Do the Best You Can for Yourself

In this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, we bring you P.T. Barnum's own words as he writes to his manager Fordyce Hitchcock, laying out his plans for the American Museum. Discover his strategy to avoid misunderstandings and disagreements between the two men. Learn about the creation of his popular exhibition "Happy Family" in which he featured a collection of animals living together in harmony, and how he replicated it for the museum. Don't miss out on these unique insights into the legendary showman, P.T. Barnum.
BECOMING BARNUM: The Journey to Fame and Fortune
Do the Best You Can for Yourself - Episode 27

In this episode of the Becoming Barnum podcast, we bring you P.T. Barnum's own words as he writes to his manager Fordyce Hitchcock, laying out his plans for the American Museum. Discover his strategy to avoid misunderstandings and disagreements between the two men. Learn about the creation of his popular exhibition "Happy Family" in which he featured a collection of animals living together in harmony, and how he replicated it for the museum. Don't miss out on these unique insights into the legendary showman, P.T. Barnum.

Learn more about PT Barnum’s Letter Copy Book here: 

Read the Blog Post this episode is based on: 
  • Do the Best You Can for Yourself
  • The Secret has Cost Me Much Trouble

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Creators and Guests

William Sarris
Host
William Sarris
Voice actor and narrator. He has narrated over 90 audiobooks and numerous e-learning and web training courses, and has been the voice of radio, TV and web commercials and other content for companies like Pfizer, Pepsi, Lexus, GE, and amFAR.
Adrienne Saint-Pierre
Writer
Adrienne Saint-Pierre
Adrienne Saint-Pierre is the Barnum Museum's Curator, a position she has held since 2010. During the 2020-2021 pandemic shut down she mined the contents of a huge copybook containing P. T. Barnum's early letters, writing weekly blog posts to share the intriguing stories they contain. Her 75 posts have been transformed into the podcast series, Becoming Barnum: The Journey to Fame and Fortune.
Kathy Maher
Producer
Kathy Maher
Kathleen Maher is the Executive Director of the Barnum Museum and has over 30 years of experience in museum work. She is a noted authority on Phineas Taylor Barnum and has developed numerous award-winning exhibitions and programs exploring 19th-century social and historical themes. Maher is known for her disaster recovery efforts, having saved the Barnum Museum from an EF1 tornado and both Hurricane Irene and Super Storm Sandy. Under her leadership, the Barnum Museum is focusing on new methods of audience engagement and is becoming a global model for disaster recovery and resilience. Maher has made appearances as a guest historian on various news and media outlets, including the History Channel, A&E, MSG, BBC, AHC, Travel Channel, PBS, NECN, CPTV, and NPR. She has also given a TEDx talk and has been featured in the NY Times, Hartford Courant, and Associated Press. Maher holds gubernatorial appointments to various cultural and historical organizations in Connecticut and was awarded the Tourism Leader of the Year in 2019.
Rui Pinho
Editor
Rui Pinho
Podcast editor for Becoming Barnum, with a strong background in media production and project management. He excels in creating engaging final cuts and has a proven track record of producing high-quality content across social media platforms. In addition to podcast editing, Rui is also an accomplished aerial photographer and videographer. His passion and expertise make him an invaluable asset to any project.
Do the Best You Can for Yourself
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