VISITING HISTORY WITH CLAY JENKINSON, THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Clay Jenkinson, a presidential historian who has played historical figures on stages in all 50 states, talks with podcast host Tim Storey about Thomas Jefferson’s particular genius, what legislators can learn from Jefferson’s relationship with James Madison, and Theodore Roosevelt’s keen grasp of the American sense of fair play.
KEITH ALLRED ON KEEPING OUR DEMOCRACY
Keith Allred, the executive director of the National Institute of Civil Discourse, talks with host Tim Storey about his project to bring together Independents, Republicans and Democrats and what it will take for Americans to preserve their democracy.
AMY WALTER ON POLITICS, MONEY AND THE MIDTERMS
Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Cook Political Report, talks with Tim Storey, CEO of NCSL, about changes in the media and how it covers politics, how incentives for some elected officials have changed, the diminishing power of parties and the most interesting storylines in this year’s midterm elections.
A LESSON FROM IRELAND: NEGOTIATING THE PEACE
Bertie Ahern, a former prime minister of Ireland, talks about the Good Friday Accords that he helped negotiate and that were signed 24 years ago. He talks about what today’s state legislators can learn from the challenges he and his negotiating partners faced.
DONNA WASHINGTON AND THE POWER OF STORYTELLING
Master storyteller Donna Washington explains how to craft a story that will connect us with others and why stories—not facts or statistics—can help legislators find common ground with almost anyone.
DAVID TOSCANO ON HOW STATES SHAPE THE NATION
David Toscano, a seven-term legislator in the Virginia House of Delegates talked with Tim about the critical role of states in affecting our daily lives, how states have led the way on a number of critical issues and, in contrast, how increasingly ineffective the legislatures is at the federal level.
THE CRITICAL ROLE OF TEAMS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour was the first Black female combat pilot in the U.S. military. She served two tours in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps, flying missions in the AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter. They discussed how her military experience shaped her attitudes about teamwork and leadership and the critical importance of communications and listening.
LEADING IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS
Peter Groff, who served first in the Colorado House and then the Senate, talked with NCSL Executive Director Tim Storey about a variety of topics around legislative leadership. They include how he navigated his role as the first Black person to lead a legislative chamber in Colorado, how to bridge divides with other legislators, and strategies to be an effective leader.
POLITICS, POWER AND NAVIGATING THE LEGISLATURE
Mike Haridopolos, who spent 12 years in the Florida Legislature and led the Senate from 2010-12 now runs his own consulting firm, writes books and works frequently with political campaigns. He discusses his own path in politics, the challenge of keeping a caucus together, offers some advice for aspiring leaders and shares a few thoughts about his political heroes.
A LOOK AT LEADERSHIP
Leadership is a perennial topic of interest for those in the legislative world and few are better at digging into the topic than Nancy Koehn, a historian at the Harvard Business School and author. She joins host Tim Storey for a conversation about the qualities of great leaders, the nature of courage, whether a great leader needs a vision and much more.
BRAIN RULES
NCSL's Tim Storey sits down with John Medina, a molecular biologist best known for his book “Brain Rules,” which explains how what we know about the brain can affect how we teach our children, approach our jobs and even change our daily lives. They discuss how we communicate, the perils of power and how Medina switched from being an animator to studying brain science.