Taylor Kiland on Vietnam POWs, Leadership Lessons, and the Stories We Can't Afford to Forget

Some of the most powerful stories of American service were never told on the battlefield. They were told in prison cells in Hanoi, around kitchen tables in military towns, and in the quiet persistence of families who refused to give up.

This week on Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Taylor Baldwin Kiland, a former U.S. Navy officer, third-generation Navy family member, and military nonfiction author who has written, co-authored, ghostwritten, or edited eighteen books. Raised in Coronado, California, a community shaped by the Vietnam POW experience, Taylor has spent much of her career bringing forgotten chapters of that era to light.

Chris and Taylor discuss the remarkable women behind Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man Is Left Behind, and why their campaign to bring their husbands home still matters to military families today. Taylor shares the six traits of high-performing teams she drew from the POWs' experience in Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton, and how resilience forged in captivity translates to leadership in business and everyday life. She also opens up about her own next step forward: leaving a twenty-year career in marketing communications to become a writer, and her work helping veterans turn their service into books that educate and inspire the next generation of leaders.

Finally, Taylor offers a look at her latest project, Murder of the Jujube Candy Heiress: A Coronado Cold Case, the true story of a 1975 unsolved killing that shook her hometown.

Whether you're a veteran thinking about telling your own story, a leader looking for lessons in resilience, or someone who believes that no one should be left behind, this conversation is for you.

About Taylor Kiland: Taylor has written, co-authored, ghost-written, or edited eighteen books, including three about our nation’s Vietnam POWs: Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man is Left Behind, Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton: Six Characteristics of High-Performance Teams and Open Doors: Vietnam POWs Thirty Years Later. A former naval officer, the third generation in her family to serve in the Navy, Taylor was raised in Coronado, California, and Alexandria, Virginia. She spent twenty years in the private sector as a marketing communications professional before starting her writing career. She holds a master’s degree in marketing communications from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. She now lives in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband and their daughter. Taylor’s work has been featured in NewYorkTimes.com, WashingtonPost.com, NBC Nightly News, CNN, C-SPAN, International Herald Tribune, Associated Press, Military.com, and Naval Institute’s Proceedings, just to name a few. ...

The Mind of the Game: Where Athlete Mental Health Stands and Where It Has to Go

Athlete mental health is finally in the collective bargaining agreements, the press conferences, and the policy manuals. But has the care caught up with the conversation?

In this Next Steps Forward Symposium, Chris convenes a panel of leaders in the athlete mental health space for an honest assessment of where athlete mental health and sport psychology actually stand at the professional and collegiate levels.

They trace the real progress of the last 15 years and what drove it: collective bargaining agreements, players associations, athlete advocacy, and hard

-won institutional buy-in, then turn to the harder questions:

▸ What still stands in the way of real change?
▸ Why is wellbeing so often bolted onto the high-performance environment instead of built into it?
▸ Why do sport organizations keep getting drawn to confident voices and quick fixes that don't help athletes?
▸ Is there even an adequate supply of competent, licensed sport psychologists to meet the demand?

A conversation about moving from awareness to actual care: valuable for athletes, coaches, administrators, parents, and anyone building a high-performance culture.

MEET THE PANEL

Dr. Robin Scholefield — Dr. Robin Scholefield is a licensed clinical psychologist, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, and a longtime leader of culture, wellbeing and sport psychology services within USC Athletics. Olympic bronze medalist (swimming, 1976).

Dr. Tom Golightly — Dr. Tom Golightly is a clinical Sport Psychologist with Intermountain Healthcare assigned to work exclusively with the Real Salt Lake organization, which includes MLS, NWSL, and MLS Next Pro teams. He is also the Mental Wellness and Mental Performance Consultant for the Utah Mammoth.

