Walking Tall Podcast

The Walking Tall Podcast was created by two separate mass shooting survivors and heroes from their events, and a respected mental health doctor who all joined forces to share their own stories of adversity and strength, and then how they learned how to Walk Tall after being knocked down. Their guests will share their struggles and how they defied the odds to learn how to Walk Tall again in various categories of mental health. This podcast will spread a message of strength, togetherness, love, and support. In a time of despair, there is hope and a community of people that will help lift you up and Walk Tall for you until you can Walk Tall on your own. The "Walking Tall Movement" is here, and we are ready to Walk Tall for you and then with you. Hosts: Chris Maliszewski, Dr. Vanetta LaRosa, and Todd Blyleven

Contributors

Host

Chris Maliszewski

Chris served as the Co-Chair of the July 4, 2022, Highland Park, IL Independence Day Parade when a mass shooting occurred. Seven lives were lost and over forty people were injured.

Chris's selfless acts during the shooting, working with law enforcement for over seven hours to rescue staff and vacate public areas immediately after the event, and his continued community recovery efforts have made him a "hero" since that day. Chris is learning how to Walk Tall again from his experience and has begun EMDR therapy which will help him process his experience and learn to live with his PTSD.

Chris is a former NCAA Division I baseball coach having coached at The University of Iowa and Valparaiso University. He currently serves as a Director of Recreation for the Park District of Highland Park. He is a husband and father to two beautiful children. Chris's life experiences will allow for captivating stories while providing an example of Walking Tall.

Host

Dr. Vanetta LaRosa

Dr. LaRosa is the founder and Executive Clinical Director at Helping Hands LBAS, serving people with neurodevelopmental disabilities. She’s helped people with ADHD, Traumatic Brain Injury, behavioral challenges, and more.

She completed a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a sub-specialty in human learning and development from Southern Illinois University, known for its advanced study of Educational Psychology and ABA, on a full academic scholarship and doctoral Fellowship at the ACHIEVE Center under the mentorship of the late Dr. Barbara Cordoni.

NYS-licensed and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst with doctoral distinction
Postdoctoral Respecialization in Clinical Neuropsychology under Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, a world leader in Neuroscience
Phi Kappa Phi and Gamma Beta Phi-academic excellence
20-year Teacher of psychology and primary thesis advisor for students in experimental psychology.

Host

Todd Blyleven

Todd is a survivor of the worst mass shooting in modern history on October 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, NV at the Route 91 Country Music Harvest Festival. 58 innocent lives were taken from us while 850+ people were injured from the shooting.

Todd's selfless acts during and after the shooting for 8+ difficult hours saved lives as he helped as many people as he could which labeled him a "Hero" on that horrific night. Todd learned how to Walk Tall again from his faith and went through EMDR therapy which helped teach him how to process his scary night and learn to live with PTSD.

Todd is a former professional athlete, MLB Scout and has worked in the corporate sports industry for the past 12+ years. He is a husband and father to three beautiful children and now owns his own sports technology company, called The Scout Hub. Todd's background in sports and life, along with overcoming his adversities brings a ton of great stories to share on the Walking Tall Podcast.

https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/todd-blyleven-s-life-changed-after-las-vegas-shooting