Transcript: Mr. Robert Sherman on Reporting from the Front, Kindness, and Curiosity

Good morning and welcome back to the late start show. We are here today with Mr. Robert Sherman, university school alumnus of the class of 2014, international correspondent for News Nation, and new best-selling author of Lessons from the Front. How are you doing today, Mr.

Sherman? Doing great, doing great. Joining you from, actually, I know we thought I was going to be in Rome here this week. I'm actually in Abu Dhabi in the UAE for these Ukraine, Russia, US negotiations taking place.

So you never know where you're going to end up being on a week to week basis, but glad to be with you guys. Yeah, that's awesome. That was actually my first question was where are we hearing you from, but I guess we'll move on to the next, which is we always like to start from the beginning with our guests and talk really about when you think back to your family growing up, what are some of those values or routines that you feel shaped you the most and kind of how did that impact you early on? Yeah, I mean, I would say, yeah, I mean, especially, you know, growing up in Northeast Ohio, I went to US, you know, since I was six years old, I was a lifer.

And I'm in a big set of values that was really instilled for me from the beginning was being a go getter. I mean, that was my dad's story that was, you know, in the way that he graduated college and, you know, really outkicked his coverage in terms of his first job and really had to grow from there into, you know, a corporate America kind of role. And then my mom was kind of the same story in which she, you know, was an attorney and then ended up, instead of joining a big law firm, ended up starting her own practice with her dad. And I mean, it's, that has always been the value that's been instilled in me is that if you really want something, sometimes you have to go out and build it sometimes because no one's going to give it to you.

And I mean, I think that that is a value that I carried through US, carried through college, has carried into my career. And I think that it's so important, you know, in order to have that drive within. And then I think the other thing as well is, whenever you walk out of a room, you know, what do you want people to take away from what you brought into that kind of environment? And I really just try and tell everyone, I mean, be a good person as much as you can.

You have no idea how much that helps you when people are rooting for you when you know you treat others with respect and in turn they want to support you i mean i suppose that you can go through life and succeed being a jerk it's a lot easier being a good person and i i promise you that there's no weakness and kindness no was there a moment early on maybe just a child where you kind of realized that you were drawn to the news storytelling just understanding the way that like kind of the world work works overall yeah i would say that i mean from an early age i mean that was something that my parents and i would always do is i mean we would sit around the television at night and watch the news every evening especially i mean when i was growing up it was the war in iraq and the war effect a war in afghanistan that everyone was so interested by and i remember watching those nightly newscasts about what was happening in the world ironically going into war zones was never something that I thought I was going to do. I just assumed that that was a position that was out there, but it was never going to be something for me. I always wanted to be in sports television. And so, I mean, I remember being in high school, watching the Northern Illinois versus Iowa football game.

I think it was on ESPN and, you know, pretending to broadcast the game from my living room and do the play-by-play commentary of it. And I fell in love with that. And that was when it was really instilled in me that a career in broadcasting, a career in television was what I was hoping to do. And then it was just a matter of fine tuning interests.

And I mean, it started off in sports and it it evolved a little bit more into current events and news. And then all of a sudden, you know, one day Russia invaded Ukraine and I found myself on a plane to Europe. And that that interest that I never thought was there in global affairs and what was happening around the world and the conflicts that are shaping history all of a sudden has become you know my lifelong pursuit and what I do on a day-to-day basis so you never know you know where that magic word yes will ultimately take you in life you know how did university school kind of early on I mean going back to university school you know early on you're a lifer just like actually I am I'm kind of the last quarter of that experience what was being a lifer like at US and how was Do you remember some of those early experiences from kind of kindergarten, maybe the lower school? And how did they really shape you?

Oh, I absolutely remember them. I mean, I would describe them as poor memories. And I mean, all of the teachers that I had, you know, I still keep in touch with my kindergarten teacher from U.S. I still keep in touch from, you know, my second grade, third grade, fourth grade teachers.

