Coming From The Heart

I had the immense honor of interviewing Melissa R. Collings, PA-C, a spine surgery physician assistant turned award-winning novelist. Writing as Melissa R., she explores relationships, representation, and identity in The False Flat and The Love Operation, a new release from Amazon Publishing's Mindy Kaling's Book Studio. This October, she lit up a Times Square billboard with The Love Operation. Melissa is genuinely humble, speaking about her journey with gratitude and generously cheering on other writers. As M. R. Collings, she writes psychological thrillers, including Kill The Thing You Love, out January 2027. Melissa lives in Nashville with her two kids and loves studying preventive health and painting.

I have had the incredible pleasure to speak with Amber Martin Smith, a psychotherapist, author, and powerful voice of resilience whose wisdom comes from lived experience, not just a textbook. Amber knows inherited wounds, the "good girl" conditioning that teaches women to disappear, and relationships that cost us ourselves, because she has walked through them personally and now guides others through them professionally. Having sat on both sides of the therapy room, she blends her own story with a clinician's insight and a deep tenderness for anyone still finding their way back to themselves. Her upcoming book, The Long Journey Home, will be available soon on Amazon.

My goal in this episode is to destigmatize Alzheimer's and dementia and ask all of us to lead with kindness. These are diseases of the brain, not mental illnesses, and those living with them deserve dignity, not shame. Patients and caregivers also need real mental health support.I'm joined by Eleonora Tornatore-Mikesh, President and CEO o @ CaringKind, who has dedicated nearly 25 years to families facing this disease. We discuss what caregivers carry, the community behind them, ways to lower your risk, and why early intervention matters.Walk with us Saturday, October 17th 2026, at the CaringKind Alzheimer's Walk and Brain Health Day in Central Park. Sign up at wearecaringkind.org or call the free Helpline at (646) 744-2900. And be kind to someone caring for a loved one. It matters more than you know.

Meet Kathy DiMario** Award-winning author, speaker & educator passionate about kids' mental health.She co-authored What Kind of Dog Am I? with her daughter Kelly - praised by Lin-Manuel Miranda! Inspired by her rescue dog Posha, the book teaches kids self-worth and has reached 20,000+ students in 200+ schools.Kathy even turned Posha into a custom Tonie for screen-free storytelling.#ChildrensBooks #SelfWorth#ScreenFreeLearning #RescueDog #WhatKindOfDogAmI

Julia Haart is back! I’m thrilled to catch up with her for round two — Netflix star of My Unorthodox Life, former CEO of La Perla and Elite World, author of Brazen, and now founder of Body By Julia. She doesn’t hold back. We talk about what freedom actually costs, the panic attacks she used to live with, and how she’s building a life — and a brand — where comfort doesn’t require pain. As she puts it: “I’ve spent ONE THIRD of my new life fighting for my freedom.” “Support shouldn’t come with pain.” “Just because you’ve accepted pain as normal doesn’t make it normal.” “I create my own reality.