Approach the Bench

WEEK 28: How to Get Into Harvard Law (with the Dean of Admissions). Welcome to the Charles River. This week, we sit down with Dean Kristi Jobson—the literal Dean of Admissions—to answer the question everyone wants to know: what does it actually take to get into Harvard Law School? We start with Dean Jobson’s story—how she ended up at Harvard, what law school looked like when she was a student, and...

WEEK 27: Can the GOP Win Women Back? (with Keri Collins). Welcome to the Harvard Salient office. This week, we’re joined by Keri Collins, a freshman at Harvard College, to tackle one of the biggest political questions right now: why are young men and women drifting so far apart—and can the Right actually win women back? We start with a quick reset after last week’s episode, including strong feedba...

WEEK 26: The Gay Marriage Debate (with Ripken). Welcome back to the bench. This week, we’re joined by Ripken Holt for one of our most direct and controversial conversations yet: should gay marriage be legal—and how should Christians think about it? We jump straight into the deep end. No long intro—just the question everyone’s actually asking: what do Christians believe about gay marriage, and what...

WEEK 25: The Singleness Special Welcome to Will’s house. This week, we slow things down after a run of politics-heavy episodes to ask a different kind of question: what if singleness isn’t just a temporary inconvenience—but actually a meaningful, even good, way to live? We kick things off with some spring break recap and listener feedback. Then we jump into a fun but revealing appetizer: Green Fla...

Week 24: The Spring Break Special Shooting at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Mason and Will take a bit of a break from the typical content flow to have a heart-to-heart on the bench. They discuss the positives and negatives of podcasting in a social media age and open up about their active debates about what to focus on, how to share their views, and whether to continue doing the podcast at all....

WEEK 23: American Empire & Progressive Christian Nationalism. This week, we take the bench to the Radcliffe Gardens across from Cambridge Common and are joined by Frank, another Harvard student with a sharp interest in politics, law, and the role of religion in public life. We open with a quick introduction to Frank’s background — from Bates College to Harvard — and talk about what drew him in...

WEEK 22: The Pastor Calling Harvard Law Back to Christianity Recorded in Hastings Hall, the oldest dorm at Harvard Law School, this week we sit down with Justin Yim — the pastor serving HLS students — to talk about something that may be quietly happening across American campuses: a renewed hunger for Christianity. We begin with a quick introduction to Justin and how he ended up doing ministry at o...

WEEK 21: Is Modern Dating Rigged? (With Luis Penichet, HBS & Former Marine) This week we’re joined by Luis Penichet — second-year Harvard Business School student, former U.S. Marine, and founder working on a new kind of dating app. And we go straight at one of the biggest cultural questions facing our generation: Is the American dating system fundamentally broken? We begin with a blunt diagnos...

WEEK 20: Inside the Life of Three Protestants at Harvard Welcome to Brian’s apartment. This week, we bring Brian Rath, Harvard Business School student, into the mix and step back from pure politics to talk about something deeper: what it actually looks like to live as Protestants at Harvard. We begin with a breakdown of the differences between Harvard Law and Harvard Business School — the culture,...

WEEK 19: Can You Love Your Country in a Divided Age? This week, we open by reacting to this year’s Super Bowl commercials — what they reveal about American culture, corporate messaging, and the stories companies think will resonate with young people today. From there, we turn to the Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision and its long-term cultural and legal consequences. We discuss how marriage has...

WEEK 18: In this episode, we sit by the frozen-over Charles River and work through listener feedback, campus reactions to the show, and what it’s been like navigating growing recognition — both positive and negative — at Harvard Law. We respond to a thoughtful listener challenge on free will, causality, and moral responsibility, exploring whether human choice can be meaningful in a world shaped by...

WEEK 17: Welcome to Will’s home. In the snow. This week, we open with a long overdue feedback segment — responding to some of the strongest reactions we’ve gotten all season (including the Israel episodes, Larissa Part 1 & 2, and the Gen Z/Ozempic debate). We read comments ranging from thoughtful critiques to outright hostile takes, and we talk about what it means to have real disagreement onl...

WEEK 15 (PART TWO): We’re back at Harvard Law with Larissa Truchan for part two of our conversation, and the discussion gets even sharper. We start by sketching out our ideal third parties, debating what’s missing from the current political landscape, and whether America is locked into a permanent two-party system. From there, we make early predictions for the 2028 election, breaking down who we t...

