Episodes

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 encouragement to others can lead to empowerment. A licensed professional counselor and creator of the mental health clothing line Self Evolver, Kayla preaches the power of connection, counseling and compassion and cites examples of how these components have played vital roles...

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 YogaFit. At the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, President Daly has the important job of setting American monetary policy that promotes a healthy and stable economy. She will talk about the importance of increasing diversity and inclusion in the Federal Reserve System and ...

“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 motivational and inspirational speeches by first identifying the three areas of fear - ourselves, other people and society - and then helping others commit to overcoming their fears by actually putting in the work. A two-time Paralympian, Paralympic Games silver medalist and Per...

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 Adolf Hitler’s mother when she was dying of breast cancer, Franz Kafka, Oskar Schindler and Alma Schindler, the wife of Gustav Mahler. On this episode of Next Steps Forward, Meriel speaks with Chris Meek about the Cafe Schindler which was at the time a celebrated social clu...

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, Karin will focus specifically on trauma and the powerful treatment method of EMDR that targets cognitions, emotions, and the physical body to help release the body's memory of it on a cellular, neurological, and physical level. Karin will not only provide an overview of the pr...

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 Congresswoman - who is also a 24-year Army veteran, ophthalmologist and the former Iowa Department of Public Health director - joins program host Chris Meek on Next Steps Forward to speak about her historic win and how she has already used her elected position to create positiv...

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, provides a new look into how, what were at the time, considered Jewish outsiders came into possession of artful masterpieces in the late 19th century/early 20th century and the fate of their art after being stolen by the Nazis during World War II. Charles recounts fascinating tales...

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 suffering. This week, they are speaking with Next Steps Forward host Chris Meek about their book “Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action” and their PACT initiative. They will break down step-by-step what PACT is composed of: P - Prevent the disease, A - Advocat...

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 company cultures. Monique's personal story exemplifies what it means to be empowered: having dropped out of high school, she married at sixteen, got a divorce, was a single mom to her two children, began her healing journey through exercise and bodybuilding, got her GED alon...

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 prolific speaker whose TedX talk has been viewed more than 65,000 times, Michelle speaks with program host Chris Meek about her new book “The Joy of Being Selfish: Why You Need Boundaries and How to Set Them,” the importance of creating boundaries in order to teach others ho...

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 to disrupt discussions surrounding mental health and wellness, Erik and Marc stop by Next Steps Forward to speak with program host Chris Meek about normalizing those discussions, especially among men, and helping drive home the point that it is okay for people to have those s...

Eighteen year old Rasha Alqahanti sits down with Next Forward Host Chris Meek to speak about the video game software she is developing within the setting of the ever popular Minecraft game which she designed to help her peers learn about their anxiety and access mental health. Rasha - third place recipient of the 2021 Regeneron International Science and Engineering behavioral science award, Mawhiba alumni member, and public speaker - will provide an inside look into how the video game specifical...

David Woods Bartley has seen his fair share of successes and setbacks, from directing a nationally recognized nonprofit to battling a life-threatening mental illness. Now he’s speaking with Chris Meek about what he describes as the brutal knock-down, drag-out fight he experienced with clinical depression, which led him to attempt suicide and now devote his life to opening the doors to the possibility of good mental health and wellness to everyone. As an international mental health educator, trai...

Michael Gier - actor, producer, and director - is attracted to projects that change people’s lives. This week on Next Steps Forward, Michael joins Chris Meek to speak about the life-changing documentaries he directed and produced, award-winning “Wounded Heroes” and the follow-up documentary “Healing the Heroes of 9/11.” “Wounded Heroes” focuses heavily on alternative treatments for those veterans, police officers and first responders living with post-traumatic stress (PTS), including RTM Therapy...

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.