Insights with Dick Goldberg

Life Lessons: A Conversation with Retirement Community Chaplains

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 [https://www.oakwoodvillage.net] in Madison, Wisconsin.   [https://www.dickgoldbergradio.com/site2/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/IMG_0329-300x225.jpg] Nicole Espe [https://www.dickgoldbergradio.com/site2/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/IMG_0328-300x225.jpg] Jessica McCarty

Teaching Disadvantaged Kids

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. [https://www.dickgoldbergradio.com/site2/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/images-9.jpeg]

Lessons From Prison

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. [https://jlusa.org/2025/08/20/doug-smith-on-his-new-book-the-path-of-rocks-and-thorns-leadership-lessons-from-a-prison-cell/#:~:text=A:%20The%20Path%20of%20Rocks,into%20addiction%2C%20sabotaged%20their%20career.] [https://www.dickgoldbergradio.com/site2/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/c-1733165383507-personal_1733165381803_1733165381803_douglas_smith_doug-smith-photo-222x300.jpg]

Prison & Jail Reform

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 [https://endresmfg.com/about/] 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 [https://captimes.com/new-madison-justice-team-aims-to-help-transition-from-jail-prison/article_145e8acc-b0dc-5b2a-90c0-a31ad94cc154.html] to bring together agencies, groups and individuals to work on reforming the criminal justice system. [https://www.dickgoldbergradio.com/site2/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Diane_Ballweg-copy-768x1024-1-225x300.jpg]

Workplace Motivation

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/melindaweisberg]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. [https://www.dickgoldbergradio.com/site2/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1754517511705.jpeg]