Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek

This week on “Next Steps Forward,” host Chris Meek speaks with Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo, director of medical virtual reality at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies, about BraveMind, the virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy program Rizzo created to successfully treat post-traumatic stress (PTS) in veterans. Aside from discussing that groundbreaking technology and treatment in-depth, Rizzo will also touch on how other revolutionary medical technology advancements are paving the way we address mental health. Joining the conversation is Chris Merkle, a 14-year U.S. Marine combat veteran who has directly benefited from the BraveMind technology during his own experiences with PTS. Merkle will also introduce ways that we can all work to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and speak on the feelings of empowerment that volunteering in his own community has afforded him.

Graham Rahal, a race car driver for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the NTT IndyCar series, kicks things off by speaking about his experiences on the race track. Rahal will also share how he has applied leadership skills and a work ethic learned through racing to his business and philanthropic ventures, which includes his work through the Graham and Courtney Rahal Foundation. The foundation supports Turns For Troops, a program dedicated to helping our country’s veterans. One such veteran, Sgt. Dan Rose, speaks with Rahal and host Chris Meek about utilizing revolutionary medical technology in the form of an exoskeleton suit to regain his ability to stand and walk again after being severely injured by an improvised explosive device. Rahal and Sgt. Rose will provide listeners with an inside look at how perseverance, the power of hope and hard work can be harnessed to achieve everyday success, motivate us to give back to others and find successes we never thought possible.

Driven by the belief that every individual has a unique voice and an important story to tell, Madeline Fetterly builds partnerships, creates stories, champions women's leadership and is a sought-after strategic thinker. She joins program host Chris Meek to break down the importance of how and why it is up to each and every one of us to use our voices and stories to strive for ultimate success. As the founder and CEO of Be the Brand, Madeline will take the audience behind the scenes of her work with Fortune 500 executives, CEOs, industry leaders, business owners and corporations working with them to craft and amplify individual thought leadership and build purposeful and powerful online brands. Listeners on their own journeys of developing their brand identities will be engrossed by Madeline's unique expertise when it comes to personal branding and will immediately identify what sets her apart as a leader in the space. As generations navigate the digital transformations currently taking place, her vision and leadership serve as guiding lights when many individuals seeking branding success need it the most.

This week on Next Steps Forward, Meaghan Mobbs joins program host Chris Meek. Meaghan is the president of the Romulus T. Weatherman Foundation and vice president for client strategies for LINK Public Affairs. She is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a former paratrooper and a combat veteran. She earned a master's degree in forensic psychology from George Washington University and holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Columbia University where her work focused on the psychosocial impact of an all-volunteer military and the role of transition stress in the lives of military veterans. She's worked with and advised numerous nonprofits and has worked with veteran-focused organizations. A Tillman Scholar and George W. Bush Veteran Leadership Scholar, Mobbs was the youngest-ever presidential appointee to the West Point Board of Visitors. Full disclosure: Meaghan is a dear and valued friend of Chris Meek and the nonprofit he co-founded SoldierStrong. Chris looks forward to welcoming her to the program to discuss important topics of our day including defense, national security, military family and health-related issues

BéBé Rayborn is a senior at Mississippi State University where she is pursuing a double major in Communications with a public relations emphasis and Philosophy with a religion emphasis. But she is not the average college student. Not only is she a model, who has been signed with The Industry NY, The Industry LA and MiLK Model Management since 2021, but is an avid leader and advocate on behalf of victims and survivors of sex and human trafficking. She currently has a volunteer role with the Mississippi Human Trafficking Council and is the vice president of No Longer Bound, a group that works on college campuses to raise awareness of human trafficking. BéBé brings her warmth and tenderness to every aspect of her life. Program host Chris Meek looks forward to having her join the program to discuss how regardless of age we can all make a difference in the fight to end human trafficking.

