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At a time when Americans are tired of scripted outrage and elite-approved talking points, Three for the Founders is doing something different—speaking freely and living with the consequences. In Episode 30, the hosts look back on Season One and tell the truth about what happens when you stop chasing applause, stop curating a “target audience,” and start saying what you actually think. The result? Real conversations, real pushback, and real growth.

This retrospective pulls no punches. The hosts reflect on early episodes that played it safe—and later ones that didn’t. They talk candidly about faith, race, gun culture, family, language, and power, including moments that made listeners uncomfortable and moments that made the show stronger. Along the way, they honor influential voices, remember friends lost too soon, and acknowledge where they got it wrong—and why owning that matters more than managing optics.

There’s humor, too—phones buzzing mid-recording, debates about bathroom doors at home—but the message is serious: authenticity beats approval every time. Three for the Founders isn’t here to preach or please. It’s here to have the conversation others won’t—and trust the audience to decide what to do with it.

Episode 30 drops December 29.

Season One ends. Season Two begins in 2026.

Listen—and judge for yourself.

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We know something about endings. We know when a beloved teacher hangs up the chalk, when the church mothers finally step down from the usher board, when a job no longer fits, or when a season of our own lives is quietly tapping us on the shoulder saying, “Baby, it’s time.”

That’s why this week’s episode of Three for the Founders feels like it was recorded for every one of us.

Episode 29 closes out the podcast’s first season with an unflinching conversation about endings: the kind we invite, the kind we delay, and the kind the country may be drifting toward whether we admit it or not.

The brothers anchor their discussion against the backdrop of a “capitalist Christmas” and corporate rollbacks of DEI—even as those same companies cash in on Black Friday. The hosts push us to see how justice, clarity, and honesty should shape how we exit, not just how we begin.

When Personal Seasons Shift

Antonio speaks for many of us who stayed too long at a table we loved. After four and a half years on a working board—and two and a half knowing he needed to go—he finally chose health, purpose, and peace over obligation. That’s a sermon in itself: you don’t have to keep showing up when showing up hollows you out.

Jon opens up about career pivots, calling, and faith transitions. From leaving ministry nearly two decades ago to stepping fully away from Christianity more recently, he names the fear of letting people down—and the quiet ego underneath it. His story reminds us that spiritual and professional shifts aren’t failures; often they’re freedom.

And Lybroan continues to be the patron saint of planned exits. Whether navigating teaching, real estate, or academia, he shows the power of intentional endings—of seeing the season before it sees you. He’s already got eyes on a doctorate next.

But this episode isn’t just about personal lives—it’s about national ones. The hosts wrestle with a heavy question: Is America ending?

Lybroan and Antonio say yes: powerful interests are already drafting the blueprint for a redesigned nation, and the signs—Project 2025 and constitutional choke points—are all around us. Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower reminds us that scarcity has always been used to justify walls, surveillance, and the rearranging of democracy.

Jon hopes the Trump era is what’s ending—and admits the optimism may be wrapped in the comfort of privilege. If nothing else, he argues, the young people are watching, questioning, pushing. And that has always been the seed of American rebirth.

What emerges is what folks in our community have long understood: endings are not the enemy. Denial is.

Some of us plan. Some of us surrender. Some of us delay. But all of us have to face the moment when what once fit… doesn’t.

This first season of Three for the Founders ends the way a family gathering does—full of gratitude, good sense, and a reminder of unity: “We represent the United States and its principles and everything it’s supposed to be.”

And then, true to form: “Left on Founders, we out.”

Season 2 is expected around February 1, with episodes every two weeks. And yes—Bryan Stevenson is on the dream list.

Until t

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The Power and Politics of What We’re Called
December 15, 2025 • 1 hour, 19 minutes

On this episode, Three for the Founders are taking on a single idea—names—and stretching it across culture, politics, history, comedy, and the intimate corners of family life.

Reynaldo Antonio Macias, Lybroan James, and Jon Augustine open with the spark: pop culture and present-day politics giving them déjà vu. Succession’s slime, a debate-night “empathetic” performance from J.D. Vance, and the Hillbilly Elegy-to-DC pipeline all raise the same question: How much of identity is real, and how much is branding? From there, the episode shifts into something deeper—and a lot more personal.

