The Friday Reporter

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Colin Allen , executive director of the American Property Owners Alliance , for a conversation that moves effortlessly from campaign classrooms in Charlottesville to the frontline debates shaping housing policy today. Colin shares stories from his early days at UVA with Larry Sabato , the lessons that still guide his approach to politics and persuasion, and his ti...

I’m joined by Mark Pfeifle , founder and president of Off The Record Strategies — and truly one of the best storytellers in the business. Mark brings the kind of lived experience you can’t fake: from his time on the ground in Iraq to his earliest days learning how to navigate people, pressure, and purpose. He walks through some of the most intense communications crises of his career, breaks down h...

This week’s episode is pure joy — because I’m joined by the incomparable Meredith Klein , the brilliant voice behind the wildly popular Meredith and the Media Substack. If you’ve read her column, you already know:Meredith brings an irresistible blend of enthusiasm, wit, sharp media instincts, and genuine love for journalism that jumps off the page. In conversation, she’s even better. We talk about...

This Week on The Friday Reporter Lisa welcomes Alex Conant, Founding Partner at Firehouse Strategies — a veteran communications strategist whose career has taken him from the halls of Capitol Hill to the highest levels of presidential politics. Alex shares insights from his years as Communications Director for Senator Marco Rubio and as National Press Secretary during Rubio’s presidential campaign...

This week, I’m revisiting a favorite conversation with David Wildstein , the editor and founder of The New Jersey Globe . Long before political news went digital, David created PoliticsNJ — an insider’s must-read publication that reshaped how campaigns, consultants and journalists tracked Garden State politics. His background as a political operative and his encyclopedic knowledge of New Jersey’s...

When Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi began their work as the Witches of Scotland, it was a campaign for justice; for a legal pardon, an apology and a memorial for the thousands of people — mostly women — that were convicted of witchcraft and executed between 1563 and 1736 in Scotland. In a significant milestone, on International Women’s Day 2022, a formal apology acknowledging the egregious his...

James Davis is the founder and president of Touchdown Strategies. His story is a remarkable one of resilience and perspective that is truly unmatched. He shares his origin story and reminds us that kindness and good work reward us — and it’s exactly how he got his start in this business. James’ career began in national defense, took him to the Gulf to manage one of the most significant crisis comm...

This week, The Friday Reporter welcomes Pat Royal , President and Founder of PVR Communications , a veteran media strategist best known in Washington for his unmatched TV booking instincts. Pat built a reputation connecting top voices to the biggest platforms — and now he’s taken that same expertise to the world of sports. Fresh off his work with NBC Sports and a behind-the-scenes experience at th...

This week, In the Lobby welcomes Sam Geduldig, Managing Partner at CGCN Group, a powerhouse Republican firm that’s become one of the most recognized names in Washington. A seasoned strategist and trusted advisor, Sam shares how his path to success wasn’t just built on policy expertise or party alignment — it came from discovering his authentic voice and staying true to it. In this candid and insig...

Jonathan Allen—senior national politics reporter at NBC News and New York Times bestselling co-author of Shattered and Lucky —joins the show for a candid conversation about covering campaigns, Congress and the collisions between strategy and reality. He’s won the National Press Foundation’s Everett McKinley Dirksen Award and the National Press Club’s Sandy Hume Award for distinguished reporting on...

In this episode of the Friday Reporter , I reconnect with my longtime friend Lars Lichtenfeld — an author, creator, and educator with a talent for storytelling that stretches from the classroom to the ballpark. Lars shares stories from his time as a writer and performer, including his unforgettable experiences as a live-action character for minor league baseball franchises. We talk about the creat...

The next installment of Friday Reporter’s In the Lobby series features Kristi Rogers — a business leader, seasoned executive, and trusted advisor at the nexus of government, security, and the private sector. Kristi shares her remarkable journey from public service to the boardroom, offering candid insights on leadership, resilience, and bridging industries during times of change. She reflects on t...

