How does a guy from Ohio who grew up dreaming of playing professional baseball become one of Texas’ top political reporters?  

In this episode of Cap Chat Texas,  we visit with Texas Bullpen co-founder Brad Johnson about what it’s like to cover the Texas Legislature, the challenges of starting up a new online publication, and why it's good to not ghost reporters.  

People mentioned in this episode: Greg Abbott, Konni Burton, Harvey Kronberg, John Moritz, Jonathan Tilove, W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel, Bob Wills, The Texan, Texas Bullpen

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year. 

In this episode, our guests Don Carleton and Erin Purdy discuss their book Bill Hobby: A Life in Journalism and Public Service, which explores the career and legacy of Texas’s longest-serving lieutenant governor, Bill Hobby. Don and Erin also talk about their work at the Briscoe Center for American History, highlighting its extensive resources, including exhibits, archival papers, oral histories, as well as the Center’s strong emphasis on Texas political history.

People and groups mentioned in this podcast: 

Ben Barnes, Helen Farabee, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Richard Goodwin, Diana Hobby, Oveta Culp Hobby, Will Hobby, Molly Ivins, Betty King, Bo Pilgrim, Julian Read, Jesse Romero, Saralee Tiede, Edwin Walker, American Rhapsody podcast, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Post, KPRC, Bill Hobby:  A Life in Journalism and Public Service, The Governor and the Colonel,  The Killer Bees, &  Red Scare

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year. 

In this episode, our guests Don Carleton and Erin Purdy discuss their book Bill Hobby: A Life in Journalism and Public Service, which explores the career and legacy of Texas’s longest-serving lieutenant governor, Bill Hobby. Don and Erin also talk about their work at the Briscoe Center for American History, highlighting its extensive resources, including exhibits, archival papers, oral histories, as well as the Center’s strong emphasis on Texas political history.

People and groups mentioned in this podcast: 

Ben Barnes, Helen Farabee, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Richard Goodwin, Diana Hobby, Oveta Culp Hobby, Will Hobby, Molly Ivins, Betty King, Bo Pilgrim, Julian Read, Jesse Romero, Saralee Tiede, Edwin Walker, American Rhapsody podcast, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Post, KPRC, Bill Hobby:  A Life in Journalism and Public Service, The Governor and the Colonel,  The Killer Bees, &  Red Scare

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year. 

Over a career spanning five decades, Lawrence Olsen has done it all - senate messenger, tour guide, agency staffer, journalist, campaign aide, congressional staffer, and lobbyist.  In this episode of Cap Chat Texas, Lawrence shares memorable stories from his career including the time he gave a lift to Charley Pride and an unexpected benefit of being a “nepo baby”.  

People and groups mentioned in this podcast:

Bob Bullock, Jimmy Carter, Ciscos, Tom Craddick, Charles Herring, Rusty Kelley, Bob Lanier, Robert Nichols, Edward Nixon, Dave Parsons (poet laureate), David Parsons (choreographer), JJ Pickle,  Charley Pride, Charlie Schnabel, Preston Smith, John C White,  Associated General  Contractors of Texas, Austin Relativity, Texas Good Roads Association 

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year. 

Before co-founding the legislative tracking service US Lege, Laura Carr Davis worked in DC, did advance work for Governor Abbott, lobbied, and headed policy for a state senate office.  

In this episode of Cap Chat Texas, Laura talks about how she started US Lege to help address the challenges of following the legislative process, some of the benefits and challenges of AI’s role in the legislative process, and why sometimes you have to stand up for what’s right even under difficult circumstances.  

People and groups mentioned in this podcast: Greg Abbott, Jeff Blaylock, Ryan Brannan, Eric Davis, Ryan Harrington, Angela Paxton, USLege

Check out USLege here - https://www.uslege.ai/

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year. 

Longtime lobbyist Jim Arnold joins Cap Chat Texas to share insights from his career that began as an intern at the Texas Legislative Budget Board while attending the LBJ School of Public Affairs. 

From working on elections across the country to advising emerging democracies and teaching government, Jim reflects on lessons from the campaign trail that still shape his work today. He also talks about why it's important to keep the Capitol community connected and how public service has become a family tradition.

