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The Crisis Cast

The Crisis Cast is a conversational journey in business leadership during a crisis. Our cast of experts review crisis management scenarios and provide resources for navigating uncharted waters. Each episode is moderated by renowned crisis communicators Lissa Druss and Thom Serafin.

Rod McCulloch - Why Voters Are Smarter Than You Think

33 mins; March 19, 2026

John Kass - Words To Live By

30 mins; March 11, 2026

Dan Pompei - The Once & Future Bears

33 mins; February 27, 2026

Rick Heidner - When Politics Get Personal

38 mins; February 20, 2026

Bela Gandhi - The Science of Finding Love

35 mins; February 12, 2026

Ilyce Glink - Your Money's Wake Up Call

32 mins; February 09, 2026

Justin Kaufmann - City Hall of Wonders

33 mins; January 30, 2026

Pat Brady - Reclaiming the Republican message

31 mins; January 22, 2026

Ben Szalinski - The Beltway vs. Springfield

26 mins; January 12, 2026

Kevin Matthews - Broken Mary's Roadie

32 mins; December 24, 2025

Jarrett Payton - I Wake Up to Give Back

29 mins; December 18, 2025

Craig Volden - The Art of Lawmaking

29 mins; December 13, 2025

FLASHBACK: Frank Main - The Long Tail of Justice

30 mins; December 04, 2025

Gratitude Is Great Medicine

16 mins; November 26, 2025

Bonnie Jordan - The Rock For The Most Vulnerable

28 mins; November 13, 2025

FLASHBACK: Nick Kass - Question Everything

56 mins; November 05, 2025

Sylvie Légère - Dialogue Without Labels

29 mins; October 30, 2025

Bill Kurtis - The Truth Will Always Matter

39 mins; October 22, 2025

Donna Dupont - Finding Our Collective Intelligence

31 mins; October 14, 2025

Eddie Johnson - Where Are The Adults In The Room

27 mins; October 08, 2025

Helena Volzer - Big Data's Drain On Our Water

17 mins; September 30, 2025

David Haugh - Bullish on the Bears

35 mins; September 24, 2025

Whiteboard: Seeking Civility

14 mins; September 16, 2025

Kam Buckner - Unity Doesn't Mean We All Agree

41 mins; September 05, 2025

Det. Rich Wistocki - How To Stop School Shootings

40 mins; September 01, 2025

Austin Berg - Seeking Governance Grown-ups

33 mins; August 25, 2025

The Politics of Safety

25 mins; August 19, 2025

FLASHBACK: Seeking Refuge - A Migrant Family's Journey

27 mins; August 11, 2025

Chris Bury - Shepherding Next Gen Journalism

34 mins; August 05, 2025

Richard Porter - Defending Americanism

31 mins; July 28, 2025

Andrew Stroth - The Cost of Injustice

36 mins; July 21, 2025

FLASHBACK: Dagmar Braun Celeste - Women & The Priesthood

42 mins; July 14, 2025

Amy Jacobson - Crushing the Dream Crushers

25 mins; July 07, 2025

Amy Jacobson - Crushing the Dream Crushers

25 mins; July 05, 2025

LauraJane Hyde - Community is our "C" Word

30 mins; June 30, 2025

Lou Sandoval - Sailing The Waves of Illinois Business

34 mins; June 23, 2025

Clinée Hedspeth - How Art Feeds Chicago's Economy

29 mins; June 16, 2025

Ray Hanania - What To Do With A Public Feud

35 mins; June 09, 2025

Matthew Serafin - My Viral Life with Beyoncé

38 mins; June 02, 2025

Fr. Anthony Pizzo - My 50-year friendship with Pope Leo XIV

29 mins; May 23, 2025

FLASHBACK: Druss & Serafin - Gifts of Immigration

22 mins; May 19, 2025

Robin Johnson - How To Be Illinois' Next Senator

40 mins; May 13, 2025

George Ryan - In His Words

27 mins; May 04, 2025

Illinois' Pension Crisis

26 mins; April 28, 2025

José Sánchez - Building A Healthcare Safety Net

27 mins; April 22, 2025

Kam Buckner - Fighting for Chicago's reputation

30 mins; April 13, 2025

Roe Conn - Living In The Real World of Justice

30 mins; April 03, 2025

Our COVID-19 Birth

24 mins; March 21, 2025

Ted Dabrowski - How To Revive Illinois

30 mins; March 14, 2025

Gregory Royal Pratt - Grading Mayor Johnson's trip to Capitol Hill

38 mins; March 07, 2025

Brian Bernardoni - DOGE's Non-Profit Fallout

25 mins; February 27, 2025

Ray Long - The Fall of Mike Madigan

38 mins; February 21, 2025

Crisis Cast Whiteboard: Illinois' Greatest Irony

23 mins; February 13, 2025

Amy Guth - Why Words Matter

46 mins; February 06, 2025

Crisis Cast Whiteboard - Tragedy in Washington D.C.

