Voices of Liberty

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

Chris Rufer went from hauling tomatoes in a rented truck while in college to building the largest tomato processing operation in the world. Along the way, he developed an unconventional approach to business built around self-management, individual responsibility, and putting decision-making power in the hands of the people actually doing the work.

In this conversation, Sean and Chris explore the Philosophy of Human Respect and Chris’s argument that people should be free to live as they choose as long as they do not use violence against others or take their property. They discuss why voluntary cooperation works in business and everyday life, how government coercion changes incentives, and why persuasion is ultimately more powerful than force.

Chris also explains why liberty is about more than limiting government. At its core, he believes liberty creates the environment where people are free to make their own choices, pursue their own values, and build lives that lead to greater happiness and human flourishing.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute and author of Reimagining Social Security, has taken on one of Washington's most politically dangerous issues: America's growing national debt. Her interest in economic freedom began long before arriving in Washington. Growing up in Germany, visiting family in southern Italy, and learning about life in communist East Germany led her to ask why some societies create prosperity and opportunity while others struggle.

Romina explains why she believes Social Security and Medicare are at the center of America's long-term fiscal challenge, what could happen as their trust funds face depletion, and why younger Americans will increasingly bear the cost if Washington refuses to act. She also breaks down how government borrowing affects mortgage rates, business investment, wages, inflation, and the ability of the next generation to build families and businesses.

The conversation also tackles America's distorted health care system, defense spending, the dangers of putting federal spending on autopilot, and Romina's proposal for an independent fiscal commission capable of confronting entitlement reform that politicians are often reluctant to touch. She also offers practical advice for young Americans—from health savings accounts and entrepreneurship to becoming lifelong learners and building solutions in their own communities.

The national debt may be measured in trillions, but its consequences are deeply personal. Romina's warning is that failing to confront it could weaken economic growth, national security, the stability of the dollar, and the opportunities available to generations of Americans who have yet to inherit the bill.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

Hannah Henriksen, president of Respect America, believes one of the biggest problems facing the country isn't a traditional political issue at all—it's the loss of genuine human connection. As politics becomes more tribal and technology makes it easier to avoid people who think differently, Hannah argues that liberty begins with something much simpler: seeing the individual before seeing the political label.

Hannah shares her unexpected path into the liberty movement and explains why having friends across the political spectrum has strengthened rather than weakened her beliefs. She also takes Sean inside the work of Respect America, which tells the stories of real people harmed by government coercion—from families separated after false accusations of child abuse to an attorney jailed after simply asking a question. The goal is to move liberty beyond abstract policy debates and show the human consequences when institutions forget the dignity of the individual.

At the center of Hannah's philosophy is a lesson simple enough to learn on the playground: don't hurt people, don't take their stuff, and don't force people to do things against their will. She explains why those principles should apply regardless of someone's politics, how Respect America is using films and storytelling to reach new audiences, and why each of us can make the world a little better by examining how we treat the people around us.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

Thanks to a convenient break in the time-space continuum, General George Washington has traveled from July 1776 to FreedomFest in 2026—and he has some thoughts about what America has become 250 years later.

Sean sits down with the founding father to talk about taxation without representation, the fight for independence, political division, the responsibilities that come with self-government, and why winning liberty is only the beginning. Washington also explains why he would reject the opportunity to become king and why the willingness to voluntarily relinquish power may be one of the most important characteristics of a good leader.

But it isn't all constitutional philosophy. Washington confronts the wooden-teeth rumors, learns what a podcast is, considers America's modern tax rates, and faces perhaps the most difficult military question of his career: one giant gorilla or 100 tiny ones?

Funny, unexpected, and surprisingly relevant 250 years after the Declaration of Independence, this conversation asks a question every generation of Americans must answer: once you've won your freedom, what are you willing to do to preserve it?

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

For more than four decades, Grover Norquist has been one of America's most influential advocates for lower taxes and smaller government. As founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, he created the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and has spent his career pushing elected officials to commit to never raising taxes. For Norquist, the issue goes far beyond economics—taxation defines how much of an individual's life and income government is allowed to control.

In this conversation, Sean Themea and Grover discuss why government spending—not lower taxes—is at the heart of America's fiscal problem, which taxes do the most economic damage, and why competition among the 50 states is one of America's greatest defenses against bad policy. Grover also breaks down the growing push to phase state income taxes toward zero and how Americans for Tax Reform holds politicians accountable when they break their promises to taxpayers.

