Roger welcomes Randal C. Teague, chairman of The Fund for American Studies and author of “Jesus and His Fishermen: The Untold Story,” for a conversation on the historical, economic and cultural context of Jesus’ early ministry. Drawing on years of research and firsthand experience traveling throughout Israel, Teague explores how the familiar story of “fishers of men” reveals a deeper understanding of work, leadership and daily life in the first century.

They discuss what it meant to be a fisherman in the ancient world, including the heavy taxation, regulation and economic pressures faced by working families. Teague explains how preparation, patience, success and failure shaped both the profession of fishing and the structure of Jesus’s ministry. Additional topics include the role of government and taxation in first-century Judea, the organizational dynamics among the disciples, the influence of broader historical and religious traditions, and how understanding the context of the Gospels can deepen one’s perspective on leadership, responsibility and individual purpose. The conversation also touches on the enduring relevance of these lessons and the parallels between the challenges of that era and the modern world.

The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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Roger welcomes Dr. Matthew Spalding, Kirby professor in constitutional government and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College, for a conversation about the ideas and intellectual traditions that shaped the Declaration of Independence. Drawing from his latest book, “The Making of the American Mind: The Story of Our Declaration of Independence,” Spalding explains how the American founding was influenced by classical philosophy, the Christian tradition and centuries of debate about law, liberty and self-government.

They discuss the philosophical roots of the Declaration and the influence of thinkers such as Cicero, Aristotle, John Locke and Richard Hooker. Spalding also explores how sermons, pamphlets and debates in the Continental Congress helped shape public understanding during the revolutionary period. Additional topics include the role of natural law in American political thought, the founders’ views on religion and liberty, debates surrounding slavery and the Declaration, and the importance of teaching younger generations the true story of America’s founding. The conversation also looks ahead to the upcoming America 250 celebrations and the opportunity to renew public understanding of the nation’s founding principles.

The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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Roger welcomes Samuel Goldman, associate professor of humanities at the University of Florida’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education and TFAS faculty member, for a conversation about American political thought, civic education and the ideas that sustain a free society. Goldman reflects on his academic journey, his work teaching TFAS students in Washington and his commitment to helping young people engage seriously with the founding principles of the United States.

They discuss Goldman’s approach to teaching the Declaration of Independence by reading it closely and treating it as a carefully constructed argument about the purposes of government. Goldman explains how studying Jefferson’s writings, “The Federalist Papers” and “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” helps students understand both the ideals and the imperfections of the American founding. They also explore the growth of civic centers such as the Hamilton School, the decline of civic literacy in K-12 education, the role of religion in public life, the influence of Adam Smith and how the founders might assess the condition of the republic 250 years later.

The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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Roger welcomes Andrés Guilarte, vice president of opinion research at Eyes Over US and Stratus Intelligence and a former TFAS outreach fellow. Guilarte reflects on growing up under Venezuela’s socialist regime, his journey to the U.S. after facing political persecution, and his work raising awareness about the consequences of authoritarian rule.

They discuss the U.S.-led efforts to pressure Nicolás Maduro’s regime, the regional implications for Latin America and the challenges of rebuilding democratic institutions after decades of authoritarian rule. Guilarte explains the role of opposition leader María Corina Machado, the slow process of releasing political prisoners, and the continued influence of the military. He also recounts his travels across the country as a TFAS outreach fellow, sharing his firsthand experience with socialism, educating students about its real-world consequences, and addressing common misconceptions he encountered from young Americans who believe it could be implemented differently in the United States.

The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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On this special year-end episode of Liberty + Leadership, Roger reflects on a remarkable year for The Fund for American Studies (TFAS). He highlights moments from the podcast that celebrate TFAS’s mission and the work of alumni, fellows, students, and friends who are advancing individual liberty, personal responsibility and economic freedom around the world.

These moments feature foreign policy leaders, courageous journalists, economists, educators and student leaders. Topics range from reflections on captive nations and the global fight for freedom to firsthand accounts of the costs of courageous journalism, discussions on fiscal responsibility and sound governance and the changing media landscape. They also showcase the impact of TFAS programs and the voices of students and alumni just starting their leadership journeys.

These moments tell the story of a year defined by growth, intellectual seriousness and a renewed commitment to the principles that sustain a free society. As TFAS looks ahead to 2026 and America’s 250th anniversary, it is a reminder of why developing principled leaders remains more important than ever.

The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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Roger hosts a special episode of Liberty + Leadership that brings listeners inside the 32nd Annual TFAS Journalism Awards Dinner and the Journalism Forum that preceded it. These curated conversations offer a look at how TFAS is shaping the journalists of tomorrow through their rich ecosystem of programs like the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship, the Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowships for Excellence in Journalism, the Student Journalism Association, the Media Accelerator Fellowship and the Campus Transparency Fellowship.

Listeners will hear keynote remarks and panel discussions featuring alumni, fellows, editors and student journalists who examine the state of journalism, the collapse of trust in legacy media and the rise of independent reporting. Topics include the responsibilities of credible news organizations, the importance of showing one’s work, the changing business models of journalism and the discipline required to report with accuracy and independence. Listeners will also hear the results of the yearlong projects of two Novak alumni and a panel of student journalists who demonstrate the bright possibilities of the future of journalism.

This special episode features voices from across TFAS’s journalism network, including Brian Anderson of City Journal; Novak alumni Charles Lehman, Kate Batchelder Odell and Mene Ukueberuwa, Carine Hajjar (also a Rago alumna) and Audrey Fahlberg; student journalists Alex Shieh, Natalia Lopez and Max Whalen. Their commentary reflects the mission of TFAS to prepare principled, curious and courageous reporters who can strengthen the public square and elevate the standards of their profession.

The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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Roger welcomes Amanda Stiglbauer, a longtime mentor and instructor with TFAS’s high school division, the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE), for a conversation about teaching economics in a way that connects with students and helps them understand the world. Amanda, who recently joined TFAS as FTE’s economic education curriculum fellow, shares how her early love of teaching merged with a growing passion for economics and how discovering the economic way of thinking gave her a framework for understanding choice, incentives, prices and the world around her.

They discuss the challenges of improving economic literacy in American classrooms, the importance of active learning and the impact of FTE’s interactive programs. Additional topics include supply and demand, the true cost of tariffs, the differences between personal finance and economics education, the role of institutions in long-term prosperity, the relevance of the Economic Freedom Index and FTE’s new curriculum initiatives, such as The Realities of Socialism and Economic Forces in American Civics for the America 250 celebration.

The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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Roger welcomes Dan Wang, a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution History Lab and author of “Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future.” They discuss Wang’s perspective on China’s technological rise and the contrast he draws between China’s engineering approach to governance and the United States’ lawyerly system, which emphasizes rights, pluralism and individual liberty. Wang also explains how his life in Canada, the United States and China shaped his understanding of the assumptions and incentives that drive each society.

They explore China’s intense focus on large-scale industrial and technological projects, as well as the costs and vulnerabilities of this top-down model. Wang discusses the long-term social damage caused by policies such as the one child policy and zero-COVID, which reflected an engineering mindset stretched beyond physical infrastructure into attempts to reshape society itself. Additional topics include America’s challenges with permitting, infrastructure and housing, the limited areas where a modest shift toward engineering thinking could help, and how both countries might navigate the complex and uncertain future of U.S. and China relations.

The Liberty + Leadership Podcast is hosted by TFAS president Roger Ream and produced by Podville Media. If you have a comment or question for the show, please email us at podcast@TFAS.org. To support TFAS and its mission, please visit TFAS.org/support.

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