What if the stories of our ancestors held the key to understanding who we are today? That’s exactly the question I posed in a riveting conversation with award-winning journalist and author, Roni Robbins, on the latest episode of the Enlightened Life podcast. And let me tell you, Robbins is no stranger to storytelling—she’s spent nearly four decades writing for major outlets like The Huffington Post, Forbes, The New York Daily News, WebMD, and Healthline.
She’s interviewed the kind of people who shape history—CEOs, politicians, and cultural icons like Wolf Blitzer, Andy Gibb, and Hank Aaron. And yet, it was her own family’s history that ultimately led her to write Hands of Gold, a novel inspired by her grandfather’s extraordinary journey of survival and resilience. The book, which has received multiple prestigious awards, including the 2023 International Book Award for Multicultural Fiction, weaves a powerful narrative of love, loss, and perseverance.
When I sat down with Robbins, I wanted to know: how does a seasoned journalist, trained to report hard facts, transition into the world of historical fiction? Her answer was clear—she didn’t abandon her journalistic instincts; she leaned into them.
“I used all my skills as a trained journalist to create this novel,” she told me. “I was trained to check my facts, to do research, to back up everything with evidence. So I applied that same discipline here. My grandfather left our family cassette tapes of his life, and I transcribed them, dug through historical records, and ensured that every element was as accurate as possible.”
And yet, there was something new for Robbins in this process—something beyond the hard edges of journalism. The novel required her to imagine the voices of her ancestors, to step into their shoes, and to construct the emotional truths that historical records simply don’t capture. The challenge, she admitted, was dialogue.
“As a journalist, I rely on direct quotes. But in Hands of Gold, I had to create entire conversations between my grandparents, to bring their story to life in a way that felt authentic but was, in the end, my own interpretation.”
For Robbins, storytelling isn’t just about preserving the past—it’s about understanding how history repeats itself. Her grandfather, a man who survived tuberculosis against all odds, bore witness to some of the darkest moments in human history. And yet, his resilience speaks to a universal truth: survival, hope, and the power of memory are woven into the fabric of our DNA.
The conversation turned deeply personal when we discussed the weight of inherited trauma. Robbins’ grandfather left Europe before the Holocaust, but the guilt of escaping when so many others perished haunted him. It’s the kind of history that lingers in families, reshaping identities across generations.
“They lost most of their family in the Holocaust,” she reflected. “That kind of loss—it doesn’t just disappear. It shapes who you are, how you see the world, how you tell your own story.”
And yet, amidst the weight of history, Hands of Gold is ultimately a testament to love. Robbins’ grandparents died exactly one year apart to the day. “I thought that was super romantic,” she mused. “It showed the strength of their bond—that one couldn’t live without the other.”
So, how does a journalist-turned-novelist see her own work now? Is she more comfortable as a reporter or a fiction writer?
“I’m much more skilled at being a reporter,” she admitted. “Journalism is what I’ve trained for my whole life. Writing a novel was a new challenge. It took me a long time to get published, and marketing a book is a completely different world. But at the end of the day, I had to take that leap—I had to tell this story.”
And thank goodness she did. Because Hands of Gold isn’t just a book about the past; it’s a book about survival, about memory, and about the stories we owe it to ourselves to tell.
If there’s one thing my conversation with Roni Robbins reminded me, it’s this: History isn’t just something we read about in textbooks. It’s alive, breathing, and still speaking to us—if we’re willing to listen.
Scott Allan, a Spirit Medium and author of the book In the Presence of Light: A Funeral Director’s Journey from Mourning to Mediumship, is a well-known figure in the world of spiritual healing and has appeared on the Dark Echoes Paranormal TV show on Amazon Prime Video and Paraflixx. To learn more about Scott, visit www.mediumscottallan.com.
To hear my full interview with Roni Robbins listen here: Roni Robbins Podcast Interview.
