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The Political Life - from campaigns to capitols and everywhere in between. A show about the people whose lives are immersed in the political world, and how they got there. Politicians, lobbyists, pollsters, and business people. If they're on the show, they're living the political life.

Hosted by Jim O'Brien, The Political Life introduces you to the personalities and "day in the life" experiences of some of the most interesting and dynamic individuals in the field. 

Aug 26, 2022

This week we welcome back friend of the show Rich Gold to discuss the recent wins for Democrative policy-makers in Congress.

Rich Gold is the leader of Holland & Knight's Public Policy & Regulation Group and focuses his practice at the intersection of complex policy and political issues involving Congress, the...


Aug 19, 2022

This week we welcome James "Jake" Bookwalter onto the show to give us a rundown of his many international trips during the Covid-19 pandemic. You might be surprised by his favorite location over the past couple of years.

James (better known as Jake) serves as Vice President for Legislative Information Services at


Aug 12, 2022

This week we welcome newcomer Rachel Stern the show to chat with Jim about their shared enjoyment of NCSL as well as Rachel's work with InState Partners.

Rachel Stern is a Senior Vice President for InState Partners, a business line of Advantage Capital. As the founder of the business line, over the last decade she has...


Aug 5, 2022

This week we welcome keynote speaker and author Eric M. Bailey onto the show (fresh off his presentation at NCSL) to chat with Jim about perception versus reality when it comes to understanding our real-life human colleagues and co-workers.

Eric M. Bailey is the bestselling author of The Cure for Stupidity: Using Brain...