354: Laura Cathcart Robbins: I Was The Only Black Woman In The Room

Laura Cathcart Robbins is a Shameless Mom, a writer, and a recovery thriver and survivor. In September 2018 she found herself in an all too familiar situation. She was the only one in the room. She was the only black woman in the room at Brave Magic, a famed writer’s retreat. After it was over, she wrote about her ‘only one’ experience in The Huffington Post and comments started flooding into her DM from people from all races, ethnicities, creeds, and nationalities who had felt ‘othered.’ Laura now hosts the podcast, The Only One In The Room, where she interviews a person about their ‘only one’ story each episode. On her show, you’ll hear raw, vulnerable, accounts from people who are like most of us. Laura’s hope is that The Only One In The Room will inspire a change of perspective in how we all see and hear each other’s stories. She hopes to make you think twice before judging the person standing next to you at a party, in the pick-up line at school or in a crowded subway car. Laura’s show and her work is for anyone who has ever felt alone in a room full of people – which is to say, her show and her work are for everyone. Listen in to hear Laura share: What it’s like to be the only black person in the room in 2018 The difference between visible only-ness vs invisible only-ness - like addiction, divorce, infertility, having a child with special needs What it feels like to be the only one in the room and how we’ve all been the only one in the room at some point The isolation of onlyness - and the antidote How to create opportunities and cultivate your biggest gifts from your onlyness Links Mentioned: The Only One In The Room Podcast Laura’s article in the Huffington Post Laura on Instagram Laura on Facebook Thank you to our sponsors: Get access to MOMENTUM Mamas and Shameless Mom Con 2020 during our wild & crazy Christmas in July event (starting July 20!) Get on our newsletter email list for full details: News Letter Native: For 20% off your first purchase, visit Native and use promo code shameless at checkout. Stamps: Right now, my listeners get a special offer that includes a 4-week trial PLUS free postage AND a digital scale without any long-term commitment. Just go to Stamps, click on the Microphone at the TOP of the homepage and type in SHAMELESS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices