Grappling with the Gray

Grappling with the Gray

Are you ethical? Join Rabbi Yonason Goldson and his panel of thinkers as they grapple with a new ethical challenge each week. Only by contemplating all sides and every angle can we improve ethical decision-making, build more trusting relationships, and help create a more ethical world.

Episodes

August 27, 2025 45 mins

Can empathy be taken too far? If so, where's the line?

These are the questions that drive  the conversation when Jennifer Elder, Jeff Ikler, and Tomer Yogev join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

On Memorial Day, Delta Flight 694 from Detroit to Los Angeles diverted to Minneapolis to provide emergency medical care… not for a passenger, but for a passenger’s pet dog.

Mark as Played

When we know the solution, why does it continue to elude us?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Paul Edwards, 🟦 Melissa Hughes, Ph.D., and K Kimi Hirotsu Ziemski join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is out topic:

My colleague Tim Richardson posted about his trip to a big box store, where he forgot to unload a case of beverages from his cart into the car.

H...

Mark as Played

Is a little deception ever a good thing?

That's the question that drives the conversation when 🎙️William C. Attaway, ☘️Mark O'Brien, and • Sue Tinnish, PhD join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

On June 20, President Trump told the world he would decide "within the next two weeks" whether to strike Iran. Two days later, B-2 stealth bombers dropped 30-ton bo...

Mark as Played

How far can we stretch truth in advertising?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Christopher Bauer, PhD, CSP, CFS, Nancy J. Capistran, PCC, CPC, and S. Scott Mason join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our ethics challenge:

In Paducah, Kentucky, neighbors called police reporting a 9-year-old who set up a roadside stand in front of his house. He held up a sign adver...

Mark as Played

How can we explain toxic trends in opposite directions?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Kimberly Davis, Jennifer Hyland, and Peter Winick join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

In this week’s headlines, Inc.com highlighted a viral April 12 post that described the Robert W. Baird investment bank as “The Epitome of a Sweatshop.” In response, the Wall St...

Mark as Played

What happens when employees perceive a scalpel as an axe?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Tom Gegax joins me to Grapple with the Gray and Kirsten Yurich sits in as cohost.

Here is our topic:

Employee performance, especially in large companies, is likely to follow the bell curve. A few superstars, a lot of solid performers, and a few underperformers. Amazon has developed an innov...

Mark as Played

How much does the government need to know to do its job?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Krista Crawford, Ph.D., MBA, SPHR, Sarah Kalmeta, and Jolanta Pomiotlo join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

And here is our topic:

Paul Whelan, a 55-year-old retired U.S. Marine, was freed from Russia last summer after being imprisoned on false espionage charges for more than five...

Mark as Played

When the problem is always someone else's fault, is there any hope of finding a solution?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Deb Coviello The Drop In CEO™, Diane Helbig, and ☘️Mark O'Brien join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

A recent headline in Politico declared: “Republicans have hated universities for years. Anti-war protests gave them a ...

Mark as Played

Which is worse: conscious bias or unconscious bias?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Paul Glover, 🟦 Melissa Hughes, Ph.D., and Annette Taylor join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

On March 10th, Washington Post columnist and Associate Editor Ruth Marcus resigned after four decades with the paper. She accused Chief Executive and Publisher Will Lewis o...

Mark as Played

How can we explain society simultaneously becoming insensitive and hypersensitive?

That's the question that drives the conversation when
Mark Brown, CSP, Kimberly Davis, and Kirsten Yurich join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic

A recent article in National Review by Kayla Bartsch laments how the concept of RSVP has died an ignominious death among her fellow Gen Z-ers.<...

Mark as Played

Is justice served if you talk your way out of court?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Christopher Bauer, PhD, CSP, CFS, Jennifer H. Elder, CSP, CPA, and Jeff Koziatek join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

Jewish folklore tells of a poor man who finds a billfold with $700 in it. At his synagogue, he reads on the notice board that a wealthy congregant h...

Mark as Played

Are we engineering our way toward disaster?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Catherine Fitzgerald, Stewart Wiggins, and K Kimi Hirotsu Ziemski join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

The tragic air crash of January 29 over Washington, DC, followed two days later by a second crash over Philadelphia, has left us all feeling both heartbroken and decidedly ...

Mark as Played

When we know what the problem is and we know how to fix it, why isn't it getting fixed?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Sam Ardery, ☘️Mark O'Brien, and Kelly Paxton - Pink Collar Crime Expert join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

The horror of California wildfires has seized attention all across the country. Over 40,000 acres burned, over 1...

Mark as Played

It’s been said that history is written by the winners.
Today, however, history is more likely to be written by ideologues.

This is the issue that drives the discussion when 🟦 Jeff Ikler, S. Scott Mason, and • Sue Tinnish, PhD join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

On one extreme, self-styled patriots seek to whitewash the human elements of heroic figures by censoring fault...

Mark as Played

Is the long arm of the law too long or not long enough?

That's the question that drives the conversation when the ethics panel convenes with Krista Crawford, Ph.D., MBA, SPHR, Diane Helbig, and Peter Winick to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

Last week, Australia made world headlines by passing legislation to ban social media use for children under 16 years old. Many support the intent of th...

Mark as Played

Have the critics of Cancel Culture turned on their own?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Deb Coviello The Drop In CEO™, 🟦 Melissa Hughes, Ph.D., and Jolanta Pomiotlo join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

FOX NFL Sunday’s special in honor of Veteran’s Day unleashed a firestorm of controversy when New York Giants legend and Fox commentator Michael Stra...

Mark as Played

Is having the right words enough, or could it be part of the problem?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Sarah Kalmeta, 🟦 Mark O'Brien, and Kirsten Yurich join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

For those of us will be grateful when elections are over regardless of who has won or lost, here are a few recent non-partisan headlines.

From Inc....

Mark as Played

When both sides are wrong, who's right?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Amii Barnard-Bahn, JD, PCC, CCEP, Kimberly Davis, and Mary Beth Molloy join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

A recent article in Newsweek reported that 83 percent of Gen Z frontline workers are feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, with a third of those considering quitting the...

Mark as Played

It seemed like a good idea at the time. But why?


That's the question that drives the conversation when Catherine Fitzgerald, Steven Smith, and K Kimi Hirotsu Ziemski join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.


Here is our topic:


One of the underlying principles of ethics is that trust forms the foundation of successful relationships and healthy communities. This simple idea explains why team building exercises ...

Mark as Played

Do two wrongs make a right? How about one-and-a-half wrongs?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Mark Herschberg, Sven Lauch, and Stewart Wiggins join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

Late last year, a senior German policeman was convicted of threatening a suspect with torture to extract information about the whereabouts of an abducted boy. Wolfgang Dasc...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

    Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.