The Voices for Voices Podcast Episode 35 with Guest, Emmy Award-Winning Journalist, Speaker and Best-Selling Author, Romona Robinson
Justin Alan Hayes:
Welcome to the Voices for Voices Podcast, sponsored by Redwood Living. Thank you for joining us today. I am Justin Alan Hayes, Founder and Executive Director of Voices for Voices, Host and Humanitarian. You can learn more about Voices for Voices on our Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and our website, VoicesforVoices.org.
Voices for Voices is a 501c3 nonprofit charity organization that survives solely on donations, so if you are able to, please consider heading over to VoicesforVoices.org to help us continue our mission and the goal and dream to help 3 billion people over the course of my lifetime and beyond. Or you can also send a donation to the address of Voices for Voices at 2388 Becket Circle, Stow, Ohio 44224. Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity? You can reach out for us today at president@voicesforvoices.org.
I founded Voices for Voices to provide a platform for folks to share their stories with others, as we work to break the stigma around mental health, accessibility and disabilities. Helping get people the help they need, while also helping them prepare or transition into the workforce with the Voices for Voices career center, where we connect Talent with opportunity, for job seekers and employers from coast to coast, and in every industry and job level.
Today's guest is Romona Robinson. Romona is an eight time Emmy Award winning journalist and speaker, with 30 years of experience. She is an award winning author of A Dirt Road to Somewhere, Your Voice is Your Power, and Poor Girl, Rich Life. As the first Black female to anchor an evening news broadcast in Cleveland, Romona is a television trailblazer. She was also the first woman to solo anchor an evening newscast in the city. She's founded Romona's Kids, an Emmy nominated television program turned institution in Cleveland, to empower and encourage young people to find their path in life.
Romona is one of the most admired and well known journalists in Cleveland. As a journalist, Romona has traveled the country, covering many presidents and world leaders including; Nelson Mandela and Ronald Reagan. And in 2011, she garnered a rare exclusive interview with President Barack Obama. Please join me in welcoming today's guest, Romona Robinson. Romona, thank you for joining us.
Romona Robinson:
Thank you, Justin, so much for having me.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Absolutely. I had the pleasure of meeting you, in person at a recent book signing. And to be able to, listen to your very powerful, confident, story about your, your life. And the one quote that I, I took away from that was that now you are comfortable with me, or with yourself. was that always the case?
Romona Robinson:
(laughs) That was-
Justin Alan Hayes:
(laughs)
Romona Robinson:
... that was not always the case, Justin. as you know, gosh, I was born in the backwoods of rural Missouri, on a dirt road, in an economically depressed area. And everybody struggled in my community. A population 212, Wilson City, Missouri, twelve of them being my family.
Justin Alan Hayes:
(laughs)
Romona Robinson:
I was raised by a single mom. She raised, 11 kids, eventually on her own, 10 girls and one boy. So it was a tough life. I had to go to work at 10 years in the bean and soy, soybean and cornfields, to, to help my mom make ends meet. So I've lived a really tough life.
My mom worked really hard, working um, mostly as a seamstress in a factory, making minimum wage, anywhere from two to four dollars an hour. And by the grace of God, she was able to send nine of her eleven kids to college. And it was um, even more complicated. And, and it's by one of my sisters who um, was stricken with muscular dystrophy. And that's one of the reasons I was so passionate about doing your podcast is, I understand what it's like to have grow up with someone who has a disability.
My sister was 10 years old I believe, when we were walking home from school and she just collapsed on the dirt road. And we had no idea what was wrong. We literally had to pick her up and carry her, home. And um, she was diagnosed with um, MD. And so that made matters even worse for my mom, as you can imagine, trying to care for 11 kids.
