 Okay, day two of peak week is here. It's Tuesday, October 8th. And I'm grinding coffee. And I just realized because I was gonna make breakfast that I'm out of eggs. So I gotta go to the grocery store if I want to do that. Today has been on a lot of very good day. I actually had a little text back and forth with my coach this morning about how I was doing and I just told him that really since yesterday, I don't know if my body acclimated or what, but my energy has just really come back to me and I'm eating less. This is like, today is Tuesday, a peak week. So yesterday, today and tomorrow are the days where I'm eating the least amount of food my entire diet and yet like something happened yesterday midday. My body adjusted. My mind's good. My mood's good. I feel good. I have energy. I finished working on the cocktail video for this week for plus life and I will show that to you now. So that was that and now I need to work on a Ahf video that the one from out of the closet that we filmed a couple days ago and then I need to get my vlog from yesterday posted and oh, what time is it? Oh In 30 minutes, I'm doing a podcast interview with Seraf Jane. He's an incredible marketing strategist, public speaker, entrepreneur, business man from India and he's blowing up and he's been following my story and he wants to share it and I think that's really cool and I think it's cool that he thinks that I have something of value to share. That'll be cool. I don't really know what to expect. Oh, we're gonna talk about HIV for sure. And then he's gonna ask about the role of social media and what I'm doing and how that has Helped shape things. So that's the update. Oh, and I need to do some posing. I did some posing at crunch But I want to do more here once I get all of that done. It seems like a lot It's 7 p.m. I have some time as long as I get to bed by midnight I'm okay and I can wake up at like 6 13 But I'm definitely gonna get that daily vlog out to you guys within the next like four hours I would say and that's that this is oh wait, wait, wait, wait, wait one more thing Um, I did that extra cardio last night just because I had so much energy I couldn't even I couldn't even sleep. I was in bed by like midnight But my brain was going I had energy and I didn't I couldn't sleep until like like 2 a.m. Anyway point is I think that extra cardio helped because I woke up this morning and I was a pound lighter So this as of this morning I was 161.6 pounds. Yes. Yes I'll be I'm not banking on it necessarily But if I wake up at 160 point something then I'll be really really really really really really happy Yes, okay. Bye for reals Um, I'm so sorry. I was uh, I was wrapped up in editing and I come and I completely forgot until I got the email All right, let me put this on the recording mode And here we start. Okay. Let's get started. Okay. Last year on number 28 I was searching for some content inspiration for world aid state And when I searched for the hashtag hashtag HIV positive on instagram, I came across left I went to who this guy is and this virus and he's HIV positive and an influencer I clicked on the link in his bio to discover his youtube channel His content was mind-blowing. It had a purpose purpose larger than life when we think of HIV We think that it's the end we think someone would be suffering big time Getting depressed is what we generally visualize Rev is changing the game. He's a very positive. Yes. No regrets He says now that he's got HIV has no choice but to deal with it and not to complain about it or stay depressed Rev has taken the responsibility of educating the entire world that HIV is not AIDS How HIV can be managed with just a pill how HIV can make you more disciplined and make you a lot healthier Many people who discover HIV for the first time think of committing suicide Thousands of them have written to Rev saying that he is hope that he has changed their life And because of him they would like to now survive and live their lives beautifully. How is it possible? They have discovered Rev's content on youtube content that is changing lives of people Rev you're doing great Welcome to my show. I'm truly proud of how you're putting social media to good use. How are we doing today Rev? Thank you so much. I'm doing so great. I'm so honored to be here. Thank you Are you ready for the digital talk show? Can we get started? I'm so ready. Let's do it So Bob, so I have 11 questions for you Rev and this is with respect to how you use social media In order to inspire the world but before we get started, I have a question for you How did you get to know you are HIV positive and when? So I was actually in a committed monogamous relationship with another man for about three and a half years and I was getting really really really sick And I didn't think STD or STI because I was in a relationship And so I just thought it was some other medical condition and I didn't have health insurance at the time So it was really difficult to see a doctor And so I waited till the last minute till I was so sick that I had to be seen And at that point I went to the county hospital. I had to wait eight hours to see a doctor They did the full scan of tests blood work And then subsequently I found out that I had HIV and then a week later on my 27th birthday I found out I had AIDS I I fell apart. I was a complete mess. I I thought I was going to be dead in three years You know my my doctor when she told me she's like, okay cry do everything you need to do I'm going to leave the office for 10 minutes call people that you're close to tell someone and then we'll move from there So, um, you know, I was I was getting ready to Just decide okay. What am I going to do with the last two three years of my life? Uh, do I go to am I going to go to school? No, I don't need to go to school or work Or am I going to travel like what am I going to do like you know, so you you you were depressed extremely depressed Yes, initially very very depressed. Okay, and what made you get out of that zone? How did you get out of that zone? So initially it was Education I learned that I wasn't I didn't have to die and I wasn't going to die and that there was medicine That was very manageable and made HIV extremely manageable um But of course that only that only mitigated the initial depression because then it was it was the problem the issue of Self-worth and how did I feel as a human being stepping out into the world into my life into