Only One In The Room

Can you picture surviving cancer and feeling like you’ve been given a second chance at life? A chance to really cherish the time you spend with your beloved husband and your two beautiful daughters? Pam O’Donnell, wife, mother, cancer survivor and founder of the Catch You Later Foundation, spent the year after her last chemo treatment, giving thanks for the fact that she was alive and she didn’t have to leave her husband wifeless and her children motherless. But what would you do if one ordinary afternoon, you found out that a distracted driver had taken the lives of both your husband Tim and youngest daughter, Bridget? Would you curl up in a ball and let your grief consume you? Or would you start a foundation and speak to people around the world about the dangers of driving while impaired? More From Pam O'Donnell: Visit the website: https://catchyoulater.org Facebook: @catchyou2later Finding Pam O'Donnell: Instagram: @catchyoulaterfoundation Be sure not to miss our NOW Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to be the first to hear about upcoming guests or have conversations like these be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest now releasing every Wednesday! *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We couldn’t be happier to celebrate the wedding day of two of our all-time favorite guests, with two of our all-time favorite episodes. First you’ll hear entrepreneur and Real Housewife of Atlanta, Cynthia Bailey, tell the story of how she met the love of her life in episode 24, Cynthia Bailey: The Only Real Housewife Keeping It Classy. Then, in episode 40, Mike Hill: The Only One Who Was Afraid To Fall In Love, you’ll hear this best-selling author and television personality tell the story of how Cynthia Bailey stole his heart. Although the year 2020 has a virtual obstacle-course for many of the world’s affianced couples, as the Roman poet Virgil wrote before the start of the first millennium, “Love conquers all things; let us too surrender to love.” Congratulations, Cynthia and Mike from all of us at The Only One In The Room! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Alexandra M. Owensby is running for congress in Kentucky. She believes fervently that the role of a Congressional Representative is to promote the voice and the will of the people through her own. Alexandra will work daily to ensure that Kentuckians and all Americans receive honest, unfiltered, dedicated representation in Congress. Visit the website: www.amowensby.com Instagram & Twitter: @amowensby Facebook: Alexandra Owensby Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Robinne Lee right after the show. Don't miss our Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. Be sure to join our Facebook Group for the most up-to-date info on guests, episodes and more. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if your Jamaican born parents immigrated to the United States and expected you to uphold the morals and codes with which they had been raised, but placed you in a diverse environment where many of those rules simply didn’t apply? Robinne Lee, actress, author, producer, grew up in Westchester County New York and was often the only Jamaican American in the room. But what would you do if one day you realized that your peers weren’t comfortable unless they could put you in a category; Black or mixed? American or Jamaican? Worldly or naive? Would you try to conform to a standard that puts other people at ease? Or would you defy the stereotypes and live a life unexpected? More From Robinne Lee: Read her book The Idea of You Visit her website: https://www.robinnelee.com Finding Robinne Lee: Twitter & Instagram: @robinnelee Be sure not to miss our NOW Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to be the first to hear about upcoming guests or have conversations like these be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest now releasing every Wednesday! *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The "troubled teen industry" is a mostly unregulated collection of for-profit programs that claim to rehabilitate out-of-control youth. Between 50,000 and 100,000 adolescents currently spend at least part of the year in these facilities. The hopes are that their enrollment – or confinement, depending on the arrangement or their perspective – can prevent these relatively privileged kids from joining the 48,000 youth caught in the U.S. juvenile justice system. Some are boot camps or ranches or wilderness therapy programs. Some are military-style academies that focus on sparse surroundings, lots of physical activities and punishments. There are also a variety of residential treatment programs that aim to change deviant behaviors like poor school performance, self-harming, drug abuse, insubordination and more. Today we have 34-year old businessman, Rocky Singh Kandola who spent his high school years in nine different facilities and boot camps across the world. Visit: WWASP Survivors website Learn more about WWASP Visit the WWASP Survivor Facebook Group Check out Rocky Singh Kandola's business Hair Maiden India Visit his website: rockykandola.com Instagram: @rockykandola Contact Rocky Singh Kandola directly: 228-596-5678 (cell) 323-449-9196 (showroom) email: [email protected] Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that Donald Trump was born on a full moon during a total lunar eclipse? Some psychics allege that they can use information like this to predict the future. Generally, psychics don’t shy away from weighing in on political matters. Astrologers, clairvoyants, and other intuitives have