In this episode, Rob and Dana talk to married couple Alexis Lenderman-Black and Justin Black. Both Alexis and Justin spent time in foster care and are now advocates for children in the system. They are getting ready to release their first book, Redefining Normal, in November. The book is about how they overcame difficult childhoods and learned how to have a healthy relationship with each other.

Listen as they share their stories and talk about their lives growing up, how they met, and what to expect from their upcoming book.

Click here to pre-order your copy of Redefining Normal.

Alexis Lenderman is a proud foster care alumna as well as a recent graduate of Western Michigan University where she earned a BBA in Entrepreneurship, a BA in Global & International Studies, a certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and a minor in Political Science. In 2016, she founded The Scholarship Expert business that consists of The Scholarship Blueprint book and workbooks along with an online course to assist students in graduating college debt free. Lenderman is a foster care advocate as she’s completed an internship at the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, and as a National Youth and Transition Database Reviewer and helps fundraise for programs supporting foster youth such as Hope Pkgs. Lenderman loves to travel and sleep on her down time. She’s studied abroad eight times during her undergraduate career to countries such as Hong Kong, South Korea, and South Africa. Alexis aspires to be a positive example for foster youth.

Justin Black is a recent graduate of Western Michigan University, where he studied public relations and African studies. He started Rising Over Societal Expectations (ROSE) Empowerment Group with a vision to close the information gap for today’s generation of Black and Brown youth after his experiences as a Black male in the foster care system. He has also developed policy recommendations while working with the National Black Child Development Institute resulting in a publication titled The State of the Black Child Report Card: Washington State. Black studied urban and community development as well as political and economic philosophy in countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Senegal, and South Korea. In his spare time, Justin loves watching sports and enjoys hot wings. He aspires to challenge and expand the ideologies of how to build prosperous communities through interdependence and entrepreneurship.