Lybroan tells the now-legendary Nike Town story, recalls decades of bureaucratic friction over his name, and tracks the three-generation lineage of “Lybroan.” Antonio walks through his own evolution from “Antonio” to “Tony” to “Reynaldo,” mapping how school, family, culture, and professionalism each tried to rename him. Jon traces Ellis Island edits, the tale behind “JON without the H,” and the family threads behind his kids’ names.

Together, they explore why Black naming traditions are creative, historical, and political—born from a legacy where Black people were once denied literacy, self-definition, and even the right to name their own children. They unpack patriarchy in surname traditions, the emotional calculus of naming kids, the chaos and comedy of names that sound gentle versus names that clap like a snare drum, and the everyday politics of mispronunciation—from Kamala to Zohran Mamdani to your kid’s classroom roll sheet.

Along the way, they drop a Rams-game field trip story about gentle authority, salute students, supporters, and producers (Sabah James, Daniela Macías, Wil Gatuda), and put out the ongoing call: Popeye’s, let’s talk sponsorship—preferably live from the Underground Station at Tower of London.

The episode closes with a promise: this was just part one. Math names, Middle Eastern names, and a full decolonization of credit—yes, including Lybroan’s push to rebrand the Egyptian theorem—are coming next.

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1 hour, 2 minutes

We know something about pressure. You can feel it in the church aisles, in the grocery line, in who gets stopped driving down Main after dark. But lately, that pressure isn’t just local — it’s national, creeping in through our screens, our newsfeeds, and the voices of men who look straight into a camera and tell America that power belongs to whoever claims God sent them.

That’s why Episode 27 of Three for the Founders is not just another conversation. It’s a warning flare shot clean into a darkening sky.

The hosts — Reynaldo Antonio Macias, Lybroan James, and Jon Augustine — don’t tiptoe around it. They walk straight into the storm: Steve Bannon calling Donald Trump “an instrument of the divine,” all while promising (or threatening?) a 2028 presidency and brushing past the 22nd Amendment like it’s a speed bump. That’s not politics. That’s an authoritarian sales pitch wrapped in scripture.

And too many folks are buying it.

But this episode doesn’t just talk about Bannon. It talks about the machine behind him — the algorithm, the “ether,” the long-game strategy that has been shaping American power for generations. Think tanks planning in centuries, not news cycles. Propaganda that looks suspiciously like the 1930s, except this time the posters come stamped with the U.S. Department of Labor. Whiteness dressed up as patriotism, again.

And while that machinery churns, somebody’s asking a real question:

Why are white protestors flooding “No Kings” rallies while so many Black folks are sitting this one out?

The hosts won’t sugarcoat:

Because Black people have already learned what happens when we get loud. Because the cost of protest isn’t the same for everyone. Because some of us have warned about voter suppression, policing, and backlash for decades — and we’re still waiting for the rest of America to catch up.

This episode also goes inward — into fear, dreams, kids, Blue Books, Sunday alarms — but not as a distraction. As a reminder: real people are carrying this moment. Real families are thinking about leaving the country. Real communities are asking what safety even means anymore.

And then comes the hardest question of all: What does it mean to be American right now?

Lybroan argues many of us were never allowed to be “Americans” in the first place — not in the way power defines it. Antonio pushes back. Jon names his own fears. They wrestle, respectfully, fiercely, the way democracy requires.

In a time when politicians bend scripture for power, when propaganda gets algorithmic, and when “strength” is sold as a substitute for truth, this conversation is not just relevant — it’s necessary.

Why this matters

Because what happens at the Supreme Court affects who gets housing.

Because what gets framed as “American” shapes which of our kids are treated as such.

Because authoritarian drift never starts with tanks in the streets — it starts with language, symbols, and the quiet rewriting of norms while the rest of us try to get through the week.

Three for the Founders calls it out with humor, with heart, and with the kind of clarity small communities need right now.

