Encore BraveMind: The Future of Advanced Medical Technology with Dr. Skip Rizzo and Chris Merkle

Program host Chris Meek is honored to welcome Bishop Donna L. Hubbard to Next Steps Forward. Chris has been proud of his commitment to bring forth guests who have worked tirelessly on the frontlines to combat human trafficking to share their stories, educate and offer hope to all of those who have suffered the horrors of being trafficked and to America at-large. Bishop Hubbard joins him to share her own experiences of being trafficked and how becoming incarcerated offered her a way out and led her to finding God. Upon her release she founded Women at the Well Transition Center, a non-profit ministry providing direct services to rescued, trafficked, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women throughout the United States. Bishop Hubbard is a world recognized and respected Human Trafficking Subject Matter Expert and Survivor Leader, who will provide awareness, education and critical information to empower those who have experienced trafficking and place us all in the position to decrease the likelihood of exploitation throughout her appearance on the program.

Brittany Dunn, a national leader working to eradicate human trafficking in the United States and COO and Co-Founder of Safe House Project, joins program host Chris Meek in this edition of Next Steps Forward. Prior to the Safe House Project, Brittany spent 10 years in international business development at CareerBuilder.com. Brittany earned a B.A. in Economics and English from Wellesley College. She graduated top of her class with an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, Pi Sigma Alpha, Wellesley Alumnae Association, the Naval Officers’ Spouses Club, and is an active member in her church. Brittany received the CEO Circle Award from Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is a military spouse, the mother of two, a lifelong learner, a world traveler and a protector of the vulnerable. Human trafficking is an issue that once you sink your teeth into it, you cannot turn away from the issue - Brittany believes that we all have a responsibility to face and combat the evil that is human trafficking. Through her work through the Safe House Program she has increased survivor identification via education and training, served survivors as they exit their specific trafficking situations and spearheaded policy on the state and federal level to create comprehensive solutions. Throughout the hour, Brittany will establish how to serve survivors without re-victimization, speak to how deep relationships allow us to work to meet the needs of survivors holistically and the need to not only focus on a survivor's victimization.

Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio is a leading authority on helping senior leaders make more inclusive decisions for themselves and their organizations. Having advised some of the largest for-profit and non-profit companies in the world, she joins program host Chris Meek to discuss her experiences as an award-winning expert on race and gender and leadership strategy. Discussion topics will include what led Paola to first become interested in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and why she decided to make it the focus of her career, what companies can do to attract more diverse applicants, tips for removing implicit bias during the interview process and why onboarding is crucial to increasing diversity. From entry-level to the boardroom, Paola’s experience and tips are sure to have powerful impacts on the companies who apply her expertise.

Kim Borchers, president and owner of Bird Dog Recruitment and Consulting, joins program host Chris Meek on this installment of Next Steps Forward. Her firm focuses primarily on placement of senior talent at the highest levels of state and federal government along with management development. Before opening her firm, Kim was the Executive Director of Leadership Development at a national think tank, the Foundation for Government Accountability, where she created and launched the organization’s Talent Bank Project. Kim has spent 20 years in the grassroots movement fighting pornography in her public library. She also served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and currently serves as Republican National Committeewoman for the great state of Kansas. Kim provides fresh perspectives on topics central to civic engagement, including why some voters may be disengaged with politics at the local level, strategies for successfully combating public apathy towards the electoral system, and how to encourage bipartisan cooperation and consensus. For those interested in fostering civic engagement in their own communities or who are taking their first steps in becoming more involved in political processes, Kim has a wealth of knowledge that will not only inspire but provide tangible steps for action.

Burke Bryant is an esteemed author, public speaker, and humanitarian whose life-saving contributions have garnered widespread recognition, including the prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served as an operations specialist, and possesses a diverse skill set that includes combat search and rescue, tactical combat casualty care and diving instruction. In 2016, Bryant founded the Humanitarian Aid and Rescue Project, where he currently serves as head of mission and CEO. Under his leadership, HARP has executed operational missions across North America and around the world, including the front line of the ongoing Ukraine war. Program host Chris Meek looks forward to welcoming him to Next Steps Forward.

