01. Buy, Sell, Rent? Red-Hot Housing Market Strategies
02. Tips for New Grads in Today’s Job Market
03. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Star for Mental Health Month
04. 20 Days in the Middle East: A Real-Life International Manhunt
05. Fascinating Science TV: PBS’ ‘Life at the Waterhole’
06. Do a Show on Post-Pandemic Wedding Trends
07. Are Women Programmed to Fail in Business?
08. Do a Show on Family Estrangement
09. 5 Surprising Daily Activities May be Making You Sick
10. Is What You Eat Helping or Hurting the Earth?
11. Roar Back from Pandemic Setbacks
12. How Can We Eliminate Racism in the U.S.?
13. Surprising Way to Have Better-Behaved Kids
14. Removing the Stigma of Alzheimer’s
15. PBS Host Shares Secrets to ‘Simply Delicious Living’
1. ==> Buy, Sell, Rent? Red-Hot Housing Market Strategies
By all accounts, the housing market has gone berserk. Prices are way up, buyers are skipping inspections, and properties are selling faster than for-sale signs can go up. What’s going on and how long can it last? Invite Andrew Ragusa, CEO/broker of REMI Realty, to discuss the current housing market and why it’s so hot, how it’s unlike any other previous housing market in history, and what comes next. Ask him: If I want to relocate to another state, should I sell now or wait for my house to appreciate? What tips can you offer for anyone trying to buy a home right now? Should buyers looking for a good deal rent and wait for the market to cool? Are we headed for a housing market crash? Andrew Ragusa has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows talking about real estate issues. Contact Ryan McCormick at (516) 901-1103; (919) 377-1200 or ryan@goldmanmccormick.com
2. ==> Tips for New Grads in Today’s Job Market
After a year of tremendous uncertainty, quarantines, isolation, and challenging remote learning environments, millions of resilient young adults across the country are graduating into a recovering job market. Unfortunately, they’ll be facing a lot of competition. “The outlook is positive for jobs in the coming months. For college grads, the job prospects exist, but they will be competing with millions of Americans who are unemployed or underemployed and may have relevant experience graduates lack,” says Andrew Challenger of the executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. But he says they also overcame a lot to get their degrees. “One thing job-seeking graduates should showcase is their flexibility, adaptability, and ability to succeed under intense pressure.” Challenger can share job tips for new grads, including when and where to start your job search and ways to stay positive during the process. Contact Colleen Madden Blumenfeld at (312) 422-5074; (314) 807-1568 (cell) or colleenmadden@challengergray.com
3. ==> ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Star for Mental Health Month
A former basketball star, best-selling author and Hollywood actor is now turning his attention to social media and helping younger users navigate it in a healthy way, without so much stress. Blondy Baruti created BePerk to give users the power to decide how they want to be represented online. The actor hopes to minimize social media bullying, anxiety, and judging by allowing users full control of their content. With May as Mental Health Month, invite Blondy Baruti to share his journey, how he was inspired to create BePerk and how it works, and why it is so important to help kids and teens navigate social media. Blondy Baruti starred in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and made headlines in 2018 with his autobiography detailing his harrowing journey at the age of 10, walking over 500 miles to escape civil war in the Congo. Contact James Weir at (310) 801-3490; J.T Hainje at (323) 229-1902; or Emma Telesca at (818) 390-0859
4. ==> 20 Days in the Middle East: A Real-Life International Manhunt
Daniel Levin was at his office in New York when he got a call from an acquaintance with an urgent, cryptic request to meet in Paris. A young man had gone missing in Syria. No government, embassy, or intelligence agency would help. Could he? Would he? Invite Levin, a lawyer turned armed-conflict negotiator, on your show to share his incredible, story of navigating the seedy and dangerous underbelly of the Middle East, encountering powerful sheiks, drug lords, and sex traffickers. Levin’s new book, “Proof of Life: Twenty Days on the Hunt for a Missing Person in the Middle East,” details his journey as he barters and negotiates his way through Istanbul, Beirut, Amman, and Dubai on a quest to find the young man who disappeared under suspicious circumstances. The son of a diplomat, Daniel Levin spent his early years in the Middle East and Africa and then trained as a lawyer. For the past 20 years he’s worked with governments and development institutions worldwide, focusing on economic development and political reform through financial literacy, political inclusion, and constitutional initiatives. Contact Johanna Ramos-Boyer at (703) 991-8328; jboyer@rtirguests.com