And um, there was no hospital nearby in our town that could help her. So my mom had to make the two-and-a-half-hour trip to nearby St. Louis, Missouri. And that drive was grueling for her. She had to take off work. I made those trips with her many times, to seek help for my little sister. And just watching her grow up, having to um, first be in a wheelchair, not be able to bathe herself, to comb her hair, sometimes not feed herself. And um, I used to sleep with her. She um ... I still get emotional-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
... telling that story. But I used to sleep with her. And we would just dream of, of everything that we wanted to be. And, and she would listen to me as I said I wanted to become, a television anchor like my idol Walter Cronkite. You know, I would tell her, and, and she would say, "Oh, yeah, and one day I want to ..." even though she was in a wheelchair, she had dreams, she wanted to work in corporate America. And so for both of us to realize our dreams ... And she didn't know, how in the world was she going to ever be able to go to college. But we all, both dreamt of college.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Mm-hmm.
Romona Robinson:
And there she was, (laughs) we went to the hilliest college, here she is-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
... going to college in Jefferson City, Missouri at Lincoln University. (laughs) I mean, it's the one college that has more hills that you have to go up and down, so by the time she was old enough to go to college, she was basically out of the wheelchair but on crutches, and needed the aid, sometimes of a wheelchair. But she made it through college and she made it to corporate America. And I’m just so proud of her today.
And um, as you know, I did become a television journalist. And if you read any of my books, you know that Walter Cronkite reached out to me. And it just um, we're b- both just proof that you know, you can dream and those dreams can come true Justin.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
So along the way, with our faith in God, we were, we were be- we were able to push that fear aside and realize our dreams.
Justin Alan Hayes:
That's great. I'm, and I'm glad you mentioned dreaming, because, with so much up and down with the world going on, and, and, and sometimes, individuals, they, they may not dream, maybe the way that, that they used to, and feel that they could achieve those, those dreams, just because life is so fast paced. Can I really do it? what, what, what type of hoops am I going to have to jump through? Uh-
Romona Robinson:
Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
... who do I need to meet and, and touch base with. [inaudible 00:08:23] How important was dreaming for you and your, your sister, when you were dreaming of being that anchor?
Romona Robinson:
Well, more importantly than dreaming I think, we were grounded, um, in our faith, our faith in the Lord. You can dream all day long, but we had our faith to fall back on. My mom introduced us to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ when, oh gosh, (laughs) from as far back as I can remember.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
I was baptized in the Mississippi River.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
(laughs) I'll never forget my pastor out in the water, in the river, summoning us to come to him, looking like Moses-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
... as (laughs) as he stretched out his arms. And I would go down to the water, you know, terrified with my sisters, as he dipped our heads in the water. And I could feel the fish in the, you know, you know, waddling before my, in between my, my feet. And I think I was, we were all bare feet, so I was stepping on what felt like rocks and sticks-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
... at the bottom of the, the river. And it was a most frightening time. And, and I didn't know what was happening. I didn't even know what a baptism was. My mom just told me, you know, if I did it, that the Lord and savior would always protect me. And, and um, I didn't know what any of that meant. I think we all just do what our parents tell us to do and we, (laughs) we believe it. I tell you, but I, I as I grew older and relied on him, I realized that as long as I stuck with him, um, anything was possible in this world.
And I think it's so hard for kids today. I'm so, dismayed by what I'm seeing today. It's, the world today, I'm telling you, I don't know how people are able to go outside anymore, because not only is it such a divisive world, not, not just with politics, but people seem to be angrier. Everybody is mad at one another. No one likes each other. (laughs) We don't speak or talk to each other in- anymore. And I think the pandemic made it even worse.
And I tell you, it's fear. We wake up in fear. Um, I talk to people. They're wracked with anxiety. And one of the things that really gets to me is, when I'm watching the news and I see young people running into stores and taking merchandise that doesn't belong to them. And they feel like they can just do this. And I look at that, and I think we're not raising our kids with morals and values anymore. And we're, we're literally conforming to the ways to the world. You know, the Bible talks about not conforming to the ways of the world. And we're not ... I don't know if it's, we're- we're no longer, because we've taken God out of everything-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Mm-hmm.
Romona Robinson:
... that we're just not teaching that. And that's the beauty of me retiring and deciding to go-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Mm-hmm.
Romona Robinson:
... out on my own and write books. I love it because I can say whatever I want to say in my books. And I can talk about my love for the Lord. And I can spread good morals and values in my book. And I can talk about the goodness of the Lord, um, because it was that fear, and it is that fear of him that kept me from doing those things and going down the wrong path.
