Category: Relationships, Psychology

Why You Keep Choosing the Wrong Partner—and How to Break the Cycle

Nearly half of American marriages end in divorce, and many people say their next relationship feels eerily similar to the last. Author and speaker Charisse Walker says it’s not a coincidence. Most people enter relationships without understanding the deeper beliefs, experiences, and patterns quietly shaping their decisions.

On your show, Walker introduces the powerful idea behind her book Flipping the Iceberg: every relationship has an iceberg. The small portion above the surface includes what we easily see—attraction, personality, and shared interests. But the much larger portion below the surface includes our beliefs about love, expectations, communication habits, past experiences, and values. Walker explains how these hidden influences shape who we trust, commit to, and ultimately marry. She shows audiences how greater self-awareness can help people stop repeating painful relationship patterns and make more intentional decisions about love and commitment.

Charisse Walker is an entrepreneur, author, and former host of the Emmy-nominated national television show The American Dream. She now speaks about the importance of self-awareness and understanding the deeper dynamics that shape healthy relationships.

Contact Charisse Walker at (801) 251-6965;  cwalker@rtirguests.com

Let’s Unpack America’s Loneliness Epidemic: Why Life’s Hardest Moments Push Us Into Isolation

America is facing what the U.S. Surgeon General recently called an epidemic of loneliness. Nearly half of adults say they feel isolated at times, and that isolation often deepens during life’s hardest moments: serious illness, caregiving, grief, infertility, or financial uncertainty. Author and loneliness coach Karen Kay Smith asserts these “waiting room seasons” can quietly push people away from the very support they need most.

On your show, Smith explains why people often shift into “functioning versus feeling” during crises, how emotional suppression fuels loneliness, and why many struggle to communicate what they truly need. She offers practical, yet life-changing tools listeners can use immediately, including how a simple “breath prayer” can replace pressure-filled spiritual routines, why naming emotions out loud can be more healing than staying strong, and how her “3 C’s” framework—confidence, communication, and community—helps people rebuild connection step by step.

Drawing from 15 years caring for her husband during his battle with multiple sclerosis, along with years in women’s ministry and training as a transformational life coach, Smith brings a rare blend of lived experience and practical guidance to conversations about loneliness and connection. She is the author of Nearsighted: Choosing to See Eating Disorders Differently and the upcoming Hope Has a Seat in Every Waiting Room.

Contact Karen Kay Smith at (256) 812-5106; ksmith@rtirguests.com

What an Ancient Hawaiian Healing Practice Can Teach Us About Modern Forgiveness

Most of us think forgiveness means turning the other cheek, something that requires approval, forgetting, and making yourself passive. But what if it’s really about reclaiming your power? Taj Simrit spent 20 years backpacking across the globe, and the last eight years traveling solo full-time, immersing himself in spiritual traditions across cultures, searching for purpose.

Through Ho’oponopono, the ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and healing, Simrit uncovered four simple principles that can dissolve resentment, restore inner peace, break addictions, tame the ego, and ultimately shape your destiny. His memoir, Behold My Soul, became a #1 Amazon bestseller in both Religious Travel and Humanistic Psychology.

CONTACT Taj Simrit: tsimrit@rtirguests.com

Feeling Stuck? Why a Creative Shift Might Be the Breakthrough You Need

Nearly 60% of professionals report feeling stuck or disengaged, and many don’t realize the way forward may not be a big life change, but a small creative shift. Author and artist Edi Matsumoto shows how simple, low-pressure creativity can help people reset mentally and move forward.

On your show, Matsumoto shares practical ways listeners can reconnect with creativity like her “60-second joy reset,” where even looking at something that makes you smile can calm the nervous system, or simple, no-pressure creative practices that reduce stress and spark clarity. She explains why creativity isn’t about talent. It’s about giving the mind a break from constant pressure. She offers gentle, manageable ways to reconnect with creativity in everyday life—as a form of stress relief, a joyful diversion, or even the beginning of a more creative path later on.

Her book, Otter Therapy, reflects how small moments of joy can create real emotional impact. Through her work as both a healthcare professional and artist, Matsumoto brings a uniquely grounded perspective on how creativity can gently shift how we feel and how we move forward.

Contact Edi Matsumoto at (831) 290-6491; ematsumoto@rtirguests.com

Why the Nicest Person in the Room May Be the Most Dangerous

Everyone knows how to spot the loud, self-centered narcissist. It’s the charming one — the helper, the listener, the one everyone adores — who causes the most damage. Dr. Valerie Sussman knows this firsthand. After 20 years in a covert narcissistic marriage, this retired pediatrician became a certified Narcissistic Abuse Specialist dedicated to exposing what she calls the most dangerous predator hiding in plain sight.