You know, those are all people who I'm still in touch with. And I mean, whether it was that fourth grade Nantucket whaling trip that we took, you know, or whether it was, I mean, they had an electric trip, you know, in which we went to Rome in order to study Latin and study ancient Roman history. And now all of a sudden Rome is my home city. I mean, it's amazing how that has come full circle.

And that was really my first time overseas. You know, I mean, I think about all the teachers that helped me along the way. So many of my friends from kindergarten are still in my life to this day. And I just saw a couple of weeks ago.

I mean, U.S. is my whole upbringing story, I would say. And it really made me the person that I am. And I think that what makes U.S. so different than any other place. And there are a lot of great schools that are out there, a lot of great institutions. the U.S. really has the unique ability to unlock the organic true self of who young people are.

And I see it again and again in which people feel very confident pursuing their dreams, pursuing their interests. This is the only school that I've ever seen in which the starting quarterback could also be the lead in the musical. You know, and I saw that, you know, play out, you know, when I was at U.S. And you don't get that opportunity elsewhere.

I mean, I mean, half of our offensive line in high school was in the Glee Club. You know, you just don't see things like that in other places. But I mean, it it gives the opportunity for people to really unlock their passions and interests in a way that most other places wouldn't necessarily get that opportunity. So U.S. is my life story.

And I'm so proud to be a U.S. alum. And you mentioned going back to some of those experiences at US, maybe extracurriculars, you mentioned you started in sports. I believe you actually started USPN. Is that true?

That is correct. That is correct. A couple other guys, Freddie Supas and Anson Holland, and we all got that off the ground when I was in high school. That's awesome.

And how did that idea start? I mean, I would imagine it was kind of like the podcast, just start an experiment and eventually figure a little bit out. Yeah, you know, I mean, it's one of those things in which, I mean, when you start from nothing, you know, I mean, everything is a hurdle, right? Which is what I'm sure that your guys' experience has been, you know, with a podcast.

It's like, okay, you know, we're starting a podcast. We're starting, you know, a TV network at a high school. You know, we have nothing. Okay, you know, well, we need a camera.

Okay, so you're able to get your hands on a camera that someone is lying around. Okay, now you need microphones. Okay, well, I mean, you go to the Best Buy store. now you got microphones. Okay.

You know, but now you need a way, you know, a streaming platform. And, you know, I mean, that was, you know, the, the element for me was researching different companies, you know, looking for different groups in order to go through in order to start this. And now, you know, I mean, I'm sure that there's a lot more do it yourself platforms that are out there. I mean, back in what, 2012, 2013, I mean, you, you, you really had to go through other companies, but I mean, starting from the ground level, begging friends in order to give up their Saturdays in order to be the cameraman at the football game or stuff like that.

I mean, it's like running a small business, you know, with no, you know, profit element to it. I mean, just purely the experience and the joy, you know, of doing what you do. And I mean, that launched me. And I mean, I tell everyone is just that, I mean, those experiences that I had at US, that's why I really got my start.

And, you know, having experience in the media space is much more important than studying theory or what you read in a course room textbook. It's about hands-on experience and actually doing the work. And US was unbelievable through the Stranot program of just saying, okay, you have this idea, let's work through a budget. We're going to give you the tools to get this off the ground if you're prepared to provide the elbow grease in order to make it happen.

That was the deal, you know, and it's like, I had to make it happen. They provide the, you know, tools in order to make it happen. And all of a sudden, you know, I mean, we were broadcasting every football game, just about every basketball game, did a couple of hockey games. I think we did one at where the Cavaliers play now is a quick and loans arena.

You know, when I was a student at U S we also did a baseball game, you know, for U.S. at Progressive Field. I mean, those are the core memories, you know, that I keep going back to. And so many of them were because of U.S. Yeah, that's awesome.

You know, what's a specific story from your time at U.S. that when you look back really kind of makes you smile about? Oh, that's a really good question. You know, I mean, I think that it was probably that Progressive field baseball game. I, you know, and I remember watching one of my friends Chandler Wazak throw a complete game shutout under the lights at the progressive field.

