Championing Economic Freedom: A Conversation w/ Dr. Meg Tuszynski
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
Release Date: 02/25/2025
Our New World of Adult Bullies w/ Bill Eddy
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
This week on Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Bill Eddy - licensed clinical social worker, attorney, and director of innovation at the High Conflict Institute - for a compelling look at the rise of adult bullying. Drawing from his book The New World of Adult Bullies, Eddy explains how high-conflict personalities are impacting workplaces, families, and online spaces like never before. He breaks down the key traits of adult bullies, the difference between conflict and bullying, and why traditional conflict resolution often fails with these individuals. Listeners will learn...
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Empowering Innovation: Sanjay Puri on Entrepreneurship, AI, and Bridging Nations
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
In this week’s episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Sanjay Puri - entrepreneur, investor, global strategist, and host of the Regulating AI and Indianness podcasts - for an insightful conversation on personal empowerment, technological innovation, and global diplomacy. From founding AutoNebula, an investment firm focused on connected transport startups, to leading the U.S.-India Political Action Committee for over two decades, Sanjay has spent his career at the intersection of technology, policy, and international business. He shares how pivotal moments shaped his...
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Fuel Your Future w/ Becca Powers
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
In this empowering episode of Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Becca Powers, an international keynote speaker, USA TODAY best-selling author, and founder of Powers Peak Potential. Becca shares her transformative journey from a minimum-wage Dollar Store employee to an award-winning Fortune 500 sales executive, illustrating how mindset mastery can propel high performers toward extraordinary success. Drawing from her proprietary framework, The POWER Method, Becca discusses how adopting a "both/and" mindset - balancing ambition with well-being - can help individuals break...
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From the Pulpit to the Front Lines: Pastor David Lowery on Civil Rights and Empowering Second Chances
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
This week on Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Pastor David Lowery, Jr. – a passionate civil rights advocate, national speaker, and founder of the Living and Driving While Black Foundation. With a career spanning military contracting, ministry, and social justice, Pastor Lowery brings a uniquely multifaceted perspective to the fight against racial profiling and systemic inequality. In this inspiring and deeply informative episode, Pastor Lowery shares the powerful story behind founding the Living and Driving While Black Foundation, the reality of racial profiling in America today,...
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Making Peace with the Unknown w/ Rachel Zimmerman
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
When a state trooper arrived at Rachel Zimmerman’s door with devastating news – that her husband, a brilliant MIT professor and loving father, had taken his own life – her world shattered in an instant. With no warning signs, no history of mental illness, and two young daughters now facing an unthinkable reality, Rachel was left with a haunting question: Why? In this powerful episode of Next Steps Forward, award-winning journalist Rachel Zimmerman shares the deeply personal and investigative journey that followed. Drawing on her years of experience covering health and medicine, Rachel...
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Sports, Storytelling & Stepping into Your Power w/ Heather Lloyd
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
In this week’s inspiring episode of Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Heather Lloyd - sports journalist, former news anchor, proud stepmom, and Daybreak Colts Contributor for WISH-TV in Indianapolis. From her early days in Eden Prairie, Minnesota (where she once had a near run-in with Prince!) to navigating the evolving world of local news, Heather shares her remarkable journey through broadcast journalism, public relations, financial sales, and ultimately back to her true passion - storytelling through sports. Heather opens up about the challenges of covering the NFL...
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The Second Fifty: Empowering America’s Aging Population w/ Dr. Debra Whitman
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
This week on Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek welcomes Dr. Debra Whitman, Chief Public Policy Officer at AARP and a nationally recognized authority on aging, economic security, and public policy. In this powerful and enlightening conversation, Dr. Whitman offers a deep dive into the evolving realities of life after 50 — and how individuals, families, and society can better prepare for a longer, more fulfilling second half of life. Together, Dr. Meek and Dr. Whitman unpack: What AARP really does—and why it’s still critically relevant today The truth behind common myths about...
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Navigating the "Failure to Launch" Phenomenon w/ Dr. Mark McConville
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
In this week’s episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Dr. Mark McConville, a clinical psychologist and expert in adolescent and family psychology. Dr. McConville shares insights from his decades of experience working with adolescents and families, including his groundbreaking work on Failure to Launch, which explores the growing trend of young adults struggling to transition into full independence. Together, they dive into the root causes of this issue, touching on everything from societal changes and economic factors to the roles of parents in shaping the development...
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Fried: Addressing Burnout Head-On w/ Cait Donovan
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
This week on Next Steps Forward, Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Cait Donovan, an internationally recognized expert in burnout and resilience. Cait's career began as a practicing acupuncturist with a master’s degree in Chinese medicine, but after experiencing burnout herself, she shifted focus to study biobehavioral health. Today, she’s an in-demand speaker, the host of Fried – The Burnout Podcast, and the author of The Bouncebackability Factor: End Burnout, Gain Resilience, and Change the World. In this enlightening conversation, Cait delves deep into the causes and signs of burnout,...
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The Fight For Change w/ Dr. Marcel van der Watt
Next Steps Forward with Dr. Chris Meek
In this powerful episode of Next Steps Forward, host Dr. Chris Meek sits down with Dr. Marcel van der Watt, the president of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), to discuss his remarkable career and the global fight against sexual exploitation. With over 22 years of experience, Dr. van der Watt brings expertise from his background as a police investigator, hostage negotiator, and criminal case consultant. Together, they dive into the devastating impact of pornography, especially on young minds, and the alarming rise of online sexual exploitation. Dr. van der Watt sheds light on...
info_outlineIn this episode of Next Steps Forward, Dr. Meg Tuszynski, the Managing Director of the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, joins program host Dr. Chris Meek for a conversation championing economic freedom. Throughout the hour, Dr. Tuszynski will discuss her research to understand the causes and consequences of variations in economic freedom across nations, states, and localities, as well as her research seeking to advance our understanding of entangled political economy. She will provide the audience with a nuanced view of the intersection of economics, public policy and individual freedom, as well as provide insights on how economic freedom drives growth, fosters entrepreneurship and impacts inequality. She will also delve into the role of fiscal policies in shaping economic landscapes and their effects on women’s careers. Tune in as she explores the power of free markets and provides valuable perspectives on key issues in modern economic thought.
About Dr. Meg Tuszynski: Dr. Meg Tuszynski is the Managing Director of the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. She is also a Research Assistant Professor in the Cox School. Meg’s research interests primarily fall into two categories. One category of research seeks to understand the causes and consequences of variations in economic freedom across nations, states, and localities. A second strand of research seeks to advance our understanding of entangled political economy, which analyzes the ways in which market and government actors are interlinked. Meg has published research in Public Choice, the Southern Economic Journal, the Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, the Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, and the American Journal of Entrepreneurship, among several others. She has also published popular pieces in outlets including Investors Business Daily, the Washington Examiner, the Dallas Morning News, and the Daily Caller. Meg lives in Texas with her husband, two children, and three dogs.