Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek

What happens when the protectors need protection? This week on Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Lieutenant Randy Sutton (Ret.), a 34-year law enforcement veteran, national media voice, and founder of The Wounded Blue, the only nationwide organization dedicated to helping injured and disabled law enforcement officers.

During his decades of service, Randy Sutton witnessed firsthand the ...

What can economics teach us about leadership, resilience, and character? This week on Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Seung Paik, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, award-winning educator, and creator of Leadernomics, for a thought-provoking conversation on leadership in today’s complex world.

After 25 years of distinguished service, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and leaders...

Cari Kenzie is trailblazer in the fields of leadership, resilience and personal transformation. As a dynamic speaker, coach and entrepreneur, Cari has dedicated her life to empowering others to rise above their circumstances and lead with purpose. In 2013, Cari’s life took an unexpected turn when she survived the Boston Marathon bombing. This harrowing experience became a pivotal moment, reshaping her understanding of ...

In this moving episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek is joined by brothers Patrick and James Dowdell - two men whose lives were forever changed on September 11, 2001, when they lost their father, FDNY Lieutenant Kevin Dowdell. Patrick and James share how that moment of tragedy inspired lives of extraordinary service. Patrick went on to graduate from West Point, serve as a combat platoon leader in Iraq, and lead...

In this powerful and enlightening episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek welcomes psychiatrist and author Dr. Steve Lesk, a 40-year veteran of the mental health field and author of Footprints of Schizophrenia: The Evolutionary Roots of Mental Illness. With decades of experience treating patients and mentoring professionals, Dr. Lesk brings a groundbreaking perspective to one of the most misunderstood mental illn...

On this week’s episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek is joined by psychologist, researcher, and acclaimed author Faust Ruggiero for a timely and empowering conversation about the nature of addiction and the path to recovery. With over 35 years of experience in private practice and clinical settings ranging from substance abuse centers to prisons and nursing homes, Ruggiero brings deep expertise and compassion t...

On this week’s Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek welcomes back environmental expert and author Dr. John Berger for a timely and eye-opening conversation on the climate crisis. Building on their first interview, Dr. Berger - author of Solving the Climate Crisis -discusses the evolving science of climate change, the rise of organized denial, setbacks in U.S. environmental policy, and how we can still chart a hopeful pat...

This week on Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Bill Eddy - licensed clinical social worker, attorney, and director of innovation at the High Conflict Institute - for a compelling look at the rise of adult bullying. Drawing from his book The New World of Adult Bullies, Eddy explains how high-conflict personalities are impacting workplaces, families, and online spaces like never before.

He bre...

In this week’s episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Sanjay Puri - entrepreneur, investor, global strategist, and host of the Regulating AI and Indianness podcasts - for an insightful conversation on personal empowerment, technological innovation, and global diplomacy. From founding AutoNebula, an investment firm focused on connected transport startups, to leading the U.S.-India Political Action Commit...

In this empowering episode of Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Becca Powers, an international keynote speaker, USA TODAY best-selling author, and founder of Powers Peak Potential. Becca shares her transformative journey from a minimum-wage Dollar Store employee to an award-winning Fortune 500 sales executive, illustrating how mindset mastery can propel high performers toward extraordinary success. Drawing from...

This week on Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Pastor David Lowery, Jr. – a passionate civil rights advocate, national speaker, and founder of the Living and Driving While Black Foundation. With a career spanning military contracting, ministry, and social justice, Pastor Lowery brings a uniquely multifaceted perspective to the fight against racial profiling and systemic inequality. In this inspiring and deeply informative...

When a state trooper arrived at Rachel Zimmerman’s door with devastating news – that her husband, a brilliant MIT professor and loving father, had taken his own life – her world shattered in an instant. With no warning signs, no history of mental illness, and two young daughters now facing an unthinkable reality, Rachel was left with a haunting question: Why?

In this powerful episode of Next Steps Forward, award-winnin...

In this week’s inspiring episode of Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Heather Lloyd - sports journalist, former news anchor, proud stepmom, and Daybreak Colts Contributor for WISH-TV in Indianapolis. From her early days in Eden Prairie, Minnesota (where she once had a near run-in with Prince!) to navigating the evolving world of local news, Heather shares her remarkable journey through broadcast jo...

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 enlightening conversation, Dr. Whitman offers a deep dive into the evolving realities of life after 50 — and how individuals, families, and society can better prepare for a longer, more fulfilling s...

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 experience working with adolescents and families, including his groundbreaking work on Failure to Launch, which explores the growing trend of young adults struggling to transition into full independence. Together, t...

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 medicine, but after experiencing burnout herself, she shifted focus to study biobehavioral health. Today, she’s an in-demand speaker, the host of Fried – The Burnout Podcast, and the author of The Bouncebackabi...

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 fight against sexual exploitation. With over 22 years of experience, Dr. van der Watt brings expertise from his background as a police investigator, hostage negotiator, and criminal case consultant...

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 path that led him to his current job. Named the Sports Columnist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists on several occasions, Jason will discuss his approach to writing about sensitive topics, suc...

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-physician to serve as the Army Surgeon General and Commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command. With a career spanning over 38 years of service, General Horoho reflects on her remarkable journey from the Green Ra...