You had, I mean, every kid at U.S. was at that game. The game was against Gilmore. And I mean, it was, it was really cool to see that. I mean, you had kids who had never been to a U.S. sporting event in their life who were there.

You had, you know, all of our friends, you know, who were, who were there, you know, in order to support that i mean i mean that's a memory that i keep going back to of like unity you know i mean like what a cool true big stage under the lights moment and the whole school was there i i think about that day all the time yeah that's amazing and then i guess if you go back and give the robert sherman that was walking these halls some advice what do you think you would tell him oh man uh that's such a good question um You know, I mean, one of the things, you know, that that, you know, going back to it, there's such a great language program at U.S. that I would have really taken a deeper dive into languages at U.S. I mean, if I could give anyone any advice, I mean, the way to connect you with the world is through language. And I took Latin at U which has helped me a lot as I been studying Italian and now you know have to live in Italy full time and you know learn the language I mean I think that that one element I mean soak up the education opportunity because I mean you will be surprised when you go off to college And many of my friends had this experience in which it felt as though the classroom discussions, you know, maybe they were good at college or university. They weren't as good as the ones that we were having in junior or senior year English classes, you know, the history courses, you know, I mean, I go back to the knowledge that I picked up from, you know, Alan Kate, you know, or from Mr.

Lewis or from any of these people, you know, in a way that I don't, you know, with college or university, I think about those stories all the time. It's an unbelievable educational opportunity. So, I mean, even not just languages, but history, but English, you know, I mean, the people who crafted my writing the most you know every time that i write a story you know in my career i think about the writing cadence you know that i was taught by mr stevens or dr bonin at us you know it's just like okay you know that word should go here that builds the sentence out better i still think about that all the time so i mean it is a once in a lifetime education opportunity stoke it up in any way that you can wherever your passions are we're looking at an alan kate test today. We are left.

For which class? AP US history. All right. Well, buckle up.

They're not easy. I'll tell you that. So I guess moving on now to DePaul and that chapter of your life. What about that place felt like the next step for you and how did you choose your major?

And then I guess when studying that subject, how did that kind of teach you how you think now and how did that lead you into your first job? Yeah. I mean, I would say to set DePaul, you know, I mean, almost every step of my journey has been defined with following the opportunity, wherever it may be. And if I could give that advice to young people, it would be that follow the opportunity.

Don't necessarily follow the big names. Don't necessarily follow stature prestige, follow where you have opportunity and DePaul offer great opportunity that they had a radio station, TV station, but they didn't have the huge competitive programs, you know, such as Syracuse or Northwestern from the standpoint that, I mean, you might be, you know, quite literally waiting in the wings for two to three years until you get the opportunity to really be involved in a lot of these programs. Whereas DePauw, I was broadcasting DePauw football games my first weekend at college. I was anchoring the sports and news programs my first semester of college.

You don't really get those opportunities in most places. And so, I mean, that was the great element of DePaul for me is that it was just a wide open pasture. And it's a small school. And I mean, it was, you know, I mean, that was what I was really looking for was the ability to connect with other students.

And they also did a really good job of pushing kids off campus for a semester in order to go get a semester-long internship or to go study abroad. And I think that that's one of the great elements of the school. Again, it's one of those institutions in which they really preach opportunity and seizing opportunity. And that would be my biggest piece of advice for anyone is, I mean, that's how you can really make the most of those chances in life.

You know, can you take us back to kind of the first time that you remember reporting a real story, whether it's at DePaul or kind of later on and what happened and kind of what did you learn about yourself in that moment? I'd say that the first story that really had a profound impact on me was this, I started my television career in Birmingham, Alabama, and this girl, her name was Kelsey Starlin, was on a boat for 4th of July, got into a boating accident and disappeared, presumably killed. And I mean, it was just a horrific story that wrenched the community. But I mean, I was out there every day, you know, trying to, you know, report on the search efforts, report on the community fundraising efforts.

And I mean, it ended up being that, I mean, they ended up needing to purchase this drone equipment in order, to properly find her remains and bring them home to her family. The whole state was emotionally invested in this story. And ultimately, through all the fundraising, through all the attention, like two months later, they ended up finding her and bringing her home in order to lay her to rest. And I've never forgotten that story because it really taught me that, I mean, the work you do can have a tangible impact on people's lives.

