Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek

Fans of NBC's hit show "The Apprentice" will recognize this week's Next Steps Forward guest, season three runner-up Tana Goertz. Also remembered for appearing on "Reality Stars Fear Factor," Tana is an entrepreneur, an inspirational speaker, a life coach, business consultant, author, devoted wife, mother of two, and so much more. But as listeners will learn, things weren't always easy for her on the road to success. Over the course of the hour, Tana will discuss the many positive aspects of her personal story and the work that she has done and continues to do to empower other women, in addition to shedding light on the negative experiences that ultimately lead her down the road of reinventing herself for the better. Sit back and get ready for a power-packed conversation with Tana Goertz!

Yvette Benavidez Garcia is the author of Tango Mike Mike: The Story of Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez which focuses on her father, Medal of Honor Recipient Roy P. Benavidez. She joins program host Chris Meek to share the true story of her father's heroism and service to our nation during the Vietnam War and the events which lead him to receive the Medal of Honor. While on tour during the war, Army Master Sergeant Benavidez was severely injured by a land mine and was told that he would never regain the ability to walk again. But after a year of rehabilitation, he did learn to walk again and even returned to Vietnam for a second tour where he saved the lives of eight fellow soldiers. Please enjoy this hour of Next Steps Forward celebrating the life of a true American hero!

Program host Chris Meek sits down with Dina Zuckerberg, the director of Family Programs for the nonprofit MyFace, to discuss how she utilizes her life experiences of growing up with a craniofacial difference to positively impact the lives of others who live with similar differences. Through her position, she helps implement emotional support groups, online educational series, family networking events and public awareness initiatives, with the ultimate goal of serving as an advocate for the craniofacial community and to make sure their stories are heard by others. Dina will elaborate on why it’s okay to ask questions and foster discussions about differences, as well as how to properly go about initiating those conversations. This is a conversation that will empower others, let them know that they are not alone and will celebrate diversity.

On this edition of Next Steps Forward, Chris Meek speaks with Michaela Rubinfeld and CSM Andraus L. Williams, both recipients of the SoldierScholar academic scholarship provided by the national veteran-focused nonprofit SoldierStrong, co-founded and chaired by Meek, to fill in gaps left by the G.I. bill for veterans continuing their education. Michaela Rubinfeld, an All-Source Analyst in the United States Air Force Reserves, is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Foreign Service at Georgetown University with a concentration in Science, Technology, and International Affairs. She discusses the greater need for more women in the STEM field, what we need to do to get more women involved in STEM, why she believes women should pursue careers in international service and how we can attract more women to not only foreign services but also to the specialized field of international intelligence and analysis. CSM Andraus L. Williams has been the Senior Enlisted Leader for the Camp Roberts Garrison Training Center since October 2020, where he serves as the principal military advisor on all enlisted matters affecting training, utilization, health of the force, and enlisted professional development. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate degree in Organizational Change and Leadership at the University of Southern California (USC). CSM Williams will speak about his experience in both the military and in the military police, the importance of education, what he is currently getting out of the program at USC and what he wants to do with his education after he graduates. He will also speak about how education breeds leadership and why Americans look to those who are educated when they look for leaders.

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?"

As an acclaimed author and veteran teacher of writing, Marita Golden provides guidance to aspiring authors on how to tell their own stories and encourages them to dig deep on their journeys as writers. The author of nineteen works of fiction and nonfiction alike, Ms. Golden digs deep during this hour of Next Steps Forward to share her stories and experiences in her own words that have informed her writing. Focusing primarily on the experiences of Black Americans, she breaks down the myth that endangers the physical and mental health of Black women as explored in her book "The Strong Black Woman." Providing insight into the hard lessons that she and other Black women have learned, she underscores the importance of self-care and encourages the Black community to break down the stigma of seeking mental health treatment. A fierce voice on timely, important and transformative topics, she will provide her perspective on parenting Black teen boys and improving relationships among Black families. During a time that she notes the Black community is in crisis, it is especially important that our society makes a commitment to listen to and learn from the testimony of Black Americans.

On this hour of Next Steps Forward, program host Chris Meek is honored to speak with M. David Rudd, Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Director of the Rudd Institute for Veteran and Military Suicide Prevention, and former president of the University of Memphis (2013-2022). Dr. Rudd will focus in-depth on the work carried out by the institute to improve the overall wellbeing of active duty military members and veterans, as well as the steps our society can take to prevent suicide, the best available methods in clinical care for suicidal individuals, what his research on suicide prevention in veterans has yielded and his thoughts on the evidence-based programming and resources that he has helped to develop for veterans in higher education. Dr. Rudd is a leader in his field and his expertise and knowledge makes him and his work purveyors of hope for veterans experiencing mental health challenges.

Dr. Robin Scholefield has provided counseling to individual student athletes, groups, teams, as well as conjoint sessions for student athletes and coaches/teammates for the past 24 years at the University of Southern California. She joins Next Steps Forward program host Chris Meek to speak about her myriad roles, including Director of Culture, Wellbeing & Sport Psychology for USC Athletics; Associate Director, Counseling & Mental Health; Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the KECK School of Medicine, and oversees the Clinical Sport Psychology Program and Services for USC's Athletic Department. To put it simply, Dr. Scholefield is a proven leader in collegiate athletics and is at the forefront of ensuring that athletes have access to an abundance of mental health resources. Throughout the hour, Dr. Scholefield will discuss how athletes perform better when their identities are built on a foundation of purpose and values rather than performance and how athletes who lack good character and the ability to forge good relationships with teammates, coaches and others are unlikely or unable to ever reach their full potential. She will also share more about the synergy between good character and winning national sports championships. No matter what level of athletics you participate in or more importantly, whether you are even an athlete at all, Dr. Scholefield will speak to mental health, goal setting, character and teamwork in a way that is applicable to many facets of life, both in and outside of athletics.

Chris Meek is honored to have Gita Barry, executive vice president and general manager of immersive healthcare at Penumbra, Inc., join him on this edition of Next Steps Forward. Through more than 25 years in the medical device industry and her current role at the global healthcare company focused on immersive healthcare technology to help aid physical rehabilitation, Gita brings a wealth of knowledge and experienced perspective to her role as a woman in leadership. She will speak extensively about being a woman in the medical technology industry, as well as Penumbra's REAL® Immersive System, which leverages virtual reality (VR) to deliver engaging, immersive therapeutics designed to engage patients during their rehabilitation journey, and what other innovations are on the horizon for medical technology. She will discuss the important and positive impact that the REAL® Immersive Systems have had on our nation's military veterans and active military service members and the initiative that Penumbra Inc. has taken to work with national nonprofit SoldierStrong to deliver the systems to those populations at Veterans Affairs medical facilities. Recognizing the common belief, especially among women, of the need to maintain a work-life balance, Gita reminds the audience that in the end it's all just "life."

The Next Steps Forward guest this week is Master Sergeant Crystal C. Romero, who retired after serving sixteen-and-a-half years in the U.S. Army National Guard. She served full-time, providing active-duty operational support, primarily in her home state of New Mexico. Today, she is an activist for veterans' causes and has had a significant role in passing legislation related to military sexual assault and veterans' mental health. Crystal will discuss these topics, as well as her experience with escaping human trafficking, the role models and inspirations in her life which helped her to further her Army career and personal development, and her work through the legislative systems to make things better in regards to sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military. Crystal provides a unique perspective on how to avoid repeating whatever crisis we each may face that will resonate with everyone from active duty military personnel, veterans to civilians.