Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek

This week's guest on Next Steps Forward is Alina Donahue, a human trafficking subject matter expert and survivor. She co-created the Shelly Stayer Shelter's 18-month Human Trafficking Residential Program, a nationally recognized residential program for adult female survivors of sexual human trafficking. She has been certified by the Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute through the Office of the Florida Attorney General. Alina was a mentor and teacher for Project Recovery, a program that helps inmates in Collier County overcome addiction and reintegrate back into society. In 2021 she made the Naples Illustrated Top 100 to Watch List for her continuous achievements. In January 2023, Alina was appointed as a Senior Advisor to the National Trauma Education Policy Board. Throughout her conversation with program host Chris Meek, Alina will take the audience through her upbringing and how a single night and a chance encounter with her trafficker changed everything in her life. She will also delve into the red flags that young women, their friends and their families should look for to prevent someone from being drawn into sex trafficking, the shift from victim to survivor and everything in between, and the realities of overcoming trauma.

Nick Stefanizzi is the Chief Executive Officer of Northwell Health's direct-to-employer organization, Northwell Direct, which supports businesses through a full spectrum of customized employer health services. Next Steps Forward host Chris Meek is excited to welcome him to the program due, in part, to his work on a mental wellness collaboration between Northwell Direct and the New York Police Department called Finest Care that was launched in July 2022. Throughout the conversation, Nick will speak in-depth about the work carried out by Finest Care, how the collaboration came about and how it is different than the way that mental health care has traditionally been delivered to NYPD personnel, how the program eases the pathway to care through mental health access and acceptance of the need to seek treatment, and what more needs to be done in the mental health space moving forward.

As a boy, John Alite was born into a life of organized crime which led him to serve as the top hitman for John Gotti and the Gambino Crime Family. But living a life of crime came with many dangers and pitfalls, which eventually prompted John to realize there was a better path forward and ultimately inspired him to move on from his regretful past. Now he shares his story with the Next Steps Forward audience in the hopes of teaching others how they can take control of their futures, choose to be the best versions of themselves and give back to their communities. Over the course of the hour, John shares the realities of his involvement in organized crime versus what the media portrays to the general public, as well as how his life has changed for the better after serving multiple stints in prison.

Dr. Anna Courie leads AT&T's commitment to First Responder Health and Wellness. Joining the team in May 2020, Dr. Courie is responsible for creating, developing, and implementing FirstNet strategies, campaigns, and programs that will advance first responder health and wellness. In this installment of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Courie joins program host Chris Meek to speak about her efforts to establish the FirstNet Health and Wellness Coalition that brought together the C-suite leadership of over 24 national public safety organizations representing over 5.1 million first responders to address the most pressing public safety wellness needs. Prior to her current position, her work as a Health Promotion Coordinator with the Army's 1st Infantry Division and Würzburg Medical Hospital cemented her love of working with people to improve a community's health. Dr. Courie will detail her wealth of experience in health and wellness coalition development, program management, strategic planning, systems monitoring, and evaluation. ©2023 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network Authority. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Dr. Rachel Turow is a psychotherapist, research scientist, mindfulness and compassion teacher, and an adjunct faculty member at Seattle University and at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She joins program host Chris Meek to discuss her work exploring the connections among attention, self-criticism, stressful life experiences, and mental health. Over the years, Dr. Turow noted that many of the strategies that help trauma survivors can also build emotional resilience more generally. After several decades of observing the benefits of mindfulness, self-compassion, and cognitive behavioral practices, both for herself and among her patients and students, Dr. Turow now teaches specific mental techniques that decrease self-criticism and cultivate self-encouragement. For audience members looking to learn about new mental health skills, including mindfulness techniques, developing compassion and building resilience, Dr. Turow's appearance on Next Steps Forward is one you won't want to miss.

