speaks with a bluntness shaped by firsthand experience—and he doesn’t sugarcoat.
Reader warning: This conversation may increase your heart rate and your sense of responsibility. But it may also inspire you, as it did many of the thoughtful Iowans who joined us on the call, to ask: What can I do? Where do I start?
Here’s the full conversation. It’s not light. But it matters.
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Crawling out from under the covers…is it time?
Crawling Out from Under the Covers… Is It Time?
When the news cycle feels like a tidal wave of doom, it’s tempting to stay under the covers and pretend the world isn’t on fire. But now is the time to get up. Not because it’s easy—but because it matters.
What can you, as one person, do?
Anything. Something. Take one small or large action step. They all count. They all add up.
I believe in storytelling as a tool for truths to be told. They generate awareness, understanding, and human connection. That’s why, in this chapter of my life, I’m focused on amplifying your voice, and those of others whose stories need to be heard.
There is a story inside every one of us. Yes, you too. Some are raw. Some are hilarious. Some hold deep wells of love, and others chart the path of survival through pain.
One such story is told by Elizabeth Barnhill, a past attendee of the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat. In today’s piece featured in
’s column, she shares a first-person account of being raped at knifepoint while in college—a time when society showed even less compassion or understanding toward victims. Her courage in revisiting that trauma now sheds light on how the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts have gutted support systems for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, and why it matters.Come to the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat participate in a workshop with Rekha Basu to learn how to express yourself in an Opinion essay. This is an extraordinary opportunity, and beyond that, just one of over 50 sessions from which to choose.
Elizabeth Barnhill’s story is heartbreaking. It’s brave. And it’s urgent. Thank you for writing it, Elizabeth, and Rekha, thank you for running it in your column. Every piece you offer in Rekha’s Shouts and Whispers, and included in the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, is illuminating and vital to read. xoxox
Okoboji
It’s Time to Register — Here’s Why
If you’ve been thinking about coming to the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat, now’s the moment to commit.
The Early Bird discount ends July 15.
We’ve sold out every single year—and this year is shaping up to be no exception.
So… just do it! There’s nothing to fear. I promise. Individuals of all skill-sets will be attending.
If something unexpected comes up, no worries—cancel by September 1, and you’ll receive a refund (minus the $20 bank service fee). Simple as that.
Reserve your spot, and get ready for a weekend that feeds your soul.
Enroll Now:
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All of us members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative are throwing a shindig for paid subscribers to be held in Winterset, July 26th. We’ve corralled
—who will forever be known as a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist—to join us for a showing of the documentary about his family’s newspaper in Storm Lake. It will be shown in the magnificent, restored local theater, The Iowa.We’ll party afterwards.
We do need you to let us know if you can attend, so we have enough popcorn and food stuff afterwards.
You’ll meet dozens of our IWC members, and a community of readers. Find these new friends. You’ll be so glad you did.
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Why?
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