WEEK 15 (Part 1): In front of the Harvard Law library, we sit down with Larissa Truchan — a Harvard Law student and viral leftist political influencer — for the first part of a two-part conversation across ideology, faith, morality, and power. We start by getting to know Larissa: her background, family, and path to Harvard Law, as well as how she built a large political following online — includin...

WEEK 14: Returning from a trip to Israel, we sit down with Shanee Markovitz Kay — an Israeli American and fellow Harvard Law student — for a deeply personal conversation about Israel, identity, and what it has meant to be Jewish at Harvard Law in the aftermath of October 7.We begin by getting to know Shanee — her background, her path to Harvard Law, and her (as well as our) involvement with the Ha...

WEEK 13 (NEW YEAR’S EPISODE): It’s January 1st — a new year, new resolutions, and the usual promises of change. In this episode, we look back at 2025, make rapid-fire predictions about 2026, and ask a harder question underneath all the optimism: Why does it feel like our generation is still waiting for the promises of past generations to come true for us? We open with a bit of reflection on how we...

WEEK 12, THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: This episode was filmed in Israel, overlooking the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, just steps from where Christianity began. We start by walking through some classic Christmas questions — everything from whether you tell your kids about Santa to our favorite Christmas movies and hymns. From there, we talk about what Christianity looks like in the Holy Land today: ancient...

WEEK 11: Harvard carries unmatched prestige — but what is it actually like on the inside? In this episode, two Harvard Law students sit down to give an unfiltered look at the most powerful university in the world: the opportunities it creates, the tradeoffs it demands, and the realities that never make it into admissions brochures. We start with a simple but revealing question: Do you tell people...

WEEK 10: Freedom is fragile — and the cultural battles shaping America today aren’t coming from where most people think. In this episode, Mason Laney, Harvard Law ‘26, and Will Johnson, Harvard Law ‘27, sit down with Ryan Keane, Harvard Law ‘26, to break down the ideological confusion of our moment: from Hasan Piker’s pro-China escapades… to the romantic drought among young men… to the unraveling...

WEEK 9: America is in the midst of a historic immigration clash — from a rising foreign-born population to surging ICE removals and detention numbers. In this episode, we sit down in the historic Mount Auburn Cemetery to ask the question many avoid: Is mass deportation moral? And what does Christian ethics demand from us on borders, justice, and compassion? We dive into the scale of the challenge...

THANKSGIVING SPECIAL: In this episode of Approach the Bench, we travel to historic Plymouth, Massachusetts — the birthplace of the American Thanksgiving tradition — to talk about the Pilgrims, gratitude, politics at the dinner table, and Thanksgiving girl problems. Filmed right by Plymouth Rock, we break down the real Christian roots of Thanksgiving and why this holiday is more theologically impor...

WEEK 7: Young men in America are struggling — in school, in dating, in work, in purpose, in faith, and in mental health. In this episode, we sit down in Cambridge Common with Lindsay, an Army intelligence officer turned Harvard Law 2L, to talk about the crisis facing modern men and the cultural forces shaping young men today. We dive into why boys are falling behind in education, why young men fee...

The women are moving, and so are the men, just not in the same direction. How do we reconcile the gender political divide, if at all? Mason and Will tackle several of these big questions in this episode, but the biggest question of all: who was their childhood celebrity crush? Email approachthebenchquestions@gmail.com with your questions/comments or submit a voice memo at https://www.speakpipe.com...

Rodrigo Estrada joins Mason and Will to discuss Spanking, MAGA Dating, Conservatism, and some very interesting Girl Problems. Mason has strong opinions on handholding, and Will doesn't --- so the usual! Email approachthebenchquestions@gmail.com with your questions/comments or submit a voice memo at https://www.speakpipe.com/approachthebench for a chance to be featured on the show! 00:16 Intro 1:20...

In the longest episode to date, Mason and Will debate arranged marriage, tattoos, love for America, and 30 minutes worth of Girl Problems. They also dabble in a bit of role-playing.  Email approachthebenchquestions@gmail.com with your questions/comments or submit a voice memo at https://www.speakpipe.com/approachthebench for a chance to be featured on the show!