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist who trained at Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins and practices in Minneapolis, Minnesota, joins Chris Meek for another installment of Next Steps Forward. She's the author of the book "Slay the Giant: The Power of Prevention in Defeating Heart Disease" and founder of One Step Foods, a company dedicated to helping patients minimize their dependence on medications through strategic dietary change. During an hour focused entirely on health, Dr. Klodas shares with the audience her evolution story of becoming a food-as-medicine innovator and entrepreneur, tips and tricks for heart disease prevention and the role that doctors and patients play in overall health.

Brian Searcy is the President of The Paratus Group. Founded in 2019, the organization's objective is to use Brian's decades-tested and proven leadership and training experience to solve a need for relevant, effective, trustworthy principles, training methodologies and programs to allow for the learning of situational awareness. The situational awareness mindset and behaviors that are developed allows critical decisions to be made in the complex dynamics of the home, schools, the workplace and our communities to make us all safer. Brian joins Next Steps Forward to speak on redefining how safety is learned and preparing to survive in today's reality. This includes learning what situational awareness entails and why it's important, learning how to prepare ourselves to make critical decisions when it matters most, learning and understanding the threats we face today and learning how to be prepared to save a life. With the focus on such a timely topic, listeners will be left ready for action.

Lori Mihalich-Levin believes in empowering working parents. She pursues this mission as the founder and CEO of Mindful Return, author of "Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave," and co-host of the Parents at Work podcast. On this installment of Next Steps Forward, she shares with program host Chris Meek and the audience how and why she has been committed to promoting women's equality and leadership throughout her career and how other women can effectively advocate for these very same things. In addition, Lori will highlight keys to success in a working parent's life, the importance of thoughtful planning and time for reflection, and prompt questions for the audience to ask themselves before, during and after parental leave. Lori will empower women to trade in "mommy guilt" in exchange for more meaningful connection.

SSgt Bryce Cherryholmes, USMC (Ret), served faithfully for eight years in the United States Marine Corps. During his first deployment, Cherryholmes incurred an initial back injury that became much worse over time. Due to the back injury and subsequent surgery, he received a full medical retirement and was Retired from Active Duty. After retiring, SSgt Cherryholmes underwent spinal cord surgery which unfortunately, due to complications, left him paralyzed. Today, he serves as an Ambassador for the national veteran-focused nonprofit SoldierStrong, co-founded and currently chaired by Chris Meek, where he travels across the country to educate and advocate for the use of robotic exoskeletons to assist those with Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders and to share SoldierStrong's mission. Throughout the hour, Bryce will share his incredible stories of service, how the work he is doing on behalf of SoldierStrong has a direct positive impact on fellow post-9/11 combat veterans and their loved ones, as well as why he believes compassion, giving back and the power of overcoming are attributes that should drive each individual's everyday lives.

If you or someone you know is living with an eating disorder, today's conversation could be a potentially life changing, or even life saving, one. This Week Dr. Dena Cabrera and Megan Kniskern join program host Chris Meek to discuss complex eating disorders and nutrition therapy for mental health. Megan Kniskern is a registered dietitian, a licensed dietitian nutritionist and certified eating disorder specialist supervisor. For the past 15 years, Megan has been working in the field of eating disorders, substance use disorder and nutrition education. She has eight years of direct care experience, seven years experience as a director and executive with various treatment centers and programs. Dena Cabrera is a clinical psychologist and a certified eating disorder specialist with a wealth of diverse clinical experience, including more than 24 years of treating individuals, families and groups with a range of psychological and psychiatric disorders. Dr. Cabrera has served as the president of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals and currently is the IAEDP's past president and an executive board member. She's also the co-author of Mom in the Mirror: Body, Image, Beauty and Life After Pregnancy. Throughout the hour, Dr. Cabrera and Ms. Kniskern will provide information about the root causes of eating disorders, effective treatments for eating disorders, and the dangers and warning signs of eating disorders. Please join this important conversation to learn more about treatment options that may be available for you or your loved ones.