Grace Shirley — As a member of the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team, Grace Shirley and her teammates won the NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Championships in 2021 and 2023. While competing for Providence College as a graduate transfer in 2023/2024, Grace pursued a master’s degree in counseling to become a licensed mental health counselor. She is currently an academic success coordinator at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.

Dr. Lani Lawrence — Dr. Nohelani (Lani) Lawrence serves as the Senior Director of Performance Psychology, Wellness & Clinical Services for the New York Giants, where she oversees mental health and crisis services, mental performance development, and pre-draft assessments. In this role, she leads initiatives that support the psychological well-being and performance optimization of players, coaches, and staff across the organization. ...

Building a Thriving Future w/ Dr. Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio

What does leadership look like in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, big data, and behavioral science?

In this episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Dr. Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, a globally recognized expert on AI, decision science, and the future of work. A faculty member at Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School, Dr. Cecchi-Dimeglio helps leaders navigate the intersection of technology, human behavior, and organizational strategy. Drawing on decades of research and advising Fortune 500 companies, global institutions, and governments, she explains how data and behavioral insights can uncover hidden barriers to performance, improve decision-making, and build more innovative and inclusive organizations.

They explore:

1. How AI and big data are reshaping leadership and decision-making

2. Why behavioral science is critical for building better organizations

3. The real impact of diversity and inclusion on performance

4. How leaders can prepare their teams for the rapidly evolving future of work

Dr. Cecchi-Dimeglio is also the author of The Diversity Dividend and Building a Thriving Future: Metaverse and Multiverse, where she offers practical, data-driven strategies to help organizations harness innovation while creating more equitable workplaces. Whether you're a business leader, policymaker, or simply curious about how technology is transforming work and leadership, this conversation offers powerful insights into how organizations, and the people within them, can thrive in the AI era. ...

Inspiring Others While Finding the Motivator in You w/ LTG Milford H. "Beags" Beagle Jr.

What does it take to lead when the stakes are highest? This week on Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Milford "Beags" Beagle, Jr., whose distinguished 35-year military career culminated in leading the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and serving as Commanding General of Fort Leavenworth.

Throughout the conversation, General Beagle shares the leadership principles that guided him from platoon leader to three-star general, emphasizing that true leadership begins with character, humility, and a genuine commitment to developing others. Drawing from decades of service, including commanding soldiers in combat, leading one of the Army's premier divisions, and shaping the education of future military leaders, he offers powerful insights into building trust, making difficult decisions under pressure, and fostering resilient, high-performing teams.

LTG Beagle also explores the importance of mentorship, servant leadership, and preparing the next generation to lead with integrity in an increasingly complex world. Whether you're a veteran, business executive, educator, or someone striving to become a better leader, this conversation delivers practical wisdom and timeless lessons on purpose, accountability, and service. Join them for an inspiring discussion with one of America's most respected military leaders as he reflects on a lifetime of service and reminds us that leadership isn't defined by rank, it's defined by the positive impact we have on others.

About LTG Milford H. "Beags" Beagle Jr.: Milford H. “Beags” Beagle Jr. is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General, leadership advisor, and organizational strategist with more than 35 years of experience leading transformation across some of the nation’s largest and most complex institutions. He specializes in helping organizations align strategy, people, and execution during periods of rapid change, technological disruption, and operational uncertainty.

As the former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Beagle led the Army’s professional military education, leader development, doctrine, and training integration enterprise, influencing more than 200,000 learners annually and modernization efforts affecting over 1.5 million personnel worldwide. Throughout his career, he helped organizations navigate complex transitions, integrate new capabilities, improve decision-making, and sustain readiness in dynamic environments.

Today, Beagle advises public and private sector organizations on leadership, organizational effectiveness, strategic alignment, and the human dimensions of transformation. His unique combination of operational leadership, enterprise-level integration, and executive advisory experience enables organizations to translate strategy into action while building the clarity and alignment necessary for long-term success. ...

