Dr. Allison Webel, RN, Ph.D, is the lead author of Living a Healthy Life with HIV. She is Assistant Professor of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Webel is a prominent researcher, educator, writer, and speaker in the field of HIV/AIDS self-management, global health and behavior change.

More than 1.2 million people in U.S. are living with HIV and over half of them are over 50.  The World Health Organization and UNAIDS estimate there  were 36.9 million people globally living with  HIV in 2014.

Although it’s no longer a death sentence due to new anti-retroviral medication,  the assumption that HIV is now “cured” is not accurate.  Some 7,000 people a year still die of AIDS.  HIV stigma and shame have been found to negatively impact people living with HIV, affecting their willingness to seek treatment or stick with the complicated regiment of medications that are critical to maintaining health and reducing HIV transmission over the long term.  Patients who feel stigmatized can wind up isolated and without the will to manage their disease.

To live a long and healthy life with the disease, patients need to take responsibility for their own treatment.  This means being on top of the illness, paying less attention to daily signs and symptoms, reducing stress, eating healthy nutritious foods, getting exercise, working with a medical team and getting support from their community.

Dr. Webel and I discuss:

• How HIV treatments have changed for the better over the last 20 years.
• Whether HIV positive people should reveal their HIV status and to whom.
• What are the side effects of HIV meds.
• Whether or not it is safe to exercise at the same level as people without HIV.
• Can HIV positive women safely have children; will their babies be HIV positive and;
• How HIV affects people as they age and what plans should they make for the future.

Do a F.A.S.T check on new or worsening symptoms:

Fever of 101°F or more

Altered mental status

Severity compared to previous symptoms

Typical or unusual?

Living a Healthy Life with HIV is a practical, easy-to-understand book with content that will help not only patients, but also friends and family members who support anyone dealing with HIV.

It stresses that to succeed in living to a ripe old age with HIV the most important skill is learning to respond to your illness on an ongoing basis to solve day-to-day problems as they arise.  The approach the authors of Living a Healthy Life with HIV take--simple, concrete steps to help people find their own answers--has proven to be the approach that works best.

To listen to my interview with Dr. Webel please  click below.

Dr. Willard Harley, Nationally Acclaimed Clinical Psychologist, Marriage Counselor and Author of His Needs Her Needs, Building An Affair-Proof Marriage

Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr. explains the important concept of the Love Bank, and discusses how to meet each other's emotional needs for affection, sex, intimate conversation, companionship, family commitment, physical attractiveness, honesty and openness, and admiration.  As couples walk through the study together they will remember why they fell in love in the first place, renew their commitment to their marriage, and rediscover their passion.

In His Needs, Her Needs, Dr. Harley list Five Basic Needs Husbands and Wives bring to a Marriage:

Men's Needs:

1.  Sexual Fulfillment
2.  Recreational Companionship
3.  An Attractive Spouse
4.  Domestic Support
5.  Admiration

A Wife can make herself Irresistible to her Husband by learning to meet his Five Most Important Emotional Needs.

Women's Needs:

1.  Affection
2.  Conversation 
3.  Honesty and Openness
4.  Financial Support
5.  Family Commitment


A Husband can make himself Irresistible to his Wife by learning to meet Her Five Most Important Emotional Needs

To listen to my interview with Dr. Harley, please click below.

Dr. Timothy Jennings, M.D., Psychiatrist and Author of "The God Shaped Brain."

We will discuss how brain research in neuroscience has found that our thoughts and beliefs affect our physical, mental and spiritual health.  Mind and body are interrelated, and we are designed for healthy relationships of love and trust.  When we understand God as good and loving, we flourish.

Unfortunately, many of us have distorted images of God and mostly think of him in fearful, punitive ways.  This leads us into unhealthy patterns of self-defeating behaviors and toxic relationships.  But our lives can change when God renews our minds with a truer picture of him.

Psychiatrist Tim Jennings will unveil how our brains and bodies thrive when we have a healthy understanding of who God is.  He will dispel common misconceptions about God and shows how different God concepts affect the brain differently.

How our brains can adapt, change and rewire with redeemed thinking that frees us from unnecessary pain and suffering. And, discover how neuroscience and Scripture come together to bring healing and transformation to our lives.

To listen to my interview with Dr. Jennings, please click below.