always chimed in with their own predictions around election time. As we all want to glean some insight into what we can expect this November and beyond, today we have with us, Laura Powers. Laura is an entertainer, celebrity psychic, actress, model, host, singer, writer, and speaker. She is the host of the popular film and television podcast, “Behind the Scenes with Laura Powers,” and her top 100 podcasts on Apple Podcasts, “Healing Powers Podcast.” She is the author of 7 books and editing two other books that will be released in 2020. She travels full time for clients, television and other media appointments, and for the love of traveling. Laura has been featured on several television channels and networks and was recently interviewed by Will Ferrell on his podcast, “The Ron Burgundy Podcast.” Bush v. Gore Laura’s Yelp Reviews Laura Power's Books on Amazon Listen to Healing Powers Podcast Visit Laura Power's websites: https://www.healingpowers.net/ https://www.laurapowers.net/ Email Laura Powers: [email protected] Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Only One In The Room is extremely proud to partner with 19-year old poet, Valyn Lyric Turner. From time to time, we will be bringing you her phenomenal spoken word poetry. Scott and Laura feel that today’s presentation, Race In The Classroom: Seeing Color could not have come at a better time in our history. You’ll want to share this episode with the students, parents and educators in your life, and as soon as you hear it, you’ll understand why. Valyn Lyric Turner is a 19-year-old sophomore at Boston University where she double majors in Theatre Arts and Spanish. Valyn has always found her home on stage performing through theatre, poetry, and songwriting. In April of 2018, she was able to share her passion for literature on the national stage as the representative for the state of Georgia in Poetry Out Loud, a poetry recitation contest through the National Endowment for the Arts. Her mission is to inspire, empower, and serve others through her craft. Instagram: @valynturner Twitter: @valynlyric_t Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. Be sure to join our Facebook Group for the most up-to-date info on guests, episodes and more. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if because you were big, you’d learned to do things like sit in a chair so it didn’t make noise or fold your body in certain ways so that you appeared to be smaller? Athena Dixon, author, poet and founder of Linden Avenue Literary Journal, spent years presenting herself to the world in a way that wouldn’t call attention to her size. But what would you do if one day you decided the word FAT was holding you in a cage and you no longer wanted to play small? Would you keep shrinking away from your truth and stay put? Or would you flip off our society’s diet culture and stand tall in your own field of honor? More From Athena Dixon: Visit her website: https://athenadixon.com Buy her book The Incredible Shrinking Woman Finding Athena Dixon: Instagram: @D_muse_paper Twitter: @athenaddixon Be sure not to miss our NOW Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to be the first to hear about upcoming guests or have conversations like these be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest now releasing every Wednesday! *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last few months have been taxing for Black people in a myriad of ways, but for Black journalists these have been uniquely challenging times. For decades, Black people have been invited inside the halls of journalism, but not too many at a time. Even fewer advance to the levels where decisions are made about news coverage, reporter assignments, promotion and pay. When we think about journalists, we think about people who regularly put their jobs before their feelings and personal lives, but lately I’ve been wondering what it’s like to cover and cope with the news of 2020 - while Black. Here with us today we have Lisa Respers France. Lisa is a senior writer for CNN's entertainment team and former host of the "Lisa's Desk" franchise. She previously held positions as a reporter at the Los Angeles Times and the Baltimore Sun and as editor for St. John's University's magazine in Jamaica, New York. Her short stories have appeared in two anthologies, "Baltimore Noir" and 'A Hell of a Woman." Pop life chronicles with Lisa Respers France CNN Profile Instagram: @lisafrance Twitter: @LisaFranceCNN Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Sean McMillan of Fox Soul TV's, Book Of Sean, wanted to know more about being The Only One In The Room, he came to the right place. We're excited to bring you an excerpt from this important discussion between Sean and Laura. If you want more, please go to www.theonlyonepod.com to watch the whole interview. Instagram: @book_of_sean, @foxsoul Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. Be sure to join our Facebook Group for the most up-to-date info on guests, episodes and more. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the men you admired growing up lived high on the hog - literally, meaning their sizable bellies, made larger with the fried and unhealthy foods they ate, were thought to be proof of good living and gave them status amongst their peers. “Man look at that belly! You must be living good!” Randy Jackson, world renowned musician, producer, executive, American Idol Judge, and founder of Unify Health Labs, found himself in the ER being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and facing the fact that at 358 pounds, he was actually killing himself with food. So what would you do if you wanted to turn your death sentence into a life reclamation? Would you take the advice of the professionals and get to the bottom of why the diets you tried never worked? Or would you decide that “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” and continue to eat like there was no tomorrow? More From Randy Jackson: Visit Unify Health Labs Finding Randy Jackson: Twitter: @YO_RANDYJACKSON Instagram: @randyjackson Be sure not to miss our NOW Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to be the first to hear about upcoming guests or have conversations like these be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest now releasing every Wednesday! *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What comes to mind when you think of surfing? Do you think about the brown-skinned Polynesians, Africans and Peruvians who started this sport? Or is what comes to mind, the overwhelmingly white and upper middle class surfers that you see on surfing magazine covers or in the media? Paddle out in Malibu, Trestles or Rockaway and you’re likely to find a mostly homogenous pack of white people surfing on expensive boards, wearing expensive gear in areas with a high cost of living. Surfers tend to be independent, small business Republican types and surfing for them is all about fun and love and spirituality. They want to keep politics out of it, until a surf spot is threatened, that is. Today we have with us, Woody Lovell, founder and owner of The Barbershop Club and host of the podcast, The Barber And His Therapist. Woody has been surfing more than two decades and is the subject of a full-length article in Surfer’s Path magazine which led to the creation of the yet-to-be-released, surf documentary, Fish Out Of Water. Ymca https://www.ymca.net/ “Asshole, a theory” James Aaron The Barber and his Therapist The Barber Shop Club Black surfers association Instagram: @woodylovell, @thebarbershopclub Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How many times have you thought...I should do a podcast? Or maybe people always tell you, you should have a podcast! But then there are so many questions, right? Like how do you actually start? What equipment do you need? Remote or in person? How do you get more listeners? How much does it cost? And more importantly, how much can you make? Here with us today we have podcaster and podcast pundit, Arielle Nissenblatt who is going to give us the lowdown on everything you need to know. Arielle is the founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective, a podcast recommendation engine that sends a weekly newsletter and produces a weekly podcast. She is also the co-creator of the Outlier PodFest, a virtual (and IRL) gathering of podcast professionals. Currently, Arielle is the Community Manager at SquadCast, a remote recording software company. She hosts two weekly podcasts, the newest of which, Counter Programming with Shira & Arielle, seeks to provide counter programming to all of the stress of this new COVID world we're all in. Visit Outliers Podcast Festival Check out Earbuds Podcast Collective Check out Squadcast Listen to Counter Programing with Shira & Arielle The Writing Pad Blue yeti microphone Free Audacity Recording & Editing Software Shout Out to Daniel Tureck: robotslap.com Buzzsprout (RSS feed) Podcast Hosting Platform Check out :The Daily, Up First Check out this podcast ad sales platform: Podcorn.com Follow Arielle Nissenblatt Twitter @arithisandthat Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instead of a Scott Talks this week, we have something that we’ve been dying to share with you. Occasionally, we have to make demo reels for different events, you know, for people who may not be as familiar with The Only One In The Room as you are. We love this one, it tells the history of the podcast in a way we’ve never done before, and it also re-amplifies some very important voices. Don't miss our Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. Be sure to join our Facebook Group for the most up-to-date info on guests, episodes and more. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine being born into the rarely talked about world of the Black elite. Living in the best neighborhood, going to the most prestigious schools and hitting the tony beaches of the Bahamas or Martha’s Vineyard during vacations. But for Cole Brown, 24-year old author and Georgetown graduate, the spaces in which he grew up were primarily white, while the groups in which he felt at home, were mostly Black, leaving him to wonder, where did he fit in? But what would you do if you spent your life looking for “your kind of people” only to find that over and over again you were the only one everywhere you went? Would you try and alter yourself so that you could blend in with every crowd? Or would you write a book and talk about what it's really like to seek out Blackness in a white world? More From Cole Brown: Visit the website: www.colebrown.com Finding Cole Brown: Instagram & Twitter: @coletdbrown Be sure not to miss our NOW Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to be the first to hear about upcoming guests or have conversations like these be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest now releasing every Wednesday! *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing EMBODIED Podcast. As we gear up for our Season 7 premiere on September 15th we wanted to share with you another podcast that we love and know you'll love too. Enjoy! Embodied is a new podcast hosted by Anita Rao <uh-NEE-tah rhymes with “now”>. Every episode is an invitation to have conversations