You look at some of the kids today, they have no fear. They have no fear of their parents. They have no fear of police. They have no fear of authority whatsoever. And they don't fear God. Even growing up in high school, going to college, when I was away from the peering eyes of my mom, it was the fear of the Lord that kept me from doing things that my peers said, "Here, do this. Let's go do that. Let's get into some trouble." It was the fear of the Lord. (laughs) I'm thinking, no, I'm not doing that. So I think we've tried to move away from that. And a lot of kids are conforming. And you know, my books, I push back on that.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
They said, "Oh, you know, just go with it." I refuse to just go with it. Nope, not going to do it.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah. Thank you for, for that. how do you remain so positive, with all, you know, all we've talked about and what, what's going on, and being able to, to share that? Is that, is that the hope for the future of what you've seen, and knowing that that is possible?
Romona Robinson:
I think it's just because of my faith and my love of the Lord and my love of people. You know, a lot of us call ourselves Christians, but we really don't love people. And I don't know how you can say you love God and you don't love your neighbor. And as long as I have my last breath, I'm just going to continue doing what I do.
One of the things I, I do now, I can trust and believe that everything is going to be okay now. I used to, worry a lot. I used to have, um, you know, quite a few bouts of anxiety, especially when I was in a fast paced, um, career. And I just don't have that anymore. And that was, I stopped having that, even before I left my job, because um, I just started trusting and believing, um, in the Lord. And really trusting and believing, because before I was like, "Well, I hope the Lord is going to do that. I believe he's going to do that." I'll tell you a story.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
Um, when I was fired unfairly in my job, I talk about this in, I think my second book, I was just um, I was distraught. I was in such despair, I ... (laughs) I mean, the depression is, was real.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
And I would cry every night because the, the credit card bills were piling up. The creditors were calling. I had student loan debt. I couldn't pay my rent. My landlord was saying, you know, (laughs) "I'm going kick you out." I had no food to eat. (laughs) I was eating ramen noodles every night for dinner, apples for lunch, and I don't know, one egg for breakfast. And I was losing weight. I had nowhere to go. I was embarrassed. I said, "I can't go home to my mom. You know, I will be seen as a failure."
I didn't know what to do. And, and you know, when you're down and out, that's when the enemy will come into your ear and say, "Oh you poor little girl. You don't have a job. Where is that Lord and savior that you worship? Where is he? He's abandoned you."
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
And I started to kind of believe those voices. And in my book, Your Voice is Your Power, I talk about that, being able to discern God's voice, versus the voice of the enemy. And I think we all hear those voices. And we have to be able to discern, is it our own voice, the voice of the enemy, or the voice of God. And it's very important that we're able to recognize which voice it is, because that can determine whether you are successful in what it is you want to achieve or not.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Wow. Yeah, so, so amazing, and I know that's going to resonate with our, with our viewer, and, and listeners. we can maybe lighten up, a little bit, you know, [inaudible 00:15:52]
Romona Robinson:
[inaudible 00:15:53]
Justin Alan Hayes:
There's those fun moments, that you talk about in, in your book, about the legendary Chuck Berry concert that you were thrown out of.
Romona Robinson:
(laughs) Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
and, and that you ate your pet pig for breakfast. And so some- some of these, you have light- lighter things. can you tell us a little bit about the Chuck Berry story and eating your pig for breakfast? (laughs)
Romona Robinson:
(laughs) Well, the Chuck Berry story was just unbelievable. I was a rookie reporter sent to the Missouri State, Maximum Security Penitentiary, terrified to go in there, if you can imagine. And that is when you were called a one shot band. That meant, um, I did all of my own camera work. I was the camera man, the reporter, the anchor. And I had to go there alone with some other reporters. And I was terrified. Oh my God, what do I wear to a maximum security prison? So of course, I wore pants, a shirt, a blazer. I mean, I was all covered up, because I was like, "There are murderers in there. There's hardened criminals." (laughs)
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
And so Chuck Berry is playing a concert for the inmates. And they walk us through the tunnel. And at the time, I'm the weekend anchor. And so the, the inmates are out on the prison grounds. And Chuck Berry is already on stage, playing. And so we walk out. I'm the only female with the other reporters.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
And as soon as we walk out, and I had no idea this would happen, and the inmates just, there's like, I think two or three thousand of them, they just let out this roar. And they were like, "Romona! Romona!" (laughs)
Justin Alan Hayes:
(laughs) Oh.
