Episodes

May 31, 2022

Veteran and Military Suicide Prevention w/ M. David Rudd

On this hour of Next Steps Forward, program host Chris Meek is honored to speak with M. David Rudd, Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Director of the Rudd Institute for Veteran and Military Suicide Prevention,...
May 24, 2022

Mental Health and Sports w/ Dr. Robin Scholefield

Dr. Robin Scholefield has provided counseling to individual student athletes, groups, teams, as well as conjoint sessions for student athletes and coaches/teammates for the past 24 years at the University of Southern Californ...
May 17, 2022

It’s Just Called “Life” w/ Gita Barry

Chris Meek is honored to have Gita Barry, executive vice president and general manager of immersive healthcare at Penumbra, Inc., join him on this edition of Next Steps Forward. Through more than 25 years in the medical devic...
May 10, 2022

Always March Forward w/ Crystal C. Romero

The Next Steps Forward guest this week is Master Sergeant Crystal C. Romero, who retired after serving sixteen-and-a-half years in the U.S. Army National Guard. She served full-time, providing active-duty operational support,...
May 3, 2022

The Toolkit to Change Your World w/ Dr. Cliff Robertson Jr.

Do you feel like your life is insignificant? Do you ever wonder if your life even matters? Next Steps Forward guest Dr. Cliff Robertson Jr wants you to know that your life matters and addresses these questions and more in his...
April 26, 2022

Brain Health w/ Dr. Geoff Ling and Dr. Sandra Chapman

Program host Chris Meek sits down for a conversation on brain health with Dr. Geoff Ling and Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman on this installment of Next Steps Forward. Dr. Chapman founded the Center for Brain Health, a research insti...
April 19, 2022

Fortune Favors the Bold w/ Jeff Gum

Jeff Gum is a U.S. Navy SEAL veteran, entrepreneur and founder of Sunga Life, a swimwear and athleisure brand focused on achieving bottom line goals of purpose and profitability, where 10% of profits go to veteran focused cha...
April 12, 2022

Facing the Music w/ David Loud

David Loud occupies a unique place in Broadway history. This week, he sits down with program host Chris Meek to discuss his distinguished body of work as a music director and vocal arranger and the three roles that he has ori...
April 5, 2022

Exclusion in an Inclusive World w/ Ruth Rathblott

Ruth Rathblott is a TEDx speaker, Inspirational DEI speaker and an award-winning former CEO committed to creating inclusion for all. Ruth has spent her entire career focused on providing opportunities for those who face obsta...
March 22, 2022

A Conversation on Women and Resilience w/ Katie Hafner

Katie Hafner is a journalist, author and current host of not one but two podcasts, Lost Women of Science and Our Mothers Ourselves. She speaks with program host Chris Meek about the focus of both of her podcasts. The first, L...
March 15, 2022

One Trusted Adult w/ Brooklyn Raney

Every young person needs a trusted adult who they can turn to, both at home and at school. Brooklyn Raney explores this topic in-depth in her book “One Trusted Adult: How to Build Strong Connections & Healthy Boundaries with ...
March 8, 2022

The Victim Cult with Mark Milke

How does society address wrongs inflicted in the past? Should we even dwell on the past when we don’t have the power to change it? This week on Next Steps Forward, Chris Meek welcomes Mark Milke - a public policy analyst, key...
March 1, 2022

Mental Health 1st Aid in the New Work Environment w/ Laura DeCook

Laura DeCook is a wellbeing specialist at a major technology company where she is passionate both inside and outside of the company about supporting the mental health of employees who are working in high-pressure corporate en...
Feb. 15, 2022

Self Evolver: Finding Pride in Your Journey w/ Kayla Scheanon

Kayla Scheanon is a believer in going for your dreams, leaning into fears and owning your self evolutions. On this episode of Next Steps Forward, she speaks to her personal philosophy and how something as simple as offering e...
Feb. 1, 2022

Insights from Mary Daly - Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

This week on “Next Steps Forward,” Chris Meek welcomes Mary Daly, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and Beth Shaw, the founder of the largest yoga school in the world Yoga...
Jan. 18, 2022

Commit to a Courageous Life w/ John Register

“When fear outweighs truth then we begin to live a life of justification.” Does this sound like your current situation or the situation of someone close to you? John Register helps individuals overcome their fears in his moti...
Jan. 11, 2022

The Story of the Lost Cafe Schindler w/ Meriel Schindler

Meriel Schindler is the author of The Lost Cafe Schindler: One Family, Two Wars, and the Search for Truth which follows the journey of her extraordinary family prior to and during WWII, including the Jewish doctor who treated...
Jan. 4, 2022

Achieving Peace, Purpose & Prosperity w/ Karin Weiri

Karin Weiri is a licensed marriage and family therapist and sought after speaker on trauma, anxiety and depression, marriage enhancement, divorce and healthy lifestyle management. In this installment of Next Steps Forward, Ka...
Dec. 28, 2021

The American Dream w/ Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who represents Iowa's Second Congressional District, was elected to her first term in 2020 by one of the closest margins in United States history: six votes out of 394,625 cast. The Con...
Dec. 21, 2021

How Jews Made the Art World Modern w/ Charles Dellheim

In his new book Belonging and Betrayal: How Jews Made the Art World Modern, professor of history at Boston University and founding director of its Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College, Charles Dellheim, provide...
Dec. 14, 2021

A Prescription for Action w/ Drs. Ray Dorsey and Michael Okun

Drs. Ray Dorsey and Michael Okun, both leading experts in the United States on parkinson's disease, have a prescription for action on how to prevent the disease in the first place and offer revolutionary treatment for those s...
Dec. 7, 2021

Leading in Captivity w/ Monique Daigneault

Monique Daigneault, president and CEO of MD Consulting speaks with Chris Meek about her role as an executive coach with over three decades of experience developing corporate executives into successful leaders ready to change ...
Nov. 30, 2021

The Joy of Being Selfish w/ Michelle Elman

This week’s Next Steps Forward guest is Michelle Elman, a five-board accredited life coach who is best known for her campaign Scarred Not Scared. Named one of The Sun’s 50 most inspirational women in the United Kingdom and a ...
Nov. 23, 2021

From Survivor to Thriver w/ Erik DaRosa & Marc Fernandes

Erik DaRosa and Marc Fernandes, hosts of the From Survivor to Thriver podcast, aim to shatter the stigma long associated with speaking out and speaking up about mental health issues without desensitization. In their efforts t...