Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s very special guest Tommy McFly!  Tommy is an award-winning broadcaster known for his work as a correspondent & an anchor. With nearly 20 years of experience in events, television, content & radio, he has an uncanny ability to tell stories that center on real people and bring broader issues to light. 

Tommy started in broadcasting at just 15 years old in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. After moving to Washington, D.C., to produce the Jack Diamond Morning Show on Mix 107.3, he became the city’s youngest morning radio host at age 24 with the launch of The Tommy Show on 94.7 Fresh FM. Nearly a decade later, Tommy and longtime co-host Kelly Collis left traditional radio to launch their own streaming show and podcast. 

He became a contributor to NBC4 in 2010 and then spent time at WJLA and WUSA before returning back to NBC 4 when he relaunched his program “The Scene”. 

Want to join us for ice cream for lunch? Grab a seat with us at his husband Chrys’s fantastic Greek ice cream shop called YALA  while we enjoy lots of delicious ice cream and Greek wine, and chat about Tommy’s amazing career, his work with Best Buddies, what he wants this next decade to look like, dogs of course, and lots more!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcasts, and in the meantime, and as always, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s special guest Catherine Townsend.  Catherine is the President and CEO of the Trust for the National Mall, which is the leading nonpartisan philanthropic partner of the National Park Service.  Since 2016, Catherine has led the organization's vision, strategy, fundraising, and external affairs, and is doing an incredible job leading the Trust's historic multi-million-dollar effort called Our Monumental Moment: The Campaign for the National Mall, which mobilizes philanthropic support for the National Mall in honor of America 250.  

Born and raised in Southern California, Catherine is a longtime resident of Capitol Hill here in DC, where she has built her career, raised her family, and remains deeply engaged in her community. She is the proud mother of four grown and successfully launched children, and in her spare time enjoys cycling, photography, cooking, and exploring the arts, culture, and culinary experiences that bring people together. 

So join us for our deliciously fun culinary experience at the always joyful Café Milano as we talk a lot about what’s happening on the National Mall National Trust and the National Mall, Catherine’s incredible experiences at Share our Strength, the book she co-authored called “Home Food – 44 Great American Chefs Cook on Their Night Off,” her passion for the food industry soup-to-nuts, lots of sports, and much much more!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast and, in the meantime, and as always, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with this week’s special guest Tim Ebner.  Tim is a food and travel writer who has been featured in The Washington Post, Eater, Thrillist, and Edible DC among others.  He is also one of the authors of a fabulous new book called “EaterLand – Recipes and Stories from Across the United States” that explores regionally renowned foods and the role they play in forming our country’s culinary identity. 

This is one of those special lunches where I meet someone for the first time and we instantly become friends, so join us at the always wonderful Peacock Café to hear a fun conversation about all things food, travel and cocktail related, with a particular focus on this region, as well as family stories, strange foods and lots more!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and in the meantime and as always, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with our superstar special guest Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.  Elise proudly represents New York's 21st District and is the most senior elected Republican in New York. She is also the author of the number one best seller “Poisoned Ivies",  which is an incredible read that I highly recommend! 

Elise made history as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, and she is the youngest woman in history to serve in top elected House leadership, as well as the highest-ranking woman in Congress in her role as House Republican Conference Chair.  She also serves as a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and she was a founding Member of the China Task Force. 

Elise is widely recognized as one of the most effective questioners in Congressional hearings, most notably when she set off a global reckoning addressing antisemitism in higher education. Her questions to Ivy League university presidents forced multiple resignations and set the record for the most viewed Congressional testimony in history, with billions of views worldwide. Because of this strong moral leadership and her extensive policy record, Elise Stefanik is an internationally recognized leader in combating antisemitism. 

Join us at the delicious and healthy Ama restaurant in the Navy Yard as we discuss how Elise became interested in politics, her run for Congress, her experiences as an undergrad at Harvard, the infamous hearing watched around the world, what she does to relax, what might be next for her in her career, and much much more! 

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and in the meantime Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest and very celebratory Mother’s Day episode of Lunch with Shelley, featuring my beloved son Sam.  This is of course one of my favorite episodes of the year because I get to have lunch with my son during the week, and we always have fun reminiscing about old times and musing on new ones. We are also joined by our dog Jerry, who is a very good boy! 

