Most of my friends know that I'm still dealing with the loss of my only brother, Robert Lee Thomas, Jr., who made his transition last January.

When I received the news, I was determined not to believe it until I could see the evidence myself. This required my wife and me to fly all the way over to Dubai to see for ourselves. The minute I saw his passport and photo that listed him as a foreign national, a heaviness set in, which I'm still coping with today.

This has been one of the most difficult periods in my life because we were very close. I miss receiving my brother's phone calls four or five times a day (sometimes more) from Savannah. Even when he was traveling around the world, I'd still hear from him whether he was in Greece, somewhere in Africa or the South of France.

Many years ago, my brother believed in my dream enough to loan me the money to start my publishing business and yes, I paid my brother back. For some reason, people always want to know the answer to the question regarding whether or not I gave him his money back. I dedicated my 2009 publication to him.

Anyway, on one of those days when I was feeling especially low, I came across my book, Grow Through It & Lead, which I'd written to encourage others and it became my own inspiration.

With the help of my beautiful and talented wife, I'm expanding my borders. Jacqueline, thanks so much! Now, I've started a new Podcast, I have a new Twitter page and a new Radio Show called, Grow Through It & Lead. I'm already lining up a couple of new guests who have some amazing stories to tell about their journey.

So. . . if you're dealing with some issues that are weighing you down, try to figure out how to turn it inside out and look for the sunny side. There's always a sunny side.

Challenges will come when you try to succeed, but just remember, (even though the situation may seem insurmountable) you can always Grow Through It & Lead!

~ Spark Plug

What is Kissable? Is it some irresistible charm, mysterious good looks, or charisma? It is all of these and also the toothpaste developed by Dr. Danielle Wilson, president of Fabulous Smiles of Atlanta. Dr. Wilson says, “With healthy teeth and fresh breath, everyone can ‘Be Kissable’.”

Kissable, a new toothpaste developed by Dr. Wilson, hit the marketplace in early 2009. It brings together natural ingredients and sensational taste for an experience that appeals to consumers’ growing desire to pair holistic health techniques with the best in beauty and cosmetic improvements.

Kissable contains the highest-quality of natural ingredients, chosen for their cleansing, restorative, and freshening properties. The most exciting of the natural ingredients used in Kissable is cranberry extract. Research has shown that cranberry acts like Teflon® for teeth, making it difficult for the bacteria that causes cavities to cling to tooth surfaces.

Aloe Vera, long known for its moisturizing effect on skin and its ability to help heal wounds, is also a key active ingredient in Kissable. Its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties combine with powerful antioxidant characteristics to boost health for gums and mouth tissues. Xylitol, a sweetener derived from fruits and vegetables, also offers an alternative to the artificial products often found in many toothpastes.

Dr. Wilson is the primary practitioner at Fabulous Smiles of Atlanta, based in Atlanta, GA. She distinguishes herself as one of the few private practitioners who provide personalized service and the level of expertise that comes from her education at Morgan State University, the University of Maryland Dental School, and the New Zealand University of Waikato, as a Fulbright Scholar.

Fabulous Smiles of Atlanta's purpose is to educate the public about the importance of oral health and to provide cosmetic options that have an impact on general well-being and self-esteem. Dr. Danielle Wilson is also a member of the Academy of General Dentistry, the Georgia Dental Association, the American Dental Association, and the American Association of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Fabulous Smiles of Atlanta is currently accepting new patients and is located at 1188 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd, Suite 101, Atlanta, 30310. Contact Dr. Wilson at 404-758-0770 or bekissable.com.

Marketing Cafe owner, Melanie Robinson, is a guiding light for small business owners, no matter their challenges, no matter their budget. With an MBA and a passion for entrepreneurship, this Atlanta Marketing guru, along with her team of professionals at Marketing Cafe bring over 40 years of experience from major corporations, ad agencies and marketing firms. Her team will put their years of corporate experience to work for your small business and help you move to the next level.

Ms. Robinson believes real marketing success requires that a company understand your company at its core; who you are, your core values, your company’s personality and your short and long-term goals and expectations. Her company does this through a unique set of activities that translate into a four-step approach:

1. Educate: arm entrepreneurs with valuable knowledge by constantly educating them on the many layers of marketing.

2. Strategize: plan for success by developing sound marketing strategies that meet the needs of the business and are flexible enough to accommodate marketplace shifts.

3. Systemize: develop a marketing system to support the strategic vision and goals that is easy to follow, understand and measure.

4. Support: provide needed support and guidance via coaching and mentoring along the way.

People You Need to Know proudly welcomes Ms. Melanie Robinson to the Network! Listen to her interview below.

