01. Corporate Crime: Call It by Its Name
02. Democracy Summit Not So Democratically Organized
03. Beyond Britney: Exposing the Legal Guardianship Swamp
04. Free Job Helpline Reaches Out to Marginalized Workers
05. True Story: He Was Exiled for Exposing Russian Mafia
06. Do a Fun Show on the Wacky World of Celebrity Real Estate
07. PBS Host Shares ‘Simply Delicious’ Holiday Tips
08. Creative Gift Ideas to Stretch Your Holiday Budget
09. The Worst Gifts for Seniors
10. Why You Need Fewer (and Smaller) Goals to be Happy
11. How to Build Your Life Back Better in 2022
12. New Year’s Resolutions Parents Should Make for Themselves
13. Bombed, Shot at, and Nearly Kidnapped: She Knows How to Conquer Stress
14. Signs Your Spouse May Be Bipolar
15. Interview Former Harlem Globetrotter Melvin Adams
1. ==> Corporate Crime: Call It by Its Name
A tweet from the Gravel Institute recently went viral: “Someone stole $950 worth of items from a Walgreens — there were 309 news stories about it. Walgreens was caught stealing $4.5 million from employees — it got just one single story.” Invite Russell Mokhiber, editor of Corporate Crime Reporter, on your show to discuss the issue. He says, “Apparently, major non-corporate institutions are so beholden to the corporate powers that be that they can’t even speak — or write the phrase. Instead they prefer a word that means the opposite of crime. That word? Compliance.” Purdue Pharma and Boeing were two of the largest corporate crimes in recent years. Hear about NYU Law School’s program to study and report on corporate crime (and why it isn’t called that), the biggest corporate crimes in recent years, and why so many corporate executives avoid prosecution, despite evidence of serious crimes. Russell Mokhiber recently wrote the piece “Call Corporate Crime Corporate Crime.” Contact him at russellmokhiber@gmail.com; @corpcrimereport
2. ==> Democracy Summit Not So Democratically Organized
President Biden is holding a “Summit for Democracy” this week with the laudable aim of reenergizing global commitment to democracy during a dangerous period of backsliding and rising authoritarianism. Laura Thornton says the meeting is democratic but the organization, content design, and participant selection have been, ironically, less than democratic. She’ll discuss how Biden’s team can democratize the process moving forward to engender meaningful action. “Keep in mind, autocrats are having summits of their own, sharing tactics and technologies to suppress democracy. We need new, fresh ideas and a commitment to work together across borders to defend democracy,” she says. “Going it alone is not an option.” This week’s summit will launch a “year of action” and a follow-up summit in 2022. Laura Thornton is director and senior fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund. Contact her at press@securingdemocracy.org; @LauraLThornton
3. ==> Beyond Britney: Exposing the Legal Guardianship Swamp
Thanks to the widely publicized Free Britney movement, legally binding adult conservatorships have begun to emerge from the shadows and Léonie Rosenstiel thinks it’s about time. Her elderly mother, a retired professor with dementia, was placed under such an arrangement, with dire results. She’ll explain how the conservator prevented her from seeing her mother for nearly three years, against her mother’s wishes and her own, and forced her mother to remain in her bed for the rest of her life after suffering a broken hip. Originally a classical violinist, Rosenstiel made a promise to her mother to expose the flaws in the guardianship system and empower other families caught in its web. She went back to school to earn a master’s degree in public health and undertook a vigorous research process before writing “Protecting Mama: Surviving the Legal Guardianship Swamp.” Léonie Rosenstiel and her work have been featured in “The New York Review of Books,” ”Los Angeles Times,” “Albuquerque Journal,” “Chicago Tribune,” the “Boston Globe,” the “Cleveland Plain Dealer” and more. Contact her at (505) 317-2405; L.rosenstiel1@gmail.com
4. ==> Free Job Helpline Reaches Out to Marginalized Workers
Nearly 4.7 million fewer Americans are employed now than at the end of 2019, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To help navigate the current job market, outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. is providing free career and job-search advice to callers nationwide. “Right now, we’re experiencing low unemployment, but millions of workers have left the labor market. It’s a perfect time to undo the structures that have kept marginalized people out of the workforce,” says Andrew Challenger. “COVID was particularly hard on people of color, those who have different abilities, older workers, women, and parents and created employment gaps for millions. Now is the time for employers to hire from these groups who are so often overlooked.” For the first time in the firm’s 36 years of holding this event, Challenger is providing a designated number for Spanish-speaking callers. The call-in sessions will be held on December 28 and 29. For details and interviews, contact Colleen Madden Blumenfeld at (312) 422-5074 (office); (314) 807-1568 (cell) or colleenmadden@challengergray.com