In interviews, Sussman will reveal how covert narcissists use kindness as a weapon, why victims routinely doubt their own reality, and how to spot the warning signs before the damage is done. Drawing from her book Love, Lies, and Narcissists in Disguise: The A-Z Guide for Survivors of Narcissistic Abuse, she offers survivors a path from confusion to clarity — and from self-doubt to self-trust.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

  • What makes a covert narcissist so much more dangerous than the obvious kind?
  • How do narcissists make their victims doubt their own reality?
  • What’s the first sign someone is dealing with a covert narcissist rather than just a difficult person?

CONTACT: Valerie Sussman at (805) 407-5635; Vsussman@rtirguests.com

Why Uplifting Stories Are Making a Comeback: Interview the Man Who Has Collected 80 of Them

After 56 years in the movie business, Dan Klusmann learned that audiences rarely remember explosions or special effects. They remember the stories that made them feel something.

That realization inspired Life Answers Back, a collection of stories gathered over 15 years from more than 80 contributors. Klusmann discusses why certain stories stay with us forever, what makes audiences emotionally connect to a story, and why uplifting storytelling is resonating again in today’s stressful and negative world.

Drawing from decades spent studying audience reactions in the movie business, Klusmann shares how stories can inspire hope, create emotional connection, and help people feel understood, comforted, and less alone.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS: Why do certain stories stay with us forever? What did decades in the movie business teach you about emotional connection? Why are uplifting stories making a comeback right now? Can one simple story change the way someone sees life?

CONTACT: Dan Klusmann at (406) 578-7999; dklusmann@rtirguests.com

The Real Reason You’re Stuck Has Nothing to Do with Willpower


If willpower were enough, you’d already be free from negativity in your life. “What keeps people stuck isn’t a lack of motivation—it’s the nervous system holding unresolved survival responses from the past,” says Lisa Morgan. “Real change happens when we work with the body, not against it.” Lisa’s world fell apart when panic and anxiety brought her to her knees. This became the foundation of her life’s work. Lisa is a master coach, intuitive guide, and soul-level healer who helps people break free from hidden blocks and rediscover who they truly are. Through her signature framework, Free Your Soul to Soar™, she bridges neuroscience and energy psychology to help people transform to reclaim their joy, worth, and wings.

CONTACT: Lisa Morgan at (314) 265-3491; lmorgan@rtirguests.com

This Psychotherapist Shares How Psychedelic Medicine Changed Her Life

Psychotherapist and author Anjalia McGoldrick traversed an unexpected path that transformed her life and work: psychedelic medicine. After surviving severe childhood trauma, abuse, and decades of conventional therapy, she reached a breaking point that traditional approaches could not heal. Her carefully guided plant medicine experience opened a profound door to insight, forgiveness, and emotional freedom she had never experienced before. She reveals how this powerful journey reshaped her understanding of trauma, inner wounds, and lasting healing.  She also shares the potential healing powers of psychedelics, and how these help people who are battling mental illness. Anjalia is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir “The Child I Left Behind: A Mother’s Journey To Healing and Forgiveness.”

Contact Anjalia McGoldrick at (540) 616-3200; amcgoldrick@rtirguests.com

How to Lead Peacefully in a World Full of Conflict

Your audience wants to lead better, whether that’s managing a team, raising a family, or navigating tense conversations in daily life. But most haven’t been taught a critical leadership skill that’s holding them back: how to navigate conflict in a way where everyone wins.

Samuel Bentil, global negotiation expert and author of Avoid Construction Disputes, shares practical, eye-opening strategies that go beyond “managing drama” and show people how to lead with calm, clarity, and emotional intelligence.

With 85% of workplace conflict tied to poor communication, and personal relationships suffering from the same patterns, Samuel’s insights help listeners show up differently at home, at work, and in their communities.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS: 

  • What’s the first thing to change if tension keeps showing up in your life?
  • Why does traditional leadership advice actually create more conflict?

CONTACT: Samuel at (778) 656-0067; sbentil@rtirguests.com 

Why Low Birthrates Might Be the Biggest Story of 2026

Births are falling, and fast. In 2026, France reported more deaths than births for the first time since WWII. China’s birthrate just hit a historic low despite massive financial incentives to have more children. OB/GYN Dr. Marina Straszak-Suri says this isn’t just a demographic dip. It’s a crisis with massive implications for the global workforce, elder care systems, and generational stabilit

She joins your show to explain what’s really behind the fertility decline, and why most people are focusing on the wrong things. Drawing on 30+ years in practice and insights from her new book Optimize Your Fertility Naturally, she’ll also explain why lifestyle, not just age or IVF, plays a critical role in conception.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS:

  • Can your daily habits really impact fertility more than your age?
  • Why are low birthrates more dangerous than most people think?

CONTACT: Dr. Marina Straszak-Suri at (613) 800-9412; msuri@rtirguests.com