THE CAPITOL COFFEE CONNECTION

About THE CAPITOL COFFEE CONNECTION

Tired of all the bad news? Liz’s Coffee Connection is a weekly podcast hosted by Liz Hirsh Naftali, featuring real conversations over coffee with thoughtful voices from all walks of life. Each episode explores stories of heart, humanity, and hope—reminding us what’s still good in the world. Part healing balm, part caffeine pick-me-up for the soul, this podcast invites you to stop doom scrolling, start joy scrolling, and remember that we have far more that connects us than divides us.

Publisher

Liz Hirsh Naftali

Category

government · news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Aug 2023

Latest episode

27 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

107 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Oct 2026

   Rabbi Noa Kushner: Pretend You Believe, Lead with Humility, and Re-dig the Wells | S4E5

   Liz sits down for a virtual coffee with Rabbi Noa Kushner, founding rabbi of The Kitchen in San Francisco and author of Pretend You Believe: How to Enter Religion. Noa traces her lifelong conversation with God back to an apple-picking childhood in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and to the teacher who left a two-word note on her desk that she never forgot. She explains how her years at Brown made her want to be a bridge between tradition and the modern world, and why she started a Shabbat in one of the most secular cities in the world. She also explains why a synagogue should never be a customer service institution, and why the way into religion is to experience it before you analyze it. Plus: the story of Isaac re-digging his father’s wells, her rapid-fire favorites, and the meaning behind the name Noa, which she shares with Liz’s daughter.

2. 

   20 Oct 2026

   Shira Efron Israel Election 101: Coalitions, Blocs, and a Country at a Fork in the Road | S4E4

   Liz sits down with Shira Efron, senior fellow and distinguished chair of Israel policy at RAND, for a clear and human guide to Israel’s election. Shira explains why Israelis vote for parties instead of people and how a party that misses the 3.25% threshold can make thousands of votes disappear. She also explains why no one will know who leads the country on election night. She breaks down the Netanyahu bloc, the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid, and the Arab parties, who represent 21% of Israel’s citizens and may decide the outcome. Liz shares why a national commission of inquiry into October 7 matters so deeply to her family. Plus: the issues voters care about most, what people abroad can do, and what still gives Shira hope.

3. 

   13 Oct 2026

   Etienne Maurice: Walking Good, Healing Together, and Leading with Love | S4E3

   Liz sits down with her “nephew” Etienne Maurice — actor, filmmaker, and founder of the nonprofit Walk Good — for a deeply personal conversation about service, survival, and community. Etienne traces his instinct to serve back to his grandparents, his mother, his father, and his stepfather, shares how the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor led him to gather more than 400 people in a Mid-City park and launch Walk Good, and why he believes healing has been sold to communities of color as a luxury instead of a birthright. He opens up about surviving gun violence 14 years ago, the grief and substance use that came before it, and the sobriety and purpose that came after. Plus: meeting his wife Stephanie, his rapid-fire favorites, and why he defines joy as living without shame.

Who has been a guest on THE CAPITOL COFFEE CONNECTION

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Kathy Hochul
• Tony Evers
• Susie Lee
• Don Bacon
• Wes Moore

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

469,451

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

14 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

50

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

71

Contact THE CAPITOL COFFEE CONNECTION

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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