Many in the Next Steps Forward audience will surely recognize Victoria Jackson - actress, comedian and Saturday Night Live legend. Mrs. Jackson joins program host Chris Meek to discuss her iconic career in stand up comedy, her decision to leave Hollywood behind for Nashville, her brave battle with cancer and her unshakeable faith in God. Since leaving Hollywood, Mrs. Jackson has remained busy, most recently releasing her debut music-comedy album “When I Get to Nashville.” She will speak about the album, as well as other current projects she is currently pursuing. It is an honor to have her join the program for this special interview!

Dessi Schachne is a certified life coach, dedicated to enlightening and empowering individuals in midlife experiencing relationship transitions such as divorce, a breakup or the loss of a spouse. Through her coaching, Dessi equips her clients with a diverse set of proven techniques, enabling them to overcome challenges like past focus, people-pleasing, anxiety, and suffering, rebuild self-confidence, and have healthy relationships with themselves and others. She joins program host Chris Meek on Next Steps Forward to speak in-depth about her mission to foster emotional well-being and will guide the guidance one step closer to realizing their dream lives.

With America divided as never before, Kelly Wright, host of NTD News’ “America’s Hope with Kelly Wright,” seeks to answer questions such as “where can we find hope?” and “how can we return to the values outlined by our Founding Fathers?” A unique performer and accomplished musician, many individuals have become familiar with Mr. Wright’s work as an Emmy Award-Winning TV news journalist over the course of his more than thirty years delivering news to the American public. A former co-host of Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends Weekend and America’s News Headquarters Weekend, his current show America’s Hope explores timely and informative topics such as fatherlessness across the country, how freedom of religion is under attack, how individuals are going above and beyond to overcome their disabilities and the current state of education in America, to name a few. Now he joins Next Steps Forward to discuss not only his career trajectory and passion for exploring the topics and news headlines that mean the most to Americans, but shed light for the audience on the fundamental questions he seeks to answer: where exactly he believes each and every one of us can find hope and how we each play a role in how we can return to the values put forth by our Founding Fathers.

Dr. Lisa Babbage is an author, teacher and philanthropist. She has spent 20 years teaching math and science in the public school system in Georgia, where she currently resides. As a child, Babbage, her mother and brother, were frequently homeless. In 2011, she took a three-year leave of absence from her profession to inaugurate a non-profit organization, Maranatha House Ministries, aimed at the fight against homelessness. She joins Next Steps Forward to share her love for people and how it serves as a basis for giving back to those in her community through teaching, writing and entrepreneurial endeavors so that her community can reach its fullest potential. She is also currently involved in ground-breaking efforts to reform Georgia’s education system and empower more people in Atlanta. Throughout the hour Dr. Babbage will share her thoughts on why she believes in education reform, the key challenges facing the current education system, how reform efforts address these issues and how education politics and practices can be made more responsive to the needs of marginalized and underserved communities.

Natasha Owens is a contemporary Christian musician who has taken a new direction by offering up a bold, proud, powerful concept collection in her fifth studio album, American Patriot. Through her music she bridges an unwavering love of country with the themes of faith and family that have always played a significant role in her artistry. Program host Chris Meek welcomes Mrs. Owens to the program to discuss how her faith has turned her darkest days into light, reflect on her own seasons of loss and how through peace poured into her through the Holy Spirit she has taken her love of music and poured it into others in an effort to find healing. She will speak of God's intent for His children to do more than merely survive but thrive, with the hope that her own story will be a powerful testimony to this very fact. The lessons in faith Mrs. Owens shares will inspire the audience to trust in the Lord to help them face any feelings of inadequacy or intimidation they may be experiencing.