Episodes

In this episode of Next Steps Forward, Chris Meek facilitates an informative conversation with guests Steve Campbell and Ashley Powell. Working for the National Football League would be considered a dream job for many in the audience, Steve and Ashley will describe the paths that lead them to their roles as Vice President of Communications and Director of Community Relations, respectively, for the Indianapolis Colts. They will also discuss their responsibilities within their positions, the skill...

Program host Chris Meek highlights the documentary Quiet Explosions:Healing the Brain on this week's episode of Next Steps Forward. Director and producer Jerri Sher, along with Sebastian Sebby Raspanti, a 9/11 survivor who is featured in the film, speak about how the documentary focuses on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) in veterans, athletes and civilians. The film was awarded the Most Important Film of the Year 2021 by TMIF and follows the stories of ten individual...

Pattie Ehsaei provides her more than 400,000 followers on TikTok (“thesifactor”) with tips and tricks for social and workplace etiquette, along with financial literacy, and now she’s providing a crash course on her lessons in etiquette to the Next Steps Forward audience. Having established herself as an expert of “P’s and Q’s,” her followers look to her to help answer their questions on topics ranging from how to make and keep a budget to guidance on what the little fork is used for. Program hos...

Jotham Busfield and Jon Cunha help young guys between the ages of 8 and 25 years old in the Greater Boston area “Step Up + Move Forward” by providing therapy and coaching services through their company Riser + Tread. This week on Next Steps Forward, program host Chris Meek speaks with Jotham and Jon about the services that they offer, which include individual and group therapy, ADHD programming, sports performance and recovery and youth mentoring. Along with Riser + Tread, they are also the host...

Maria McCool, co-owner of Calista Salon & Spa in West Chester, PA, founder of the multi-million dollar business Calista Tools and perhaps best known by women across the nation as a QVC brand ambassador, speaks with Next Steps Forward host Chris Meek about her mission to help women feel great about themselves each and every day, or simply put, to become BeautyBrave. Maria’s BeautyBrave mission not only encompasses the bravery she cultivated while working hard as a woman in a traditionally male do...

Michelle Rogers, author of Trans Right, speaks with Chris Meek about how growing up with conservative values shaped her political philosophy and continues to do so today despite her journey of turning transgender later in life. Michelle embodies what it means to be both transgender and strongly conservative, a sector of individuals that is often overlooked and a reminder that their are many different voices and experiences of those in the transgender community. Though Michelle’s story may seem l...

Program host Chris Meek facilitates an informative discussion with Dimitra Manis, the Chief Purpose Officer for S&P Global, in this installment of Next Steps Forward. In her role, Dimitra oversees people, marketing, corporate responsibility, diversity, equity and inclusion, and communications using the skills that make her renowned for leading a “People First” experience at the company. Her experience spans across industries through a variety of progressive senior leadership roles with organizat...

Lisa Gable, who has served as the CEO of several organizations, former Presidential appointee, US Ambassador, UN Delegate and advisor to fortune 500 companies, speaks with Next Steps Forward host Chris Meek about how she has been recognized worldwide as a turnaround mastermind through her work orchestrating and executing successful turnarounds of well-known private and public organizations of all industries. On October 15, 2021 Lisa’s book “TURNAROUND - How to Change Course When Things Are Going...

Next Steps Forward host Chris Meek was at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. He was one of the fortunate ones able to survive the carnage of that day. He walked out of the city with the mass of humanity that had no way home except to help each other take their next steps forward. Surviving one of the most horrific days in American history, Chris made the commitment to give back to those who risk their lives on behalf of fellow Americans. As men and women left to fight the war abroad and returned...

Program host Chris Meek is joined by Mikey Nawrocki and Jason LaChance to discuss how the podcast they host, Knockin’ Doorz Down, seeks to motivate and inspire others to overcome their challenges in life.

Janet Baker is an Assistant General Counsel at S&P Global Inc. and certified Information Privacy Professional for both Europe and the United States.

Program host Chris Meek is pleased to sit down with Sylvie Légère Ricketts on this week’s episode of Next Steps Forward to discuss the philanthropist’s passion for leveraging technology to provide solutions to unite and inspire individuals and for advancing future generations of changemakers, particularly those that are female. A staunch believer in the power of public policy’s impact on daily life, Sylvie is the co-founder and chairman of The Policy Circle, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization...

Next Steps Forward host Chris Meek is joined by 20TIMinutes podcast creator and host Tim McCarthy to discuss how his own experiences with mental health, including living with ADHD, anxiety, bipolar II and manic depression, as well as a suicide attempt, has shaped his view on brain health and the topics he discusses with his guests each week on his podcast. The audience will find the manner in which Tim tackles mental health to be refreshing and completely void of judgement. His stories and persp...

