Imagine being raised in the infamous Carr housing projects of St. Louis. What would it be like instead of a mother and father, your "parents" were a paraplegic grandmother and a hard-working godmother and it was these two women who would instill a much needed work ethic in you, allowing you to rise to the many challenging occasions you'd face? Areva Martin, award -winning attorney, advocate, legal commentator, talk show host and producer, beat the odds stacked against her and graduated with honors from Harvard law school. After marrying one of her classmates, having three beautiful children and founding one of the most prestigious law firms in the country, you might say that Areva Martin had created the "perfect life". But what if one day your seemingly perfect life was disrupted by an alarmingly ambiguous medical diagnosis of your toddler son? Would you use the abundant access and resources at your disposal for your family alone or risk what you've built to become an advocate for families from underserved communities who are dealing with that same confusing and sometimes frightening diagnosis? More from Areva Martin: Explore her book titles- Make It Rain The Everyday Advocate: Standing Up For Your Child With Autism or Other Special Needs Journey To The Top See her at Design Care where she will be the guest of honor on July 27th (hosted by our future guest for August 27th Holly Robinson Peete with the HollyRod Foundation) Finding Areva Martin: Twitter & Instagram: @arevamartin LinkedIn: Areva Martin If you'd like to ask a question and be featured during the Dear Laura segment you can 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

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Giant Bombcast 05/24/2016 (Premium)