Austin Eras

📍 New to Austin? Here’s advice that actually works.

On a recent episode of Austin Eras, Adam Flagg asked A.J. Bingham, Founder & CEO of The Bingham Group, what he would tell someone moving to Austin who wants to get connected and understand the city.

The advice was refreshingly simple — and often overlooked:

• Start by figuring out what you want from the city
• Try a few things before overcommitting
• Volunteer before chasing titles or board seats
• Show up, meet people, and stay curious

Austin offers more access and visibility than ever before. The challenge isn’t opportunity — it’s focus.

As A.J. puts it, building real connections takes time, intention, and a willingness to just show up.

🎧 Watch the full conversation on Austin Eras, available wherever you get your podcasts.

💬 “Influence isn’t pressure. It’s trust.”

On a recent episode of Austin Eras, Adam asked A.J. Bingham, Founder & CEO of The Bingham Group, a simple but misunderstood question: What do people get wrong about being a lobbyist?

A.J.’s answer cuts through the noise.

Local lobbying isn’t about arm-twisting or backroom deals - it’s about credibility, reputation, and delivering hard truths, even when they’re unpopular.

In this clip, A.J. explains:
• Why trust is the real currency in public affairs
• How reputations are built (and lost) in local government
• What it actually means to responsibly inform decision-makers

As Adam summarizes in the conversation: effective lobbyists follow through, tell the truth, and prepare leaders - not surprise them.

🎧 Watch the full conversation on Austin Eras - available wherever you get your podcasts.

🎙️ New Austin Eras episode is live

On the latest episode of Austin Eras, Adam sits down with A.J. Bingham — Founder & CEO of The Bingham Group — for a candid conversation about how Austin really works behind the scenes.

A.J. has spent nearly a decade at the intersection of:
• Government & business
• Civic leadership & community
• Growth, trust, and influence in a boomtown city

In this episode, they explore:
➡️ What lobbying actually looks like at the local level
➡️ How Austin has changed — and where it’s headed next
➡️ Why relationships (not headlines) drive real impact
➡️ And yes… a little breaking news 👀

Plus, A.J. may be the best-dressed guest Austin Eras has seen yet — shoutout to League of Rebels for keeping Austin leaders sharp.

🎧 Listen or watch the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, or at austineras.com

🎶 Austin’s influence shows up in unexpected places.

In this moment from our latest episode, Adam Powell shares an Austin connection many people don’t realize: Sublime 's final studio album - with the hits What I Got and Santeria - was recorded right here in Austin at Arlyn Studios.

It’s a small detail, but it speaks to something bigger - Austin’s long-standing role as a creative hub where music, culture, and community quietly intersect.

These are the kinds of stories we love uncovering on Austin Eras: not just the obvious history, but the moments that tie personal memory to the city’s creative legacy.

🎧 Full episode available now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and austineras.com

🏛️ History shouldn’t be behind a gate.

In this clip from Austin Eras, Adam Powell, Executive Director of the Austin History Center Association , explains what it’s actually like to walk into the newly reopened John Henry Falk Building—and why it’s designed for everyone, not just historians.

This isn’t an appointment-only archive or a space reserved for experts. It’s a place where:
• A fifth grader can research the creek behind their house
• Neighbors can learn why a building looks the way it does
• Anyone curious about Austin can walk in and start asking questions

The exhibits, artifacts, and archival work are all done in-house by a dedicated team of Austin archivists—making local history open, accessible, and alive.

If you’ve ever wondered why Austin looks the way it does, the answers are already there—waiting for you to walk in.

🎧 Full conversation available now at austineras.com

🎙️ New Episode of Austin Eras is Live

We're excited to share our latest episode featuring Adam Powell, Executive Director of the Austin History Center Association , and a native Austinite who deeply understands this city’s past, present, and future.

In this conversation, we talk about:
• Why Austin’s history still matters in a fast-growing city
• The recent reopening of the Faulk Building
• How preserving stories helps shape Austin’s future
• What makes Austin worth holding onto as it changes

Adam brings a rare mix of civic leadership, storytelling, and genuine love for Austin. This episode is a reminder that Austin didn’t happen by accident—and its story is still being written.