And I think sometimes that gets lost in the media ecosystem is that there's such a focus on content and clicks and subscribers and likes and comments. But the work that we do is meant to better people's lives, whether that's to inform their perspective of the world, whether that's to help, you know, bolster productivity or positive change in a community or something like that. That is the ultimate goal. And in many cases, I think that the media industry has lost its way, that it has that element.

It has that ability to impact people on the ground level. That was a big reminder for me, and it's something that I really carry with me, whether it's going into Ukraine, whether it's going into the Middle East. I mean, it is people that are at the heart of every story that we cover. Yeah, that's awesome.

And you got an opportunity with Fox News Channel. and when that opportunity came up, what was your mindset going into that? And what was that first experience like with a large network like that? Yeah, I mean, it was an opportunity. You know, there's that word again, you know, following the opportunity to be boots on the ground.

But a lot of the biggest stories that were happening around the country. So, I mean, what my role was is that I would, you know, travel around the country with my own camera, with my own video and editing equipment, shoot interviews, edit interviews, get them off to the correspondent by the time that they arrived at the breaking news scene and get them set up. And then I would report for a lot of the Fox owned and operated affiliates in major markets, whether that would be like Philadelphia or Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Atlanta, Minneapolis, you know any of these places and that that is what really stoked my interest in the world i would say i mean whether it was i mean gosh over two years probably covered six hurricanes covered wildfires covered the u.s mexico border covered the derek chauvin trial covered the virginia gubernatorial race the georgia senate runoffs and of course all this was happening during covid as well i mean it was just an out of this world kind of experience, you know, and what a crazy two years to live in. But I mean, that was the chance in order to really be there, you know, when a lot of these major events were happening across the United States.

And it was my first time traveling on airplanes that much, first time, you know, seeing so much of the country in such a capacity. And that was when my curiosity really started to, you know, be broached a little bit as to exactly what is out there, what different perspectives exist, how different and how beautiful of a country we have. It was a really eye-opening experience. You know, when you decided to move from Fox, Visa Fox affiliates to News Nation, what was driving that decision and what did you want next?

Once again, it was opportunity. It was a new cable news network that was just getting off the ground. my boss's boss had left Fox to go effectively run the day-to-day news operations of this network. And I was initially hired to cover the state of Texas in the U.S.-Mexico border. And I thought, you know, I mean, that was a huge story at the time.

There was a huge debate happening in the country, you know, over national security, over immigration and everything of the kind. It didn't last long, though, because about three weeks into the job, Russia invaded Ukraine, and I ended up finding myself on a plane to Europe. I had never been to that part of Europe. I could not with confidence have told you where Ukraine was on a map that day, but it was an opportunity that arose. and it was a moment in world history in which I felt compelled in order to be there because we were watching the history books being written.

We were watching the world change and saying yes in that moment changed my life forever because I did not realize how big of a world it was. I did not realize how differing perspectives there were. I had no idea how good we have it in the United States, which is a message that every time I come back from overseas back to the US, I try and tell everyone, we have it so good in the United States. And you have no idea, you know, the day to day concerns and nightmares that there are people who live with on a daily and weekly basis have to stomach constantly.

But I mean, that those first couple of weeks at News Nation changed my life forever and ended up putting me on this trajectory where now I'm an international correspondent, travel the globe covering the important international stories and how they impact Americans. And that was all because of saying yes to an opportunity at News Nation and saying yes to an opportunity to go overseas when the world changed forever. And we saw this major war break out just a couple of years ago. And now over the past four years, you've spent a lot of time covering the Russian Ukraine war.