that most people consider impolite. Anita believes that pushing past our discomfort with talking about taboo topics will ultimately help us build more empathy and understanding for others…and decrease shame about sex, relationships, and personal health. She even practices what she preaches with her own family. Her very adorable parents appear in the podcast, asked to reflect on their own experiences with everything from poop to porn. The show is produced by North Carolina Public Radio, W-U-N-C where it started as a radio series. This episode, the very first, examines how our path to discovering sexual pleasure is affected by what’s left out of how we talk about sex. Embodied can be found on all major audio apps and there’s more to discover at w-u-n-c-dot-org-slash-embodied. If you like what you hear, Anita and her team would love it if you’d subscribe, rate it, and leave a review. That’s what us podcast types like. Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Brad Johnson right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. Be sure to join our Facebook Group for the most up-to-date info on guests, episodes and more. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine growing up in The Cellar, not a basement, but the upper West Side hotspot that your father, Howard Johnson owned. Picture what it must have been like to be Black Restaurant Royalty, hosting the likes of Muhammad Ali and Bianca Jagger. Brad Johnson, second generation restaurateur and 40-year restaurant industry veteran, started off washing dishes for his dad, but quickly made a name of his own, opening one star-studded favorite after another, including The Roxbury, Georgia, Post & Beam and Willie Jane. But what would you do if due to a pandemic and a cultural reckoning, the restaurant industry was experiencing the biggest losses of the century, and Black owned businesses were faring worst of all. Would you cash in your chips and retire from the restaurant game? Or would you select a new venture and put all your money on Black? More From Brad Johnson: Visit his site: www.postaandbeamhospitality.com Finding Brad Johnson: Facebook: Brad Johnson LinkedIn: Post & Beam Be sure not to miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question for either the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal, be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest immediately after the interview. *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dyslexia can be difficult to recognize in some, but is usually characterized by difficulty with reading and transposing letters and numbers. It is the most common of all neuro-cognitive disorders, affecting more than 20 percent of the population. Statistically speaking, people who are diagnosed with dyslexia have very high IQ’s. Famous dyslexics include Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Erin Brockovich, Muhammad Ali, Richard Branson, Whoopi Goldberg, Jennifer Aniston and so many more. I myself have a dyslexic brother and a dyslexic son so I know quite a bit about the stigma that dyslexic people have to endure. Like many dyslexics, today’s guest Lynn Brannelly was bullied for being different while growing up. But it was finally getting her diagnosis as an adult that gave her a life beyond her wildest dreams. Instagram: @lynnwardrobe, @lynnwardrobesews Visit: www.lynnbrannelly.com Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I have a FEMA Identification number.” So begins last week’s Facebook post from today’s guest, Juko Holiday. California firefighters have continued to battle more than 700 wildfires in California. Fires, which have burned more than 1 million 35 acres. While evacuation orders have been lifted for some, others are still displaced as more than 272 homes have been damaged or destroyed. Can you imagine losing your home during a pandemic? Where do you go? How do you stay safe? What do you take with you? Juko Holiday is here with us today, speaking to us from her red-cross provided shelter to tell us her story. Visit: www.Redwoodlove.org Visit: www.Jukoholiday.com Instagram: @drjukoholiday Venmo: @jukoyoga Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Deb Besinger right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. Be sure to join our Facebook Group for the most up-to-date info on guests, episodes and more. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine being a white woman, a daughter of the south, and a fundamentalist Christian who gets married and looks forward to raising a family, only to be given discouraging news. Deb Besinger, writer, dating expert and mother was undaunted when she and her husband were told that it might be difficult to conceive - she always knew she would adopt. But what would you do if the children you adopted were black and received different treatment than you when they walked down the street? Would you pull up stakes and move to a place where your family might avoid overt racism and prejudice? Or would you brave the bigotry and decide to go public, appearing with your whole beautiful family on national tv? More from Deb Besinger: Get her book "Bound and Gagged by Christianity and The Sins That Set Me Free" Visit her website: www.deborahbesinger.com Learn more about her dating coaching practice Kiss of Perspective Finding Deb Besinger: Instagram: @kissofperspective Be sure not to miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question for either the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal, be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest immediately after the interview. *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a