This week on The Friday Reporter , I sit down with Brian Athey — chief creative officer at Push Digital Group and a true campaign architect. Brian has built a career at the intersection of politics, marketing, and storytelling, helping campaigns and organizations break through with bold, creative strategies. In our conversation, Brian talks about his work at Push, his growing fractional CMO practi...

This week on In the Lobby with The Friday Reporter , Lisa is joined by Nat Wienecke, president of Conscience Point Consulting and longtime D.C. power player with a reputation for getting things done — and doing them the right way. From his years on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch to his leadership at a major trade association, Nat has built a career around trust, strategy, and service. Li...

This week on The Friday Reporter , Lisa welcomes Aaron Kwittken — founder and CEO of PRophet, a trailblazing AI-driven communications platform — for a dynamic conversation about the future of public relations, the power of predictive tech, and the importance of staying ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving media landscape. Aaron shares how his background as a seasoned agency leader led him to c...

This week on The Friday Reporter , Lisa sits down with James Williams, Executive Vice President of Advocacy, Communications, and External Affairs at Arnold Ventures, for a wide-ranging conversation about how philanthropy and public policy intersect to drive meaningful reform. From criminal justice to health care and beyond, James shares how Arnold Ventures leverages data-driven advocacy and strate...

This week on The Friday Reporter , Lisa sits down for another robust conversation with with Madeline Fetterly, Founder and CEO of Be the Brand Collective — a firm that helps executives harness the power of thought leadership and presence, especially on LinkedIn. Madeline makes the case that LinkedIn isn't just a digital résumé or job board — it's the place where today’s most influential conversati...

This week on The Friday Reporter, Lisa is joined by veteran journalist and producer Mike Melia for a behind-the-scenes look at a remarkable career in news. Mike shares the story of how he got his start by simply following the advice to “just show up and ask for the job.” That bold move landed him a role at States News Service — and it launched a career that would eventually take him to PBS NewsHou...

This week on The Friday Reporter, Lisa is joined by Jeff Berkowitz — co-founder and CEO of Delve — for a timely conversation about how artificial intelligence is reshaping public affairs. With a background in opposition research, campaign strategy, and political intelligence, Jeff shares how his team developed a new AI-powered tool designed specifically to support public affairs and government rel...

This week, Lisa welcomes Ben Klein and Katie Wise, co-founders of Red Blue Strategies. With deep lobbying and Capitol Hill experience, Ben and Katie bring a fresh approach to public affairs—trading the traditional big-firm model for a partner-driven practice that delivers strategic, bipartisan counsel. Specializing in healthcare, they share how their unique collaboration helps clients cut through...

This week on The Friday Reporter , Lisa is joined by Tiffany Lumpkin — founder of Thuto Labs, creative entrepreneur, and powerhouse in the world of beauty, media, and content creation. Tiffany's path started in medicine, but a pivot into the world of TV and film makeup artistry unlocked a vibrant career that blends storytelling, influence, and innovation. Today, she’s building Thuto Labs to help o...

This week on The Friday Reporter , Lisa is joined by Jonathan Collegio — a seasoned communicator who has transformed decades of advocacy and campaign experience into a thriving business model. Today, Jonathan leads a company focused on expanding access to mental health care, while also running a dynamic online platform that connects and empowers the next generation of communicators. In this conver...

This week on The Friday Reporter , Washington Post congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor joins the show to share insights from the frontlines of Capitol Hill. With a keen eye for nuance and a deep understanding of political personalities, Marianna discusses what it's like to cover the most powerful — and unpredictable — branch of government. From leadership showdowns to behind-the-scenes dynam...

This week on The Friday Reporter , I'm joined by Laura Vanderkam — author, speaker, and expert on time management and productivity. Laura has built a career helping people rethink how they spend their hours, showing that even the busiest among us have more time than we think. In our conversation, Laura shares insights from her bestselling books, lessons from her research on how high achievers stru...

This week on In the Lobby , I’m joined by Cori Kramer, Executive Director of Center Forward — an organization dedicated to bringing people together across the political spectrum to find common-sense solutions. Cori shares her perspective on why the political middle matters now more than ever, how Center Forward works to build coalitions around practical policy goals, and what it’s like to navigate...