What was the moment? I know you mentioned that first time going there. that you kind of realized you were stepping into history and can you walk us through arriving in ukraine early on because i believe you're one of the first reporters to be there in ukraine and what did you see here and maybe feel like in your body when you stepped and stepped off the plane we we set off for ukraine the day the invasion happened which would have been february 24th 2022 and we arrived in europe on february 25th and so we were there at the Polish Ukrainian border when some of the first Ukrainian refugees were leaving Ukraine and getting to Poland. And I just remember it was the early morning hours, it was like two o'clock in the morning, and there was this low hanging haze that was over the border. And you saw these families that were stumbling out of the abyss.

They were abandoning their cars on the side of the road and walking 20 to 30 miles through the snow just to get to the Polish border. That was the first time in my life in which I saw thousands upon thousands of people doing everything that they could just to survive and live to see tomorrow and it it made me realize I had absolutely no concept of war I had absolutely no concept of the world And I had so much more to learn because it was just it was a truly foreign experience to me. And in the initial days of the war, I mean, the numbers were so strikingly clear. I was the single largest movement of people in Europe since World War II. it was very difficult for me to put that into context and you know and to grasp a number that huge the millions of people who were displaced by this war and then a couple of days later you know we found ourselves on the ground in ukraine and you know whether it was you know running from you know the air raids you know whenever russia was putting missiles or jets in the air and bombing different corners of the country.

It was a total, there is nothing that prepares you for anything like that. There is nothing that prepares you for stepping into your first war zone. There's no college course, textbook, conflict zones for dummies guide that exists out there on Amazon that you can possibly pick up. And I think the second part of your question is really important. you know it's like what do you learn about yourself it's and i mean what i learned in that moment is is that i had a lot to learn about the world and i you know i mean there are probably a lot of u.s teachers that remember me as a rather opinionated kid you know who thought that he you know was never afraid of speaking his mind and thought that he had the world figured out and you know was was very passionate about certain views uh i i mean that that hubris has been quashed in many capacities because I mean I I quickly realized that I mean I I actually don't have a deep understanding of the world and I have so much more to consume so many more different cultures to learn about and different viewpoints to understand and it has set off a a lifelong pursuit of studying listening and learning which I'm still on and I anticipate I'm going to be on for the rest of my life.

You know, you've also spent a lot of time kind of covering the Israel-Hamas conflict. What was it like arriving in Tel Aviv and feeling that tension in real life? And how do you kind of balance empathy with professionalism while you're standing in kind of the middle of human suffering? Yeah, that's such a good question.

We arrived in Israel on October 8th, 2023 the day after the october 7th attack and i i remember i was in london with my family at the time and i remember boarding that flight just thinking to myself i have no idea what is coming here and nobody did you know i mean you you arrived at the tel aviv airport and you know people were nervous to stand in a line you know because they they didn't know if there was going to be a suicide bomber coming out of nowhere you know targeting the line you know we were there when the airport was being bombed by hamas and people didn't know you know what the coming days would bring there were thousands of rockets that were fired in those initial couple of days when i arrived there they had no idea what the death toll was in israel they had no idea how many people were taken hostage they still didn't have operational control in the south and so it was was the most dynamic situation that I've ever walked into. By that same token, I mean, it was also, I had been to Israel before, you know, for two or three days on a trip with friends, but it is one of those moments in which, you know, similar to Ukraine, I mean, you start to realize that this is a very, very complicated region. And, you know, I mean, it's not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but there are complex political dynamics that exist in Israel. You know, there's, you know, what the, what would the ethnic Russians in Israel believe about the world?

And then there's what the Druze community believes. And then there's what the Ethiopian community believes. And I mean, they all converge together and then you have the Palestinian communities, you know, and that's, you know, it's, it's different in the West bank than it is in Gaza, and then you have with the Qataris view of the region and how that's different than how the Saudis view the situation, which is certainly different than how the Iranians view the situation. And it was like cramming for, you know, a Western civ final exam, you know, without ever showing up to class for the whole semester.