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Genetically, a person who comes from a family where most have lived to old age is also likely to enjoy longevity. This genetic heritage can also determine the aspects of good health such as a healthy heart, healthy brain, good circulation, good eyesight and hearing.

Even people who do not come from a heritage of longevity can live to old age if they look after themselves and avoid the risk factors that cause poor physical and mental health, thus accelerating the aging process. Following a healthy diet, regular exercise, drinking in moderation, cutting out smoking, and following safe practices can all help to increase potential life span.

As we age, there are certain processes which cannot be avoided. This is particularly so of cell aging. As our body cells age, we are more likely to contract certain conditions because of the decline in strength and resistance to infection. Our bodies also begin to show signs of ‘wear and tear’. The skin loses its elasticity, thus resulting in the wrinkling we associate with old age.

As our body’s cells wear out, they are replaced by a process of cell division. The only cells which don’t replicate are those in the brain which cease to divide after birth.

It has been a philosophy that if you look after your body, particularly your body cells, then anti-aging should be smooth sailing. How? By nutrition - a balanced diet with associated exercise. The right and optimum balance of antioxidants and minerals daily is a great start.

Anti-aging health shouldn’t be something you decide is a good idea when it’s too late. Your body cells are constantly bombarded by those little attack armies called free radicals and if left unchecked, without the daily optimum replenishment of antioxidants and minerals, over time, they will kick-start a degeneration process that more often than not, can’t be reversed.

The good news is that this process usually occurs over an extended period of time. Antioxidants, like little body commandos, will seek out these free radicals and neutralize them. But, you need to keep them coming on a daily basis.

Healthy body cells means you are one step ahead of the anti-aging health game. So set the pace, and make sure you don’t slip back and become another aging statistic.

Contributing Writer: Dr. Nedra Dodds - a member of the People You Need to Know Network, top anti-aging physician in metro Atlanta, and president of Opulence Aesthetic Medicine. You can listen to Dr. Nedra Dodds' Destined for Greatness interview below.

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Are you ready to find out how Attraction Marketing can help your business grow? Tune in to Attraction Marketing Expert, Shalonda Gordon.

Ms. Gordon, also known as The Online Marketing Angel, coaches and trains individuals on how to grow their businesses online. She aims to place a smile on the face of each person she helps and strives to leave her clients motivated, knowledgeable, and focused on reaching their true potential! Follow Ms. Gordon on Twitter!

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Are you decorating your home and have no idea what to do or how to do it, where to start or what direction you should go?

Have no fear. . .Ms. Danielle Coats, owner of Decor & You, helps residential and commercial clients alike love and brand the spaces they're in by choosing designs that best fit their needs, lifestyles, environments and budgets. She received her certification through Certified Interior Decorators International.

As a United States Navy veteran with a B.S. in Technology, and M.S. in Business Management, Ms. Coats never knew she'd eventually venture into this wondrous world of creative expression. She has turned her passion for interior decorating into her own business and is happy with her line of work.

Ms. Coats says, "I am an entrepreneur at heart, and the key to my success is providing outstanding customer service by listening to my clients, and fulfilling their needs effectively and efficiently. Going above and beyond is the motto I live by."

"I started my interior decorating career as a Realtor, understanding the value of a properly staged home and how that infused a sense of excitement for potential buyers, thereby expediting the sale of the home. When my buyers began to seek my advice on decorating their new homes, I realized I had a deep passion for creating art and beauty.

Tune in to Ms. Danielle Coats' interview and discover how you can turn your decorating dreams into a beautiful reality! You can follow her on Twitter @ladydecor.

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Mr. Stanley B. Lemons, President of S.B. Lemons & Company is a graduate of Amherst College and the Anderson School at UCLA Graduate School of Business. He is a former Director of Global Marketing and Product Development at CitiCorp. Mr. Lemons has traveled extensively throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

S. B. Lemons & Company is a marketing and international business strategy firm. Their company of experts can provide consulting services in the fields of marketing and international business strategy, marketing communications, website development, and language services. They are dedicated to helping their clients grow domestically or globally.

Does your marketing strategy need a boost? Tune in to Mr. Lemons' interview and find out how you can polish up YOUR marketing strategy.

View the S.B. Lemons & Company website for a detailed overview of their consulting services and strategy training programs to grow your revenue and brand.

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Charles E. Johnson is the Founder of the Spirit of Sweet Auburn and the Executive Producer of the Sweet Auburn Springfest - The Big Show Tour.

Mr. Johnson has a passion for Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue that began when he moved to the city in 1984 from Philadelphia. He didn’t know anything about Auburn Avenue or its “great history” at the time, he says, and walking the street was his introduction to the community.