So here’s your chall

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🎙️ NPR meets Charlamagne tha God — thoughtful, provocative, and deeply human. Welcome back to Three for the Founders — where classroom truths meet kitchen-table honesty. Today, we’re diving into part two of a conversation that every educator, parent, and student in America needs to hear: “Private Schools, Public Lies: Who Gets to Belong in Education?”

Our guests — Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author, parent, and public school teacher — and Luivette Resto, internationally award-winning poet, parent, and independent school English teacher — join us to break down what it really looks like when teachers face inequity head-on.

This isn’t your usual PD talk. We’re unpacking:

• How systemic racism shapes classrooms long before students walk through the door,
• Why classism might be the hardest “ism” to teach through,
• And what “care as currency” means when resources and representation aren’t equal.

We’ll hear Julie recall the moment she first saw bias in the system — Black boys being disciplined differently — and how one mentor gave her the lens to fight back.
We’ll hear Luivette speak on bringing poetry to students who’ve never been told their stories belong in literature.
And we’ll talk about what it takes to teach privilege without shame — but with clarity, accountability, and purpose.

Because whether you’re in a public school in South L.A. or a private academy in Pasadena, one truth holds: kids know who’s for them, and who’s not.

🔍 For Listeners to Think About:

• What invisible systems shape how we view our students — and how do those assumptions play out in your classroom, your workplace, or your parenting?
• When have you been called in, not out — and what made that growth possible?
• Are we preparing the next generation to navigate privilege responsibly — or just to enjoy it quietly?

✅ Action Items:

1. Read Lisa Delpit’s Other People’s Children — the book that transformed Julie’s early teaching and might just transform yours.
2. Audit your bookshelf: Whose stories are missing? Add poets like Hanif Abdurraqib, Teresa Mei Chuc, or F. Douglas Brown.
3. Say every name right. Pronunciation is not a courtesy — it’s a declaration of respect.
4. Support diverse storytellers. Buy banned books. Shop indie. Visit bookshop.org if your local store isn’t an option.
5. Challenge your circle. Talk about race and class — especially if your instinct is to stay silent.

Because teaching is political — not partisan. And if we’re serious about justice in schools, we can’t just celebrate diversity; we have to confront disparity. So grab your coffee, open your mind, and lean in — this is Episode 25 of Three for the Founders: “Private Schools, Public Lies: Who Gets to Belong in Education?”

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How do you raise and teach children to be kind and accountable in a world that often rewards neither? This week on Three for the Founders, hosts Reynaldo Antonio, Lybroan, and Jon get real about “gentle parenting,” classroom culture, and what education is actually for—with two powerhouse guests who’ve seen it all from both public and private school perspectives.

Julie Clark—veteran Santa Monica public school educator and New York Times bestselling author—joins Luivette Resto, award-winning poet, mother of three, and middle school English teacher, to unpack the myths and realities behind “gentle parenting.” Together, they ask what happens when empathy gets confused with permissiveness, how anxiety gets inherited, and why “The Talk” for Black and Brown families is still a life-and-death conversation.

From classroom discipline to language politics, from banned books to the economics of words, this episode pulls no punches. The conversation moves from the dinner table to the desk—exploring what happens when care, culture, and control collide.

You’ll hear the hosts and guests break down:

• The difference between consequences and punishments, and why anger doesn’t belong in either.
• How race and class shape what kind of “gentle” a parent or teacher can afford to be.
• Why critical thinking and creativity are often the first casualties of censorship.
• And what it really means to “be the adult” when the kids are watching everything.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or just someone rethinking what “raising good humans” means, Episode 24 will make you laugh, flinch, and maybe rethink that next parent–teacher email.

📚 Takeaways & Actions:

1. Read banned books—and talk about them with the next generation.
2. Support independent bookstores and classroom teachers bringing critical stories to life.
3. Teach failure as growth, not shame.
4. Model boundaries and respect—gently, but firmly.
5. Keep classrooms and conversations open to complexity, discomfort, and truth.

🎧 Three for the Founders: Where the book club meets the block, and every lesson plan has politics.

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Three for the Founders

November 17, 2025 • 34:40

Jon’s solo surf trip to Bali was supposed to be about chasing waves — but it turns into a meditation on power, privilege, and what it means to travel without leaving a footprint the size of your passport.

This bonus episode opens with salt spray and adrenaline — double-overhead surf at Uluwatu, a sea cave entry straight out of myth, and the quiet terror of being “8,000 miles from Los Angeles” with nothing but a rented board and your instincts. But as Jon, Antonio, and Lybroan debrief, the conversation swells into deeper waters: respect, fear, and the blurred line between traveler and tourist.

What starts as talk of wave height and local drivers named Gus turns into a sharp-eyed look at how tourism mirrors empire — from surf brands lining Balinese cliffs to Popeyes at London Bridge. The brothers trade stories and side-eyes about America’s global reach — by the gun or by the screen — and ask whether the U.S. exports culture or dependency. Cue references from Living Single to Ben Kingsley’s Gandhi, with a detour through UCLA’s own anti-imperial rebel scholar, E. Bradford Burns.

By the close, they’re joking politics, riffing on global headlines, and reminding listeners that even in small conversations — about surfing, travel, or food — there’s a whole world of economics, ethics, and empire beneath the surface.

💬 “Sometimes you paddle out for peace and end up surfing history itself.”

Listen for:

•The fine line between courage and foolishness in solo travel

•Ethics of street photography and influencer culture

•Tourism’s economic double edge

•How America exports itself through media, money, and myth

Follow the journey at threeforthefounders.com and on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.

Text or drop a message through Buzzsprout — and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share.

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🎙️Ep. 23 - “Travel Is Fatal to Prejudice — But America Keeps Rebooking the Trip”

November 10, 2025 • 1 hour, 36 minutes

The hosts unpack how global travel broadens empathy even as America clings to the same old routes of racism, denial, and selective memory.

Mark Twain wrote that “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” This week, our hosts update that line: travel is fatal to prejudice in people. And as this conversation unfolds, they remind us that translation itself—of words, of cultures, of identities—is always an act of interpretation.

Because this episode isn’t just about passports and plane tickets. It’s about the journey of perspective—how seeing the world reshapes what we think we know about race, belonging, faith, and power.

And yes, there’s news. The guys unpack the fallout from the assassination of Charlie Kirk. They look at the way certain segments of America are already mythologizing him as a martyr of “free speech.” The conversation gets uncomfortable, especially when Jon revisits his own past as a young preacher intoxicated by certainty and applause—and recognizes, with some humility, how dangerous that confidence can become when supercharged with funding, politics, and grievance.

They identify white supremacy not as robes and rallies, but as a lens—one that distorts what we see and who we value. And they ask: if America can pay settlements to families wrongfully detained or deported, why can’t it pay reparations to those it enslaved and systematically excluded?

From Morocco’s marketplace warmth to India’s fearless flow of life, from Haiti’s echoes of home to the small cultural rituals that make family sacred—this episode asks what it really means to travel well.

• What happens when you realize your culture’s “order” is someone else’s “chaos”?
• When you feel less Black or white abroad and more American—and not always proudly so?
• When you see that happiness doesn’t depend on hustle, and that “community” might just be the most radical form of wealth?

Listener Takeaways & Questions:

•Can travel be a form of reparative justice—a way to unlearn the hierarchies we were raised inside?

•How does American consumer culture—our holidays, our spending, our advertising—mask deeper absences of meaning and belonging?

•And what would it take for our country to admit, out loud, that repair isn’t just legal—it’s moral?

Action Items:

1.Listen with curiosity, not judgment.

2.Reflect on where your perspective was born—and when it last changed.

3.Share the episode with someone who travels differently than you do.

4.Engage: Drop your thoughts on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok @ThreeForTheFounders, or text them directly through Buzzsprout.

This is a conversation about proximity—the kind that dissolves prejudice, reshapes identity, and maybe, just maybe, brings us a little closer to justice.

So buckle up. Episode 23 of Three for the Founders starts now.

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