The Ben Franklin Fellowship: The JUNTO Project Podcast

In this episode of The JUNTO Podcast, BFF Co-Founder Phil Linderman hosts a conversation with Robert Destro and Al Gombis, both BFF Fellows and longtime State Department officials, on the state of human rights diplomacy in Washington.Robert Destro, former Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), and Al Gombis, who served as Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, share a candid insider’s

In this episode of The JUNTO Podcast, BFF Chairman Phil Linderman speaks with Albert T. “Al” Gombis, a recently retired U.S. diplomat whose 34-year career at the Department of State spanned 13 offices, three overseas posts, and senior leadership roles advancing global justice and human rights.From serving on Capitol Hill as a State Department Fellow for the House Foreign Affairs Committee to leading the Office of Global Criminal Justice, Gombis’s career bridges law, policy, and principle. He later

Guest: Stuart Wilson Host: Phillip Linderman, BFF ChairmanThe Ben Franklin Fellowship is proud to present a new episode of The JUNTO Podcast, hosted by BFF Chairman Phillip Linderman, featuring Stuart Wilson, BFF Fellow and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services in the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.With more than three decades in the U.S. Foreign Service, Stuart Wilson has served in some of the most complex and challenging diplomatic posts worldwide — from Moscow to

Guest: Dr Mark SkousenHost: BFF Chairman Phillip LindermanIn 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

The Ben Franklin Fellowship (BFF) proudly launched its JUNTO AI, Statecraft & the Future of Diplomacy Speaker Series on July 23 with a high-level panel on one of the most urgent issues facing American diplomacy today: artificial intelligence and the escalating U.S.–China tech rivalry.

Guests: Phillip Linderman, Matthew Boyse, and Simon HankinsonHost: John McCally, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Media, BFFIn 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: Simon Hankinson, Co-Founder, The Ben Franklin Fellowship; Senior Fellow, The Heritage FoundationHost: Phil Linderman, Chairman, The Ben Franklin FellowshipIn 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

Guest: John Armstrong, Senior Bureau Official, Bureau of Consular AffairsHost: Phil Linderman, Chairman, The Ben Franklin FellowshipIn 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