5. ==> Fascinating Science TV: PBS’ ‘Life at the Waterhole’
Waterholes are vital to the African ecosystem as elephants, lions, leopards and other species meet and compete for water. Despite the growing fight for resources, little is known about how these waterholes support so much life. PBS’ new three-part series “Life at the Waterhole” takes viewers to an artificial waterhole outfitted with cameras for a glimpse at elephants, warthogs, giraffes, monkeys and big cats jostling for position. Hosted by global conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the show reveals thirsty animals flocking to drink and scientists witnessing firsthand the importance of water as Africa’s wildlife faces the growing impact of climate change. Invite Dr. Sanjayan to share some of the most dramatic interactions, unlikely rivalries, and unexpected moments of humor. Dr. Sanjayan has hosted more than a dozen documentaries on PBS, BBC, National Geographic and more. He’s also appeared on NBC’s “Today,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “CBS This Morning” and numerous other shows. “Life at the Waterhole” begins May 19 on PBS. Contact John Angelo at john@premieretv.com
6. ==> Do a Show on Post-Pandemic Wedding Trends
After a challenging year of rescheduling, postponing, canceling and producing Zoom weddings, luxury wedding planner Lynne Goldberg says, “The phones are busy, and my brides are beginning to smile again!” With the vaccine now accessible, weddings and events have also been given a shot in the arm, according to Lynne. “With smaller budgets and a different outlook, newly engaged couples are planning weddings again but this time with very different priorities. For now, elegant small weddings are in and over-the-top opulent weddings are out.” Invite her to share the latest post-pandemic wedding trends including how to navigate the new “Wedding Invitation Vaccine Etiquette.” For more than two decades, Lynne Goldberg has been planning over-the-top luxury weddings and events for couples, organizations, non-profits, celebrities, sports figures and private clients. Contact her at (561) 212-6024; Lynne@lynnegoldberggroup.com
7. ==> Are Women Programmed to Fail in Business?
Has society created an infrastructure that viscerally challenges and disqualifies women from earning money? Raj Girn believes it has. Invite her to talk about where the root cause of gender inequality comes from and so much more. Ask her: despite all the work we’ve done, why is it so hard to close the gender pay gap? Do religious texts play a role? How can women unlearn everything that’s feeding the beast of inequality by changing their mindset? What can men do to facilitate the change that will ultimately help their wives, daughters, sisters and grandchildren? Raj heads the Open Chest Confidence Academy, is a well-known media personality in Canada and a serial media entrepreneur who has worked with thought leaders, celebrities, and multinational corporations. She has been featured in two coffee table books, a documentary, and a motivational book that became an international best-seller. Contact Raj Girn at (647) 490-3158; Rgirn@rtirguests.com
8. ==> Do a Show on Family Estrangement
Is there a troubling or even unspoken estrangement lurking in your family? Perhaps siblings who no longer communicate, or parents and adult children who avoid or even openly rebuke each other? Discuss these common family dynamics with author Peter Colman, Ph.D., whose book “The Prodigal Father: A Son’s Hope-Filled Story of Love, Reconciliation and Redemption,” explores how fragile family relationships can be. Dr. Colman, an educator, will reveal truths and myths about why loved ones drift apart, the regrets both sides have but may not readily admit, the power of shared faith, and his personal insights. Many listeners are sure to identify with this topic and be moved. Ask him: How do forgiveness and healing begin? What is so sacred about the bond between father and son? How do the effects and memories of wartime service impact family relationships? Contact Judith Colman at (847) 469-1886; jcolman@rtirguests.com
9. ==> 5 Surprising Daily Activities May be Making You Sick
Most of us want to do all we can to live healthy lives. But the sad fact is that many people are routinely employing some daily behaviors that are leading to chronic diseases and making those diseases worse. Trevor Campbell, M.D., is a family physician with a charming South African accent who specializes in helping people achieve the fullest lives possible by minimizing their chronic aches and pain. He can share the activities that are making people sick as well as those that could speed their recovery. Ask him: What are the five surprising daily activities to which you refer? What is bio-behavioral disease and why don’t more people know about it? What can it teach us? His book is “The Language of Pain: Fast Forward Your Recovery to Stop Hurting.” Contact him at (250) 217-7832; tcampbell@rtirguests.com
10. ==> Is What You Eat Helping or Hurting the Earth?
