How often does this podcast release new episodes?

This podcast updates bi-weekly.

Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 9 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

Next Steps Forward

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by Dr. Chris Meek

5.0(12 reviews)

334 episodes

Updated Bi-weekly

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Podcast Overview

Personal empowerment, commitment to our own well-being and the motivation to achieve more than we ever thought possible are the ingredients of a better life. And, they're all within our reach. Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek delves into the keys to adding energy, excitement, direction and purpose to everything that we do. The program hosts mental health advocates and medical experts, frontline voices on human trafficking and social justice issues, familiar faces from the worlds of entertainment and sports, and leading entrepreneurs to engage in thought-provoking discussions that inspire the audience to take their own next steps forward to better themselves and their communities. Next Steps Forward is intended to be a source of empowerment that many around the world are in need of now more than ever. For guests who join the program, Chris cultivates a space where honest, quality conversations thrive and are not only meant to educate and inform but inspire action, introspection and a deeper understanding of the world around us. Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek is an informative, uplifting hour every Tuesday at 1 PM Eastern Time/10 AM Pacific Time that's certain to inspire you to take that important next step forward, too.

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Publishing Since

8/4/2020

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Recent Episodes

June 30, 2026

What We Leave Behind w/ Col (Ret) Allison Black

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 dot in the dark. This week on Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Colonel (Ret) Allison Black, one of the first women to fly combat missions in Afghanistan, a veteran of the AC-130 gunship and the elite U-28 Draco community, and a leader who spent decades helping younger service members find their footing and their purpose. Col. Black grew up in suburban Long Island with no military background and no master plan. A late-summer TV commercial and a phone book changed everything. What followed was a career defined not by the nickname she never wanted, but by the quiet, deliberate work that the public rarely sees: hours of observation, precise coordination, and the moral weight of decisions made thousands of feet above the ground. In this conversation, she explores what it means to serve with purpose when public support fades, how 9/11 remained her anchor through 20 years of war, and what she carried home from her first trip back to New York City in February 2002, including a handful of spent brass she brought to the firehouses still grieving their own. They also talk about legacy: not the kind etched in medals, but the kind measured in greasy fingerprints; the small, indelible marks people leave on your life, and the ones you leave on theirs. Humble. Credible. Approachable. It's on the edge of her challenge coin. And it's the throughline of everything she has to say. About Col (Ret) Allison Black: Allison Black is a retired United States Air Force Colonel with a distinguished 32-year military career. She enlisted in 1992 and served as a SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, & escape) specialist for over six years. Allison earned her undergraduate degree from Wayland Baptist University and was commissioned in 1998. She served the next 24 years of her career in USSOCOM & Air Force Special Operations (AFSOC).She has flown a total of over 3,400 hours with 2,000 combat hours in the AC-130H Spectre Gunship & U-28A Draco. In 2001, Allison deployed in support of TF Dagger as the initial response to the attacks on September 11th, earning the moniker "Angel of Death" for the decisive battlefield effects of the AC-130 crew. Allison has commanded at all levels of leadership and culminated her career as the Commander of the 1st Special Operation Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida. She's a native of East Northport, New York and has a Strategic Communications master's degree from George Mason University and master's in security studies from National Defense University. Allison lives in Navarre, Florida with her husband Ryan and two sons Connor and Cooper.

June 23, 2026

From Wall Street to Healing and Hope: Bill Villafranco's Journey Through Loss, Addiction, and Purpose

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 loss of a young child, parenting two daughters through addiction, and battling his own depression and substance abuse. In this candid conversation, he shares what despair really looks like and how an unexpected friendship introduced him to Research Meditation, a practice that helped him quiet his mind, reframe trauma, and begin healing. Bill also discusses his leadership at myFace, the 70-year-old nonprofit supporting children and adults with facial differences. From anti-bullying education to family support and advocacy, he explains how the organization is creating more inclusive communities and empowering families nationwide. This episode is an honest and inspiring conversation about loss, recovery, service, and the power of becoming present, with ourselves and with others. About Bill Villafranco: For more than a decade, Bill Villafranco has been involved as a donor, board member, board president, and now executive director of myFace, the respected organization that supports children and adults with facial differences. As compelling as that work is, Bill Villafranco's life story is an intriguing one. His biography describes him as an advocate, a father, a philanthropist, and a speaker. But he's also a former Wall Street executive who survived multiple market crashes, knows the pressure of high-stakes performance and the hidden pain that often lies beneath success. Bill has lived through profound personal loss, including the death of a young child and the heartache of parenting two daughters through addiction. He has also faced his own battle with depression and substance abuse, navigating years of despair before finding a path to healing through the practice of Research Meditation.

June 16, 2026

Have You Forgotten? w/ Darryl Worley

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, but because it was speaking for one. Worley's story starts long before Nashville. Raised in southern Tennessee by a Methodist minister and a church-choir mother, he spent five formative years honing his craft at the legendary FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals before carving out a place in country music on his own terms, refusing to compromise his traditionalist roots even when the industry pushed back. His instinct to stay true to himself paid off, producing a string of hits that resonated with the working-class audiences he'd always written for. But it was a Christmas USO trip to Kuwait and Afghanistan in 2002 that changed everything. What he witnessed among the men and women serving overseas moved him to write a song that wasn't just country radio fodder, it was a rallying cry. In this conversation, Worley reflects on what inspired "Have You Forgotten?", what it meant to the troops he visited, and what it still means to him as the nation approaches the 25th observance of that September morning. For Darryl Worley, remembering isn't about politics. It's about people: the ones who were lost, the ones who answered the call, and the ones still carrying it forward. About Darryl Worley: Darryl Worley is a country artist whose music has always been rooted in the working class and built on authenticity. Raised in southern Tennessee by a Methodist minister father and a church-choir mother, he honed his craft at the legendary FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals before making his way to Nashville, where he scored three Top 20 hits with his debut album. His second album produced his first #1 single, "I Miss My Friend," but it was "Have You Forgotten?", written after a USO trip to Kuwait and Afghanistan in 2002, that cemented his place in country music history. The song spent seven weeks at #1, becoming one of the defining anthems of the post-9/11 era. Beyond the music, Worley has completed more than 15 USO tours and has used his platform to serve his community in lasting ways. He founded the Tennessee River Run, an annual event in Savannah, Tennessee, that has raised over $100,000 annually for local charities and supports the Darryl Worley Cancer Treatment Center, a facility that brought critical care to a previously underserved region. A traditionalist who cites Merle Haggard and George Jones as his north stars, Worley has never chased trends at the expense of his values, and his music continues to reflect the same honesty, purpose, and blue-collar heart that have defined his career from the start.

334 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

What is Next Steps Forward?: Personal empowerment, commitment to our own well-being and the motivation to achieve more than we ever thought possible are the ingredients of a better life. And, they're all within our reach. Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek delves into the keys to adding energy, excitement, direction and purpose to everything that we do.

The program hosts mental health advocates and medical experts, frontline voices on human trafficking and social justice issues, familiar faces from the worlds of entertainment and sports, and leading entrepreneurs to engage in thought-provoking discussions that inspire the audience to take their own next steps forward to better themselves and their communities. Next Steps Forward is intended to be a source of empowerment that many around the world are in need of now more than ever.

For guests who join the program, Chris cultivates a space where honest, quality conversations thrive and are not only meant to educate and inform but inspire action, introspection and a deeper understanding of the world around us. Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek is an informative, uplifting hour every Tuesday at 1 PM Eastern Time/10 AM Pacific Time that's certain to inspire you to take that important next step forward, too.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates bi-weekly.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 9 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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