And you're like, there's too much to learn here in these moments. But it's sometimes you just have to walk into these complex situations, hat in hand, with your humbleness on your sleeve. And, you know, just an understanding to empathize, as you pointed out, with the situations that are just incomparable for the people who are living there, you know, but you're also there in order to report on what is happening. and it's it's it's it's it's a side of the industry that you don't see in which you know there are a lot of nights in hotel rooms in which you're you know parsing over you know what you saw that day or the thing or the things that people said that really had an impact on you but i mean it is we we're there to serve a purpose you know and we're there in order to try and share information and you know help the american public understand what is happening and you know that that job and that role comes first. Yeah.

And reporting in these complicated situations, how has that shaped your outlook on humanity? Has it made you more hopeful, cynical, or maybe a complicated mix of both? Ironically, I would say that I have never been more optimistic in humankind. And the reason that I say that is everywhere that I have been, I have seen goodness in people.

I've seen it in Ukraine, I have seen it in the Russian diplomats that I have met. I have seen it in Gaza, meeting the people there. I have seen it in Israel. I have seen it across Europe.

I've seen it across South America. I've seen it across the United States of America in spades again and again. And I think that there is such an emphasis that is placed on the divisiveness of the United States and of the world. And I completely understand that, you know, because I mean, that is what you see firsthand.

But every community that I go to, I see people truly focused on their family, their community, their children, putting food on the table, having a better tomorrow, and everything else is really noise. and I see people believing in their hearts that what they are doing is for goodness and to make the world a better place. Some are misguided, some are making the wrong choices, you know, and it's, and it's not me to say what is the right choice or the wrong choice, you know, but I mean, there's differing points of view out there, but I, I've never been more optimistic because I believe just getting back to an understanding that everyone, you know, wants, wants what's best for their community and wants what's best for their loved one. You know, if you just remember that, then you can see the goodness in everyone. I would also say that a lot of the experiences that I've had have really humbled me and made me, you know, take stock of what is important in life.

You know, the first time that I got caught in a rocket barrage in southern Israel, where we only had a couple of seconds in order to take cover and we're hearing these rockets cracking right over our heads. I've never been able to look at my watch the same way again, because the time has such a different meaning to me now. And it's, you know, I try and maximize every moment when I was in the airport and people in Israel and people were doing anything they could to get home on October 8th to put their lives back together to find their loved ones, quickly realize that your home and everything you've known in your upbringing in life can be rocked and destroyed at a moment's notice, and you can never take it for granted. And so now I put coming home to Cleveland at such a premium in my life because in one day, it could all change.

Those were not lessons that I anticipated that I would learn going overseas and covering a war zone, you know, things that have connected me more to my home and to my upbringing and to the little things in life. But I think that they're so important for everyone to know because that is truly what matters the most. It is those little things that sometimes we overlook. In 2025, you spent a month in Rome, which now you're living in, but you're covering at the time the death of Pope Francis and then the conclave.

What was it like to be in a city where history, I would have to imagine, felt alive every hour. Alive is the absolute way to put it. And I mean, I remember, you know, so many of my classes from U.S. talking about, you know, the history of the Vatican and the Holy See and the history of the Roman Empire. And I mean, Rome is such a fascinating city because you go into these, you know modern homes and these modern villas in rome and then you go into the basement and the basement is actually the original home from the renaissance era and then there's another basement underneath that which is actually the ancient villa that goes back you know to the days of the circus maximus or the days you know of uh of the empire itself i mean that the city has never fallen it has simply rebuilt itself on top of one another that's why they call it the eternal city and to to be there as the latest chapter in that eternity was written especially one that hits so close to home being a proud american the first pope you know to be born and raised in the united states you know pope leo the 14th i i could never have imagined anything like that And I mean, to see, I mean, I remember when the white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel and we're watching people bounding out of cafes, running full speed to St.

Peter's Square. How much this meant to people, you know, to be there, to see the new Pope as he was introduced to the world during the conclave and to find out that it was Pope Leo XIV. It's a moment that I'll never forget. And then, I mean, a couple of days later, he had his first media event and he was doing a quick meet and greet with reporters.

And he was walking down the center line, shaking hands. And I got a quick question to him, you know, do you have any message for the United States? And it ended up going viral and was picked up by People magazine and the Daily Beast and all these different tabloids, you know, from across the country. It was part of my 15 minutes of fame, I suppose.

