Comfort Cases: Unpacked Podcast | Episode 1 | David Thalberg & Nicholas Balestracci

A new season. A new name. And a chance to unpack where we’ve been and where we’re going next.

After seven seasons as Fostering Change, we’re beginning a new chapter with Comfort Cases: UnPacked.

The name may be changing, but the mission remains the same: creating honest conversations about foster care, amplifying lived experiences, and introducing you to the “Good Humans” working every day to create change.

For the Season 8 premiere, Rob Scheer turns the microphones around and welcomes two people who are usually behind the scenes: David Thalberg, Public Relations Director for Comfort Cases and the podcast’s producer, and Nicholas Balestracci, Vice President of Marketing for Comfort Cases.

Together, Rob, David, and Nick reflect on how the podcast has evolved, what goes into creating each episode, and why storytelling has become such an important part of the Comfort Cases mission.

They also look ahead to The F Word: America’s Foster Care Crisis, a special investigative series exploring some of the most difficult issues facing the child welfare system, as well as Rob’s upcoming podcast, Built on Purpose.

Most importantly, they answer a question Rob likes to ask every year: Why should we keep doing this?

CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS

Why Fostering Change became Comfort Cases: UnPacked
How the podcast has evolved over seven seasons
What David and Nick do behind the scenes
How the team chooses guests and stories
What David and Nick have learned from listening to lived experiences
Memorable guests and conversations
Why storytelling is essential to the Comfort Cases mission
A preview of The F Word: America’s Foster Care Crisis and Built on Purpose

ABOUT DAVID THALBERG

David Thalberg serves as Public Relations Director for Comfort Cases and is President of the Stryker-Munley Group in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since 2020, David has helped lead communications and media relations for Comfort Cases and the Scheer family. He also produces Comfort Cases: UnPacked, The F Word: America’s Foster Care Crisis, and Rob Scheer’s upcoming podcast, Built on Purpose. With more than 30 years of experience, David advises organizations and leaders on strategic communications, media relations, positioning, branding, thought leadership, and storytelling.

ABOUT NICHOLAS BALESTRACCI

Nicholas Balestracci is Vice President of Marketing at Comfort Cases, where he helps expand awareness of the organization and its mission to bring dignity, hope, and comfort to children and youth in foster care. Nick also leads the technical and digital production of Comfort Cases: UnPacked by editing and engineering episodes, publishing the show across podcast and video platforms, and overseeing social media content for Comfort Cases and its podcasts.

CONNECT WITH DAVID THALBERG

Instagram

TikTok

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, like, comment, and share Comfort Cases:Unpacked. Your support helps us reach more people and continue these important conversations about foster care, adoption, and child welfare.

To find out more about Comfort Cases, please visit our website: www.comfortcases.org.

You can also follow us on our social media channels:

To listen to previous episodes of Fostering Change and Comfort Cases: Unpacked, please visit: www.comfortcases.org/podcast or your favorite podcast outlets.

📩 Have thoughts or questions, or an idea for a future guest? Reach out at fosteringchange@comfortcases.org – we’d love to hear from you! From all of us at Comfort Cases: Unpacked, thank you for listening, for sharing this journey with us through seven incredible seasons, and for believing that every child deserves dignity, belonging, and hope.