As a program that seeks to provide a platform for voices on the frontlines of combating human trafficking, Chris Meek is honored to have Gayle Smith, the founder and leader of Dahlia Grove, join him on this installment of Next Steps Forward. In 2016, Gayle took her passion for helping women victimized by the human trafficking crisis and turned it into action by founding Dahlia Grove out of a massive and ever growing need to serve victims. Acknowledging the extensive pain and suffering experienced by those who have been trafficked, Gayle set out to create a plan to address the complex challenges. She will speak to the research she conducted, her visits with other successful programs and how she identified gaps and shortfalls of other programs in her own effort to craft a plan and program to make an even greater difference. While Dahlia Grove is a relatively new venture, Gayle's experience and work history blend to make her not only an outstanding advocate, but also an exceptional leader. The Next Steps Forward audience will take away many messages throughout the hour, including steps that can be taken to combat human trafficking, how we can all make a positive impact on the lives of those who have been affected by trafficking and how to cultivate effective leadership and team building skills to make a difference in our own communities.

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 institute at the University of Texas at Dallas, where she also serves as the Dee Wyly Distinguished Professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Dr. Ling is a professor of neurology, neurosurgery and anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins University and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and an attending neurocritical care physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Drs. Ling and Chapman will discuss a myriad of brain health related topics, including their specific but separate work on the cognitive and medical aspects, such as function, of brain health; how the Center for Brain Health is working to change the narrative surrounding brain disease, what they believe it will take for the general population to accept the importance of brain health and the advantages of living a brain-healthy life and how to go about doing so. This is a conversation that is relevant for everyone, from 10 years of age to 100, and will leave the audience with positive, actionable takeaways that will improve not only their brain health but overall quality of life.

Reagan Cannon is an international leadership speaker and coach, with proven tactics and insights from over 20 years of experience at Fortune 15 companies, including executive leadership positions at Amazon and AT&T. As a true global thought leader, she has delivered keynotes, coached global leaders, delivered a TEDx talk, and conducted development workshops for thousands of people in more than 20 countries - on six continents. She joins Chris Meek on Next Steps Forward to discuss what truly holds back women in the C-suite and how relational courage can help unblock their careers in a way that grows self-confidence. Reagan will touch on what her research shows executives are actually looking for when they evaluate senior manager candidates, share examples of how socially driven beliefs impact women's relationships at work, and how women should "thoughtfully challenge" their boss. If you are a woman that is looking for best practices you can take to advance to senior levels, this is a discussion that you will not want to miss.

Meaghan B Murphy is the author of "Your Fully Charged Life: A Radically Simple Approach to Having Endless Energy and Filling Every Day with YAY" (Penguin Random House), an editor, on-air personality, lifestyle and health expert, a home-hack master and certified trainer. She brings her high-energy, upbeat personality to Next Steps Forward to discuss how the audience can take a simple yet effective approach to having endless energy everyday. She will provide an overview of the concepts presented in her book, including cultivating gratitude and passing it on, making meaningful connections, learning to say no and recharge when you need it and how to contribute to a happier, healthier world.

22 years ago the United States of America experienced the worst terrorist attack in American history. The attacks on the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania took the lives of over 3,000 Americans and injured countless more who still live with the effects of both their visible and invisible injuries today. As a 9/11 survivor, program host Chris Meek pays reverence to the men and women in uniform who worked tirelessly on the day of the attacks and the many weeks following to rescue and recover those at Ground Zero affected by the fall of the Twin Towers. He welcomes retired Fire Department New York (FDNY) Lieutenant Niels Jorgenson of Ladder Company 80 to the program. Lt. Jorgensen, who served 22 years in FDNY, will discuss his experiences on 9/11 and in the days after, how leukemia linked to his service during 9/11 forced him to retire and what else is being done and can be done for the countless other First Responders who are living with cancer and other ailments due to the attacks, as well as how he has spent his time since retiring, including serving as a board member of the Culley Strong Foundation which assists in providing mental health services to teens and veterans.