Romona Robinson:
And I didn't know what to do.
Justin Alan Hayes:
[inaudible 00:17:43]
Romona Robinson:
It's like ... And I do what I always do when someone calls my name. So I go, "Hi."
Justin Alan Hayes:
(laughs)
Romona Robinson:
(laughs) Why did I do that Justin?
Justin Alan Hayes:
(laughs)
Romona Robinson:
The inmates went crazy. They were like, "Ah, we love you! We love you!" And they were like standing up. And, and Chuck Berry was like, "Stop the music. Stop the music. Stop the music." And he was like, "You, out. Out!"
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
And I was like, "Me?"
Justin Alan Hayes:
Right. (laughs)
Romona Robinson:
He was like, "Yes, you. Out!" And I was like, "Oh my goodness, if I get thrown out and I don't bring this story back, I'm going to be in such trouble."
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
And so I was like, "Sir?" And he was like, "Who are you?" And I was like, "I'm Romona Robinson with KRCG Channel 13, and I'm here to cover your concert. And when I said I'm Romona Robinson, (laughs) the inmate went ... (laughs)
Justin Alan Hayes:
(laughs)
Romona Robinson:
So I was like [inaudible 00:18:45] so I got thrown out of the concert. That's my story.
Justin Alan Hayes:
[inaudible 00:18:49]
Romona Robinson:
And my pet pig, it was just, it's the most, it still haunts me today when I think about it, but you know, I told you um, I grew up in such hardship. To make ends meet, um, on the farm my mom raised pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and small farm animals. And um, we were told not to make pets of them, because we needed to eat them, to get by. And so I decided to take a pet, a pig as a pet. her name was Missy.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
And um, gosh, I taught her all kind of tricks. And I would sneak her into my bed and um, she grew up to be a nice fat, you know, sow. And, and when it was time, the men came to, to slaughter her. And it was so devastating. And we had to, we had to have her for dinner. And yeah, I don't want to give the story away-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
... because it's a story that kids, even though I wrote my memoir, A Dirt Road to Somewhere, for adults, kids love the book, 10 years old and up.
Justin Alan Hayes:
[inaudible 00:19:50]
Romona Robinson:
And so if parents out there want to get the book for their kids, I don't want to give it away. But it, it's very emotional, very.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah. And, and you also-
Romona Robinson:
But it's a fun story.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah, 'cause-
Romona Robinson:
But it's emotional.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah, it's good. Yeah, [inaudible 00:20:03] emotional. and you, you've also covered some huge stories in your career. we talked about in, the beginning about the late Ronald Reagan, Nelson Mandela, and the former president, President Barack Obama. any special moments of those interviews-
Romona Robinson:
Well-
Justin Alan Hayes:
...of going into the interview and the interviews themselves?
Romona Robinson:
Well I was a, I was amazed as a rookie reporter in Jefferson City, that they sent me to cover Ronald Reagan, because I was 22 years old, I think. And when I learned that I had gotten the, the assignment in Sedalia, Missouri, I was like, "Wow, awesome." I, I mean, it was huge. I'll never forget that.
Nelson Mandela had just gotten out of an apartheid prison, after spending 27 years there. And he came to Detroit, on his a, US tour. So that was so emotional. I think every reporter covering that story was crying.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
Um, and that's what I remember most. We were supposed to be objective reporters, yet no one could be objective. We, were just (laughs) all crying, 'cause-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
... you know, we just, he was just wonderful. Um, the President Obama story was, it was so heartwarming for me in so many ways. I had to remain objective, but I immediately, I remember going to the White House, sitting there, waiting for the interview. And a White House staffer came out and said, "Romona Robinson, the president of the United States will see you now."
Justin Alan Hayes:
Wow.
