Texas Forward Podcast

This week's podcast is part two featuring Rafael Jimenez, President, and Kyahn Mata Secretary of Lone Star Community College organization Pizza and Politics. We turned the tables and let them ask us the questions. Hosts Julie Kornegay, Emily Spivak, and Brent Veazey, with Rafael and Kyahn, discussed a variety of topics, including:What it looks like to have a Political Party where their ideological policies are not front and centerWhat the Forward Party of Texas is focused on and wh...

🍕 Join us for a thought-provoking conversation as Julie and Emily sit down with Rafael Jimenez and Kyahn Mata, representatives from Lonestar Community College's Pizza and Politics Club. In this enlightening discussion, we delve into the origins of the club, exploring why it was created and the pivotal role it plays in fostering open conversations on political matters.🗣️ Discover how Rafael and Kyahn are working diligently to establish a safe space where diverse opinions are not only welcomed ...

🎙️✨ Join us for a captivating episode as Julie engages in a thought-provoking conversation with the dynamic Sarah Stogner, a devoted mom, small business owner, and passionate lawyer. Sarah is on a mission to bring justice to the residents of Ward and Reeves County by running for District Attorney of the 143rd district.🌟 Dive into the heart of Sarah's activism as she shares insights on her viral TikTok channel, ZombieWellz, where she fearlessly exposes corruption within the Texas Railroad Comm...

Brian sat down with Austin’s very own Paul O’Brien. O’Brien is a startup veteran and a seasoned marketer with an early career at Yahoo! and HP. From there, Paul led the early growth of startups such as Outright.com (Acquired by GoDaddy), Zvents (Acquired by eBay’s StubHub), and MicroVentures (Venture Capital). Paul works in Venture Capital Economic Development, serving investment in entrepreneurs. With a passion for media innovation and investment, Paul seeded MediaTech Ventures, a media...

Our guest today needs no introduction: the co-chair and the face of the Forward Party, Andrew Yang. Andrew was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Yang left the Democratic party, stating that he was "more comfortable trying to fix the system than being a part of it," and founded the Forward Party in October 2021. Prior to his career in politics, he enjoyed considerable success in the private sector bef...

Rick Hubbard is a long-time activist, author, retired attorney, & former economic consultant. He is currently walking across the US (Walking to Fix Our Democracy) to bring attention to the much needed political reforms he is fighting for. At 82 years old, Rick continues to be as active as ever, proving you're never too old to start, and it’s never too late to work toward change. Rick and Brian discuss:The three main reasons our Democracy isn’t working and what we can do to fix it.Wh...

Lee Bratcher is the President and Founder of the Texas Blockchain Council. The TBC helped spearhead two pieces of blockchain legislation that were passed in the 87th Legislative session and signed into law. Lee graduated with his Ph.D. in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of Texas. Previously, he was a political science professor at Dallas Baptist University, teaching international relations and blockchain courses. Brian and Lee discussed all things blockcha...

Cody Grace is a former candidate for the District 6 Texas Lege. He has spent over 20+ years in the IT industry and is currently the President of WayPoint Digital Networks. A native of Tyler, TX, Cody continues to find ways to give back to his community. Brian and Cody discussed a variety of topics including gun violence in Texas, the current fight over public education, teacher pay, and school vouchers, and the government’s role in regulating data privacy, big tech, and AI.

This month’s volunteer spotlight features Cesar Garcia. Cesar currently serves on the Communications Committee and has played a major role in building the Texas Forward Party website. Prior to joining the Comms Committee, Cesar worked to establish local non-profit partnerships in Austin and was the top performer in our first street team event.Brian spoke with Cesar about community building within the Forward Party, how growing up as the son of first generation Venezuelan immigrants shaped his...

William Taggart is the CEO & Founder of Cavern Energy Storage, a cutting edge startup focused on developing underground pumped storage hydroelectric technology using salt dome caverns. A Mechanical Engineer by trade, he has spent over 30 years working and consulting in the oil and gas industry and has traveled across the globe solving complex problems. He is currently heading up the Texas Forward Party Ballot Access Committee and is the Acting Committee Chair for Harris County.William spo...