This week’s guest specializes in the written word, and we’re thrilled to have him on the program. He’s a New York Times bestselling author, and his latest book is “Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Album That Defined the ’70s.” He talks about balancing his career as an author and a journalist, researching for the book, and some of the biggest challenges he’s faced along the way. Alan also discusses a book release event taking place July 28 at City Winery in Atlanta. Brothers & Sisters: A Celebration of the Allman Brothers Band will feature a Q&A, book signing, live music, and more. Tickets can be found here.

AIDS and HIV awareness is as important as ever. According to HIV.gov, approximately 1.2 million people in the United States have HIV and around 13% are unaware of their HIV-positive status. In fact, Georgia has some of the highest HIV rates in the country. And YourTown Health is doing something about it with its HIV Prevention and Treatment Program. The program offers HIV services to patients at reduced costs using the Sliding Fee Scale. Services include HIV testing, free at-home tests, preventative and post-exposure medications, and more. Isabel Soles and Dr. Varma talk about the program, address HIV misconceptions, and more.

Beginning in August, the Atlanta-based DriveThru Urgent Care plans on transforming the urgent care experience by treating patients with time-sensitive medical needs in the comfort of their own cars. DriveThru Urgent Care will treat all non-life-threatening conditions patients usually seek at urgent care locations, from abdominal pain and eye infections to sprains and minor cuts and lacerations. But they’re retooling the entire process from start to finish, and promise to deliver urgent care convenience and efficiency like never before. Lefkove and Sanders discuss how the concept sprung from their original endeavor, Viral Solutions, and much more.

The show is sponsored by Lenz, Inc., and we have the captain of that ship with us this week. Mike Killeen has been with Lenz, a full-service marketing agency specializing in healthcare marketing, since 2002. He entered his current role earlier in 2023. Additionally, Mike teaches healthcare marketing to graduate students at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, and he’s been doing so since 2016. Mike is also founder of Amplify My Community, a non-profit organization that hosts fundraising concerts to benefit organizations working to alleviate poverty and homelessness. Mike and Jon talk about Lenz’s history, the company’s future, Mike’s thoughts on marketing, and much more.

Lenz On Business often explores the business of healthcare and its many forms. This week’s guest knows that business extremely well, including the mechanics of leading a company that successfully helps others and how to persevere in the face of adversity. The Atlanta-based LifeBrite operates LifeBrite Laboratories, which provides clinical testing services to healthcare organizations, physician practices, pain management clinics, addiction clinics, and employers nationwide. Another division of the company, LifeBrite Hospital Group, owns and operates a rural hospital in Danbury, NC, bringing much needed care to a community in need. Fletcher talks about these and other aspects of his business, including the challenges of overcoming a business-related lawsuit and how he emerged victorious on the other side.

Atlanta lost a true legend recently: Mike Reeves, an entrepreneur who made an everlasting impact on the local restaurant and live music scene. He not only co-founded Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurants and Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, but he was co-founder of some of Atlanta’s most iconic live music clubs: Cotton Club, the Point, and Smith’s Olde Bar. Tributes from co-workers, musicians, patrons, friends, and many others have been pouring in. Mike not only was a successful businessman, but more importantly, he was a champion of others, often sharing his expertise, and he was a generous philanthropist, always there to help those in need. We had the pleasure of having Mike on the show several years ago. And as a tribute to Mike Reeves, we’ll be playing excerpts of that conversation. Reeves shared restaurant start-up secrets and behind-the-scenes rock ‘n’ roll stories, including hanging with David Bowie and other legends.

Some of our favorite guests on the program are those who are making a difference in the world. And this week’s guests are no exception. Their work has an incredibly positive impact on their community, and they do this in a big way through the power of music. Amplify My Community produces concerts and festivals in order to raise money for other nonprofits working to alleviate homelessness and poverty on the local level. Christine and Mike talk about its signature event, the Amplify Decatur Music Festival, which includes four days of musical events, taking place April 27-30 on and around the Downtown Decatur Square in Decatur, Georgia. The big Amplify Decatur Music Festival ticketed event drops Saturday, April 29 in the Decatur Square. The show features St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Patty Griffin, James McMurtry, The Suffers, Town Mountain, Jackson County Line, and The Sundogs.

Independent hospitals are incredibly important to the communities they serve, not only for the health and welfare of the citizens but also due to the fact they create an economic ripple effect. Our guest this week, Ralph A. Castillo, CPA, CEO of Morgan Medical Center, has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. He discusses the importance of independent, community hospitals, shares how Morgan Medical Center is reaching its goal of becoming a Patient-Focused Center of Excellence, and explains his three-legged stool vision. For the last 60 years, Morgan Medical Center has served the people of Morgan County. Morgan Medical Center prides itself on the care they provide through modern technology, enhanced treatment facilities, upgraded amenities, and affordable healthcare.

After years in the healthcare field, this week’s guest became an entrepreneur and opened his own concierge practice specializing in lifestyle medicine. Dr. Christie’s business, Anwan Regenerative Center, practices anti-aging functional medicine and focuses on utilizing the triad of good nutrition, exercise, and stress management. Dr. Christie talks with Jon Waterhouse about what led him to open his own practice, his current perspective on healthcare, the definition of lifestyle and regenerative medicine, business lessons he’s learned along the way, and more.