The Crisis Files

Host Roshini Rajkumar invites you on a bespoke culinary experience. Will there be food? Ohhh yes. And...food for thought. James Beard award-winning Chef Gavin Kaysen shares his magical ingredients. Find out how a memorable mentor, perseverance, grit, and grace play into the menu. Gavin winds down 2026 doubling the size of his restaurant group and continues to celebrate sous chefs who have worked for him and the several who went on to open their own restaurants. Learn about Gavin's early days working for Chef Daniel Boulud and eventually becoming the trusted right-hand who opened Boulud restaurants all over the world. Until the day came for Gavin to hang his own chef's hat in 2014 with his first restaurant, Spoon and Stable, in Minneapolis. Eventually, Gavin added Demi and Bellecour in the Twin Cities and, most recently in 2025, The Merchant Room in Naples, Florida. This episode is a master class in succession planning, crucial conversations, and authenticity for any stage of the dish of life. Whether you are a business owner, foodie, or leader who needs a dash of inspiration for your own team, we invite you to sit back, pour yourself a favorite glass, and savor this special conversation.

As baseball fans sink their teeth into the 2026 World Series, they might not realize the 2027 season is in jeopardy. Host Roshini Rajkumar turns to the show's sports guru and legal eagle Steve Silton of Cozen O'Connor for all the hits, runs, and errors. That's right, a lockout looms. December 1 is the deadline for Major League Baseball owners and players to come to a deal or risk throwing a lockout. It's been 5 years since a 99-day lockout in 2021 and more than 30 years since a baseball strike that lasted 232 days. That strike hurt the sport as a whole. The big issue: A salary cap. Baseball has never had a cap or a floor. Steve shares why the NFL's focus on parity is a winning strategy: Having a hard cap and a hard floor allows every fan to think their team has a chance at the beginning of the season. Find out what is needed to prevent a lockout and how competition for the eyeballs of fans puts a very challenged sport to the test. At such a critical moment for America's storied pastime, we send good vibes to negotiations that could see extra innings after the 2026 World Series is in the rearview.

An awesome responsibility. Even a civic privilege. That's what jury selection and jury duty are in the United States judicial process. Host Roshini Rajkumar takes us in session with Judge Lois Conroy of Minnesota District Court. Though rules may vary state to state and with the federal system, one thing remains true for all in Judge Conroy's words: "It is an enormous responsibility and one I find that jurors as a whole take seriously." TV crime shows don't always get rules of evidence right or follow actual laws accurately. In light of high-profile cases like Lindsay Clancy's, we also see jurors getting scrutinized for their actions. In a time when jurors are more likely than ever to do media interviews and threats against judges keep climbing, this episode lays out the players and the process, inviting you to become more civically savvy before you squawk at how a crime is charged, who the participants are, and what would happen if you were in that courtroom as a judge of the facts.

We might have to re-name this one Wisdom Bombs. Host Roshini Rajkumar's walk back to the football field with Super Bowl Champ Matt Birk provides plenty of extra points and few fumbles. The Crisis Files caught up with Matt not long after he turned fifty to find out about life since his fifteen seasons playing in the NFL and retiring by his own choice. The former Baltimore Raven and Minnesota Viking gets real about the grind before game days that instilled a "work harder" attitude in his own life. He credits the sport with teaching him everything he needed to know and apply to his marriage, business ventures, and parenting eight kids. Mainly: Show up. Join a spree through emotions and poignant reflections by this six-time Pro Bowler and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year recipient. Plus, go inside the pivotal conversation Matt had with his former offensive line coach Mike Tice about his former teammate John Randle and Matt's special wish regarding Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Do you really know the difference between your physical and your spiritual body? Why does it matter? Host Roshini Rajkumar dives into all things body, mind, spirit with energy healer Alan Michael. He talks about your "aura" as the energy of your soul. That aura can become depleted or energized. Social media, news events, and even other people's energy all affect your aura. Roshini asks Alan for recommended first steps in spiritual cleansing. You might be surprised how simple his prescription. Use his tips at work and at home. Find out what nature has to offer and how to investigate even deeper healing methods. If you want to connect directly with Alan, e-mail the show on our website at https://thecrisisfiles.com/

Fight or flight on one end. Total shutdown on the other. These are the extreme states of being when we fall out of our window of tolerance. Host Roshini Rajkumar probes what it all means with licensed therapist and executive coach Meredith O'Shea. She applies her past life as a therapist, with a specialty in complex trauma and PTSD, to the modern workplace through her company Scaling Within. This mind-opening conversation will have you asking yourself how to stay in your own window of tolerance at all times. Learn tips for how to return when you're pushing the edges and what not to do when you fall out. Mental strength training is possible, and this episode is your first step. Plus, why a sauna and cold plunge practice could actually help.

Case File #212: Fluid Fandom by Roshini Rajkumar

In our Season 5 kick-off, host Roshini Rajkumar shares the harrowing tale of WHEN not IF crisis struck and prevented a once-in-a-lifetime overseas trip to her country of birth. You'll learn about the near-death situation of her loved one and why Roshini's front-row seat to the crisis changed her forever. She opens up now to help you prevent future emergencies in your world. Roshini goes full on crisis-prevention with her 5-part Checklist for Life. Because if death stares you in the face and you have not handled the items on this list, you leave yourself and your loved ones unprotected. This is an episode you'll want to share with everyone you care about and make sure anyone in a position to make decisions for you and your family knows exactly what to do if crisis strikes. This Case File is dedicated to the health care professionals in the ER and Intensive Care Unit at New York Health + Hospitals Elmhurst. For more end-of-life preparation tips, check out Case File #33: Death Does Not Become Us.

You are perfect the way you are. That's the sentiment confidence coach Debra Alfarone wants you to always remember. Not only because it's true, but because it fuels an inner narrative toward accomplishment. Host Roshini Rajkumar probed why betting on themselves is a challenge for people with national TV correspondent and host of The Good Side on Gray Media. Debra explains the key to confidence lives in overcoming vulnerability and learning how to take NO for an answer. In fact, you might not believe how many no's Debra recommends you allow. Debra shares insights from life as a high school dropout with no positive adult mentors as a child. But thanks to what she calls a few "label whisperers," she learned how to be kinder to herself and believe she could accomplish things beyond her dreams. This is a Case File you'll want to put on repeat and share with your teams of any age.

John Ritter. Lindsay Wagner. Jennifer Lopez. Even the Incredible Hulk. Michael Mackie has interviewed them all. But one celeb remains elusive. Host Roshini Rajkumar goes inside the world of Kansas City's media darling to learn his unique method to mastering the art of less is more. When small talk gets you nowhere and the 4-minute clock ticks fast, locking in your research and savvy preparation are key before celeb handlers call time. In this funny and touching episode, Michael also shares his battle with alcohol while living the ups and downs on the job and in life. He lost both parents before his book, You Have 4 Minutes: My Life as an Unlikely Celebrity Interviewer, was published. He suffered a rare stroke that nearly killed him. You'll come away cheering for yourself in a way that Michael has the gift of landing. Plus, find out why Velveeta may play into his landing that dream interview.