People and groups mentioned on this podcast: John Davis, Robert Duncan, Pete Geren, Phil Gramm, Barbara Jordan, Tom Loeffler, Rick Perry, Ramon Romero, Elspeth Rostow, Walt Rostow, Hugh Shine, Todd Staples, Dick Waterfield, Ric Williamson, Jim Wright, Goodwill, International Republican Institute, Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, LBJ School of Public Affairs, Legislative Budget Board, National Republican Congressional Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year. 

With both of his parents working around the Texas Capitol, Emiliano Romero literally grew up in and around the building. In this episode, Emiliano recounts how he went from landing his first job as a Senate intern to, a decade later, working as a health care lobbyist.

He reflects on the transition from staffer to lobbyist, the importance of trusting your intuition, persevering through challenging moments, and why investing in your physical and mental health is essential for long-term success. P.S. Everyone gets old, get ready for it. 

People and groups mentioned in this podcast:  The Honorable Diego Bernal, The Honorable Nicole Collier, Denise Davis, The Honorable Rodney Ellis, Luis Figueroa, Lisa Kaufman, The Honorable Angela Paxton, The Honorable Jose Rodriguez, Sushma Smith, Laura Stowe, Carmen Tilton, The Honorable Leticia Van de Putte, Ascension Seton, Leading Age Texas, Texas Legislative Internship Program

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year. 

Lawyer and lobbyist Denise Rose joins us on this episode of Cap Chat Texas to share her journey from aspiring doctor to prominent lobbyist, with a strong focus on health care policy. Denise discusses both the blessings and the challenges of working in a constantly changing environment, her different approaches to collaborating with legislative offices, and how she finds stress relief through boxing.

People and groups mentioned in this podcast:  Jennifer Banda, John Hawkins, the Honorable Glenn Hegar, Kathy Hutto, Marsha Jones, the Honorable Joe Straus, the Honorable Vicki Truitt,  Gabe Valenzuela, the Honorable Gene Wu, Americorp, Jackson Walker, Texas Children’s Hospital, Texas Hospital Association, Texas Sunset Commission, & University of Houston.

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year. 

Episode Summary

In this episode of Cap Chat Texas, we continue our conversation with former Speaker of the House and Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes.  

Ben discusses his approach to leading the Texas House and Senate, what motivated him to write a new book, and why civics education is so important for students.  

Ben’s book, Get It Done will be published in June 2026.    

People and groups mentioned in this podcast:  The Honorable Bill Clayton, the Honorable John Connally, Wales Madden, Willie Nelson, Frank Sharp, Colonel Pat Speir, and the Sharpstown Scandal.

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year. 

In this episode of Cap Chat Texas, our special guest is Texas political icon Governor Ben Barnes, who served as both Speaker of the Texas House and as Lieutenant Governor. In part one of our two-part conversation, Governor Barnes discusses how he got his start in politics, what the Texas Legislature was like in the 1960s, and some valuable advice he received from Sam Rayburn. Barnes also reflects on his proudest political achievements, including dramatically expanding funding for higher education, the challenges Texas will face as its population continues to grow, and one of the advantages of wearing a hat. 

People and groups mentioned in this podcast:  Bill Blakely, Colonel Homer Garrison, the Honorable Bill Heatly, Ike Hickman, President Lyndon Johnson, President John Kennedy,  The Honorable Ted Kennedy, President Richard Nixon, The Honorable Sam Rayburn , The Honorable John Tower, The Honorable Byron Tunnell and the Honorable Jimmy Turman. 

A very special thanks to Fallout Theater for providing their podcast studio. Check them out for great improv, stand up and sketch comedy just blocks from the Texas Capitol. 

Cap Chat Texas spotlights the people who keep the Texas Capitol running. From staffers to lobbyists to journalists, we explore the stories, experiences, and perspectives of those shaping daily life under the Pink Dome. Join hosts Stephanie Chiarello and David Mintz for candid conversations and fresh insights.

Know someone who would be a great guest?  Drop us a note at [email protected].

Like us? Please recommend us to three friends, subscribe and rate the podcast, and share on your socials. We'd love to get to 1,000 unique listeners this year.