What if you excelled at ladder climbing, and were one of a handful of women at your level to garner accolade after accolade and to get promotion after promotion? Shelley Paxton, author, speaker, transformational coach and podcaster found herself breathing rare air when she was made the CMO of Harley Davidson, becoming one of six women in the executive ranks at a Fortune 500 company.  But what would you do if you’d made it to the top and found that you felt dead inside? Would you continue on, hoping the next promotion would give you the soul-satisfaction that you were craving? Or would you give notice and take a "Soulbattical", going on a quest to find your best life? More from Shelley Paxton: Visit the website: https://soulbbatical.com Get the book: Soulbbatical: A Corporate Rebel’s Guide to Finding Your Best Life Listen to the podcast: Rebel Souls Finding Shelley Paxton: Instagram: @soulbbatical 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

My phone call with Autumn Noel was unlike any conversation I’ve had before. This nineteen year old actress opened up to me about being born into a family that wasn’t prepared to take care of her and not feeling seen or valued until her grandmother won guardianship of her when she was fourteen years old. She spoke about an abusive boyfriend and her dealings with depression, we talked about mental health issues and her suicide attempt. I did my own research and found that studies have shown how unwanted children are at increased risk of juvenile delinquency and psychiatric disorders among other things, so I asked her to come on and share her story with us.  Instagram: @autumnjoynoel  Check out Autumn Noel's IMBD PAGE 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 we first interviewed Gregg Garfield in June of this year, Covid 19 had just claimed the lives of over 100,000 Americans. But as of today, just over four months later, COVID 19 has claimed the lives of more than 224,000 American souls, with more than eight and a half MILLION cases being reported. Despite the fact that President Trump himself was recently hospitalized for COVID 19, one fifth of people polled here in the US still believe that COVID 19 is a hoax.   Today’s guest, Gregg Garfield’s journey with COVID 19 made national headlines this spring. His story began with a February ski trip to Italy, which led to him checking into Providence St Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank California upon his return from Europe, where he became that hospital's patient zero and was given a 1% chance of survival. When we last talked to Gregg he was preparing to have a number of his fingers and toes amputated as a result of the damage he sustained from the virus.  Gofundme: Gregg Garfield Covid 19 Patient Zero Facebook: Gregg Garfield Instagram: @garfski 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 Naomi Clark 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 you have a degree in finance, but you can’t pay your light bill and you’re afraid to use your debit card at Walmart for fear that it will be declined? Naomi Clark, host/creator of The Outspoken Girlfriend Podcast and CEO of Her Money Map, had achieved her goal of making over six figures per year, but still found herself dealing with depression and feelings of shame about her relationship to money. But what would you do if you discovered that the system to which we all subscribe was designed to make women feel doubtful and distracted when it came to money? Would you create a way for women to transform their mindset and crush their self-limiting beliefs? Or would you keep this knowledge to yourself and let the others fend for themselves? More from Naomi Clark: Listen to her podcast: The Outspoken Girlfriend Podcast Visit her website: https://www.naomiscottclark.com Finding Naomi Clark: Instagram: @theoutspokengirlfriend 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

Leila Marchbanks is a fifth grade teacher in Los Angeles and the creator of the website, A Book At The Table. Leila was able to restructure the 5th grade Language Arts program at her school to remove stories of traditional protagonists that excluded people of color and include literature that reflected diverse children along with their complex experiences. Her curriculum evaluates race, systemic racism, gender spectrum, and eliminating microaggressions and biases. Leila now wants to share her research with educators across the country.  Ghost Boys  Riley Farm How To Be An Antiracist The Lions of Little Rock POCC Visit: https://www.abookatthetable.com Instagram: @theofficialbookatthetable 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

Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Clifton Powell 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, when it came to marriage and raising kids, you felt like the only one who never got the manual? Clifton Powell, the award-winning actor who’s appeared in over 100 films and countless television shows, lost his mother at age four and was raised by a father who was dealing with his own struggles. But what if one day, a stranger handed you a book that changed the way you saw everything, Would you dismiss the experience as a fluke and keep it moving? Or would you consider the possibility that it might be the guidebook for life that you’d always wanted? More from Clifton Powell: If you're in the D.C area: Clifton Powell's Studio East Actor's Labs Finding Clifton Powell: Instagram: @itscliftonpowell Facebook: @cliftonpowellstudioeast 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 do Michael Caine, Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman all have in common? Besides the fact that they’re seasoned, well-respected actors, they are also all in another category as well; working actors over 75.  In a 2017 Backstage Magazine article, journalist, Stephanee Forshee wrote, “There’s no age that’s too old when it comes to acting. In fact, those that are able to work later into their lives find themselves in a much smaller pool of talent then when they were younger.” Here with us today we are fortunate to have Ron Thompson, a stage and screen actor whose decades-long career was revived in 2010 by a Facebook fan group. Ron Thompson on Facebook IG: @ron_thompson-cargo_  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

At this time in our history, our nation is more polarized than it’s ever been. The divide between our political parties, between genders and between races is growing wider and more dangerous by the minute. Here with us today we have 24-year old, Hailey Udobor. Hailey is a Black woman who was adopted by a white family in Sandy Utah. Hailey’s Only One story surprised me, as I expected it to be more about feeling isolated and alone in her family because of her race. But actually her story is much more complex. Like many of us, Hailey is disturbed by the growing racial unrest that has created a divide in our country. But unlike some Americans, particularly Black Americans, Hailey believes there are good people on both sides. Instagram: @hai_8deen  Facebook- Hailey Landeen Udobor  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 Pam O'Donnell 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

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 . 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