Dr. Lee Hansen, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Author of Forgetting and Forgotten: Dementia and the Right to Die, shares with Dick his experiences and all he learned about dementia while taking care of his wife during her ten year battle with this all too common disease.

In Germany in 1938, Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, was sanctioned by the Nazi government. Synagogues and Jewish businesses were burned, 91 Jews were murdered and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. By the end of World War II, six million Jews were exterminated in these camps. In these years, what was the response to the atrocities by the government, by the media and by religious organizations in the United States? What lessons learned in the past can be applied to our deeply conflict-ridden world today?

Dick’s guest, Ofer Ashkenazi is a Professor of History and the Director of the Koebner-Minerva Center for German History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has written numerous books and articles on German history and Jewish life under Nazism. He is currently a visiting Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Nearly two million dogs in the U.S. are tasked with being more than just cute and cuddly. These dogs are Emotional Support Dogs. Some of these animals have a even more challenging role of being a Psychiatric Service Dog. How useful in healing are they? Who can best benefit from their support?

Dick’s guest, Jane Miller is a licensed psychotherapist and LISW. She is the founder of Healing Companions and author of Healing Companions: Ordinary Dogs and Their Extraordinary Power to Transform Lives.

Do New Year resolutions work? Are they worth the bother? Is there a better way to get your life on track?

Dick’s guest, Patricia Clason, has been leading workshops for corporate clients and the State of Wisconsin for 30 years on how to get your life organized and actualized. She has written and conducted workshops on life management, time management and finding your life purpose.

About one in eleven Americans will suffer sometime in their life from disordered eating. Treating eating disorders can be extensive, arduous and very expensive, ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. What are the problematic disordered eating patterns and how can they best be treated?

Dick’s guest, Carolyn Karroll is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Maryland. She is the co-author of Eating Disorders Group Therapy and writes an ongoing blog on PsychologyToday.com.

A chaplain in a retirement community is part spiritual advisor, part counselor, part crisis responder and part sage on life’s tough subjects.

Dick’s guests are Nicole Espe, who has served as a parish pastor as well as a hospital night chaplain and Jessica McCarty whose capstone project explored loneliness in the aging population and the role of spirituality. Both join Dick to discuss what they have learned while currently serving the population as ordained chaplains at Oakwood Village Retirement Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Nicole Espe

Jessica McCarty

Half of students in public schools in the United States are low income. Also half are minorities. What are the challenges and what are the solutions to better educate these kids?

Dick’s guest, Art Rainwater retired in 2008 after 10 years as Superintendent of Madison Metropolitan School District in Madison, Wisconsin. He is currently Clinical Professor of Education Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dick’s guest, Douglas Smith, was a social worker, a policy insider at the Texas capitol and a father when untreated mental illness and addiction led him to rob a bank and land in prison for nearly six years. He is now flourishing as a social worker helping people develop leadership skills. His recent book is The Path of Rocks & Thorns: Leadership Lessons From a Prison Cell.

There are currently about 2,000,000 people incarcerated in the United States. Some say this system of justice is thoroughly unjust, costly and needlessly punishes instead of rehabilitates. What can be done to improve or even fix this system?

Dick’s guest, Diane Endres-Ballweg is a business owner, philanthropist and author who recently attended the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard, leading her to co-found the Madison Justice Team to bring together agencies, groups and individuals to work on reforming the criminal justice system.

A recent Gallup poll found that only 32% of American workers feel engaged in their jobs. How can employers best motivate their workers, particularly in the non-profit sector, to feel engaged and fulfilled?

Dick’s guest, Dr. Melinda Weisberg holds a Doctorate in Management, Masters Degree in Education, (with an emphasis in adult education and organizational development) and undergraduate degrees in Public Relations and Economics. She is currently a part-time professor at Edgewood College.