Interview health coach Ximena Yanez to find out five ways what you are putting in your mouth might be ruining the environment as well as five simple things you could easily do to turn this around. Ask her: Does eating organic produce really matter? What’s so bad about GMO ingredients? What should you include in every meal? Ximena (pronounced He-men-a) is the author of the upcoming book “Healthy Planet, Healthy You: Invest Now in the Transformational Change That Will Ensure Our Future” and the former CFO of an environmental fund. Contact her at (720) 277-8617; xiyaso@gmail.com
11. ==> Roar Back from Pandemic Setbacks
The pandemic isn’t over, but it is showing signs of retreat. Now is the time to start thinking about how you are going to bounce back and what sort of life you’d like to have. Author and performance coach Tim Winders can offer three principles for hitting the reset button. Winders, who has over 25 years’ experience as a coach for business owners, executives, and leaders, utilizes these principles in his novel, “Coach: A Parable of Success Redefined.” It tells the story of an executive who contemplates ending his life after personal failures and business problems that could potentially send him to jail; as the story unfolds, the executive learns three acts to gain clarity that can bring peace to anyone. Winders, who along with his wife, lives and works in a large RV while traveling around the country, survived several business failures before finding a better path in life. He hosts the “SeekGoCreate” podcast and is available last minute. Contact Tim at (404) 846-4639; twinders@rtirguests.com
12. ==> How Can We Eliminate Racism in the U.S.?
When it comes to race, religion, politics and cultural identity most of us exist in a bubble. Too often we associate with people like ourselves, limiting our ability to identify with those who are different. Nadia Al-Samarrie is the exception. As the child of an American Catholic mother and an Iraqi Moslem diplomat father, she has lived in Iraq and Iran, and in California, where she went to high school. She experienced racial and cultural tensions for being American in the Middle East and in Iran for being an Iraqi and the racial crossfire between the white and black communities in the U.S. She sees herself and others as spirits defined not by their ethnic background but by their unique life experiences. A conversation with Nadia will make the world seem smaller and more universal. She says, “We need to remember that tolerance unites us. We need to see and accept people as they are, understanding that no matter how different they may appear, they all want to feel safe, loved, and accepted.” Ask her how we can eliminate racism in the U.S. Nadia is the author of the new memoir, “From Bagdad to Berkeley: A Woman’s Affair.” As an author and diabetes expert, she has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, and other major cable networks. Contact her at (415) 741-3545; nalsamarrie@rtirguests.com
13. ==> Surprising Way to Have Better-Behaved Kids
It’s time to open the windows, let the fresh air in and … clean! But spring cleaning isn’t just for grownups. Child behavior expert Rebecah Freeling says spring is also a great time to declutter and organize kids’ spaces — and more importantly — get rid of their extra stuff! She says, “That extra stuff — or lack thereof — really impacts kids’ behavior and their mental health. Eliminating the stuff reduces the overstimulation kids so often experience in today’s world. It also increases the quality of their play and reduces kids’ feelings of entitlement.” Freeling says parents will be amazed at how kids’ behavior improves when toys are reduced to a reasonable minimum. She says despite initial pushback, kids are happier without all the extra junk. Rebecah Freeling is the owner of Wits End Parenting. She consults with schools and speaks on parenting issues and specializes in kids with difficult behaviors. She’s the author of “Your Rules Are Dumb: How to Maintain Your Parental Authority While Creating a Partnership With Your Spirited Child.” Contact her at (510) 619-5920; witsendparenting@gmail.com
14. ==> Removing the Stigma of Alzheimer’s
When Tony Bennett announced he had it, Alzheimer’s disease made the news. But this memory-robbing disease affects 6.2 million Americans whose families find that it’s not easy to talk about a loved one’s diagnosis because of the stigma surrounding the disease. As a devoted caregiver and husband of someone who was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s in her fifties, Carlen Maddux can discuss what it’s like to have a loved one who fades away even as they continue to live. He can share early warning signs and treatment options along with the biggest challenges for loved ones and tips for caregivers. Maddux has appeared on numerous shows. He’s the author of “A Path Revealed.” Contact him at (727) 351-8321; CMaddux@rtirguests.com
15. ==> PBS Host Shares Secrets to ‘Simply Delicious Living’
Invite award-winning TV and movie screenwriter/producer, novelist, lifestyle journalist, and the host of PBS-TV’s “Simply Delicious Living,” Maryann Ridini Spencer to reveal her body-mind-spirit secrets to create instant calm, maintain balance, and find joy in this sometimes stress-filled world. She’ll discuss the importance of keeping a positive mental outlook and explain what “living Aloha” means and how that contributes to creating calm. The author of the award-winning Kate Grace Mystery books, Maryann’s work has appeared on Hallmark Hall of Fame (CBS-TV), the Hallmark Channel, CNN, USA, SyFy, Showtime, and many other outlets. Contact her at (818) 492-9135; mspencer@rtirguests.com