Episodes
April 22, 2025
The Second Fifty: Empowering America’s Aging Population w/ Dr. Debra Whitman
This week on Next Steps Forward , host Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Dr. Debra Whitman, Chief Public Policy Officer at AARP and a nationally recognized authority on aging, economic security, and public policy. In this powerful and ...
April 15, 2025
Navigating the "Failure to Launch" Phenomenon w/ Dr. Mark McConville
In this week’s episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Dr. Mark McConville, a clinical psychologist and expert in adolescent and family psychology. Dr. McConville shares insights from his decades of exper...
April 8, 2025
Fried: Addressing Burnout Head-On w/ Cait Donovan
This week on Next Steps Forward , Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Cait Donovan, an internationally recognized expert in burnout and resilience. Cait's career began as a practicing acupuncturist with a master’s degree in Chinese...
April 1, 2025
The Fight For Change w/ Dr. Marcel van der Watt
In this powerful episode of Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Dr. Marcel van der Watt, the president of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), to discuss his remarkable career and the global ...
March 25, 2025
Little Victories w/ Jason Gay
Many know sports columnist Jason Gay from his work at The Wall Street Journal. In his interview with program host Dr. Chris Meek, Jason starts at the start, speaking candidly about how he decided to become a writer and the pa...
March 18, 2025
Trailblazing Leadership: Lieutenant General Patricia “Patty” D. Horoho on Resilience, Service, and Empowering the Next Generation
In this week’s episode of Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek sits down with retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Patricia “Patty” D. Horoho, a trailblazer who made history as the first woman, first nurse, and first non-p...
March 11, 2025
Do Better & Be Better w/ Kelly McDonald
Kelly McDonald, bestselling author of four books on business and leadership, acclaimed speaker, and founder of one of the nation's top advertising agencies, joins program host Dr. Chris Meek on this episode of Next Steps Forw...
March 4, 2025
Place of Hope w/ Charles L. Bender III
Charles L. Bender III is the founding CEO of Place of Hope, a faith-based and state-licensed family-style residential child-caring agency for abused and neglected children, located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Program host...
Feb. 25, 2025
Championing Economic Freedom: A Conversation w/ Dr. Meg Tuszynski
In this episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Meg Tuszynski, the Managing Director of the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, joins program host Dr. Chris Meek ...
Feb. 18, 2025
Fighting Antisemitism w/ Adela Cojab
Adela Cojab is a legal advocate and media contributor recognized for her commitment to protecting Jewish rights and addressing antisemitism in academic institutions. Many in the Next Steps Forward audience will recognize her ...
Feb. 11, 2025
What's Your War Zone? w/ Traci Scott
Traci Scott, communications strategist, author and public speaker, started her broadcasting career at just 16 years old with the Far East Network (FEN) in Japan. Since then, her career path has taken her from CBS News, Capito...
Feb. 4, 2025
Giving A Voice to the Voiceless w/ Janice Trey & Ying Chen
Janice Trey, the head of Epoch Times/NTD Network, and Ying Chen, conductor at Shen Yun Performing Arts, join program host Dr. Chris Meek in this installment of Next Steps Forward to discuss their experiences with the Chinese ...
Jan. 28, 2025
Civilization and Its Fate w/ Dr. Jon Mills
Dr. Jon Mills is a philosopher, psychoanalyst, and clinical psychologist. In his book “End of the World: Civilization and Its Fate” he contends with whether civilization is destined for self-annihilation in light of climate c...
Jan. 21, 2025
Encore: Enough Is Enough: Internet Safety w/ Donna Rice Hughes
Donna Rice Hughes is the President and CEO of Enough Is Enough ® (EIE), an internationally known internet safety expert, author, speaker and Emmy-Award winning producer. She joins Chris Meek on this installment of Next Steps ...
Jan. 14, 2025
Run Like Hell: Healing from Trauma Bonds w/ Dr. Nadine Macaluso
Dr. Nadine Macaluso is the real-life inspiration behind Naomi Belfort’s character in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” She survived a turbulent eight-year marriage to Jordan Belfort, marked by abuse, greed, and trauma. She joins Nex...
Jan. 7, 2025
Operator Syndrome w/ Dr. Chris Frueh
Dr. Chris Frueh, PHD has over thirty years of professional experience working with military veterans and active duty personnel as a clinical psychologist. In this edition of Next Steps Forward, he joins Dr. Chris Meek to disc...
Dec. 31, 2024
Encore Inspiring People to Realize Their Potential w/ Rabbi Daniel Cohen
Rabbi Daniel Cohen, who has served in the rabbinate for over twenty years, is a popular motivator, mentor and inspirational speaker, who will bring his unique blend of authenticity, humor, wisdom and insight to help the Next ...
Dec. 24, 2024
Encore The Making of A Champion w/ Bobby Rahal
Next Steps Forward host Chris Meek is honored to welcome legendary auto racing driver, Bobby Rahal, who most famously won the Indianapolis 500 in 1986 to the program. In an 18-year career spanning F1, Can-Am, Le Mans/IMSA and...
Dec. 17, 2024
I Put My Hand on the Wall w/ Judy Isaacson Elias
Judy Isaacson Elias founded Heroes to Heroes in 2010 as a tribute to her father, Irving M. Isaacson, a World War II veteran, as a way to honor the service of all veterans, especially those with moral injury and post-traumatic...
Dec. 10, 2024
The Moments We Stand w/ Ashlee Boyson
Ashlee Boyson is the author of the blog and book series titled “The Moments We Stand,” which tells the story of her family’s journey of healing after the infidelity and murder of her husband Emmett in 2011, just months after ...
Dec. 3, 2024
Faith, Prayer and Politics w/ Pastor Lorenzo Sewell
In this installment of Next Steps Forward, host Chris Meek celebrates the 200th episode of the program! After first seeing Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, Senior Pastor at 180 Church in Detroit, Michigan, on a news segment where he di...
Nov. 26, 2024
Being Muslim Today w/ Saqib Qureshi
Saqib Qureshi is a Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he received his PhD in International Relations and Epistemology. His work has been featured in the Financial Times, the Wall Street Jour...
Nov. 19, 2024
Making A Difference Today for a Safer Tomorrow w/ Kristi Wells
Kristi Wells joins program host Dr. Chris Meek on Next Steps Forward as a leading expert in the fight against human trafficking in the United States. She co-founded Safe House Project, a nonprofit organization combating traff...
Nov. 12, 2024
Solving the Climate Crisis w/ Dr. John Berger
Dr. John Berger, an environmental science and policy specialist and a Senior Research Fellow at The Pacific Institute, joins Dr. Chris Meek on Next Steps Forward to discuss his book “Solving the Climate Crisis: Frontline Repo...