I mean that is a core memory I never forget that And I think it so funny how full circle it is that my first time overseas was with US to Rome to Italy back in seventh grade And now it is my current home. It is where such a big part of my story has been written and where I'm hoping many more chapters unfold over the coming years. So I mean, I'm never gonna forget that. You've been able to ask questions to Pope Leo XIV, people on the ground and Israel and Gaza, you've flown aboard Air Force One as a part of the press pool.

You know, is there a question that you didn't ask in a big moment, an interview, kind of a press conference that still stays with you, or maybe a moment that you wish you could have kind of asked more? Oh, that's such a good question. First of all, very impressed by the homework you guys have done on all of this. You know my entire resume may start to finish.

I'm really impressed by that. I would say if there's another question that I could have asked, a couple of months ago, I was actually at the Ukrainian presidential palace meeting with President Zelensky of Ukraine. And we were talking extensively about the situation in Ukraine, the state of negotiations, you know, I mean, there is such a dynamic that exists between Russia and Ukraine, and it is extremely complex, you know, but it goes back hundreds of years, you know, and the thing, you know, that I kind of wish, you know, that I was able to press President Zelensky on a little bit more is, you know, one day when this war ends, you know, I mean, what is putting the region back together look like? And is there any world in which, you know, there can be, you know, cooperation, you know, with Russia and Belarus and all of these countries, which, I mean, historically, you know, I mean, the Slavic nations and historically, you know, that region of the world, I mean, it goes back hundreds of years.

And, you know, there's such a divide that exists in Central and Eastern Europe that I didn't realize, you know that was exacerbated by world war ii you know but it even goes back before then i mean is there any world in which central and eastern europe can be put back together in a way you know that there can be cohesiveness and that there can be you know i mean like like some kind of peace throughout the region um because everyone is so focused on the day-to-day right now in the present moment you know and how dynamic the world looks i mean i'd give anything you know i'd have a few more minutes with president zielinski because i mean he's a fascinating guy to talk to you know and his story of how he became president of ukraine and i mean he had he has certainly been you know whatever you think of it i mean i know that there are some in the american public you know that aren't big fans of him or whatnot what what what i think is unmistakable is is that i'm the guy's been dealt a pretty unbelievable set of cards right now and i i could it is not a job i want in order to lead a country like that so any opportunity to spend more time there i mean i i'd be extremely grateful for i mean and i think that that's the thing that i'm most grateful for in my career is i have ended up in some of these rooms you know that a kid from cleveland ohio feels as though deep down he has no business being in you know whether it is you know the papal conclave shaking hands with pope leo the 14th whether it's inside the oval office or on air force one with the president of the united states or whether it's ukraine in presidential palace or in hamas's tunnels in gaza or whether it's on united states aircraft carrier during active operations against the houthis in yemen i i i pinch myself every day you know that i get to do this for a living even today being in abu dhabi you know as we have these huge negotiations taking place between russia ukraine and the us i would have never imagined that this would be my life story growing up in cleveland ohio and being here to this day yeah and you just recently released a book on all of that called lessons from the front um so congrats on that and i would have to imagine that it kind of gave you a chance to reflect and write things down and kind of like i said reflect on your experiences So what was that experience writing that book like and how did it let you kind of look back on what you've been through? Yeah, I mean, I wrote almost every word of it on airplanes, you know, because I mean, I always found myself, you know, on transit to and from different places. And that was seemingly the only time in which, you know, I was able to get my thoughts together a little bit. You know, but what I was talking a little bit about before, you know, I mean, the lessons that I've learned overseas, the biggest ones have not been geopolitical ones.

They have not been, you know, lessons about, you know, how the world is, how it should operate, the dynamics. Those are all part of the learning journey. The most important lessons that I've learned is how important my upbringing in Northeast Ohio was. You know, the lessons that are most important is, you know, how grateful I am to have a supportive family and a supportive community in places such as U.S., for example.

