The JUNTO Project Podcast

JUNTO Podcast: Episode 4

🎙️ The Greatest American: Franklin Reimagined 

Guests: Dr. Mark Skousen 
Host: Phillip Linderman, BFF Chairman

In this thought-provoking conversation, BFF Chairman Phillip Linderman sits down with Dr. Mark Skousen — renowned economist, author, and direct descendant of Ben Franklin — to explore his latest book: The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, The World's Most Versatile Genius.

Together, they unpack Franklin’s diversity: diplomat, entrepreneur, philosopher, moralist, disruptor, media mogul, inventor — and a champion of American independence and national interest. Dr. Skousen shares surprising stories and little-known insights that challenge popular myths and reveal why Franklin was not only the oldest of the Founders — but the most visionary.

From trade and technology, to faith, family, and foreign policy, this JUNTO Podcast episode explores why Franklin’s legacy matters more than ever today.

JUNTO Podcast: Episode 3

🎙️ Founding the Fellowship: A Conversation with the BFF Co-Founders 

Guests: Phillip Linderman, Matthew Boyse, and Simon Hankinson Host: John McCally, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Media, BFF

In this foundational episode of the JUNTO Podcast, host John McCally sits down with the three co-founders of The Ben Franklin Fellowship — Phillip Linderman, Matthew Boyse, and Simon Hankinson — for a rare joint conversation about the future of American diplomacy, the origins of the Fellowship, and why now is the time to revive the America-First spirit of 1776.

Each guest brings decades of diplomatic experience and a deep commitment to restoring traditional, constitutional values to U.S. foreign affairs. Together, they discuss:

The inspiration behind launching BFF — and why Benjamin Franklin’s legacy still matters

The current crisis of confidence and clarity inside the State Department

How BFF’s Eight Guiding Principles offer a clear alternative to ideological drift

Why the JUNTO Outreach Initiatives including events, fellowships, and this podcast — arecentral to engaging the next generation of reform-minded foreign affairs professionals

A bold vision for U.S. diplomacy ahead of America’s 250th birthday in 2026

Whether you're a career diplomat, a student of international affairs, or simply a citizen who believes in America’s founding values, this conversation offers a powerful blueprint for change — and a hopeful call to action.

🎧 Listen now to hear how the Ben Franklin Fellowship is reimagining the future of U.S. diplomacy—rooted in the Republic, in service to America.

JUNTO Podcast: Episode 2

🎙️ Woke Dogma, American Decline, and the Case for Courage

Guest: Simon Hankinson, Co-Founder, The Ben Franklin Fellowship; Senior Fellow, The Heritage Foundation

Host: Phil Linderman, Chairman, The Ben Franklin Fellowship

In this bold and wide-ranging conversation, BFF Chairman Phil Linderman sits down with BFF co-founder and board member Simon Hankinson to discuss his powerful new book, The Ten Woke Commandments – You Must Not Obey(July 2025). Drawing on his 25 years as a U.S. diplomat and his current role as a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, Hankinson takes on the forced orthodoxy of the modern Left—from gender ideology and media censorship to cultural self-loathing and bureaucratic overreach.

Hankinson and Linderman explore the implications of cancel culture on diplomacy and public service, what it means to dissent with principle, and how The Ben Franklin Fellowship offers a home for foreign affairs professionals grounded in truth, liberty, and national interest.

This episode also offers a window into Simon’s life before and after diplomacy: a British-trained lawyer, teacher, global public servant, and now one of Washington’s leading voices challenging the ideological capture of American institutions.

If you’ve ever felt silenced, sidelined, or suspicious of the new commandments of the elite class — his conversation is for you.

JUNTO Podcast: Episode 1

🎙️ Diplomacy, Duty, and the American People

Guest: John Armstrong, Senior Bureau Official, Bureau of Consular Affairs
Host: Phil Linderman, Chairman, The Ben Franklin Fellowship

In this episode of The JUNTO Podcast, BFF Chairman Phil Linderman sits down with longtime American diplomat and BFF Fellow John Armstrong, who currently serves as State Department's Senior Bureau Official in the Bureau of Consular Affairs. A career Foreign Service Officer with over three decades of global experience — from Warsaw and Kyiv to Nassau and Lima — Armstrong reflects on his deep commitment to the American people, the evolution of U.S. consular policy, and the urgent need for diplomacy rooted in national interest and constitutional values.

Armstrong shares why he joined — and stayed — in the Foreign Service, why he supports The Ben Franklin Fellowship, and how he sees the mission of consular affairs shifting under renewed calls for America-First foreign policy. He discusses the future of visa and passport policy, how to better support U.S. citizens abroad, and the vital role of liberty, sovereignty, and national security in U.S. diplomacy today.