There’s an old saying that goes, ‘“Having a son means your life gets louder, messier, funnier… and better.”  This is completely true in our case, so join us at the new and truly beautiful patio at Claudio’s Table for fantastic food, lots of laughs, and great conversations about childhood, social media today, all things DC sports, and much much more! 

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast and as always and, in the meantime, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s special guest Bob Cusack.  Bob is the Executive Editor of the Washington Examiner, where he helps guide editorial strategy and coverage during a very politically intense time.  Bob has been reporting from DC on policy and politics for decades now, having led political coverage at the Hill newspaper, and as a reporter and editor at Inside Washington Publishers. He appears frequently on SiriusXM as a substitute host and analyst, and he is a SAG member with several movie credits to his name, as well as two award winning screenplays under his belt.

Join us at our favorite booth as we discuss all things media, AI and journalism, Bob’s experience at the WHCD, politics, memorable interviews, tennis, acting, and lots more!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and as always and in the meantime, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s special guest Brittany Thune Lindberg.  Brittany is a fantastic and very accomplished songwriter and singer -- which she is focused on full time now after spending many years in Washington DC. as a passionate advocate for the insurance industry, as well as a great supporter of helping to elect right leaning women to elected office and engaging with young women professionals in a mentorship capacity. 

She is South Dakotan, the proud daughter of our great Senate Leader John Thune and Kimberly Thune, a sister, a mom of two and the wife of her very lucky and accomplished husband Luke.

We are at the delicious Bombay Club, so join us for what Cleavon considers to be the best salmon he’s ever had, as we chat about South Dakota, political life, and most importantly Brittany’s music career and the makings of her terrific album I am Evelyn Riley.

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast and, in the meantime, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with today’s special guest Shahab Farivar.  Shahab is the co-owner, along with his brother Maziar, of the very famous and beloved Peacock Café, nestled in the heart of Georgetown in Washington DC.  Anyone who has eaten here or even walked by the restaurant has seen Shahab’s smiling face -- since he is the front of the house for the restaurant -- while his brother the chef oversees the great menu and delicious food that Peacock Café is well known for. 

Since Shahab is originally from Iran, we made a particular point of scheduling our podcast to coincide with the Persian New Year, marked by Norouz, which is a 13-day holiday during which the people of Iran celebrate the vernal equinox by exchanging gifts and feasting on symbolic foods.  It is a 3,000-year-old holiday tradition - and it was an absolute joy to celebrate with Shahab on a simply beautiful spring day. 

Grab a chair with us to learn lots more about Norouz and the traditions surrounding it, including the incredible food, and tuck in for our conversation about Shahab’s journey from Iran to the U.S., the current situation in Iran, how Peacock Café has grown into the mainstay Georgetown restaurant that it is, and lots more! 

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and as always, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the second part of our first-ever two-part series of the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with our fascinating guest Sir Martin Sorrell.  Sir Martin is the Founder and Executive Chairman of S4 Capital PLC, a new age, purely digital advertising, and marketing services business, for global, multinational, and millennial-driven influencer brands.  He was also the Founder and CEO of WPP for 33 years, building it into the world’s largest advertising and marketing services company, with a market capitalization of over  (add pound sign) 16 billion when he left. 

Grab a seat at our table as we continue our late lunch conversation at Café Milano, and cover a wide range of topics, including Sir Martin’s predictions about world economies, the future of PR and Advertising, his thoughts about this generation and future ones, a lot about AI, and so much more! 

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast and, in the meantime, Peace, Love and Lunch!

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with our terrific guest Sir Martin Sorrell.  Sir Martin is the Founder and Executive Chairman of S4 Capital PLC, a new age, purely digital advertising, and marketing services business, for global, multinational, and millennial-driven influencer brands.

Sir Martin was also the Founder and CEO of WPP for 33 years, building it into the world’s largest advertising and marketing services company, with a market capitalization of over ?16 billion when he left. Among his many accomplishments and accolades, he has been an ambassador for British business by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, he was knighted in the 2000 New Year Honours, he was awarded Harvard Business School’s highest honor, the Alumni Achievement Award, as well as being ranked the second-best CEO in the world by the Harvard Business review twice.  He has also been nominated as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people, twice as well!

We’re having a chic late lunch at the fabulous Caf? Milano, so join us for Part 1 of our first-ever two-part chat as we talk about Sir Martin’s early years, his parents, his education, his incredible career, and the many steps he took to accomplish all that he has, so far!

Check us out at www.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast and, in the meantime, Peace, Love and Lunch!