Horse Soldier: Chris Spence on 9/11, Afghanistan, and the Photo That Became History

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, host Chris Meek sits down with retired Master Sergeant Chris Spence, a Green Beret who was among the first Americans on the ground in Afghanistan.

In the weeks after 9/11, Spence deployed with 5th Special Forces Group as part of Operational Detachment Charlie 53, working alongside ODA 595 and Afghan Northern Alliance fighters across some of the most unforgiving mountain terrain on earth. They often traveled by horseback, calling in American air power against Taliban and al-Qaeda positions. A photograph Spence took of his teammates on horseback became one of the defining images of America's response to 9/11, was displayed by then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and helped inspire the America's Response Monument, the Horse Soldier statue that stands near the World Trade Center site today.

Spence talks about where he was the morning of the attacks, what it took to build trust with Afghan fighters he had just met, the piece of the World Trade Center his unit carried into the country, and what books and Hollywood got right and wrong about the mission. He also reflects on the 2021 withdrawal, the question of whether it was all worth it, and how he rebuilt a sense of purpose after 25 years in uniform.

It's a conversation about courage, adaptability, and taking the next step forward when the mountain ahead looks impossible to cross.

About Chris Spence: Soon after the terrorist attacks, another chapter of the September 11, 2001 story was already beginning as a small group of U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers that included Master Sergeant Christopher Spence were on the ground in Afghanistan. The members of that group, known as Operational Detachment Alpha 595 and Operational Detachment Charlie 53 worked alongside Afghan Northern Alliance fighters across unforgiving mountainous terrain, sometimes on horseback, to help direct devastating American air power against Taliban and al-Qaeda positions. Thanks to a photo taken by Chris, the men became known as the Horse Soldiers and their extraordinary mission would inspire books, a major motion picture and the America’s Response Monument. That photo by Sergeant Spence of his fellow soldiers on horseback became one of the iconic images of America’s response to 9/11. ...

Surviving 9/11 and Pursuing Your Destiny w/ Mikaila Cruz

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Mikaila Cruz arrived at her office on the 95th floor of the World Trade Center's South Tower expecting an ordinary Tuesday. After the North Tower was struck, she and her colleagues at Fiduciary Trust Company International were told their building was secure and that they should stay where they were. She left anyway. That decision saved her life.

This week, Mikaila joins host Dr. Chris Meek for a conversation that starts long before that morning. She talks about growing up in Queens with immigrant parents, the values they instilled in her, and the ambition that carried her to Wall Street during the boom years of the 1990s. Then she takes listeners inside the South Tower as the attacks unfolded, down all those flights of stairs, and out into the chaos of Lower Manhattan.

The conversation also turns to everything that came after. Mikaila describes how surviving changed her relationship with fear, which forms of healing proved most useful, and why she eventually chose to speak publicly and co-author the bestselling book Pursuing Your Destiny: How to Overcome Adversity and Achieve Your Dreams. With more than 100 million Americans either born after 9/11 or too young to remember it, she shares what she hopes the history books will say, and what still gives her optimism about the future.

This episode is part of a series marking the 25th observance of the September 11 attacks. To learn more, visit the 9/11 Legacy Foundation at the911legacy.org.

About Mikaila Cruz: Mikaila Cruz is an author, entrepreneur, speaker and 9/11 survivor whose remarkable life story spans cultures, careers and one of the most consequential days in American history. She arrived at her office on the 95th floor of World Trade Center's South Tower expecting an ordinary workday. Instead, she found herself caught in the unfolding terrorist attacks and forced to make decisions that ultimately saved her life. Determined to help others navigate adversity in their own lives, Mikaila transformed her experiences into a message of hope and perseverance, in part as the co-author of the best-selling book, Pursuing Your Destiny: How to Overcome Adversity and Achieve Your Dreams. Today, through speaking, mentoring and business leadership, Mikaila continues to encourage others to move beyond fear, embrace opportunity and pursue lives of meaning and intention. ...

Saved at the Seawall: The Untold Story of the 9/11 Boat Lift w/ Jessica DuLong

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, one of the day's most remarkable rescue stories remains one of its least known. This week on Next Steps Forward, Chris Meek is joined by Jessica DuLong, award-winning author, journalist, independent historian, and former chief engineer of the historic New York City fireboat John J. Harvey.
Built in 1931 and retired decades later, the Harvey was being painstakingly restored by a crew of volunteers when the World Trade Center was attacked. With water mains destroyed and hydrants buried beneath rubble, the retired fireboat was called back into service, pumping seawater to Ground Zero for four days and giving firefighters the water they needed to fight fires that otherwise couldn't have been fought. Jessica served as one of the boat's engineers during that mission.
She and Chris trace her unlikely path from writer to maritime engineer, what it took to keep a 1931 vessel running, and what she saw, heard, and felt approaching Lower Manhattan that morning. They also discuss the story at the heart of her acclaimed book, Saved at the Seawall: Stories from the September 11 Boat Lift, the largest maritime evacuation in history, in which mariners with no orders and no playbook carried nearly half a million people off the island of Manhattan in a matter of hours, surpassing even Dunkirk.
It's a conversation about ingenuity, instinct, and what September 11 revealed about the very best of humanity.
About Jessica DuLong: Jessica DuLong is an award-winning author, journalist, independent historian, and former chief engineer of the historic New York City fireboat, the John J. Harvey. On September 11, 2001, the John J. Harvey, a retired fireboat that volunteers were painstakingly restoring, was called back into service after the attacks on the World Trade Center. With water mains destroyed and hydrants buried beneath rubble, the Harvey pumped seawater to Ground Zero for four days, providing the water firefighters desperately needed to battle fires that otherwise could not have been fought. Jessica served as one of the boat's engineers during that historic mission. Her acclaimed book, Saved at the Seawall: Stories from the September 11 Boat Lift, tells one of the most remarkable yet least known stories of 9/11. ...

Learning to Hear, Learning to See: Eli Steele On Deafness and the American Dream

Filmmaker Eli Steele has built a career on the conversations most people would rather avoid: race, identity, culture, and opportunity.
Born profoundly deaf into a family whose heritage spans Black, Jewish, white, and Native American traditions, Eli grew up outside the categories America uses to sort people. In this wide-ranging conversation with host Dr. Chris Meek, he opens a window into a world few listeners have ever considered: how a deaf child learns that objects have names, how reading happens without sound, and how someone comprehends the very concept of sound having never heard one. He also revisits his decision at twenty-five to undergo cochlear implant surgery, chronicled in the film Eli's Story: Learning to Hear, including the day his implants were activated, the first sound he remembers, and why hearing more didn't change who he was.
From there, the conversation turns to the camera. Eli discusses how growing up deaf sharpened him as an observer, the responsibilities that come with documentary filmmaking, and whether objectivity is even the goal. He talks candidly about his father, the influential writer and thinker Shelby Steele, how their relationship evolved from father-and-son into creative collaboration, and how he works to remain distinctly his own person. And he takes on the films themselves: What's Bugging Seth, How Jack Became Black, the controversy surrounding What Killed Michael Brown? and its temporary removal from Amazon, and his newest project, What Killed the Dream?
Along the way: whether the marketplace of ideas is opening or narrowing, where editorial judgment ends and censorship begins, what threatens the American Dream, and what stories, if any, can still unite us.
About Eli Steele: Eli Steele is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, storyteller and president of Man of Steele Productions. He has devoted his career to exploring some of the most difficult and important conversations in America: race, identity, culture and opportunity. Born profoundly deaf and raised in a family whose heritage spans Black, Jewish, white and Native American traditions, Eli brings a perspective shaped by experiences that don't fit neatly into society's labels. His documentaries, including How Jack Became Black and What Killed Michael Brown?, have sparked national conversations and challenged audiences to reconsider some of the assumptions that shape modern American life. ...