The lessons that I've learned is time is finite and you only get a certain amount of time and opportunity on this planet and you have to make the most of it. And you never know what is going to come in your life. Those are the biggest lessons that I've taken away. And so I really hope that it resonates with young people because, I mean, I do not come at this, you know, through the lens of an expert.

I was a 25-year-old kid who was in his quarter-life crisis and had no idea where his life was going the day that Russia invaded Ukraine. And just by saying yes and being open to new opportunities and experience, my life changed forever. And it changed forever in the most positive and enlightening way that it possibly could. And I am so grateful for that. and I hope that everyone gets that opportunity at some point in life that they have the opportunity to stand at a fork in a road, say yes or no and they make the choice to lay it all on the line and say yes and they reap the rewards and benefits of a life of fulfillment in a way that they can never possibly imagine.

That's my hope for everyone and I hope that some of the lessons that I learned along the way as I was digging deep and found myself in the deep end of the swimming pool can help resonate with young people. You know, what do you kind of, in the end of the day, what do you want your legacy to be? Not just as a reporter, but overall as a person who really kind of just tried to tell the truth. Yeah.

I mean, I do think about that a lot. And I think that that is the big thing there is, you know, I mean, when I leave this planet one day or when I leave this space, you know, it's someday. I mean, I'd like people to be able to say, you know, I mean, Robert Sherman always made a good faith effort, you know, in order to get the story right, to lay things out in a way that was equitable and understandable for people to, you know, try and make sense of a complicated world. And, you know, for every fault that Robert Sherman may have had, you know, I mean, at least he had his character and integrity, you know, I mean, that's what I'm really hoping that people walk away with. and I hope that that's the case for everybody else as well as just that.

I mean, they can take anything away from you in this day and age, but they can never take away who you are. And one day you're gonna have to stand there and look in the mirror and you're gonna have to be proud of the reflection that you see. And I really hope that you are proud of the reflection that you see one day. That's my hope for everyone.

Because I mean, at the end of the day, that's all that we're left with and you you have to be proud of the journey that you've been on what you have done where you are going the way that you have grown the way that you continue to grow and the impact that you left behind that's my hope for everyone is just that they can look in the mirror and feel proud of the man or woman that they've become well mr sherman finally as our last question that we ask in every episode what is your why the reason you kind of keep showing up staying objective under scrutiny telling human stories with empathy from ukraine to gaza to that moment in rome where you the world kind of watched you shake the pope's hand what really has carried you through it all and what is the reason you kind of keep on keeping on my why is to understand this beautiful complicated world that we live in because Because growing up, going to US, going to DePaul, there were many days in which I would look at the headlines in newspapers, look at the political ecosystem, and I would say to myself, it's easy. The solution is easy. It is a black and white, simple world that we live in. And if only people would do X, we would have a Y place.

But when you stand on the ground in southern Israel a couple of days after the October 7th attack, when you stand in Ukraine and you look a mother in her eyes as her little girl is sitting next to her and she keeps putting her hand over her ears every time she hears the word home because it's too painful of a word to hear and she can't go home anymore. when you meet people who hold on to their last train ticket to their hometown because it's now a place that they can't return to because it's occupied by another country when you stand in gaza and you meet the children of gaza who run up to you and despite everything they've been through the only thing that they're hoping that you've brought with them brought with you is chocolates in order to give them, you know, that's the only thing that they're hoping for. The world looks extremely complicated. And when you look people in the eyes, this is not a black and white world. It is a gray world.

And I've quickly realized that there are so many things that I don't understand. There are so many languages that I have not heard with my own ears. there are so many communities that I have not had direct contact with, that I don't understand their perspectives, that I don't know their perspective. My why is to try and understand everything. And that is an ambitious goal, which I anticipate is probably going to take me the rest of my life in order to get there.

But that is my lifelong pursuit, listening, learning, understanding, and trying to make sense of this complex world that we live in. well mr sherman it's been great having you on the show thank you so much for taking the time to share your stories and insights and experiences with us to our listeners thank you so much for tuning in and we hope you'll join us next wednesday for another episode of the late start show thank you mr sherman thank you for having me appreciate it