Lobby Land

We are excited to welcome Matthew Bentley to the show. As a proud member of the Palestine mafia, Matthew has been a regular around the Capitol for over a decade. He has been an intern, worked in a state agency, run successful campaigns and now is the proud owner of his own lobby shop. We also discuss pasture parties, growing up the son of an elected official, his high school football teammate (who went on to have an impressive college and NFL career) as well his kayaking skills (or lack there...

Lobby Land is excited to welcome Jason Damen to the show. Tune in as our host and Jason discuss growing up in Austin, his career path (including working with our host some 20+ years ago), his love of hunting, fly-fishing and much more. Jason is endlessly entertaining, as always. He provides fun insight and perspective into what it means to work in the Capitol for a Senate Chairman, a freshman House member and the Governor. We enjoy hearing from our listeners, so please leave us a r...

We are excited to welcome Ben Stratmann (with two n’s) to the pod.Ben has worked in politics for over 15 years. He’s done it all — been a bag man (if you don’t know what this is, then you definitely need to listen), ran successful campaigns, served as chief of staff and of course, now a lobbyist. We discuss all of this plus leadership, Ben’s amazing sense of direction, Soup Peddler favorites and golf. We enjoy hearing from our listeners, so please leave us a review or email us with your...

Lobby Land is excited to welcome Brandy Marquez to the show. Hailing from San Antonio, Brandy has spent over two decades working in Texas politics. She started her career as an intern in the Texas House of Representatives and worked her way to become Chief of Staff for former Governor Rick Perry, with several stops in-between. She also spent some time as a Commissioner at the Public Utility Commission. We talked about all of this plus beepers, great filing systems and going through...

We are excited to welcome Whitney Whitmire and Lindsay Munoz to Lobby Land. This episode has it all. Whitney and Lindsay discuss their career paths, from their early days to their current venture together at Whitney Munoz LLC. The two discuss having a recognizable last name, being married to a rocket scientist, the amazingly kind capitol community, their love of Jason Bateman, and clogged shower drains…another typical Lobby Land episode. We enjoy hearing from our listeners, so please email us...

We are thrilled to welcome Deirdre Delisi to kick off Season Two of Lobby Land. Deirdre relives her first foray into politics on the first Lamar Alexander presidential campaign, her time working for Governor Rick Perry -- running one of his campaigns for Governor and working on his first presidential campaign -- and her tenure as Chairman of the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT). We also cover her experience in the private sector, life after the Capitol Grill and her love for Du...

Lobby Land is excited to welcome Jake Posey to the show. Tune in as Jake discusses growing up in a small southeast Texas town, his journey from business consulting to law school, and then on to the Capitol. Jake and our host (who happen to have gone to high school together) also look back on an infamous senior trip. We enjoy hearing from our listeners, so please email us with your feedback. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

We are excited to welcome Marsha Jones to Lobby Land. Listen in as Lobby Land contributor Stephanie Simpson and Marsha discuss having generic last names, being part of the Capitol “humanity,” Marsha’s work with nuns, and some advice for all lobbyists. Marsha also covers being mistaken as Julia Roberts and her favorite cocktail. We enjoy hearing from our listeners, so please email us with your feedback. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Lobby Land is excited to welcome Denise Rose to the pod this week. Tune in to hear about Denise’s unconventional path from pre-med major to AmeriCorps, to law school, to lobbyist. Denise talks organic chemistry, dispenses advice for all lobbyists on how to stay sane and unplug, and of course, Denise and our host Stephanie Simpson discuss their favorite topic: wine. We enjoy hearing from our listeners, so please email us with your feedback. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram and ...

Lobby Land is pleased to welcome David Whitley to the show. Hailing from Alice, Texas, David has over 15 years of service in state government, mostly working with Attorney General and now Governor Greg Abbott. Tune in to hear David discuss his tenure as Secretary of State, how being from a small town has shaped his approach to politics, and the importance of preserving relationships. We also discuss “Test Prep Guy,” being a mentor, coaching youth sports and more. Enjoying the pod? Help us gro...