Next Chapter Romona’s

Romona Robinson steps gingerly over tree roots to a shade-dappled outlook in Cleveland Metroparks Bedford Reservation. She strikes a practiced and picture-perfect pose, again and again, for our photographer, looking much as she did when she was one of Northeast Ohio’s most recognized and honored TV news anchors.

Robinson was the first black woman to anchor an evening broadcast in Cleveland and the first solo woman to sit in the evening anchor chair. She’s won eight Emmy awards, crisscrossed the country covering news stories and newsmakers, and snagged an exclusive interview with President Barack Obama.

After decades in the news business, Robinson chose to redirect her skills, in her case to writing and public speaking. “I knew from the time I was in my 30s I’d retire in my 50s,” she said during an interview in a nearby picnic pavilion after the photo shoot.

She says her calculated and, as it turns out, satisfyingly successful transition to a new career required money, time and preparation. With her eye on her next career, she remained at WOIO Channel 19 for a year after writing her first book, “A Dirt Road to Somewhere” to make sure people were interested in what she had to say. They were. Robinson has never looked back.

Born in Wilson City, Missouri, a village near the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, Robinson today lives in an eastern suburb with her husband of 19 years, Rodney Tyler.

In addition to “A Dirt Road to Somewhere,” she wrote “Your Voice is Your Power.” Her latest book, “Poor Girl Rich Life,” came out earlier this year. When she’s not writing, Robinson is a popular public speaker who focuses on empowering her audience with a positive, faith-filled message.

Robinson participated in a Q&A with NEO Boomer contributor Donna Robinson (no relation). We hope you enjoy the interview.

Q: When did you retire from WOIO Channel 19, and what drew you to retire?

A: Haha! I always tell people I am not retired. I left television in January 2019 to become an author and speaker. I have three books now, and I couldn’t be happier. I have been crisscrossing the state and country, trying to empower and inspire people to live their best lives. I loved my 31 years in broadcasting in Cleveland, but as the news industry started to change and the journalistic lines of integrity began to blur, I knew it was time to pursue my other love, writing.

Q: Your first book, “A Dirt Road to Somewhere,” which was published in 2017, is based on your childhood and life. What inspired you to write your first book?

A: I’ve always loved motivating people to do better… to push past adversity. It’s probably because I faced so many struggles growing up. Raised in poverty in the backwoods of rural Missouri by a single mom who worked a factory job to care for her 11 kids, things were always bleak. Refusing to accept welfare, she taught us the responsibility of hard work and perseverance. She always told us we were being raised on the end of a dirt road but were going somewhere, hence the title.

Q: How was it to share your life in the contents of your first book, even the struggles?

A: I struggled with revealing too much of my life with the public. But in the end, God kept telling me, ‘Your story will help thousands,’ and I knew it’s what I had to do. I talk about racism, sexism, sexual harassment, my miscarriages. It was really tough to open up so many old wounds. I cried a lot while writing it, but there was also a lot of laughter.

Q: What lessons do you want readers to get from “A Dirt Road to Somewhere?”

A: My wish in writing “A Dirt Road to Somewhere” is that people be moved and motivated to walk in faith and not fear. At the heart of the book is the message that not every closed door we encounter is a bad thing. God knows that, as long as we’re comfortable, we won’t move. We’ll stay stuck. We don’t always like it when God tests our faith. It may not feel good, and we may not understand the reasons for it, but we have to have faith God is working on our behalf, and we will come through the storm. At times, God sent turmoil, betrayal, and loss into my life in order to force me into my purpose. I am a living testament that, through faith and believing, your life can be changed.

Q: Not giving names, give a few heartfelt examples/stories you will never forget from writing “Your Voice is Your Power.”

A: My favorite is the young woman from Alabama who moved her kids to Cleveland to be with her husband who again cheated on her. She came to my book signing asking me what should she do? I was dumbfounded. Heartfelt but in shock. It’s something that’s never happened to me. She had heard about my book and said she could relate. She was depressed, devastated and had lost her voice and her power. I asked her to wait until after my speech so we could talk. It was such an incredible time with her, I will never forget it.

Q: What are the key lessons you want the reader to know as they read your book, “Your Voice is Your Power?”

A: That you have the power to change things in your life. Your voice truly is your power. We are bombarded by thousands of voices from the time we awake. Some positive, but many negative… telling us who we are, who we should be and who we will never be. It’s nothing but fear. And, you have the power to block the noise. I think this book helps the reader to do that.

Q: Your third book, “Poor Girl, Rich Life,” was published this year. How do you feel your inspiration from God helped you to “prosper and have purpose” yourself?

A: I grew up in the bottom 99 percent of this country and God would propel me to the top of my career. I shared more of the story of my early childhood in a dirt-poor community in Wilson City, Missouri, where most folks lived on less than $5,000 a year. We didn’t possess financial literacy or generational wealth… and yet, my mom still sent nine of us to college. Through hard work and determination, God would later “set me on a path to prosperity and purpose.” I share how He did it in this book and how He can do it for you.

Q: What lessons do you want readers to know as they read “Poor Girl, Rich Life?”

A: This book challenges the reader…no matter your age, to look below the surface and pinpoint the financial baggage they may have been toting around since childhood that has shaped their relationship with their money today. It’s called “money trauma.” It’s something we all suffer from, but many of us don’t know it. However, it determines how we will spend, save or share our money. Also, the book is filled with both spiritual insight and practical advice you can instantly use in growing your godly wisdom that will allow God to prosper you.

Q: Speaking straight from the heart, what gratification did you derive from not only being in broadcasting, but also being an accomplished author of three books? How were both equally satisfying?

A: They both gave me a platform to reach people, and in doing so, I could do God’s work. I could spread love, kindness, respect and integrity. We live in such a tumultuous world right now with so many voices, many of them negative and downright evil. I hope my years in television reflected a spirit of hope, of goodness and unity.

Q: What is the best way one can purchase your books?

A: You can purchase my books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or wherever you buy your books.

If you’d like an autographed copy, you can go to my website at romonarobinson.com.

A journalist for 22 years and a resident of Northeast Ohio, Donna Robinson enjoys telling the stories of positive people.