19 mins; January 30, 2025

Ilyce Glink - Best Money Moves 2025

35 mins; January 23, 2025

Justin Kaufmann - Trespassing on the NEXT New Year

25 mins; January 16, 2025

Our Crisis Master's Degree

29 mins; January 09, 2025

Crisis Cast Flashback: Al Gini "Survival Through Laughter"

23 mins; December 31, 2024

Greg Sakowicz - The Meaning of Christmas

28 mins; December 12, 2024

Justin Kaufmann - Chicago's New Era of Council Chaos

20 mins; December 05, 2024

Clare Takash - Healing Through Songs

38 mins; November 26, 2024

Richard Irvin - Aurora's World

31 mins; November 21, 2024

Beth Amodio - The Evolution of Giving

35 mins; November 14, 2024

Trump Again - How It Happened

35 mins; November 07, 2024

Hermene Hartman - Facing Darkness & Light

38 mins; October 31, 2024

Rod McCulloch - The Harsh Reality

33 mins; October 23, 2024

Crisis Cast Flashback: Paul Ciolino "Emptying Death Row"

36 mins; October 16, 2024

Paul Vallas - CPS In Turmoil

31 mins; October 10, 2024

G.H. Merritt - Pushing For A NEW Illinois

33 mins; October 03, 2024

Anthony Beale - ShotSpotter Shutdown

33 mins; September 25, 2024

Crisis Cast Flashback: Paul Kendrick "Candidate Camp"

30 mins; September 18, 2024

Crisis Cast Whiteboard: Debates & Debacles

20 mins; September 11, 2024

Austin Berg - The "NEW" Chicago Way

37 mins; September 03, 2024

Forrest Claypool - The Daley Show

37 mins; August 19, 2024

Rick Pearson – Chicago's Image On The Line

30 mins; August 14, 2024

Crisis Cast Whiteboard - Walz, Jobs, and the L-G-D-F

16 mins; August 07, 2024

Eddie Johnson & Garry McCarthy – ShotSpotter and The Secret Service

44 mins; July 24, 2024

Richard Porter - Live from Republican Nat'l Convention

23 mins; July 15, 2024

Ray Long - Madigan, Burke, and Colliding Courts

26 mins; July 09, 2024

Ray Long - A Debate At Helm's Deep

32 mins; July 02, 2024

Crisis Cast Flashback - Kelly Richmond Pope "Discovering Your Strength"

22 mins; June 24, 2024

Steve Cochran – Finding Your Megaphone

36 mins; June 18, 2024

Crisis Cast Flashback: Aurelia Pucinski - Smarter Than The Boss

35 mins; June 10, 2024

Sgt. Allen Lynch – Unimaginable Heroism

26 mins; June 03, 2024

Crisis Cast Whiteboard – Debating the Biden-Trump Debate(s)

28 mins; May 27, 2024

Crisis Cast Flashback: Sheila Bedi - Driving Toward Justice

31 mins; May 21, 2024

Shia Kapos - What Is A Progressive?

30 mins; May 13, 2024

Heroics In The Face Of Terror

36 mins; May 07, 2024

Crisis Cast Whiteboard: Are The Bears Bluffing?

23 mins; April 30, 2024

Crisis Cast Flashback - War in Ukraine Through Italy's Eyes

23 mins; April 22, 2024

Mitch Rosen - Scoring The Radio Game

40 mins; April 15, 2024

Frank Calabrese - The NEW Neighborhood Divide

21 mins; April 08, 2024

Crisis Cast Flashback - Youth Mental Health Crisis

26 mins; April 01, 2024

David Haugh - Take Me "Where" To The Ballgame

36 mins; March 25, 2024

Craig Wall - Fighting For Trust

37 mins; March 19, 2024

Ray Long - Mining The Minds of Madigan

38 mins; March 11, 2024

Crisis Cast flashback: Carol Moseley Braun

26 mins; March 04, 2024

Shamus Toomey - Defining Journalism's Future

38 mins; February 26, 2024

David Hochberg - The Credit Utilization Crisis

28 mins; February 19, 2024

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The Crisis Cast

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