🎧 Watch or listen wherever you get your podcasts and at austineras.com

If you care about Austin—where it’s been and where it’s going—we think you’ll enjoy this one!

🤖 AI in healthcare isn’t about buzzwords. It’s about clarity, accountability, and better decisions.

In this clip, Dr. Clay Johnston, co-founder & Chief Medical Officer of Harbor Health, explains why AI is essential to fixing what’s broken in healthcare.

The reality? Healthcare costs are intentionally complex — hidden from patients and even clinicians — making accountability nearly impossible. Price lists exist, but they don’t help real people make real decisions.

Dr. Johnston breaks down how Harbor Health is using AI and predictive care to:
- Surface true costs across the system
- Anticipate patient needs before they escalate
- Deliver the right information to the right person at the right time
- Make care more convenient, understandable, and proactive

This isn’t about creating a “perfect” system overnight. It’s about taking meaningful steps that already outperform the standard model — and building toward something better over time.

🎧 Watch the full conversation in Disrupting Healthcare: Value, Innovation & Impact — now live on AustinEras.com and all major podcast platforms.

🧠 Leadership doesn’t always start with ambition. Sometimes it starts with frustration.

In this clip from the latest episode of Austin Eras, Dr. Clay Johnston reflects on an important inflection point in his career — the moment he realized his impact in medicine wouldn’t come from going deeper down a single research “rabbit hole,” but from stepping back and asking bigger questions.

After years across the Northeast, the West Coast, and at institutions like UCSF, Dr. Johnston began questioning whether the way medicine does research — how resources are allocated, how long progress takes, and what problems we prioritize — actually makes sense.

That curiosity pulled him into leadership:
- From running a stroke service
- To overseeing translational research at UCSF
- To eventually helping reshape medical education and healthcare delivery at scale

This clip is a reminder that some of the best leaders don’t set out to lead — they set out to fix what isn’t working.

🎧 Watch the full conversation with Dr. Clay Johnston in Disrupting Healthcare: Value, Innovation & Impact — now live on AustinEras.com and all podcast platforms.

🚨 New Episode of Austin Eras is LIVE! -> Disrupting Healthcare: Value, Innovation & Impact

What happens when one of the nation’s leading medical thinkers sits down to talk about reinventing healthcare - right here in Austin?

This week, Adam Flagg interviews Dr. Clay Johnston, co-founder & Chief Medical Officer of Harbor Health and the founding dean of Dell Medical School - UT Austin. Their conversation uncovers what it really takes to challenge a broken healthcare system and build something better.

In the promo clip, Dr. Johnston shares how:
- Austin is the ideal proving ground for disruptive healthcare models
- Bold leadership + value-based care can reshape patient outcomes
- Insurance and care delivery must evolve together for real change

As Adam puts it, this episode offers “a look into how the insurance system works, how the medical system works, and how change is happening right here in Austin, Texas.”

If you care about the future of medicine, innovation ecosystems, or Austin’s growth as a healthcare hub - this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

👉 Watch the full episode at AustinEras.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

Building a shared vision for Austin doesn’t happen through silence or avoidance.

It happens through conversation — even the uncomfortable kind.

In this week’s episode of Austin Eras, Nhat M Ho highlighted something many cities struggle with:

➡️ Consensus isn’t built by avoiding conflict. It’s built by engaging with it.

As Nhat put it, effective leadership means being willing to:
- have more conversations, not fewer
- face tough issues directly
- risk being wrong in service of getting it right
- push through discomfort to create lasting solutions

Avoiding civic dialogue has consequences — whether it's delayed action on homelessness, stalled public safety agreements, or simply hoping a challenge will solve itself.

But leaning in? That’s where real progress starts.

Because while civic discourse can feel like life or death… it isn’t. And the leaders willing to show up, listen, debate, and stay at the table are the ones shaping Austin’s next chapter.

🎙️ Catch the full conversation with Nhat Ho in our latest episode, “Boots, Roots & the Blueprint for a Growing Austin.”