my future? With this disease that has so much stigma attached to it and that's where I had to do the real work um, ironically Shortly after that I broke my ankle and I was trapped in my bed for about five months Still living with my ex at the time and I had a lot of time to To think about me and myself and I did Meditating vision boards dream boards. I was doing gratitude journal every day I was reading books self-help books. Hey house publications has a bunch of like inspirational authors motivators entrepreneurs I was just completely immersing myself in everything because I knew I had to change on the inside Um, so that's that's when I really I think it took me about six to nine months To really start to change the way that my brain was thinking about myself Myself worth my health and my life Wow, that's a lot of time and I'm sure you have gone through a lot Yeah, what inspired you to actually use social media to educate people about it When was that what was that time when you made a decision that yes, you want to now go and change lives of other people? Yeah, I mean in the very beginning as I was Trying to educate myself on hiv and find hope I was looking especially on youtube for people Talking about it people that I could relate to sources of inspiration And time and time again Everyone was referring back to magic johnson But I'm like that's that was 30 years ago. Where are all the where are the examples? Where's the visibility now? um And I just wasn't finding it So I was like okay if there's no role models or examples to follow in social media Maybe I can be that Person and I'm I'm willing to do that because I've lived most of my life very transparent and very open and honest about who I am And that's just a basic core value of mine So I was willing to put myself out there I mean it took time Because initially it was the idea of doing that was extremely scary And to be totally honest My biological father's side of the family found out that that was my plan And they threatened to um Disown me completely if I did it And so that was a tough decision that I had to make To help people you had to take a tough position because you picked up a niche A micro niche that not many people talk about stigma They would like to keep it themselves But this man went ahead and wanted to really help a lot of them So you fought with this family to take the decision Rev you're doing a brilliant job a lot of possibilities from India to you. Thank you I have a question. I have been following your stories and There's a lot of people who write to you In gratitude How did your youtube channel help many individuals? Can you share some experiences of people who have written to you or who have called you at some instances where you've felt like Yes, you wanted them more to the community. Yeah, sure. I've had people who They have been living with HIV for 15 plus years And have not told a single person about it And I was the first person that they Opened up to about it and I think that's so so important because Anytime you're going through anything difficult and this applies to anybody you need a support system And if you can't talk to anybody about something that's eating you up inside then that's exactly what it's gonna do So it just kind of like caught me off guard I wasn't expecting how much of an impact I was gonna have and when people started reaching out to me and saying You're the only person that I'm I'm able to share this with it was like wow Like we need to create a community if not in person then online where people can connect because that connection is so vital there's people who said that they were on the verge of wanting to commit suicide and because They were able to see someone living healthy And and who looks healthy and kind of is their age and someone they can relate to that gives them the hope that oh Maybe I can keep on living and I don't have to throw away all my dreams and aspirations Wow That's amazing. Amazing. Yes. Yes. How did this micro niche that you selected changed your life? Like I see you doing a lot of stage shows now How does this youtube channel and this topic that you picked of going all Outrageous and telling the world that you're HIV positive and you're living a healthy life. How did this change your life? You know It's really given me a focus in life. It's given me clear purpose um, and it has just been so rewarding and it's like The way that opportunities are coming and building it's it's self validating what i'm doing And I know i'm on the right track and then to also Be helping other people not just helping myself feel better um is like I think that's the ultimate Thing that you can do in life when you find a passion is something that is rewarding for yourself But then because of that ends up rewarding the people around you Wow And uh, I see you have got opportunities from brands to work with now, you know You become an influencer and you've been working with multiple brands after this that's very active as an intent So, you know, you took out your problem as a niche to the world and and now I see brand wants to associate But you can you share some of the brands that you work for today? Yeah, so, um I have a long-term partnership with AIDS healthcare foundation. They're one of the world's biggest HIV AIDS nonprofits So they're extremely supportive. In fact, they're sponsoring me for my bodybuilding competition on saturday I mean, congratulations. Yeah, that's awesome And then I'm in touch with some other nonprofit organizations that are also interested I'm working with a a coffee company at the moment And then um like a date a possible dating app and then a bunch of other stuff I can't really get into but yeah, there's a lot of stuff that's happening. Um, that's really cool Wow, congratulations. How do you think people can help you grow your channel? Do you want to make some peace today? Is there any way that people follow my show and my subscribers? Is there anything that they can do for you? Do you want to make some peace? Um, just Okay, number one, especially if they know anyone who is going through the experience of an HIV diagnosis or a scare or It has been living with it and needs help or even if you just want to educate yourself or someone else I I think my channel is a great tool to help other people and if you can share it with other people or if you just want to educate yourself and help reduce the stigma Uh, I want to say on the topic of a micro