Program host Chris Meek speaks with inspirational speaker, author, coach and advocate Jennifer Tracy on this installment of Next Steps Forward. Jennifer experienced tragedy at the age of 29 when her husband and one of her daughters were killed in a drunk driving accident and will discuss how she was able, with God’s help, to put her experience into perspective to use the skills she already had to face life head on. She will detail what it means to “lose the battle, win the war,” the idea that if...

On this installment of Next Steps Forward, program host Chris Meek speaks with Lt. Col. Justin Constantine about his experience serving in the Marine Corp as a JAG officer. Constantine will share the powerful story of how he survived a gunshot to the head by a sniper while on a combat patrol and how he has emerged as a portrait of courage in the years since. Constantine will discuss his current focus on workforce development for veterans and disadvantaged job seekers and provide an inside look i...

In this installment of Next Steps Forward, program host Chris Meek speaks with Dot Sheehan, founder, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization Operation Hat Trick (OHT) which supports the recovery of wounded service members and veterans through the sale of OHT branded merchandise, the proceeds of which are donated to those organizations that align with OHT’s mission. Sheehan will speak about how the $1.6 million that OHT has donated since its inception in 2008 has positively impacted the l...

On this installment of Next Steps Forward program host Chris Meek speaks with legendary NFL linebacker and defensive end Charles Haley. Haley, who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1986 to 1991 and again from 1998 to 1999, as well as the Dallas Cowboys from 1992 to 1996, will speak about the trajectory of his football career from high school to college and then on to the NFL. Haley will discuss what it takes to play professionally, how he learned to use his teammate’s strengths to increase...

On this episode of Next Steps Forward, program host Chris Meek speaks with Ken Hersh, current President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and co-founder of NGP Energy Capital Management. Hersh will discuss the nonpartisan philanthropic endeavors carried out by the George W. Bush Institute, which serves as the public policy arm of the Bush Center and focuses on economic growth, education, post-9/11 veterans and leadership. He will share how he first met President Bush and how he a...

Next Steps Forward host Chris Meek is honored to speak with Dana Perino, co-anchor of FOX News Channel’s morning news program America’s Newsroom and co-host of The Five, about her career as an American political commentator, bestselling author and role as White House press secretary under President George W. Bush. Perino will speak about the lessons that she has learned throughout her career on how to maintain a level head and find success in the face of adversity. No conversation with Perino wo...

Steve LaCroix speaks with “Next Steps Forward” host Chris Meek about his successful 30-year career as a sports and entertainment executive. Having served as the Minnesota Vikings’ executive vice president and chief marketing officer from 2001 to 2020, LaCroix will provide a glimpse into what it’s like to work for a major sports franchise, how he adjusted to being an effective leader during the pandemic - including what it was really like for the players to play games without fans in the stadium ...

Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin joins program host Chris Meek in this installment of Next Steps Forward to discuss his personal battle with bipolar disorder. Having commanded the largest engineering force in the theater, the 130th Engineer Brigade, during the Iraq War; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwest Division, served as Commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer School and Fort Leonard Wood, Deputy Commanding General of Third Army/US Army Central, Commandant of the Army War College...

Andi Buerger, founder and chair of Voices Against Trafficking, and the Hon. Blanquita Cullum, co-founder of Voices Against Trafficking and host of The Hard Question on WCGO AM/FM, join program host Chris Meek in this installment of Next Steps Forward. Buerger and Cullum will provide perspective on the current state of human trafficking in the United States, focusing in particular on the trafficking and other forms of abuse that are taking place at the southern border. Along with providing common...

Daniel Fairley, a Youth Opportunity Coordinator focused on Black Male Achievement for the City of Charlottesville, and John Thompson, a Family Services Specialist for the Charlottesville Department of Human Services, join Chris Meek in this installment of Next Steps Forward to discuss mental health in the Black community and existing inequalities both inside and outside of the mental healthcare structure. Hosts of the podcast “How U?,” (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAW96LgJg-Hr4CQzTqn1uJQ) w...

Alden Mills, three-time Navy SEAL platoon commander, founder/CEO of one of the nation’s former fastest-growing companies and leadership speaker, joins Chris Meek in this installment of Next Steps Forward. Believing that every individual is born to be unstoppable, Mills will discuss how exactly we can become unstoppable, what exactly it means to be unstoppable and how for many of us our first challenge is to be stopped so that we can rise above it to be our unstoppable selves. Drawing from a mixt...