Book Club Conference Call With Michael Ross Author of "The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case".

The Mina Collins Show, Michael Ross and Oxford Press are excited to announce a Book Club Conference Call with Author Michael Ross.  Michael is the author of "The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case" on Thursday, April 16th at 6:00 p.m. CT.

Please join us to discuss "The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case "With Michael Ross. This is a great opportunity to speak directly with the author. We encourage you to ask him your burning questions. We are anticipating an exciting and spirited evening because of your participation. Thank you in-advance for joining us. We are looking forward to hearing your questions.

We will start promptly at 6:00 p.m. CT. The conference call number is (712) 775-7031 and the access code is 645-699-675.

We would like to thank Oxford Press for the complimentary sign copies of "The Great New Orleans Kidnapping Case".  To receive a sign copy of the book please email us at theminacollinsshow@gmail.com

Robin Fisher-Roffer, Founder and CEO of Big Fish Marketing. She is America's premiere Brand Strategist, Storyteller and Author of "The No Fear Career: 12 Steps to Becoming a Courageous Leader in the Face of Uncertainty".

In Robin's latest book, "The No Fear Career" Robin reveals how the same strategies she uses to invigorate major media and Fortune 500 companies can help anyone harness change, find their passion, thrive in their current position, accelerate their career, or grow a successful business.

She methodically walks us through the 12 Steps needed to adapt to the uncertain and ever-changing world we are now living in.

Listed are a few of the 12 Steps:

1. Own Your Truth

2. Quiet Your Inner Judge

3. Declare Your Specialty

4. Leave A Bad Situation

5. How To Get Your Swagger Back

Robin has been a Brand Strategist and Storyteller of major media companies including A&E, Food Network, AMC, Bloomberg, CNN, Comedy Central, Discovery, FX, History, Lifetime, and MTV.  Utilizing material from her critically acclaimed books, Robin keynotes conference and leads corporate training programs for executives at powerhouse companies such as Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Wharton School of Business, Merrill Lynch, Citibank, Mattel, AIG, and Sony.

For more information about Robin and Big Fish Marketing, please visit their website at bigfishmarketing.com, where you will find gems of information, articles, and videos.

To listen to my interview with Robin Fisher-Roffer, please click below.

Billionaire Miguel "Mike" Benito Fernandez, Founder and Chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm that invests in healthcare service companies nationwide. He is also the author of "Humbled By The Journey: Life Lessons For My Family... And Yours".

Billionaire Mike Fernandez's "Humbled By The Journey" is a part self-portrait, part adventure story.  In 1964, in the midst of revolutionary activity in Cuba.  Mike's family was expelled from their rural hometown without any warning or money and soon after made New York home.

Filled with engaging stories and beautiful photographs, "Humbled By The Journey" is more than a rags-to-riches tale; it is a celebration of family, an appreciation of the brief encounters, fleeting moments and memorable events that irrevocably changed a man's life.  With humor, compassion and optimism.  

Mike inspires and reminds readers, that by giving to and connecting with others, they will gain for themselves the ultimately prize: a rewarding and "rich" life.

*All of the proceeds for the sale of this book will go to "The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation", a nonprofit focused on making affordable, high-quality Health, Education, and Nurturing available to children from birth to age 5.

To listen to my interview with Mike Fernandez, please click below.

Thandeka "Thandi" Tutu-Gxashe, Eldest daughter of Archbishop Desmond and Leah Tutu. Thandi is the Director, Stakeholder Relations, of the Desmond Tutu, "Tutudesk Campaign 2020".

Thandi discusses the "Tutudesk Campaign 2020”.  This campaign seeks to address the 95 million desk shortages in sub-Saharan Africa by providing 20  million of these portable Tutudesks to children by 2020. This will impact literacy, by allowing African children to uplift themselves, their communities and their continent by becoming more competitive through education. 

She shares her passionate about public health especially in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the advancement in the protocols being used in South Africa. 

She sheds light on life after Mandela in South Africa.  Thandi gives her thoughts on food insecurity and why she joined the Board of Heifer International South Africa. 

For those who are interested in assisting in the effort of "Tutudesk Campaign 2020" please contact them at www.tutudesk.org. Also for those who are interested in further information about Heifer International please contact them at www.heifer.org.

To listen to my interview with Thandi Tutu Gxashe, please click below.