“It’s been a love affair ever since,” says the founder of the Spirit of Sweet Auburn (formerly the Friends of Sweet Auburn). In the late 1980s, Johnson participated in the Sweet Auburn Festival as a vendor and in later years became involved in Sweet Auburn’s business association. In 1993, he spearheaded the production of the festival, he says, and has done it ever since.

Today his voice is vibrant while detailing Auburn’s expansions, developments and happenings on what he calls “the greatest street on the planet.” “We want to promote the spirit that makes Auburn Avenue great. It’s a universal spirit,” says the Stone Mountain resident. "The same spirit that the people of South Africa had to fight apartheid. . .that’s the spirit of Sweet Auburn. That’s what makes the spirit great. That’s why 350,000 to 500,000 people come to the Sweet Auburn Festival."

“When I originally took over the festival, to some extent, it was a big flea market, says Johnson. What we’ve done over the years, we’ve developed various venues of the festival that include arts and literature, business and technology, a Dream Home Showcase, International Film Festival, Just For Women Expo, Car and Bike Show, the Fantastic Family Fun Zone, and last but not least, the Health and Fitness Fair. We want people to come to the festival to discover new stuff. We want them to see what folks are achieving. Those who come to the festival also have an opportunity to rediscover Auburn Avenue."

“When I speak of Sweet Auburn, I’m not just speaking of Auburn Avenue, I’m speaking of Edgewood, JW Dobbs, Jesse Hill Jr., the community, Johnson says. And if you look on Edgewood, you’ll see there are a lot of new exciting businesses opening: young Black visionaries, entrepreneurs are opening businesses. And that is what we celebrate."

“What’s great about the district is all of the major institutions have remained here, and they’re the ones who are supporting the resurgence of Sweet Auburn. Developments include the SCLC new National Headquarters; First Choice Credit Union Building; the restored Odd Fellows Buildings; Big Bethel AME, along with the Integral Group, an African American developer building Renaissance Walk; Wheat Street Baptist Church is planning major development; Butler CME; developing the Edge Lofts on Edgewood Avenue; First Congregational; the Historic District Development Corporation; Ebenezer Baptist Church; Butler Street Y; Prince Hall Masons also have projects in the works. These institutions are the ones that have maintained the street and are leading the redevelopment of the district. There is also great anticipation of the APEX Museum’s Phase 2, a $65 million plus Epcot type exhibit of the African American Panoramic Experience.”

"It’s wonderful when you can do something that you love to do and it’s successful. It’s a great satisfaction. It’s not a job," he explains. "When you see people are pleased and people come out to the festival and the businesses on the street prosper, the vendors make money and the artists who entertain are discovered, that’s fantastic."

"More important is that people rediscover Auburn Avenue and see it as a destination, a place to live, shop, dine, work, play and worship.” Johnson’s vision is to expand the festival to include Lucky Street (NW Auburn Avenue) and extend activities to Centennial Olympic Park, encompassing all of downtown, making the Sweet Auburn Springfest one of the largest street festivals in the world.

Complete information about the Sweet Auburn District may be found at www.sweetauburn.com.

People You Need to Know, Inc. (PYNTK), which publishes metro Atlanta’s premier business spotlight publication is teaming up with the Spirit of Sweet Auburn (SOSA) for their 25th Annual Springfest, which attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees during its three-day (May 8-10), yearly event.

The Spirit of Sweet Auburn is an organization that was founded in 2001 by Charles E. Johnson for the purpose of fostering the redevelopment, branding and quality of life of the Sweet Auburn District.

The vision of SOSA is to restore Auburn Avenue to its place of prominence as “the greatest street on the planet,” build the world’s greatest promenade linking the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site to the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and to transform the Sweet Auburn Viaduct into a world-class destination, attracting both tourists and residents.

SOSA promotes the idea that the Spirit that built Auburn Avenue is a universal spirit. It is the same spirit that ended apartheid in South Africa, bought down the Berlin Wall, was demonstrated in Tiananmen Square and resulted in the election of Barack Obama.

Anthony “Spark Plug” Thomas, publisher of People You Need to Know says, “We’re proud to partner with the Spirit of Sweet Auburn because the goal at PYNTK is to help business people make a BIG SPLASH in metro Atlanta by giving them world-class recognition, and I know of no other event where we have an opportunity to strengthen our brand on such a large scale. I believe any corporation or organization could benefit immensely from the exposure this event will generate. In addition, as a historian, I would love to see the restoration of Auburn Avenue to a place of prominence.”

He continues, “I’d like to commend Mr. Charles Johnson and his wonderful staff for doing another spectacular job in bringing people together on one of the most famous streets in America and I also want them to know that all of their hard work is greatly appreciated.”

PYNTK will be the Silver Sponsor of the Business & Technology Expo during this huge event.