They also look at Grover's long-term vision for dramatically reducing the size and scope of the federal government, expanding school choice, returning power to the states—and, in a change of pace, what more than a decade of attending Burning Man has taught him about spontaneous communities and liberty.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

Naomi Brockwell believes privacy is the foundation of a free society—and that Americans are rapidly losing it in the digital age. As founder of the Ludlow Institute, creator of NBTV, co-founder of the Soho Forum Debates, and a former producer for John Stossel, Naomi has dedicated her work to helping people understand digital surveillance and reclaim control over their personal information.

In this conversation, Sean and Naomi examine how government surveillance has expanded beyond the protections envisioned by the Fourth Amendment, why giving information to technology companies can weaken expectations of privacy, and how constant surveillance causes people to self-censor. Naomi also explains practical ways individuals can better protect their data, why privacy technology matters, and her work on the Surveillance Accountability Act to restore warrant requirements for government searches.

Her warning is simple: Americans should stop debating how much surveillance government should be allowed to conduct and start asking a more fundamental question—does government work for the people, or do the people exist to be controlled by government?

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

Chris Rufer went from hauling tomatoes in a rented truck while in college to building the largest tomato processing operation in the world. Along the way, he developed an unconventional approach to business built around self-management, individual responsibility, and putting decision-making power in the hands of the people actually doing the work.

In this conversation, Sean and Chris explore the Philosophy of Human Respect and Chris’s argument that people should be free to live as they choose as long as they do not use violence against others or take their property. They discuss why voluntary cooperation works in business and everyday life, how government coercion changes incentives, and why persuasion is ultimately more powerful than force.

Chris also explains why liberty is about more than limiting government. At its core, he believes liberty creates the environment where people are free to make their own choices, pursue their own values, and build lives that lead to greater happiness and human flourishing.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

Topher Field knows firsthand what it means to stand against government overreach. During Australia’s COVID-era lockdowns, he became a leading public voice against restrictions, joined protests despite government prohibitions, faced arrest, and spent years fighting criminal charges.

In this conversation, Sean Themea and Topher discuss what Americans can learn from Australia, why civil disobedience can be necessary to preserve liberty, and how to determine when a law crosses the line from something you disagree with to something your conscience demands you resist. Topher also explains why standing for liberty can carry a real personal cost—and why ordinary people must sometimes be willing to become the “spark” that challenges government power.

At America’s 250th anniversary, Topher’s message is simple: America needs less 1984 and more 1776.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.

Powered by Young Americans for Liberty, help support our work here: https://bit.ly/4vnedJK

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

Peter Lipsett has spent his career helping build the people, organizations, and resources that power the liberty movement. As vice president of DonorsTrust, chair of America’s Future, and chair of the Jefferson Forum, he has seen firsthand what it takes to turn principles into lasting impact.

In this conversation, Sean Themea and Peter discuss the mentors who shaped Peter’s career, lessons he learned working alongside some of the liberty movement’s most influential leaders, and why young professionals should never underestimate the value of doing the unglamorous work well. They also explore strategic philanthropy, developing the next generation of liberty leaders, strengthening free-market institutions, and why optimism remains essential to creating meaningful change.

For Peter, liberty is ultimately about more than individual freedom. It is about giving people the freedom to pursue their talents, strengthen their families and communities, and work together to build a better society.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.

Powered by Young Americans for Liberty, help support our work here: https://bit.ly/4vnedJK

Welcome back to Voices of Liberty with host Sean Themea, powered by Young Americans for Liberty.

David Nott, president and chief executive officer of Reason Foundation, has spent decades advancing the ideas of free minds and free markets. In this conversation from FreedomFest, Nott explains how Reason takes bold libertarian principles and turns them into policy victories, cultural influence, and ideas capable of changing minds.

Sean and David explore Reason’s work on drug policy, public pensions, artificial intelligence, criminal justice, government debt, and transportation, along with the importance of meeting people where they are when making the case for liberty. They also discuss the mixed record of the Trump era, the enduring political power of an anti-war message, and why major national events can suddenly create opportunities for liberty that once seemed impossible.

For young people looking to make a difference, Nott offers a simple challenge: experiment, find the community where your talents and values can thrive, and don’t be afraid to fail while figuring out where you can make the greatest impact.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, or YouTube, and learn more at YALiberty.org.