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.

Episode 141: Our lives are dependent on the choices we make, and in most cases, we have more choices than ever.

A study by Harvard University shows that having fewer choices can promote happiness because the more options you have, the more opportunities you have to regret the choice you've made. There is also a term called the “parallelizing paradox,” which is when people who are faced with more options than they can effectively consider feel unsure what to do.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how people can navigate the seemingly unlimited number of options they face in everyday life.

Episode 140: Nearly seven months after the Israel-Hamas war began, many campuses across the country are dealing with pro-Palestinian demonstrations and encampments.

Some college presidents have chosen to involve the police, which has led to hundreds of students being arrested. In addition, these protests have again stirred up a debate about the limits of free speech, as some think the messaging has become antisemitic.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss the four tenets of ethical protests and why such principles are important.

Links to stories mentioned in the podcast:

Are student protests against Israel missing the mark?, by Richard Kyte

What students read before they protest, by Ross Douthat, The New York Times

Columbia University responds after Robert Kraft says he's pulling support over anti-semitic violence, by Greg Norman, Fox Business

College students should study more, by Matthew Yglesias, Slow Boring

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, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

Episode 139: If you were making a list of superstar psychologists, Carl Jung would be toward the top. According to a recent story by Arthur C. Brooks in The Atlantic, the one-time associate of Sigmund Freud coined the terms extravert and introvert, along with many of the other words we use to describe mental health today.

One topic he thought a lot about was happiness, and how difficult it was to obtain. In 1960, as he neared the end of his long life, Jung shared five pillars that he said could help us make progress toward being happy. Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss these five pillars and why they each play an important role:

1. Good physical and mental health.
2. Good personal and intimate relations, such as those of marriage, family and friendships
3. Seeing beauty in art and in nature.
4. A reasonable standard of living and satisfactory work.
5. A philosophical or religious outlook that fosters resilience.

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager 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, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.