The Only One In The Room

The Only One In The Room

Hosted by Laura Cathcart Robbins, a writer and a recovery thriver and survivor, Laura found herself in an all too familiar position. In September 2018, 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. These comments were from people from all races, ethnicities, creeds, and nationalities who had felt “othered”. Laura beautifully interviews a person about their Only One story each episode and addresses as many of those DM’s as possible in the process. In this podcast, you’ll hear raw, vulnerable accounts from people who are, like most of us, just eager to connect. Our 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. We want 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. This is a podcast for anyone who has ever felt alone in a room full of people – which is to say, that this podcast is for everyone.

Episodes

September 27, 2023 13 mins
Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Sean "Seano" McFarland right after the show. 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 he...
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Imagine being twelve years old when your father leaves your family. And instead of watching him drive away, you give chase, on foot, for four whole miles? For addiction trauma specialist and life coach, Sean “Seano” McFarland, his father’s leaving was the beginning of a series of traumatic events that would shape and change the course of his entire life. But what would you do if when you became a father yourself, and you wanted t...
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Laura Cathcart Robbins is the host of the popular podcast, The Only One In The Room, and author of the forthcoming Atria/Simon & Schuster memoir, STASH (March 7, 2023). She has been active for many years as a speaker and school trustee and is credited for creating The Buckley School’s nationally recognized committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice. Her recent articles in Huffpo and The Temper on the subjects of race, r...
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September 20, 2023 17 mins
Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Dr. Carder Stout right after the show. 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 heari...
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Imagine that your drug addiction has taken everything from you, your friends, your family, your apartment, and all you’ve got left is your trusty Ford Taurus. Depth psychologist and author, Dr. Carder Stout, was circling the drain when he received an offer that would not only give him cash in his pocket, but would also give him free drugs. So what would you do if the job was driving for a well-known drug dealer? Would you decide it...
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September 13, 2023 11 mins
Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Emily McCombs right after the show. 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 ...
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Imagine that most of the people who know you, also know that you’re in recovery and that you never drink alcohol or do drugs. When writer and editor, Emily McCombs hit a low point in her life she thought that she couldn’t possibly feel any worse if she drank, so she did. But what would you do if six months after that first drink, you were using cocaine daily and facing financial devastation? Would you try harder to conceal your unm...
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September 6, 2023 20 mins
Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Richie Stephens right after the show. Website: www.richiestephens.com  Read: The Gangster's Guide to Sobriety Twitter & Instagram: @richieactor 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....
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Imagine joining a gang because they had the best cocaine. Actor, Richie Stephens moved from Ireland to San Francisco and became the only white, Irish guy in an all Asian gang. But what would you do if you if the drugs and the booze took over, and started to come before everything you loved? Would you put a gun to your head and end it all? Or would you call the guy who said, “If ya ever want to get sober give me a call,” and surrend...
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August 30, 2023 12 mins
Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Meg Weber right after the show. Website: https://www.megweberwriter.com  Instagram: @megweber8  Twitter: @meg8weber  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 ou...
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Imagine contacting someone through a dating app, only you’re not looking for a date, you’re looking for someone to dominate you, to be the top to your bottom. Meg Weber, Memoirist and mental health therapist spent a year with Mr. Lucky, the moniker she’d given to the top she wanted to bottom with, but she ended up catching feelings for him, just before he ghosted her. So what would you do if you were grieving someone and needed to ...
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August 23, 2023 15 mins
Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest William Fitzsimmons right after the show. 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 heari...
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What if, while looking to adopt, two babies stole your heart, one white and one Black. And when you looked at them, you just knew that they were both your daughters. William Fitzsimmons, singer, songwriter and producer, adopted his two daughters with his now ex-wife, knowing that as a White man, it would be important to learn to take care of his Black daughter’s hair and educate himself about her African-American culture. But what ...
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August 16, 2023 18 mins
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 B. Chesler right after the show. Watch Laura's new TEDx Talk: Confessions From The Only One In The Room  Special thanks to our sponsors: Voyage et Cie: Voyage et Cie's curator Melanie Apple has cultivated a passion for notable moments using the sense of smell. Voyage et Cie is the ultimate luxury blend...
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Imagine calling your brother from work and finding out that he’d killed your mother. Author, blogger, actress and podcaster, Amy B. Chesler rushed home to find her mother, Hadas, in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.  So what would you do if after fifteen years in prison, your brother, who still terrified you, was up for parole? Would you ignore the hearing, hoping the board would do the right thing? Or would you attend the hear...
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August 9, 2023 18 mins
Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Roderick Sewell right after the show. Watch Laura's new TEDx Talk: Confessions From The Only One In The Room  Special thanks to our sponsors: Voyage et Cie: Voyage et Cie's curator Melanie Apple has cultivated a passion for notable moments using the sense of smell. Voyage et Cie is the ultimate luxury blen...
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Imagine growing up with prosthetics from the thighs down. Paralympic athlete, Roderick Sewell was born missing his tibia in both legs and he and his mother experienced homelessness for several years starting when he was just eight years old. So what would you do if at age ten, you felt a freedom you’d never before known - in the water. Would you assume that your disability would keep you from being an athlete? Or would you grow up ...
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August 2, 2023 18 mins
Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Heather Chauvin right after the show. Watch Laura's new TEDx Talk: Confessions From The Only One In The Room  Special thanks to our sponsors: Voyage et Cie: Voyage et Cie's curator Melanie Apple has cultivated a passion for notable moments using the sense of smell. Voyage et Cie is the ultimate luxury blen...
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What if one year after your youngest son was born, you were diagnosed with stage four cancer? Leadership coach, author and podcaster, Heather Chauvin’s family went into action, using their connections to make sure that Heather was seen quickly. So what would you do if you realized that folks from the non-dominant culture might have had a completely different experience, and the only reason that you were alive was because of the col...
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July 26, 2023 17 mins
Scott Slaughter co-host and producer of The Only One In The Room has a short and casual, yet deep conversation with our guest Dr. Elisa Hallerman right after the show. Watch Laura's new TEDx Talk: Confessions From The Only One In The Room  Special thanks to our sponsors: Voyage et Cie: Voyage et Cie's curator Melanie Apple has cultivated a passion for notable moments using the sense of smell. Voyage et Cie is the ultimate luxury ...
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