5. ==> True Story: He Was Exiled for Exposing Russian Mafia
John Christmas worked for Parex Bank in Latvia in 2004 when he exposed widespread bank fraud to a major international audit firm and the Latvian government. He was terrorized and fled the country while the firm and the government ignored the information. It eventually led to the bank’s collapse and the 2008 Latvian financial crisis, which continues to this day. Learn how a Western taxpayer-funded development bank covered up the corruption for years while Christmas was exiled for exposing the Russian Mafia bank. Ask him: What’s become of the players you exposed? Were your allegations ever investigated? Are you still in danger? Could a similar situation happen again? The spy thriller “KGB Banker,” co-written with crime fiction author William Burton McCormick, was inspired by John Christmas’ true story. Contact him at (514) 700-9015; jchristmas@rtirguests.com
6. ==> Do a Fun Show on the Wacky World of Celebrity Real Estate
Selling real estate to the rich and famous can sometimes be crazy, often hilarious but never boring. Let top Realtor Valerie Fitzgerald, cohost of the new podcast “Real Estate, Real Laughs,” take your audience behind the scenes to hear some of the greatest stories never told before. While she can’t mention names, Valerie can dish on the unusual and sometimes embarrassing situations she and her peers have encountered (for example, showing a house while a naked couple were visible directly outside the window) and a whole lot more. Maybe you’ll hear about the role cats play in whether someone likes a house or not, celebrities who show up for appointments in disguise, or the fantastic perks the wealthiest potential buyers may be awarded to keep them happy. The former star of HGTV’s “Selling L.A,” former Ford model and TEDx speaker, Valerie Fitzgerald is one of Coldwell Banker’s Top 10 Agents, with $3 billion in sales. She has 30,000 followers on Instagram. Her new weekly podcast proves there is a side to real estate most people don’t know about: the fun side. Contact Valerie Fitzgerald at (310) 861-3238; vfitzgerald@rtirguests.com
7. ==> PBS Host Offers ‘Simply Delicious’ Holiday Tips
This year’s holidays have a lot riding on them as we attempt to make up for the physical and emotional distance we have experienced as a nation. With that in mind, it is even more important to make the holidays as special as can be by inviting screenwriter, author, TV/film producer, journalist, and TV host Maryann Ridini Spencer on your program to deliver the tips that can make that happen. By following her advice, your audience will learn how to turn their homes into cozy havens, how to create fun to-do lists, be mindful of mind, body and spirit, create creative connections with loved ones and get everyone to put their electronic devices aside for a change. Maryann is the host of PBS-TV’s “Simply Delicious Living.” She is also a screenwriter, and the author of the award-winning Kate Grace Mystery books, “Lady in the Window” and “The Paradise Table.” Her work has appeared on “Hallmark Hall of Fame” (CBS-TV), the Hallmark Channel, CNN, USA, SyFy, Showtime and many other outlets. Contact Maryann Ridini Spencer at (818) 492-9135; mspencer@rtirguests.com
8. ==> Creative Gift Ideas to Stretch Your Holiday Budget
Many people have been looking forward to this holiday season. The challenges of the past few years have only reinforced and reminded us of what truly matters, spending quality time with our loved ones. While we’d love to shower them all with memorable gifts, finances are tight right now for many families. Invite Peggy Sideratos to share 10 gift ideas that will pull on your loved ones’ heartstrings, but not your purse strings. Simple enough for kids and klutzes, Peggy’s ideas involve photos, personalized items and music, and are affordable (and some are free). A former elementary school teacher, Peggy Sideratos knows how to be creative and resilient on a limited budget. She is also the author of “The Light Giver & Other Stories to Raise Emotionally Healthy Children.” Contact Peggy at (917) 715-8788; perdika1@yahoo.com
9. ==> The Worst Gifts for Seniors
Selecting gifts for older friends and relatives isn’t easy and so it may be tempting to go with objects of comfort like fuzzy slippers, big boxes of candy and the like. But as holistic health practitioner Linda Mac Dougall will tell you, it pays to be safe when it comes to satisfying the needs of this special population. Mac Dougall has worked with hundreds of patients who have opened her eyes to the unmet needs of older Americans. And at 73, she knows a thing or two about aging bodies from personal experience. Mac Dougall can discuss the most impactful and safest gifts you can get an older relative including ways to keep them happy and active, well-nourished, entertained, and included in family outings. Listeners will appreciate the great ideas and smart tips including unexpected places to shop. Linda Mac Dougall is a holistic health practitioner, Certified Massage Therapist, author, teacher, speaker, and mentor who has appeared on multiple podcasts. Contact her at (805) 202-6379; speakerholistic@gmail.com
10. ==> Why You Need Fewer (and Smaller) Goals to be Happy
It’s getting to be the time when people begin thinking about what they want to accomplish next year. Before they do that, invite Dr. Patrick Sanaghan on your program to explain the wisdom behind creating fewer and smaller goals that feed success and eschew disappointment so that your audience members get off to a great start in 2022. Sanaghan (the “g” is silent) heads The Sanaghan Group, an organizational consulting firm. The author of “How to Be a Better Procrastinator” earned a doctorate in education, wrote 12 books, and published 50 academic articles despite being a life-long procrastinator. Ask him: What do people gain by procrastinating? What are some of your favorite strategies for tamping it down? Contact Patrick Sanaghan at (215) 234-1346; psanaghan@rtirguests.com
11. ==> How to Build Your Life Back Better in 2022
The pandemic has wreaked havoc on everything from the economy to our relationships and mental health. Families have lost loved ones, businesses and careers and been forced to make choices they never expected. For those who feel lost, stuck or unsure what to do next, Oreste D’Aversa has four steps to start creating a new life that’s even better and more prosperous than before. Oreste D’Aversa is a life and business coach, corporate trainer, minister and the author of “Life Beyond the Pandemic: A Practical New Journey Handbook,” his revolutionary step-by-step blueprint to reinvent your life and thrive in the post-pandemic world. Contact him at (201) 949-3002; odaversa@rtirguests.com
12. ==> New Year’s Resolutions Parents Should Make for Themselves
In the year ahead parents will have many challenges as they try to negotiate the demands on their time and attention and plenty of moms and dads will end up putting their own needs last. That’s why Natalie Bonfig wants parents to resolve to put self-care at the top of their list in 2022 so they can give the best of themselves to their demanding roles. Natalie can offer six self-care tips to put into practice that will benefit their entire family. For instance, she’ll explore how to find quiet time to center yourself, how to stay in the moment and how to be kind to yourself even as you give generously to others. Natalie is the author of “Everyday Self-Care and Your High Needs Child.” Contact Natalie at (651) 419-3137; nbonfig@rtirguests.com
13. ==> Bombed, Shot at, and Nearly Kidnapped: She Knows How to Conquer Stress
Everyone could use some tips for handling stress better. Col. Debra M. Lewis (USA, Ret.) has already coached thousands of people on her battle-tested methods to overcome obstacles and use life’s daily stresses to their advantage. Col. Deb will share those tips and tools along with her action-packed life story as one of the first women to attend the Military Academy at West Point, a survivor of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, and a commander in combat. She is the author of “Why Is Pono Not Pono Today?” and its companion course, “Take Kids from Stressed to Success.” Ask her why are most reactions to stress destructive? Why do good people make bad decisions under stress? Contact Deb Lewis at (571) 332-7240 (text first) Deb@ MentallyToughWomen.com
14. ==> Signs Your Spouse May Be Bipolar
For nearly 20 years, Shelly Sood lived with a man who suddenly morphed from a picture-perfect spouse into a “cold, vengeful, monster.” Unbeknownst to them, he had bipolar disorder, and, as Shelly will point out, 90 percent of marriages involving a bipolar spouse end in divorce. Shelly separated from her banker husband for nearly two years but never lost hope that the man she fell in love with would re-emerge. She has remained in the marriage, resolved to be his advocate, and helped save his life: “I am a victim of his disorder, not his abuse. If he couldn’t fight for himself, I would fight for him,” she vowed. Her message to anyone coping with a similar spouse is simple: “Never give up or let anyone tell you it is hopeless.” She can discuss the symptoms associated with bipolar disorder and why the mental illness is often misdiagnosed. She is the author of the upcoming memoir, “Untethered,” a mother of three children, and a founding partner of GIOSTAR Chicago, a company that offers regenerative medicine therapies. Her memoir is being modified for film by Hollywood producers. Contact Shelly at (312) 401-3495; shelly@giostarchicago.com
15. ==> Interview Former Harlem Globetrotter Melvin Adams
The Harlem Globetrotters are basketball icons who perform all over the world entertaining audiences with their hoops skills, dunks, leaps, and comedic talents, sometimes to the whistled tune of “Sweet Georgia Brown.” It takes a special brand of athleticism and joviality to be a Globetrotter and Melvin Adams was lucky enough to be a member of the team for four years – including one year as “Mr. Globetrotter.” Invite Adams on your show to talk about life as a Globetrotter as well as how sports saved him when his father died when he was 13, leaving the family in financial peril. Ask him: How did you manage to make the pros when you are only 5 ft. 8? How does one become a Globetrotter? What advice do you have for coping with fatherlessness? Adams is now a popular inspirational speaker. Contact Peggi Merkey at (281) 346-9528; pmerkey@rtirguests.com