The Power of Mattering w/ Dr. Zach Mercurio

What if the deepest human need isn't success, but the certainty that we matter?
This week, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with researcher, speaker, and author Dr. Zach Mercurio, whose work on purposeful leadership and meaningful work began, improbably, with a conversation in the back of a Washington, D.C. taxi. That exchange with a driver who understood something profound about human significance became the seed of Mercurio's latest book, The Power of Mattering.
Together, Chris and Zach explore why feeling seen, heard, valued, and needed is a fundamental human requirement rather than a luxury, and what happens psychologically when that need goes unmet. They unpack the great paradox of our age: how a world more technologically connected than ever has left so many people, including the outwardly successful, feeling invisible. They examine why the next promotion, title, or award so rarely satisfies, whether we've begun confusing attention with connection, and how a smile or a thank-you from a stranger can change the course of someone's day or life.
About Dr. Zach Mercurio: Zach Mercurio, who earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Learning, Performance, and Change from Colorado State University, believes one of the greatest human needs is not simply to be successful, but to know that we matter. He is a researcher, speaker, and author whose work focuses on purposeful leadership, meaningful work, and the science of helping people feel seen, heard, valued, and needed. His latest book, The Power of Mattering, explores how leaders, families, educators, and communities can create cultures where people thrive because they know they make a difference. ...

Chasing Happiness, Missing Joy w/ Dr. La'Tesha Sampson

What's the difference between happiness and joy, and why do so many of us spend a lifetime chasing one while missing the other?
This week, host Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Dr. La'Tesha Sampson, a nationally recognized educator, licensed psychotherapist, author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community leader. A New Jersey native, Dr. Sampson has spent more than two decades helping individuals and communities overcome adversity, improve mental health, and build lives filled with purpose. She is the founder of Great Joy Counseling and Consulting Services, executive director of the Great Joy Community Development Corporation, and director of the Master of Social Work and Master of Public Administration programs at Seton Hall University.
Dr. Sampson opens up about the childhood trauma and periods of homelessness that shaped her early years, the moment she realized her circumstances didn't have to determine her future, and the people who helped her believe in herself along the way. She and Chris explore why joy can coexist with grief and uncertainty, why mental health has long been difficult to discuss openly in communities of color, and whether America is facing a genuine mental health crisis or simply a new awareness of old problems. The conversation also takes on a provocative question raised recently in The New York Times: are we pathologizing ordinary life?
Plus: faith and healing, service as leadership, entrepreneurship with a mission, and what today's young leaders are getting right.
About Dr. La'Tesha Sampson: Dr. La'Tesha Sampson is the epitome of academic, philanthropic, and social service excellence. A proud Roselle, New Jersey native, she has devoted over 27 years to serving disenfranchised individuals and communities, guided by her belief in helping others transform their thinking to transform their lives. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, professor, author, grant writer, corporate and nonprofit trainer, program facilitator, media personality, and serial entrepreneur, Dr. Sampson wears many hats but each is rooted in a singular purpose: to cultivate healing, leadership, and sustainable joy.
She is the Founder and President of Great Joy Counseling and Consulting Services, a thriving multi-state group practice where she and her team provide psychotherapy and life coaching to thousands of individuals, couples, families, and groups each year. She also serves as the Executive Director of the Great Joy Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing health, wellness, and quality of life for disenfranchised communities globally. In higher education, Dr. Sampson has taught and mentored future change agents at the University of New England, Rutgers University, the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, and Kean University. She now serves as Director of the Master of Public Administration Program and MSW Practicum Education at Seton Hall University.
A committed philanthropist, Dr. Sampson sponsors scholarships for New Jersey high school students and supports nonprofit initiatives across Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, India, Ghana, Mexico, and Egypt. She has trained leaders from more than 200 organizations, colleges, and universities and currently serves on national and local boards, including NASW-PACE and the NJ Association of Black Social Workers. Her thought leadership has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Star Ledger, Thrive Global, The Huffington Post, NBC News 4, and TV One's Fatal Attraction. She is also gearing up to be a TEDx speaker on the topic "Rejecting Happiness, Cultivating Joy." ...

