Scott Rada, Lee Enterprises social media manager, and Richard Kyte, director of the Ethics Institute at Viterbo University, talk about the intersection of ethics and modern life.
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Episode 151: Summer jobs are a rite of passage for many teens, offering a first taste of independence and responsibility. But these jobs come with their own set of benefits and challenges. On the one hand, they can teach valuable skills and provide financial independence. On the other hand, they can lead to stress, exploitation, and a delicate balancing act between work and personal life.
Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how we can ensure that the summer jobs teens take on are truly beneficial for their development without compromising their well-being.
About the hosts
Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and author of "Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way).
Episode 150: From best-selling books to motivational seminars, self-help has become a billion-dollar industry, promising personal transformation and success. But behind the allure of self-improvement, there are significant ethical questions.
How do self-help gurus and authors profit from people’s vulnerabilities? What responsibilities do these leaders have towards their followers? And, as self-help encourages us to constantly strive for betterment, what pressures and potential pitfalls does this create?
Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how to discern genuine guidance from exploitation, and what ethical framework should we apply when navigating this industry?
Links to stories discussed during the podcast
The true secret to happiness lies is helping others, Richard Kyte
5 problems with the self-help industry, by Mark Manson
About the hosts
Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and author of "Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way).
Episode 149: As the fall election creeps closer, most of us think of our political divide as Red America vs. Blue America. But another way to view our nation’s fractured landscape is to sort people into two camps: idealists and pragmatists. Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss these two political philosophies, the benefits of each and whether one approach is stronger.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast
Indiana is revealing the real consequences of one-party rule, by Mitch Daniels
About the hosts
Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and author of "Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way).
Episode 148: On last week’s episode, we celebrated the release of Richard Kyte's new book, “Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities and Making Great Friends Along the Way.” But this is such an important topic, we thought we’d dig into it a bit more.
For those who don’t know, third places are those community spots, like coffee shops, parks and libraries, that serve as informal public gathering spaces. They are neither home nor work, but somewhere in between.
Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about how regular visits to third places can foster a sense of belonging, which can lower our stress and increase our social connections.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast
Finding a place where we belong can be a struggle, by Richard Kyte
If you want to belong, find a third place, by Allie Volpe, Vox
About the hosts
Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Episode 147: Richard Kyte’s new book, “Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way),” is hitting bookstore shelves this month, and he talks with Scott Rada about why we all need to find somewhere where everyone knows our name.
About the hosts
Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.
Episode 146: A recent study found that just 53% of American adults read at least one fiction or nonfiction book in the past 12 months, the lowest level on record. Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss why instilling a love for reading early is important and why avid readers are better critical thinkers who can focus more deeply.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast
Why aren't young people reading anymore?, by Richard Kyte
Why kids aren't falling in love with reading, by Katherine Marsh, The Atlantic
About the hosts
Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.
Episode 145: A recent article in The Atlantic by Arthur C. Brooks says that the people whose lives are the happiest are able to find a balance between having enough important, mission-driven things to do in their lives without feeling overwhelmed by stress. Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about how to find that middle ground so you can have a healthier life.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast
Long working hours increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke, World Health Organization
Navel Gazing A journey through the life — and notebooks — of journalist John Dickerson
About the hosts
Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.
Episode 144: There was a period of time in America, roughly 1940 to 2000, during which we were largely part of a monoculture. Most of us watched the same TV shows and movies, read the same newspapers, and listened to the same radio stations. Today, however, because of the Internet, that's clearly not the case. And although this feels new to many of us, over the long arc of history, most people have never been part of a monoculture. Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how these changes affect how we live today.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast
Here's how rituals can shape our cultural identity, by Richard Kyte
How the logic of cults is taking over modern life, by Derek Thompson and Sam Illing
The misunderstood reason millions of Americans stopped going to church, by Jake Meador, The Atlantic
About the hosts
About the hosts Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Fulcrum Books will publish his soon-to-be released book, "Finding Your Third Place."
Episode 143: Americans’ love affair with sports is stronger than ever. According to a poll earlier this year by Pew Research, about half of Americans say they took part in organized, competitive sports in high school or college; most Americans who played sports in high school or college say their athletic experiences improved their physical health and confidence; and nearly 4-in-10 Americans follow professional or college sports at least somewhat closely.
Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss whether legalized gambling, the reliance on TV revenue and costly taxpayer-funded stadiums make sports less appealing.
Discussion topics:
The dark side of the sports betting boom, by Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN
Cash-grabbing power players are sending college sports Into a soulless spiral, by Pat Forde, Sports Illustrated
Stadium subsidies are getting even more ridiculous, by Dan Moore, The Atlantic
About the hosts
Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.
Episode 142: Most economists say that the U.S. economy is in a relatively strong position. Although inflation is still a concern, overall GDP numbers are strong, the unemployment rate is low, and wages are rising. Yet in a poll from earlier this year, just 28 percent of Americans rated national economic conditions as excellent or good.
There are many reasons for this disconnect, but one is certainly the high price of housing and the stubborn problem of homelessness in many of our cities.
Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about how the tight housing supply and zoning restrictions are especially harmful for those with the lowest incomes.
Links to stories mentioned in the podcast:
We can solve housing one communithy at a time, by Richard Kyte
Share of gross rent in household income in the United States in 2022, by Statista
Why is housing inventory so low? Understanding the the U.S. housing shortage, by Jess Ullrich, Bankrate
Where are all the apartments for families? by Rachel Cohen, Vox
Homeless or overhoused: Boomers are stuck at both ends of the housing spectrum, The Wall Street Journal
Biden administration to boost affordable housing programs, supply of manufactured homes, by Alex Gangitano, The Hill
Looking for a new car under $20,000? Good luck. Your choice has dwindled to one vehicle, by Tom Krisher, The Associated Press
About the hosts: Scott Rada is a digital strategist with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.