Problems Facing Our Nation -

America Is Running Out of Teachers — And This Ph.D. Wants to Do Something About It

Over 440,000 teaching positions are now filled by unqualified staff or sitting empty. Deanna Gilmore, Ph.D., says the only way to fix it is to make people fall in love with teaching again — and to pressure lawmakers to fund salaries that keep them there. A 26-year classroom veteran, former school principal, and university professor who trained the next generation of educators, Gilmore wrote There’s a Pig on the Playground: Memorable Stories from the Schoolyard to do exactly that — sharing firsthand stories from teachers, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, and coaches to remind America what’s at stake before it’s too late.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

With nearly half a million teaching positions unfilled, what happens to America’s public schools?
What concrete steps can communities and lawmakers take right now to stop the bleeding?
How are school voucher programs making the teacher shortage even worse?

CONTACT: Deanna Gilmore: (208) 285-7567; dgilmore@rtirguests.com

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

In a world in which 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 “We need to focus on challenging outdated myths about masculinity and replace fear-based parenting with connection, communication, and trust,” she says.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.” She explores how parents can raise sons who are strong, without being aggressive. 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.

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

Political Insider Reveals What No One Tells You About Running for Office

Most people think running for office is about speeches, slogans, and shaking hands. Rob Curnock knows better. As a former TV political reporter, party leader, and unlikely congressional candidate, he’s seen the process from every angle. He pulls back the curtain on the physical exhaustion, emotional toll, family strain, and political hardball that define modern campaigns. After challenging and almost winning after running against an “unbeatable” incumbent, he discovered how power really works behind closed doors. “I experienced the often brutal realities of running for office—and learned how ordinary citizens can shake up the system,” he says. Rob is a long-time broadcast journalist and the author of “Dead Man Running.”

Contact: Rob Curnock at (254) 822-3741; rcurnock@rtirguests.com

In a Season of Political Chaos, This Activist is Focused on Planting Hope

While headlines scream division and despair, Sam Daley-Harris is quietly leading a revolution in how ordinary citizens engage with democracy. The activist and author of Reclaiming Our Democracy, Daley-Harris teaches “transformational advocacy”—where working to change an issue transforms you in the process. His approach has helped people move from political paralysis to powerful action.

Invite Daley-Harris on your show to hear stories of everyday citizens discovering their political power. He’ll explain how feeling overwhelmed isn’t weakness—it’s the starting point for meaningful change. From his own journey as a musician-turned-activist to guiding others through civic engagement some call “sacred and profound,” Daley-Harris offers practical tools for anyone ready to move from anxiety to agency.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS: What is transformational advocacy and how does it differ from traditional activism? How did you go from performing music to teaching people to reclaim their democracy?

CONTACT: Sam Daley-Harris at (202) 804-2504; Sdaley@rtirguests.com

Former Nurse and Stand Up Comic Gets Serious About Healthcare’s Darkest Secret

Kathy Allan spent 20 years as a hospital nurse before witnessing something that changed everything: cleaning staff in scrubs discharging new mothers, while administrators threatened her for asking questions. She realized healthcare had become addicted to profits over patients.

This Board Certified Holistic Nurse and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner channeled her trauma expertise and comedy background into Gutsy Nurses—a program teaching nurses how to survive a broken system. Inspired by recovery principles, she developed the 12 Steps of Healing Care to beat the industry’s profit addiction. Her shocking revelation: nurses are 18% more likely to commit suicide than the general population.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:
• You say healthcare is addicted to profits—what does that look like from inside a hospital?
• How does your stand-up comedy background help you discuss such dark topics?
• What are these 12 Steps of Healing Care, and how do they protect nurses?

CONTACT: Kathy Allan at (619) 932-5206; Kallan@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

Why Your Child Is Being Raised for a World That No Longer Exists – And What to Do About It

While parents tell kids to “study hard and get a good job,” AI is already doing those jobs—faster and cheaper. Award-winning author George Lee has a wake-up call: we’re using 1980s parenting in an AI-driven world.

Drawing from “SMART Parenting 5.0,” Lee explains why college degrees aren’t golden tickets and authoritarian parenting fails in the AI era. His unique perspective—traditional Chinese education meets Western innovation—reveals what schools won’t teach. Listeners will discover which essential skills schools ignore and how to build them at home.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:
• You say “we’re overeducating their minds and underpreparing their spirit.” What does that look like?
• Your teenager makes more on TikTok than you made last month. How do parents stay relevant?
• You argue too much love can hurt. How can love without challenge weaken a child?

CONTACT: George Lee at (604) 330-8697; glee@rtirguests.com

How to Talk Across Differences Without Burning Out or Blowing Up Relationships

Americans are talking more than ever, yet understanding each other less. Differences in politics, faith, and values are making even simple conversations feel risky.

National Muslim leader and peacebuilding expert Daisy Khan explains that many well-meaning attempts to bridge differences actually make conflict worse. She explains why facts alone rarely change minds, how silence and cancel culture fuel division, and how simple language shifts can de-escalate conflict in real time.

Drawing on her work training schools, workplaces, and communities, Khan reveals practical tools for confronting bias without escalating conflict. She also shares insights from her book 30 Rights of Muslim Women, which challenges common assumptions about faith, identity, and equality.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS: Can avoiding controversial topics actually fuel extremism? Why do attempts at empathy sometimes backfire in cross-cultural conversations?

CONTACT: Daisy Khan at (917) 905-7829; dkhan@rtirguests.com

Political Insider Reveals What No One Tells You About Running for Office

Most people think running for office is about speeches, slogans, and shaking hands. Rob Curnock knows better. As a former TV political reporter, party leader, and unlikely congressional candidate, he’s seen the process from every angle. He pulls back the curtain on the physical exhaustion, emotional toll, family strain, and political hardball that define modern campaigns. After challenging and almost winning after running against an “unbeatable” incumbent, he discovered how power really works behind closed doors. “I experienced the often brutal realities of running for office—and learned how ordinary citizens can shake up the system,” he says.

Rob is a long-time broadcast journalist and the author of Dead Man Running.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS: Are politics really as down and dirty as the media makes it out to be? What are some of your most challenging experiences while running for office?

CONTACT:Rob Curnock at (254) 822-3741; rcurnock@rtirguests.com

The Mental Health Cost of Building a Business from Nothing

Nearly half of all entrepreneurs report chronic stress or burnout, but Darius Ross says the real danger isn’t the workload. It’s the unresolved trauma many carry into the grind. He says when you build a business from nothing, the survival mindset that once kept you alive can quietly start working against you as success grows.

In this timely conversation, Ross explores how urban trauma, financial insecurity, and constant pressure quietly shape decision-making, relationships, and leadership. A former homeless teen turned entrepreneur and community leader, he explains why success can actually amplify anxiety, and why mindset, not hustle, determines who breaks through and who breaks down.

As the author of Mastering the TPS Blueprint, Ross offers street-tested insights on managing fear, stress, and self-sabotage while building something meaningful, especially for entrepreneurs who never had a safety net.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Can trauma make you successful and still destroy you later?
Why do some entrepreneurs feel less safe as they earn more?

CONTACT: Darius Ross at (347) 801-7956; dross@rtirguests.com