Jul 14, 2026
Program host Chris Meek is pleased to welcome Ruth Rathblott back to Next Steps Forward to further speak on issues of inclusion and diversity, the freedom of accepting your differences and rising above life’s challenges. Ruth, a licensed social worker, TEDx speaker, award-winning former CEO and Diversity, Equity...
Jul 07, 2026
In this milestone 250th episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek is joined by two of the most consequential public servants of our time: Andrew Card and Leon Panetta. In a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation, these former White House Chiefs of Staff reflect on lives shaped by service, leadership...
Jun 30, 2026
She never asked for the nickname “Angel of Death.” But when General Abdul Rashid Dostum taunted Taliban fighters over the radio on the first night of combat operations after 9/11, warning them that America had sent its women to fly bombers and kill them, Allison Black became part myth, part warning, part green laser...
Jun 23, 2026
On this week’s episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Bill Villafranco, executive director of myFace, former Wall Street executive, philanthropist, and advocate whose life story is a powerful testament to resilience. Behind professional success, Bill faced profound personal challenges, including the...
Jun 16, 2026
Twenty-five years after September 11th, the question Darryl Worley asked in song still echoes. This week, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with the country artist whose post-9/11 anthem "Have You Forgotten?" spent seven weeks at #1 and became one of the most defining songs of a generation, not because it was chasing a moment,...