Category: Family Issues

Meet the Dear Abby for Dogs Who Shares How to Turn Problem Pooches Into Perfect Pups

Author and longtime dog behaviorist Kathleen Troy answers real questions from dog owners with warmth, humor, and hard-earned experience. Dubbed the Dear Abby for dogs, Kathleen tackles everyday canine challenges while debunking one of the biggest myths of all: some dogs are cannot be trained. She got her inspiration from her remarkable rescue pup, Dylan, a former “problem dog” who went on to become a certified therapy and hospice service dog. She combines practical guidance with unforgettable stories. Audiences will learn how patience, consistency, and respect can transform both dogs and their humans.

Kathleen is the author of the Dylan’s Dog Squad series, as well as a book about dog training.


SAMPLE QUESTIONS: How did you train Dylan to behave? Can even the worst dogs be successfully trained?


CONTACT: Kathleen Troy at (714) 975-9807; ktroy@rtirguests.com

400,000 Kids Join Gangs Every Year: How Community-Based Solutions Work and Save Taxpayers $$$

Stephanie Mann was abandoned in Mexico City at age 15 and survived through community connection—now this crime prevention consultant with 40 years of experience knows exactly why gangs flourish. The answer: social isolation and fear, and the result costs taxpayers $100 billion annually.

Drawing from her books “Empowerment Parenting” and “Magical You,” Mann reveals why traditional policing fails and how her low-cost Neighborhood Safety Expert program succeeds. She’ll explain how trained community members who look like and speak the language of residents build trust where police cannot, why drug dealers often control neighborhoods through gifts and favors, and how connected neighbors eliminate the isolation that drives kids to gangs. Visit safekidsnow.com to learn more.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:
• You say gangs cost us $100 billion a year—how do community solutions actually save money?
• Why do neighbors protect drug dealers, and how do you break that cycle?
• What’s a Neighborhood Safety Expert, and why can’t police do this work alone?

CONTACT: Stephanie Mann at (925) 438-0716; smann@rtirguests.com

Interview the “Hire-a-Daughter” Who Clears Out Hoarders, Handles Dead Bodies, and Saves Families from Elder Care Nightmares

Most adult children wait until it’s too late—when Mom falls in the bathroom or Dad has a heart attack—to learn what they should’ve asked, who to call, or where to turn. Debbie C. Miller has spent 30 years as a professional “hire-a-daughter,” helping hundreds of families navigate the overwhelming process of caring for aging loved ones. Her Kirkus-starred, award-winning book, Doing the Right Thing, provides the insider knowledge families desperately need but don’t know exists.

Miller has seen it all: the millionaire miser dead in his driveway for months, properties requiring HazMat suits, extreme hoarding cases, and grief-stricken families being ripped off by unscrupulous estate sale companies. She knows the 40+ questions to ask assisted living facilities, the myths about aging-in-place that endanger seniors, and how to help families make impossible decisions before it’s too late. Family therapists and aging life care managers use her systematic approach nationwide.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

  • What’s the biggest mistake adult children make when their parent has a health crisis?
  • What questions should families ask assisted living facilities that nobody thinks to ask?
  • Why do you say aging-in-place is often a dangerous myth?

CONTACT: Debbie Miller at (703) 844-4074; dmiller@rtirguests.com

The 3 Habits That Build Trust and Cut Division in Your Life

Tired of the conflict in your office, community, or even your own family? Dr. Dionne Poulton says building unity isn’t about avoiding tough topics. It’s about mastering three powerful habits: Decency, Excellence, and Integrity. In her new book Excellence Without Exclusion, she reframes what it means to lead, communicate, and connect across differences without ever saying “DEI.”

Her message? You don’t need a title to be a leader. You just need a standard. From how we treat others to how we hold ourselves accountable, Dr. Dionne shows how small shifts in behavior can transform relationships, rebuild trust, and prevent conflict before it starts.

According to a recent study, 76% of people say they avoid hard conversations at work and home often out of fear, frustration, or not knowing what to say. Dr. Dionne’s framework helps audiences replace avoidance with practical strategies that foster trust and real connection.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

  1. What’s one habit that can instantly defuse rising tension?
  2. Can integrity really be taught, or is it innate?

CONTACT: Dr. Dionne Poulton at (404) 383-8924; dpoulton@rtirguests.com 

How to Not Become Your Mom

Many women fear repeating the emotional patterns they grew up with, but few know how to break them. When her own mother ran away with her boyfriend at age 13, Sabrina Ciceri learned early how deeply a parent’s choices can shape a child’s identity, relationships, and future. 

In her book If It’s Not One Thing, It’s a Mother, she shares how she stopped inherited dysfunction, rewrote her family story, and built a healthy life as a mother of six and grandmother of five.

Sabrina explores why we unconsciously mirror our parents, how to interrupt toxic cycles, and why healing doesn’t always require confrontation or forgiveness. Her perspective blends family psychology, faith, and real-life experience in ways audiences rarely hear.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

Why do we often become the very parent we promised never to be?

Can you heal from a toxic parent without cutting them out of your life?

    CONTACT: Sabrina Ciceri at (352) 308‑1596; sciceri@rtirguests.com

    Award-Winning Parenting Expert Shares How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Sons

    In a world where boys are often taught to suppress their feelings, award-winning parenting expert and author C. Lynn Williams is changing the conversation. She offers practical, compassionate guidance for raising sons who are emotionally aware, resilient, and confident. “We need to focus on challenging outdated myths about masculinity and replace fear-based parenting with connection, communication, and trust,” she says. “When boys are given permission to feel, communicate, and be understood, they grow into healthier men and create stronger families and communities.”

    C. Lynn is the author of five parenting books including Trying to Stay Sane While Raising Your Teen, an educator, speaker, and family dynamics strategist.


    SAMPLE QUESTIONS:     What challenges do boys face in modern society? How can parents raise sons who are strong without being aggressive?


    CONTACT:     C. Lynn Williams at (224) 357-6315; Cwilliams@rtirguests.com

    How Movement Can Help Kids Focus and Learn Faster

    Think kids need to sit still to concentrate? Research says the opposite, and so does math educator Suzy Koontz. With screen time up and attention spans down, Suzy offers a powerful, practical solution: movement-based learning.

    Suzy is the creator of Math & Movement, a program used in schools nationwide to boost focus, memory, and academic performance through full-body learning. In her segment, she shares how jumping, hopping, and dancing can help kids grasp math and reading faster—no tech required.

    She also offers simple, at-home activities parents can use to help restless kids refocus after school. These aren’t just theories, Suzy has reached over 1 million students and authored 20+ books packed with easy, energizing takeaways your audience can use right away.

    SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

    • Why does moving the body help kids retain what they learn?
    • What’s one surprising thing parents can do tonight to improve focus?

    CONTACT: Suzy Koontz at (607) 366-9588; skoontz@rtirguests.com

    The Silent Mistake Millions of Stepfamilies Make

    Over 1 in 3 Americans is now part of a stepfamily, yet few realize the emotional damage that’s quietly being done in homes across the country, not by conflict, but by silence. According to parenting expert Richard Ramos, the biggest mistake stepparents make isn’t discipline, favoritism or scheduling. It’s ignoring the child’s voice during major fam­ily transitions. And that unspoken pain can show up later as resentment, rebellion or complete emotional withdrawal. Ramos draws from 25+ years of working with families—and his own hard-earned lessons as a stepparent—to reveal what really derails blended families (hint: it’s not what you think) and how to turn things around. Ask him: Can giving your stepchild “space” actually backfire? Why do some kids act out more after the family finally “settles down”? Richard Ramos is the author of “The Art of Stepparenting: How to Blend Families Without Tearing Them Apart.” Contact him at rramos@rtirguests.com; (805) 456-1407

    This Dog Trainer Shares How to Turn Problem Pooches Into Perfect Pups

    Whether your pup’s a chewer, a jumper, or just plain bad, author and dog trainer Kathleen Troy can share how to transform even the most unruly Rovers into well-behaved bowwows. Known as the Dear Abby of the canine world, Katheleen shares her doggone delightful tales of Dylan, a pooch she rescued from South Korea that was wildly destructive. With love and patience, not only did Kathleen bring Dylan’s behavior under control, she taught him sign language, how to count to 10, and dial 911!  “There are no bad dogs, just bad owners,” she says.

    Kathleen is the author of the “Dylan’s Dog Squad” series, as well as a book about dog training. Contact Kathleen Troy at (714) 975-9807; ktroy@rtirguests.com

    Why Pushing Your Kids to Win Could Be Breaking Them

    Many parents ramp up the pressure by focusing on higher grades, tougher sports and more achievement. But LPGA Professionals Hall of Fame Member and certified mindset coach Cindy Miller says this pressure-cooker approach is doing more harm than good. After decades of working with young athletes (and watching too many walk away broken), Cindy now teaches a better way to raise resilient, self-driven kids without crushing their confidence. In this segment, she shares how perfectionism, comparison and performance pressure backfire, and what parents should focus on instead. Cindy’s take is eye-opening, practical and rooted in both personal stories and pro-level experience. It’s a fresh, emotionally charged take on back-to-school parenting that every listener can relate to.  Ask her: Can pushing kids to win actually make them perform worse? What’s the one thing parents should say after a tough loss or bad grade? Contact Cindy Miller at (716) 670-5341; cimiller@rtirguests.com