different experience I might have had growing up if there had been a place like Black School, a pop-up school designed for Black students to develop their identity, culture, and race. Today’s guest is Black School co-founder and educational specialist, Queenie Johnson, MA. Queenie is the mission maverick and brains behind the school for Brilliant Thinkers. With over 20 years of experience in private, public, home, charter, and corporate education, she develops customized training programs to help you think and perform better as a parent, leader, and student. Visit the websites for: Black School Black School For White People Join the Black School for White People Ally Community facebook Group Follow Ms. Queenie: Instagram: @msqueenie.educate Facbook: @coachingbrilliance Email Queenie: [email protected] Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Kelly Rose right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. Be sure to join our Facebook Group for the most up-to-date info on guests, episodes and more. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four years ago she moved from Los Angeles to McDonough Georgia literally in search of greener pastures, for her family, her horses and her other animals. Kelly Rose, Senate candidate, wife, mother, post-production producer and freelance producer, was excited to build a new life for her family, embracing small town values and becoming part of a tight knit community. But what would you do if after being welcomed into a new land, you found that your values and principles conflicted sharply with the leaders who were elected to serve your district? Would you keep your opinions to yourself in an effort to continue to be accepted? Or would you head to the capital and be the first Californian to challenge the incumbent senator for his seat? Finding Kelly Rose: Help her campaign: www.votekellyrose.com/donate Instagram: @kellyrosega17 Be sure not to miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question for either the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal, be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest immediately after the interview. *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Producer and writer Tony Spatafora has a wicked sense of humor and a heart of gold. Known for Socket, Dish it Out!, and The Lees of Los Angeles. Tony Spatafora is The Only Fifty Year-Old Gay Father In The Room. Instagram: @tonyspats Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine packing up your family for a Thanksgiving trip to Mauritius, Africa and deciding to stay and make it your home? Today’s guest, Lucia Brawley and her husband did just that, joining a number of Americans who are moving to The Motherland. Lucia is a co-founder and the Chief Creative Officer of AMP Global Technologies and executive producer of the two-time Interactive Emmy finalist, "Take Back the Mic: The World Cup of Hip Hop," and “The Mic: Africa." She worked as an actress alongside talents like Viola Davis and Angela Bassett, and for world-class directors, including Oliver Stone and Barry Levinson. She was a political organizer for the Obama presidential campaigns, growing a team of 4 volunteers into 2,000 members and helping Obama win his congressional district by the largest margin in the California primary. A vocal advocate for arts education and other social justice issues, she is a regular contributor to national outlets including CNN.com and the HuffPo, and earned a place atop CNN.com's "Most Popular Op-Eds." Lucia is a graduate of Harvard with a Master's in Acting from the Yale School of Drama. She and her husband are proud parents to two vibrant little girls, ages 7 and 9. Instagram @takebackthemic Twitter: @luciabrawley & @takebackthemic www.takebackthemic.com www.amp.it Register To Vote! https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Ever Gonzalez right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. Be sure to join our Facebook Group for the most up-to-date info on guests, episodes and more. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if, after crossing the US border with your mother, you joined the Mormon church and began to reject the clichés associated with immigrants, deciding that handouts were not for you and with hard work, anything was possible for anyone. Ever Gonzalez, podcaster, and founder of Outlier HQ media and events company, found that his morals and principals were better aligned with more traditional values. But what if one day there was a cultural reckoning and everywhere you looked people were marching and calling for change? Would you stop and question the conservative ideology that was being publicly challenged? Or would you assure yourself that everyone was getting what they deserved. More From Ever Gonzalez: Visit Outlier HQ Read his articles on Medium.com Finding Ever Gonzalez: Join the Outlier Podcast Festival Facebook Group Instagram: @_evergonzalez & @outlierhq Twitter: @_evergonzalez Be sure not to miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question for either the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal, be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest immediately after the interview. *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May of this year, TMZ reported on a new trend sweeping the California, Salon speakeasies. Folks in the hair biz started secretly taking clients despite the states Stay At Home Order. Stylists see their regular customers for their normal appointments, all while keeping the appearance that the shop is closed, just like a speakeasy during prohibition. Other barbers and stylists began secretly making housecalls to their clients, doing hair in backyards, kitchens and basements. The Board of Barbering and Cosmetology apparently caught wind of these practices, and sent an email threatening to pull the licenses of anyone who was busted disobeying state orders. My friend Kristin Kilian Lobos is a stylist in the San Francisco Bay area. Since the shutdown began, Kris has been vocal about staying home and staying safe. Cis Gender- sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex/genitalia (Oxford Dictionary) Check out the Live Your Dream Scholarship Instagram @kaykaylobos Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Simone Reyes right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. Be sure to join our Facebook Group for the most up-to-date info on guests, episodes and more. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Food is the way we connect in our society. You can’t celebrate a holiday or a birth, mourn a loved one or make a business deal without communing over a meal - and for many a meal is incomplete without meat or dairy. Simone Reyes, author, avid animal rights activist, vegan, animal rescuer, music and TV executive and country music artist, knew that going vegan while working at Def Jam Records in the 90’s would be a lonely venture. But she felt compelled to follow her conscience and help others see the damage they were doing to themselves and to the planet by continuing to eat meat. But what if one day, decades after making the lifestyle choice that set you apart from your friends and family, you felt called to a career in country music. A venture that departed so severely from your hip-hop roots that even your closest friends questioned your decision? Would you decide that being a vegan was hard enough and leave your dream alone? Or would you pick up your cowboy hat and let the doubters call you crazy? Finding Simone Reyes: Twitter: @simonereyes Instagram: @simonereyes & @simonereyesmusic Be sure not to miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question for either the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal, be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest immediately after the interview. *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Black and brown girls don’t see black ballerinas in the world’s most prestigious troupes, they don’t know that dancing is something that’s possible for them. A career in professional ballet is already a long shot for MOST girls, but the odds are even more stacked against Black girls who rarely, if ever, see prima ballerinas of color succeed. So when my dear friend Riva Lombardi told us about 16-year old Imani Lindsay, who is one of the only Black dancers at the National Ballet School of Canada, where she has trained for many years and currently lives in residence, we jumped at the chance to interview her. National Ballet School https://www.nbs-enb.ca/en/home Instagram: @imani_lindsay Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friday March 13, 2020 - That was the date of my last in-person workout at my gym, Arena Fitness Training Center in Encino. On March 17, the world as we knew it went into freefall, and all gyms, not just mine, would shut their doors in accordance with Governor Newsom’s orders - some of them for good. By mid May, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, if we continued to flatten the curve, gyms, barbershops and salons might be allowed to reopen in July - provided that they made some pretty expensive (and major) accommodations. Most gym owners went to work, putting everything in place with a July 6 reopening planned. Joe Garcia and Jonathan Aluzas made those accommodations and were allowed to reopen as scheduled, only to be shut down again on Monday, July 13. Last week, Scott and I received an email from Jonathan with the subject line: Things are tough, we need your help. Jonathan Aluzas and Joe Garcia are the owners of Arena Fitness, a full service personal training and nutrition coaching studio, with a focus beyond exercise and nutrition to include a holistic approach to overall wellness that includes healthy habit and lifestyle coaching. Visit Arena Fitness: https://www.arenafitness.com Instagram: @arenafitnesstrainingcenter Facebook: Arena Fitness Training Center Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Antonio Harvey right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question on the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal be sure to join our Facebook Group. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if your whole life you saw other black men going to jail and doing hard time for selling marijauna, while their white counterparts got off with a warning or a slap on the wrist? Antonio Harvey, former NBA player and commentator and currently CEO of Legends Brand, found an investment opportunity that he just couldn’t pass up and became one of Portland Oregon’s ONLY legal black cannabis producers. But what if you found out that your decision to enter the world of cannabis cultivation would mean that you would be the lone black male in any space where your peers were doing business -- for years? Would you back out, knowing how painful it can be, to be the only one in the room? Or would you encourage other black men and women to join you, showing them that this is an opportunity to finally level the playing field. Finding Antonio Harvey: Connect on Facebook Visit www.legends.club Be sure not to miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question for either the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal, be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest immediately after the interview. *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Desiree Powell is a single mom to two incredible sons, one with special needs. She is a full-time student, an essential worker and now has the dubious distinction of having tested positive for COVID-19, not one, not two, but three times. Instagram @ClassicCreole Blog- www.lyfyplaylove.wordpress.com Venmo: @ClassicCreole Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Amy Bond right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question on the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal be sure to join our Facebook Group. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if you fell in love with your best friend, got married and proceeded to live a life that was the envy of everyone you knew? What if your friends always said things like, “I wish I had a relationship like yours!” Or “where can I meet someone like YOUR Keith?” Amy Bond, author, family law and immigration attorney and proud owner of San Francisco and Oakland Pole & Dance, had a revelation in January that led to her posting on Facebook about how she and her beloved husband Keith decided to make online dating app profiles...for each other. But what would you do if your husband was the first to venture outside your marriage and go on a date with a stranger? Would you call the whole thing off before either of you did something you might not ever be able to take back? Or would you wish him well and then call him in the morning, and get the details of the date he went on, without you? More From Any Bond: www.amybondwrites.com Finding Amy Bond: Twitter: @sfpoleanddance Instagram: @amysunshine007 Be sure not to miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question for either the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal, be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest immediately after the interview. *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason is an art teacher in the San Fernando Valley, freelance graphic artist and has done storyboards for independent movies. Currently, Williams has taken his Storytime camp activity to YouTube as the host of The Storytime Show, a children's entertainment program that utilizes stories from comic book spins to African folklore and displays more diversity in storytelling. Watch Story Time J Check out: Yogi Bear Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Mrs. Doubtfire Reach Jason at [email protected] Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scottie and I were watching the news the other night and saw today’s guest being interviewed about installing an outdoor, community refrigerator in Long Beach, California, where he’s lived all of his life. I was so moved and inspired by his words and the idea of a refrigerator, stocked with fresh produce for anyone who wanted or needed it, that I DM’d him before the spot ended and asked him to be our guest today. Senay Kenfe is a photographer, musician, writer and community organizer native to Long Beach, California. Over the last 15 years he’s collaborated with artists around the world as a member of local hip hop act The Natives, as well as worked on projects from documenting the graffiti scene in Brazil and Egypt to leading clean water filtration projects in Ethiopia. How to get involved- LA community fridge Instagram: @lacommunityfridge https://linktr.ee/lacommunityfridge Alice Robinson: https://lbpost.com/hi-lo/art/alice-robinson-is-still-hungry-to-feed-those-in-need Find Senay at: Social Media @sensaykenfe https://linktr.ee/senaykenfe *Or visit him at his office at Play Nice 1029 E 4th Street Long Beach CA Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Traci Kearney right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question on the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal be sure to join our Facebook Group. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Traci and Christopher’s love story. They met, they fell in love, got married, and created a thriving business and a beautiful family, one daughter and two sons. SHE was happier than she had ever been in her entire life and his only desire was to keep her that way. Traci Kearney, mother, wife, owner and operator of Doggie Goddess Daycare in Los Angeles, loved the life she had built with Christopher, and at 32-years old, still couldn’t believe that she had found the man of her dreams. But what happens when there is a terrible crime committed and it is your husband who is arrested and held for three long years while AWAITING trial? Do you work tirelessly to prove his innocence, raising money and awareness for his case with all the means at your disposal? Or would you decide that after three years, it is all too much and focus instead on raising your children as a single parent, and keeping your business going during a pandemic? To help Traci & Chris go to Justice for Christopher Kearney Finding Traci Kearney: Owner/Operator of Doggie Goddess Pet Services Instagram: @justiceforChristopherKearney Be sure not to miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question for either the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal, be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest immediately after the interview. *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Only One In The Room hosts, Scott and Laura discuss this week's surge in COVID-19 cases and how it is impacting them, their families, and the world around them. Resources Referenced: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-28/gavin-newsom-orders-bars-closed-in-7-california-counties-due-to-coronavirus-spread https://www.fourfortyfourcatering.com/ https://www.arenafitness.com/ Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Mark Chambers right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question on the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal be sure to join our Facebook Group. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He always dreamed of becoming a parent - so when he met the love of his life, they got started right away, adopting three adorable, black children as soon as they could - siblings with the same biological parents. Mark Chambers, Gay athlete, Founder of the National Gay Basketball Association and partner of 34-years to his husband Stephen, was an at-home dad for years, making his kids lunches, coaching their teams, advocating for them with their teachers. But what would you do if one day you got the call that every parent dreads, where the voice on the other end of the phone tells you that one of your beloved children has been murdered? Do you allow your son to become another faceless statistic? Joining the thousands of Black children who are murdered every year on our streets? Or do you write to the local papers and tell them who your son really was, making sure they print the whole story and not just the version that sells papers? More From Mark Chambers: visit the website: https://ngba.org Follow on Instagram: @ngba05 Find NGBA on Facebook Be sure not to miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question for either the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal, be sure to join our Facebook Group . You can also DM us on instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website www.theonlyonepod.com. Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins such as live events, appearances, featured articles and more. Don't miss our bonus after show Scott Talks, where co-host and producer Scott Slaughter (aka Hon) briefly chops it up with our guest immediately after the interview. *If you know someone who might be feeling like they're the "Only One" be sure to share this or one of our other unique episodes with them. Also be sure to subscribe, comment and review us on iTunes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To mark the occasion of our one-year anniversary this past April, we asked YOU, our listeners, to submit your fabulous Only One stories with the objective of having that winner come on the show and share their story. We thought we might get four or five submissions, and had no idea how many of you would submit your stories for consideration. Can I just say that we were completely blown away by the response?! So blown away in fact, that we’ve decided to make this the start of a new series for us, called The Only One In The Room, Sunday Edition. But today, we are over the moon to bring you our winner! The story that took our collective breath away. As soon as Scott and I read Patti’s story we looked at each other, because there was no doubt that author, performer, public speaker and Cantor, Patti Linsky was our contest winner. Instagram: @pattilinsky Patti Linksy on Facebook Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If somehow you missed 19-year old, Valyn Lyric Turner’s phenomenal spoken word poem, Bleeding Red White and Blue, please stay tuned at the end of this episode to have your mind blown. It will not only give you context as to why we rushed to get her on the show, her words and the way she delivers them will change your life. I have so many things to say about the power of this performance and how it impacted me. I can’t EVER remember feeling compelled to listen to something over and over again like this. And from the wellspring of feedback that we’ve been getting, it seems that I’m not alone. Valyn Lyric Turner is a 19-year-old rising sophomore at Boston University where she double majors in Theatre Arts and Spanish. Valyn has always found her home on stage performing through theatre, poetry, and songwriting. In April of 2018, she was able to share her passion for literature on the national stage as the representative for the state of Georgia in Poetry Out Loud, a poetry recitation contest through the National Endowment for the Arts. Her mission is to inspire, empower, and serve others through her craft. Follow her on Instagram: @valynturner Follow her on Twitter: @valynlyric_t Be sure not to miss our weekly full episodes on Tuesdays and Scott Talks now released on Wednesdays by subscribing to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Join our Only One In The Room Facebook Group if you'd like to ask a question of any of our upcoming guests for this series. Also visit the website www.theonlyonepod.com for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! All of us at The Only One In The Room wish you safety and wellness during this challenging time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Tracy McMillan right after the show. Don't miss our new Now Normal series releasing every Thursday. If you'd like to ask a question on the Dear Laura segment or of an upcoming guest on Now Normal be sure to join our Facebook Group. You can also DM us on Instagram @theonlyoneintheroom or email us via the website at www.theonlyonepod.com Also visit the website for the latest from our host Laura Cathcart Robbins like live events, appearances, featured articles and more. We love hearing from you in the comments on iTunes and while you're there don't forget to rate us, subscribe and share the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices