Refining Rhetoric

08/18/2026

Can a homeschooler really compete at the Power 5 level? Victoria Roberts just came one tenth of a point from proving it, helping LSU finish runner-up at the 2026 national championship. In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins talks with Victoria, a Classical Conversations graduate who trained 14 years at Elmwood Gymnastics Academy and is now one of the first CC grads to compete in Division I gymnastics at the Power 5 level.

Victoria breaks down how homeschooling and CC Plus dual enrollment prepared her to balance 16+ hours a week of gymnastics with college coursework - work she says left her better prepared for LSU than a traditional school schedule would have. She talks candidly about the recruiting process as a homeschooled athlete in a state with few big gyms, the late-arriving offer from LSU that changed everything, and the mindset shift between a nerve-filled freshman year and a breakout sophomore season. She also opens up about what almost losing meant to the team, how camaraderie carried them further than talent alone, and how her faith has only deepened under the pressure of D1 competition.

Whether you’re a homeschool parent wondering if elite athletics and academics can coexist, or you’re raising a future athlete of your own, Victoria’s story is proof that the two aren’t in competition; they can build each other. Tune in for a conversation full of perseverance, faith, and a homeschool-to-college pipeline more families should know about.

07/31/2026

What happens when the person hired to fix government education discovers it can’t be fixed...because it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do?

In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins Freedom Maximalist sits down with Diane Douglas, Arizona’s former Superintendent of Public Instruction (2015–2019), to talk about her fight against Common Core, the truth behind so-called “empowerment scholarship accounts,” and why she believes the only real fix for American education starts with getting the government out of it entirely.

Diane walks through the three “epiphany moments” that pulled her out of government schooling and into the fight, from discovering outcome-based education to sitting through a PTA meeting where the numbers simply didn’t add up. She takes listeners inside the state board of education that holds more real power than any elected superintendent, explains why she pushed (unsuccessfully) to bring Hillsdale’s classical Barney Charter curriculum into Arizona schools, and unpacks the chilling term she kept hearing used for children: “human capital.” She also issues a warning for parents who think school-choice funding is a clean win.

Diane now serves on the Educational Advisory Board for Public School Exit, helping families find a way out of a system she says isn’t broken, but working exactly as intended. This conversation is a wake-up call for anyone who still believes the system just needs “more good people” to fix it from the inside.

Episode 226 of Refining Rhetoric is available now wherever you get your podcasts!

07/24/2026

What made America different from every kingdom that came before it? Bestselling author and American Minute founder Bill Federer joins Refining Rhetoric for our Celebrating 250 Years series to trace the improbable, providential story of the American experiment.

From the invention of writing in ancient Sumer to the empire on which the sun never set, Federer explains how humanity's default form of government has always been kings—until ancient Israel became the first literate, self-governing people in history, and America flipped the flow of power from the top down to “We the People.”

Discover the providential moments most Americans have never heard: the mysterious fog that shrouded Washington's midnight retreat across the East River, and the last-minute discovery of Benedict Arnold's plot to hand West Point to the British. Federer unpacks “the laws of nature and of nature's God,” why the Founders saw no war between science and faith, and how the First Amendment was written to keep the federal government out of the states' religious affairs—not to scrub God from public life.

He charts the nation's drift from a Judeo-Christian past into secular “neutral” and toward an aggressive Islamic future, exposes the psychological “psyops” shaping kids through social emotional learning, and calls families to anchor their children's identity in Christ. If you want to remember why America is worth defending—and to leave your own testimony of what God can do again—this episode is for you.

07/16/2026

What does it actually look like to raise faithful, culture-proof kids when the world (and sometimes even the church) is working against you? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins Freedom Maximalist sits down with Meeke Addison, co-founder of Culture Proof and former spokesperson for American Family Association, to talk about biblical worldview, Christian homeschooling, and what it means to disciple your children in a post-truth culture.

Meeke shares the journey that took her from missionary work to national radio to homeschooling all six (now seven!) of her children from home, and the pivotal moment she and her husband realized they couldn’t keep pouring into the culture without first pouring into their own kids. She unpacks why so many Christian parents feel stuck, how the failure of discipleship starts in the pulpit, and what it looks like to raise children who understand the time God has placed them in. She also digs into the state of the church today: why so many believers can’t accurately define who the church even is, and what family-integrated worship has meant for her own family’s faith.

This isn’t a conversation about culture war tactics; it’s about conviction. Meeke challenges parents to ask the hard question: are you raising arrows, or are you outsourcing that job to institutions that don’t share your faith? If you’ve ever felt the tension between doing good work in the world and being faithful at home first, this one’s for you.

Episode 224 of Refining Rhetoric is available now wherever you get your podcasts. Link in the comments.

07/15/2026

07/15/2026

In 1772, John Adams said that the preservation of liberty depends on both the intellectual and moral character of the people. Historian Jane Hampton Cook sheds light on what he meant.

Hear the full conversation on episode 223 or Refining Rhetoric (linked in the comments)

07/15/2026

"Ardent love of country is most essential to all Republican governments. Inspiring the minds of youth with this passion ought to be the principal view of education." Who said these words? The answer will shock you.

Hear this conversation with historian Jane Hampton Cook on Episode 223 of Refining Rhetoric.

07/14/2026

What would it take to raise a generation that’s grateful, and not just grievance-driven, about America? In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host
Robert Bortins Freedom Maximalist sits down with presidential historian, award-winning screenwriter, and author Jane Hampton Cook to explore America’s 250th anniversary, the faith of the Founding Fathers, and why reclaiming gratitude is essential to preserving the republic.

Jane shares untold stories from the American Revolution — including a Quaker woman who helped save Washington’s army, the forgotten black heroes of Bunker Hill, and why George Washington referenced Providence over 560 times in his writings. She also unpacks how the Declaration of Independence planted seeds of liberty that took generations to harvest, and why classical Christian education is uniquely equipped to pass these truths on to the next generation.

Whether you’re a homeschool parent trying to instill love of country, a classical educator looking for a fresh angle on American history, or simply someone who wants to feel more grateful and less cynical, this conversation will leave you inspired, informed, and a little more proud to be an American.

07/10/2026

In this episode, Sam Sorbo l Education Freedom Fighter and Robert Bortins Freedom Maximalist dig into the slow erosion of parental authority through compulsory schooling, why school teaches kids “don’t ask, don’t try, don’t read, and don’t think,” and why the entrepreneurial spirit that built America can’t survive inside a classroom.

Episode 222 of Refining Rhetoric is available now wherever you get your podcasts. Linked in the comments.

07/10/2026

When Sam Sorbo l Education Freedom Fighter's daughter waved "bye-bye" to the nanny, she was hit with an understanding that led to her walking away from her career in Hollywood.

Hear this powerful conversation on Episode 222 of Refining Rhetoric.