Romona Robinson:
And I remember just the memory of my mom sitting in our living room. The memories just flooded back to me at six years old, telling her, watching Walter Cronkite, my idol, do an interview at the White House. And [inaudible 00:21:58] six years old, I had all these grandiose stories. And I was looking up at mom. And I was saying, "And mom, when I become a television anchor, I'm going to travel around the world. And I'm going to interview important people. And I'm going to go to the White House one day. And I'm going to interview presidents. And I'm gonna ..." And I remember my mom looking down on me saying, "Okay baby, you sure are." And I don't really know if she believed that or not-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
... but I know she was just trying to be encouraging. And so just imagine Justin, when my name was called and I was around the corner, and there is President Obama waiting for me. And I sit down to interview him, and I, I sit in a chair that the Dalai Lama had sat in a week before.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
It just, it was so surreal. It was just like, wow, wow, like, like dreams really do come true. So for any child out there who might get a chance to see this, you know, dream, dream big. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't dream. I, I ran into a mom and her who was eight years old. And, and he wanted to say hi to me. And I, and I said, "And what do you want to be when you grow up?" And he said, "I'm going to be president of the United States."
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
And, and I'll never forget, his mom rolled her eyes, and she was like, "Right, sure."
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
And I looked at her (laughs) and I was like, "Well, yes he can be president."
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
And so, I don't know what that was all about, if maybe he wasn't getting good grades, maybe he was acting up or whatever. But don't ever discourage your kid. Praise them and encourage them, "Yes, yes, you can be whatever you want to be," 'cause just imagine if my mom had said that to me.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Mm-hmm.
Romona Robinson:
Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Wow. I'm just getting chills when you're telling the President Barack Obama story of, you know, your name being called and, and all those-
Romona Robinson:
Oh-
Justin Alan Hayes:
... flashbacks coming in, and, and then reality hitting that you are interviewing the president of the United States.
Romona Robinson:
Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Wow.
Romona Robinson:
And there were so many of those moments Justin, from just things like, working at 10 and 11 years old in the hot beaming sun, in the fields, and working alongside other kids who had to go to work too. And you know, we were illegally working at that age.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Mm-hmm.
Romona Robinson:
But you know, I passed the height test, at 5'6" 'cause I was um, I was um, you know, pretty tall as a kid. And just, I remember, on the dirt road in the fields, watching a beautiful red car roll by. And the top was down. And I remember seeing there was a white man driving and a white woman in the passenger seat.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Mm-hmm.
Romona Robinson:
And her hair was blowing in the wind. And she had on sunglasses, and we were all like, spellbound. And we were like, "Wow, what is that?" And one of the boys said, "That's a Corvette. That's a fast car. And it's expensive."
Justin Alan Hayes:
Wow.
Romona Robinson:
And, and I looked at my sister Evonne, who was working beside me, and I said, "Evonne, one day when I grow up and I get a job after I graduate, I'm going to get that Corvette, and I'm coming home, and I'm going to come to your house, and we're going to go for a drive and put on our sunglasses.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
And then I remember the boys saying, "Yeah right Romona, the day you'll be able to afford something like that." And my sister Evonne looked at me and she said, "I believe you Romona. I believe one day you're going to have a Corvette." And so, you know, fast forward 30 years, and then um, as soon as I got my job in Cleveland, at Channel 43, um, and I got enough money to buy my first brand new car-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh-
Romona Robinson:
... 'cause I had driven used cars forever, I knew where I wanted to go. I went to the Chevrolet in Parma, Ohio.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
And I walked in the showroom. And the guy said, "Can I help you?" And I saw it, right there. It was red. The top was already down.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
I said, "I know what I want. (laughs) It's right there."
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
And I left out of there, couldn't take it with me unfortunately. But when they delivered that car, and I, I took vacation-
Justin Alan Hayes:
(laughs)
Romona Robinson:
... and I drove home and I honked outside Evonne’s um, house. And she ran out the door. And she looked, at first didn't know who I was.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh.
Romona Robinson:
And I had my sunglasses on. And she just started screaming and jumped in the passenger side.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Mm-hmm.
