Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek

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 Reports from the Race to Save the Earth," a book he spent more than six years researching as he traveled the nation and abroad to gather a sweeping array of perspectives. A graduate of Stanford and the University of California, Dr. Berger has written more than 100 articles on climate change and transitioning to clean energy for such publications as Scientific American, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. He has also been a consultant to the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, corporations, utilities and Congress. In addition to his book, he will discuss how the understanding of climate change evolved over the past few decades, what a national climate plan could look like, why he believes climate-change denial exists, and the most pressing challenges the world faces today due to climate change.

Tony Trzeciak is a Philadelphia native, husband and father of four. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 2008 to 2012. Assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Kilo Company, Tony completed a combat tour in Afghanistan and a humanitarian mission in Haiti with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. Sadly due to injuries and medical malpractice Tony was paralyzed, which led to many life-saving surgeries, depression, suicide ideation and drug abuse. Tony has triumphed over those daunting challenges and is using his life experiences to help other veterans and military members in need of help and support. Today, he channels his passion for finance into his roles as an angel investor, entrepreneur, and work on AI projects in finance and sports with chata.ai. As the personification of resilience, personal empowerment and personal well-being, Tony joins Dr. Chris Meek on Next Steps Forward to discuss how he managed to navigate through the worst times and come out on the other side stronger, how his experiences with paralysis changed and reinforced his sense of purpose, his transition from a military mindset to a business mindset and how he evaluates risk as an entrepreneur.

Special guests Dr. Adaira Landry and Dr. Resa Lewiss join program host Dr. Chris Meek on this installment of Next Steps Forward. Dr. Landry is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and an emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She has nearly a decade of experience mentoring students and early-career professionals. She's also a healthcare contributor for Forbes, an entrepreneur, and a keynote speaker. She co-founded Writing In Color, a nonprofit that teaches the craft of writing. Dr. Lewiss is a professor of emergency medicine at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. She's also a TEDMED speaker, TimesUp Healthcare founder, entrepreneur, award-winning educator, mentor, and point-of-care ultrasound specialist. She hosts the Visible Voices Podcast, amplifying content in the healthcare, equity, and current trends spaces. Dr. Landry and Dr. Lewiss speak about "MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact," the book they authored which was published by HarperCollins in April 2024. During their conversation they will define what MicroSkills are and how they are different from "regular skills" or what are thought of as traditional workplace skills, what inspired them to focus on MicroSkills as opposed to larger competencies or hard skills in the workplace, and how hard it is not only to develop MicroSkills but develop and maintain the right ones so that we're effective and continue them.

Rachel Pearson, founder and chief executive officer of Engage for Women, joins program host Chris Meek on Next Steps Forward to speak about promoting women's economic security. Engage for Women is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting women's economic security through bipartisan and common-sense solutions. Rachel has extensive experience in elective politics, providing strategic planning and counsel for Fortune 500 companies, leading associations, social impact organizations, nonprofits and individuals. Her dedication to bringing together members of Congress, senior staff and corporate leaders is widely recognized by both sides of the aisle as unique and constructive. It was that drive for coming together to find common-sense solutions that inspired her founding of Engage for Women in November of 2018. Throughout the conversation Rachel will speak about her inspiration for focusing on bipartisan solutions for women's economic security despite growing partisan divide, the factors that lead women to economic insecurity that may or may not affect men as profoundly, in what ways the gender wealth gap influences women's long-term economic stability compared to men and many other weighty issues relating to economic security, voting trends and bipartisan policy making.

Emiliana Vegas, EdD, has been highly recognized for her career working to inform education policy in the so-called Global South. She has been a leading economist at the World Bank, division chief of education at the Inter-American Bank, and co-director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. She is currently a professor of practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In this installment of Next Steps Forward, she speaks with program host Chris Meek about her book "Let's Change the World: How to Work within International Development Organizations to Make a Difference," which serves as a practical and encouraging guide for everyone, no matter their age, who wants to make a positive change through their professional life - from ensuring access to quality schools and clean water to improving healthcare and creating safer communities. Throughout her experience she will touch on topics including what exactly international development is, an explanation of the five main types of International Development Organizations, how her job as a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education factors into her international development work and her general advice for college students.

Beverly Gooden, author of Surviving: Why We Stay and How We Leave Abusive Relationships and creator of the viral social media movement #WhyIStayed, joins program host Chris Meek in this edition of Next Steps Forward. Listed as one of the top social change hashtags of 2014 by Forbes and named one of the “top 10 hashtags that started a conversation” by Time magazine, Ms. Gooden will discuss what prompted her to start the hashtag, the immediate reaction to the movement and how the greater dialogue about domestic violence is different today as a result of the hashtag. As someone who understands that it’s not always simple or easy to leave and that there can be practical reasons why someone stays, she will walk through some of the reasons that women do choose to stay in abusive relationships and what someone should do to protect themselves from physical violence or even death once they are able to leave an abuser. Ms. Gooden speaks from personal experience and works to reframe the conversation and narrative surrounding abusive relationships, prompting listeners to ask “Why did he hit her in the first place” instead of “Why didn’t she leave?”

Julie Kliegman is a writer and editor who was previously the copy chief for Sports Illustrated. Before that, she was the copy editor at The Ringer, weekend editor and breaking news contributor at The Week, and a news fellow at BuzzFeed. Her writing on a wide variety of topics has appeared in many news outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vulture, Vox, The Verge, Bustle, Washington Monthly, and more. She is also a frequent guest on radio programs and podcasts. She joins program host Dr. Chris Meek on Next Steps Forward to discuss her first book "Mind Game: An Inside Look at the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes," how the mental health challenges faced by elite athletes are different from non-athletes, how life changes - such as injuries and retirement - can do a number on the mental health of athletes and give an inside look at her next book project about sports trailblazer Renee Richards.

Danielle Cobo is a former Fortune 500 senior sales manager and renowned for empowering individuals with the grit, resilience and courage to thrive both professionally and personally. She joins program host Dr. Chris Meek to draw from her more than 15 years of corporate experience to speak in-depth about how to build high-performing teams that increase sales, productivity and employee retention. Even amid the upheaval of downsizing, restructuring and acquisitions, she propelled her team to a number-one national ranking, demonstrating how her resiliency motivated her to earn four consecutive national Sales Excellence Awards. She will provide insight into the importance of adaptability, how and when to ask for help and the power of words to shape our actions.

In addition to being a lecturer at the University of Bath, Dr. Caroline Hickman has a background in mental health social work and has worked closely with a number of community mental health projects. Her background lends itself to her unique focus on examining the impacts of climate change on mental health and anxiety, particularly eco-anxiety and distress, eco-empathy, trauma, moral injury and the impact of climate anxiety on relationships. She joins Next Steps Forward host Chris Meek to discuss her 2021 quantitative global study into 10,000 children and young people's emotions and thoughts about climate change, the range of therapeutic approaches she is working to develop in response to ecological distress and why climate change anxiety must be treated differently than other anxieties.

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 Steps Forward audience better navigate contemporary society and lead a life of legacy. Throughout his appearance on the program, he will focus on varying topics including Judaism in the 21st century, examining the human experiences found in the Torah, how ancient texts relate to our lives, inspiration for others to realize their own unique potential, and timeless stories and strategies which will enable the audience to maximize every moment while leading a life of impact and legacy.