niche Yes, HIV has been a micro niche for me However, as I grow and expand it's not limited to that Because really HIV is a chronic manageable condition So the elements that I apply to HIV are are applicable to diabetes to lupus cerebral palsy to many many chronic conditions. So it's it's The bigger that I get the more broad my brand is becoming and it's starting to go into fitness and bodybuilding and health in general So, um, I think it's great to start out with a micro niche. That's how I made my mark But then there's so much opportunity to grow. So never feel limited because of that HIV is not the end of life. We like to share something Look, what do you want to educate people about why HIV is not the end? Like what is that you have done? What build do you take? What's your routine like? I mean What do you do for your somehow somehow what do you say healthcare perspective? Yeah, so, um Practically, I take one pill once a day. It's called victor v Uh, honestly, I take more supplements than I do medicine. So I I don't even think about it It's just part of my supplement regimen. I have zero noticeable side effects Um, I'm also undetectable Which if you're not familiar is a term used to describe someone who Who's viral load or the amount of virus they have in their blood is so low or non-existent that it's not detectable by Current modern tests and when you're undetectable for six months or more You can no longer transmit the virus to other people. So I can't even give anyone HIV On accident in any situation. So that's that's remarkable and that's a huge reason why stigma needs to go away now as for What hiv has meant for my life? Um, it might sound weird to say but I view it now as a gift and a blessing because Before my diagnosis, I was living as a victim mindset kind of on autopilot I was going through life and I wasn't really taking charge or going after my passions and My diagnosis my diagnosis was essentially the slap in the face that I needed to wake up and take charge And really start to like to um, own my life and my health and my body and go from being a victim to a leader So that's the biggest change. Yeah HIV made revs from victim to a leader. He took charge of his life and he wants to change lives of people You are amazing revs Um, now that you're a youtuber and you really want you to teach people your youtube skills because you do a good job of it What are your tips for the first time youtubers? How many subscribers do you have today and how did you start and what are your tips for them? Currently I have about just over 11,000 subscribers Wow, that's good. It's a good start not many people want to subscribe, right? So it's a good run. Yeah, okay um, and then My biggest advice for people who want to start is just just to start Don't a lot of people overthink in the very beginning and they want to get it perfect They want to do it just right and the real thing to do is just to do it Just do it. It doesn't matter. You'll figure out everything later Even if it's if you don't think it's good quality even if you what you think you say is boring It's the practice the repetition The discipline of doing it on a consistent basis That's the most important thing and then the rest will kind of it'll happen as you go along as you teach yourself Sound and lighting and editing and all the specifics Wow, that's good. And how many youtube videos should one make every week? How many do you do? I I would say Minimum one a week is a good place to start Because that gives your followers Um, something they can look forward to it's consistent. They can come back every week And it's not too spread out that they're going to forget about you I would say up to three times a week maximum Just to um give your videos some space to breathe and get views and stuff like that Okay, of all the social media channels youtube, twitter, LinkedIn, instagram, facebook I see you using youtube and instagram the most. Yeah, do you think instagram is equally important or more important than youtube today? I think you have more followers on instagram than youtube So, you know, I don't necessarily think that one platform is more important. I just think that they serve different purposes So youtube, I can do great long form videos and that's excellent Instagram, of course pictures and short form video is really great there I do get a lot of brand interest on instagram There seems to be a lot of like monetization that happens on instagram a little bit not not quite as readily available on youtube for me per se And then with twitter I just actually just in july I started posting regularly on twitter and that's of course more like written word Hot topics trending things. So I'm noticing that they each kind of serve a different purpose Perfect One last message that you would like to convey to the world today Oh, man I would just say Please please please Whatever it is that you are passionate about whatever you feel that you are set here on this earth to do Do not wait until god or the universe Or some other higher power slaps you in the face or knocks you on your butt for you to wake up just Have some courage. That doesn't mean you don't have fear. Everybody has fear I'm scared every day of everything that I'm doing But it's your heart and your passion has to be greater than your fear and go after things that matter to you because in the end Life isn't worth living unless you're happy inside Wow Some amazing message there from ref people are watching the show. Please do subscribe to him on youtube The link is right there in the description do follow him on instagram The link is right there in the description Support ref because i'm sure that is going to support a lot of people And I already see him changing lives. You can just go follow him and see all the stories that he shares It's a people who's writing to them thanking him for the help that he's offering through the means of educating the community Let us you are gonna go a long way I always see you doing great and wishing you all the best and to really well wrap Thank you so much for accepting my offer to be on the show. Thank you so much. Wow Goodbye. Take care Oh man I so that interview was supposed to be at 7 30 and I got an email at 805 saying Hey Want to let you remind you about our our interview at 7 30 and i'm like, oh shit So I wasn't quite as mentally prepared for that, but um, I think it went all right. Anyway That's cool. I loved it. It was fun