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Welcome To The Empower Podcast
Empower Mississippi is committed to helping all Mississippians rise by removing barriers to opportunity. In this podcast, we talk with state and national experts about ways the Magnolia State can grow and thrive. These conversations help shape the debate for future legislative sessions and highlight policy changes that are necessary to make Mississippi the best place in America to live, work, and raise a family.
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Interview Library
Written by Empower Mississippi Jere Nash: Reconstruction in Mississippi On this episode, host Grant Callen sits down with historian Jere Nash, a Greenville native, retired political consultant, and co-author of award-winning books. Jere’s latest work, Reconstruction in Mississippi, 1862-1877, offers a definitive look at a pivotal era. We discuss why Jere chose to explore Reconstruction, debunk common…
Written by Empower Mississippi Rebekah Staples: Work Work Work More than just a paycheck, work is the foundation of prosperity and the pathway to earned success. This week, host Grant Callen sits down with Rebekah Staples President & Founder of Free State Strategies and a Contributing Fellow at Empower Mississippi. Hailing from The Free State of…
Written by Empower Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch: Breaking Barriers & Defending Life On this episode, host Grant Callen sits down with Mississippi’s 40th Attorney General Lynn Fitch. A Holly Springs native, General Fitch has 35 years in public and private legal service, made history as the state’s first female Attorney General, and earned national recognition…
Written by Empower Mississippi Mike Hurst: School Choice Showdown With Speaker Jason White and Governor Tate Reeves signaling school choice as the top priority for the 2026 legislative session, momentum is building—but so is the opposition. On this episode, host Grant Callen sits down with the Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party for a deep dive…
Written by Empower Mississippi Speaker Jason White: Education Freedom and Mississippi’s Future Fresh off his speech at the Neshoba County Fair, Mississippi’s 62nd Speaker of the House, Jason White joins host Grant Callen for this episode of the Empower Podcast. We recap his fair speech and talk about the experience of walking out on that storied…
Written by Empower Mississippi Former Speaker Philip Gunn: Faith, Resilience, and Leadership In this episode, host Grant Callen sits down with former Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn to trace his journey from Clinton’s small-town roots to state leadership. Gunn shares how a personal tragedy at Ole Miss Law upended his life, yet God’s faithfulness sustained him,…
Capitol Chat Library
Written by Empower Mississippi Capitol Chat: Sine Die Lawmakers returned to Jackson expecting veto overrides, but what followed was one of the more unusual endings to a legislative session in recent memory. We unpack the final day’s twists, the political fallout, and close the book on the 2026 session.
Written by Empower Mississippi Capitol Chat: Week 13 The 2026 legislative session is over… or is it? We break down the budget, education legislation, and a host of other bills that made it across the finish line during a busy week at the Capitol.
Written by Empower Mississippi Capitol Chat: Week 12 In this Conference Weekend Edition of Capitol Chat, we break down key dates and legislative processes for the remaining 9 days of the 2026 Session. We also dive into the latest on teacher pay raises, PBM reform, a controversial veto, and banning lab-grown milk.
Written by Empower Mississippi Capitol Chat: Week 11 With only a few weeks remaining in the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers are narrowing their focus. This week, we take a look at three issues dominating discussions at the Capitol and what’s on the horizon as the 2026 session winds down.
Written by Empower Mississippi Capitol Chat: Week 10 At the Mississippi Capitol, nothing is truly dead until it’s dead, dead, dead. This week’s episode features the resurrection of teacher pay raises, movement on pharmacy benefit manager reform, and the latest on a controversial NIL tax proposal.
Written by Empower Mississippi Capitol Chat: Week 9 With only 30 days remaining in the 2026 legislative session, we cover some of the hottest topics at the Capitol: NIL, teacher pay, and school choice.