From Tragedy to Unity: David Paine and Jay S. Winuk on Building 9/11 Day

This week on Next Steps Forward, program host Dr. Chris Meek is joined by the co-founders of 9/11 Day, David Paine and Jay S. Winuk. Together, they share the remarkable story behind how a day of national tragedy was transformed into a federally recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance, now inspiring tens of millions of Americans to honor those lost in the September 11 attacks through acts of kindness, volunteering, and community service.
David and Jay discuss the origins of the movement, the deeply personal loss that shaped its mission, and how service became a unifying force across the country. They also explore the ambitious vision behind the 25th anniversary of 9/11 Day, which aims to mobilize the largest day of service in American history through nationwide volunteer initiatives, education programs, and cross-sector partnerships.
At a time of increasing division, this conversation highlights the enduring power of service to bring people together, strengthen communities, and reaffirm shared humanity.
About David Paine: David Paine is the co-founder and president of 9/11 Day, the nonprofit organization that led the formal establishment of September 11 as a federally recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance. Over the past 24 years, 9/11 Day has inspired tens of millions of Americans to honor the victims and heroes of 9/11 through acts of kindness, volunteering, and charitable giving, transforming a day of tragedy into a powerful annual moment of unity and service across the country. For the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Paine and his co-founder Jay Winuk are leading an ambitious national effort to organize what is expected to be the largest day of service in American history. The initiative will feature 50 large-scale, multi-city service projects focused on critical needs such as hunger relief, alongside expanded education programs and grantmaking to support schools, nonprofits, and youth organizations nationwide.
This historic effort is powered by an extraordinary coalition of influential partners, including the NFL, Major League Baseball, National Governors Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, America250, AmeriCorps, Points of Light, and many others, and is supported by more than 600 corporate partners committed to advancing service and unity nationwide. At a time of deep division, Paine is advancing a bold, unifying vision for civic engagement, one that invites Americans of all backgrounds to join together in shared purpose through service.
About Jay S. Winuk: Jay S. Winuk is co-founder and executive vice president of 9/11 Day, the nonprofit organization that began and annually organizes the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. On September 11, 2001, Jay's brother Glenn J. Winuk, an attorney, volunteer firefighter and EMT, was killed in the line of duty at the World Trade Center. Inspired by his brother's lifelong devotion to community service and courageous actions, Jay joined David Paine in 2002 as co-founder in helping to build and lead the 9/11 Day observance. Jay is a frequent public speaker and a leading national voice about volunteerism, charitable service, terrorism, individual empowerment and his own experience as the brother of a murdered 9/11 first responder. In addition to his leadership role for 9/11 Day, Jay serves as president of Winuk Communications, Inc., the public relations agency he founded in 1994. ...

Leadership, Resilience, and Never Forgetting w/ Boomer Esiason

What does it take to lead under pressure: on the field, in the broadcast booth, and in the most personal corners of family life? In this episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with NFL legend and MVP quarterback Boomer Esiason for a wide-ranging conversation about resilience, identity, purpose, and what it means to use your platform in service of others.
Boomer led the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance and earned league MVP honors in 1988 across a 14-year career. But his story didn't end with retirement. When his son Gunnar was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Boomer channeled his competitive drive into founding the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for research, education, and care. He also became a powerful voice for ensuring that the September 11, 2001 attacks are never forgotten, especially by the one-third of Americans who were too young or not yet born to remember that day.
In this episode, you'll hear Boomer discuss:

- What it was like to play as a left-handed quarterback in an overwhelmingly right-handed league

- The belief and mindset that fuels comeback resilience, even when a team is down 31 points at halftime

- Receiving Gunnar's cystic fibrosis diagnosis and what it demanded of him as a father and an advocate

- Where he was on September 11, 2001, and why keeping that memory alive has become a personal mission

About Boomer Esiason: Boomer Esiason is one of the most accomplished NFL quarterbacks of his era. He's best known for leading the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance and earning league MVP honors in 1988. Boomer Esiason's football career spanned 14 years, but his story extends far beyond the game. Following his playing career, he became a respected broadcaster and a passionate advocate for those in need. After his son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Boomer founded the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars to support research, education, and care for those living with the disease. Throughout his life, Boomer Esiason has used his platform to serve others by advancing medical progress, supporting families, and helping ensure that future generations understand the significance of moments like 9/11 that have shaped our nation. ...

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, and 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 and 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 and 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. ...

From Wall Street to Healing and Hope w/ Bill Villafranco

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. ...

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. ...

Hard Lessons from Inside the War on Drugs w/ Richard Baum

The opioid epidemic has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives, devastated families, and challenged policymakers for more than four decades. In this compelling episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Richard Baum, a 28-year veteran of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy who served under six presidential administrations, including a stint as acting director.

Drawing on nearly three decades at the center of America's drug policy efforts, Baum provides an insider's perspective on the evolution of the opioid crisis, from prescription painkillers to heroin to the deadly rise of fentanyl. He examines the policy decisions, cultural shifts, pharmaceutical influences, and enforcement challenges that helped fuel one of the most devastating public health crises in modern American history. Baum also discusses lessons from his new book, Hard Lessons from Inside the War on Drugs, offering candid reflections on what worked, what failed, and why meaningful progress has often proven so difficult. The conversation explores the balance between public health and criminal justice approaches, the role of mental health and treatment, the international dimensions of fentanyl trafficking, and the bipartisan efforts required to address addiction and overdose deaths.

Most importantly, Baum shares the human stories behind the statistics, families forever changed by addiction, the emotional toll of the epidemic, and the reasons he remains hopeful that future generations can learn from the past. This is a thoughtful, timely discussion about one of America's most complex and consequential challenges and what it will take to move forward.

About Richard Baum: Richard J. Baum has served at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for two decades in a variety of positions through five presidential administrations. He was Acting Director of ONDCP – or Drug Czar – from March 2017 to February 2018. In this position he served as the principal advisor to the President on drug policy and worked directly with Cabinet Secretaries. For much of his tenure as Acting Director he served concurrently as Executive Director of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, overseeing ONDCP’s work with the Commission in drafting and editing their two reports and coordinating and participating in their meetings in Washington.

Mr. Baum has previously served in a variety of management and policy positions at ONDCP. During his career at the Drug Czar’s office he led the development of numerous strategic documents, including the organization’s marquee publication, the National Drug Control Strategy, six times in three administrations, more than any other ONDCP official in its 30-year history. Prior to joining ONDCP's staff in 1997, he was a drug/health/justice policy analyst, researcher and grant writer, and served for six years as a Congressional Staff Member. He currently works on emerging drug threats at ONDCP’s Office on Translational Research and also serves on the faculty of the annual Rx Summit and Illicit Drugs and speaks at a variety of other policy forums on behalf of his agency.

Mr. Baum has both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Georgetown, as well as a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado. He is an Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University’s McCourt Graduate School, where he designed and teaches a course entitled: The War on Drugs: Causes, Consequences and Alternatives. His first book, “Hard Lessons from Inside the War on Drugs,” was published in 2025. He was Born and raised in New York City’s East Greenwich Village. He resides now in Falls Church, Virginia with his wife Linda Bloss-Baum, an 18-year old son, Matthew, is at Fordham University studying communications. An older daughter, Alexandria, 23 graduated from Penn State with a degree in hospitality. ...