Romona Robinson:
And I said, "No, no, no, you're missing something." And she looked at me and she goes, "The sunglasses."
Justin Alan Hayes:
(laughs)
Romona Robinson:
So she runs back in the house and get- she gets her sunglasses. And so we just go riding around town with our hair blowing in the wind. And I'm getting emotional again.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
But it's just so many moments like that, that just proves you can dream, and God is good. I mean, I just, I just yeah, I, I'm going to cry.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Oh-
Romona Robinson:
We better talk about something else.
Justin Alan Hayes:
We have about a minute and a half left, but I want to get to your new book. Your new book is now out. and the title of the book is Poor Girl, Rich Life: Discover His Plan to Prosper You.
Romona Robinson:
Yes.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Can you give a little snippet, to our, to our viewers and listeners?
Romona Robinson:
Well, this book, I'm so proud of, because I find that so many people Justin, go through life, never knowing what their greater purpose is. And I believe that God has a greater plan on all of our lives. Why were we born?
Justin Alan Hayes:
Mm-hmm.
Romona Robinson:
I discovered what my purpose was 20 years ago. And ever since then, I wake up each morning with a sense of peace, a sense of joy in my life. And it's not that I don't worry anymore, I don't have fear, I don't have anxiety, I do still fear. It's such a, a normal emotion. But I know God's got me. I just, I believe and I trust now. I just don't have that fear that I used to have. And so, this book is part financial freedom-
Justin Alan Hayes:
Mm-hmm.
Romona Robinson:
... part purpose in your life. And it's based on the scripture in Jeremiah where the Lord says, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, but to give you hope and a future." And I, I know that God doesn't want us struggling every day. He doesn't want us not knowing um, if we're going to um, be able to make it. he doesn't want us, um, fearing and having anxiety, not knowing if we're going to, where our next meal is, if we're going to be able to pay our bills. And he doesn't want us stuck.
So many of us, um, are stuck, maybe in a dead-end job. We're fearing, because we, we want to leave, but we fear, you know, is, if the grass is going to be greener on the other side. Maybe we have a bad health diagnosis, and I've had them too. And we don't know if we're going to come out on the other side. Um, I just want this book to show people that um, God is there for you, all you have to do is trust and believe in him. And um, he wants to give all of us, a good future. And you can have hope and believe and trust in him.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yep. And thank you so much for, for joining us. Your book is available everywhere, so I invite, our viewers, our listeners, get it yourself. I got a copy, signed by Romona. And we're just so thrilled to be able to have you on the Voices for Voices Podcast, and taking time out of your, your busy schedule. And congratulations on all the accomplishments that you have had and the accomplishments to come.
Romona Robinson:
Thank you. And they can get a signed copy if they go to my website, RomonaRobinson.com but you have to spell my name right.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Yeah.
Romona Robinson:
R-O-M-O-N-A or else you'll get a psychic if you spell it-
Justin Alan Hayes:
(laughs)
Romona Robinson:
... R-A- (laughs) and we don't want that.
Justin Alan Hayes:
Absolutely. And I- invite viewers, listeners to to, to add you, follow you on, on your social media, Instagram-
Romona Robinson:
Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
... Facebook. see what's going on. Add Romona's Room also, you'll be able to get, some, some good thoughts, thoughts for, for the day. Uh-
Romona Robinson:
Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
And last but, but not least, I just want to give a, a thank you. It looks like in the bottom left hand of our screen, we have our sign language interpreters that have been with us today, with, with this episode. And so I want to give a special shout-out to Elise Miller and Grace Sherman-
Romona Robinson:
Yeah.
Justin Alan Hayes:
... from the Kent State University, American Sign Language English Interpretation Program, for joining us, and being with us, and being able to sign this episode for, for those that, can, can benefit from that. So we thank you for joining us on this episode of the Voices for Voices Podcast. And a big special thank you to our special guest Romona Robinson-
Romona Robinson:
Thank you.
Justin Alan Hayes:
... for spending time with us. and until next time, I'm Justin Alan Hayes, we hope you have a great day, and be a voice for yourself or somebody in need.
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