Perseverance: Twice a teen mom, dropped out of high school, now owns a multi-million-dollar law firm.
Strawberry Letter
iHeartPodcasts
4.5 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 6 September 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Attorney Tessie D. Edwards.
A family and criminal law attorney based in Atlanta, Georgia. Here's a breakdown of the key highlights and themes from the episode:
🔑 Key Themes & Takeaways 1. Early Life & Adversity
- Tessie Edwards grew up in a challenging environment marked by poverty, teen pregnancy, and systemic injustice.
- She became a mother at 16, dropped out of high school, and had her second child by 18.
- Despite these challenges, she never lost sight of her dream to become a lawyer.
2. Turning Point
- A pivotal moment came when someone told her that her daughter looked like her. That realization sparked a deep desire to become someone her daughter could look up to.
3. Relentless Pursuit of Education
- Earned her GED, then an associate degree to qualify for military service.
- After a brief stint in the military (cut short due to pregnancy and miscarriage), she pursued higher education.
- Graduated from Indiana University with five children and went on to law school with her then-husband.
4. Professional Success
- Now runs a multi-million dollar law firm in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Has handled over 2,000 criminal cases and is deeply committed to serving families in crisis.
- Her firm has been serving the Atlanta community for over 15 years.
5. Support System
- Credits her success to a strong support network: her husband (who co-runs the firm), her children, her brother, and her team.
- Emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe in your vision.
6. Advice & Motivation
- Be clear about your goals and stay focused.
- Don’t wait for the “right time”—start now.
- Believe in your dream even when others don’t.
- Use adversity as fuel for your ambition.
💬 Memorable Quotes
- “I feel thankful but not satisfied.”
- “My life was so divinely chosen… I was just given a dream and the courage to go after it.”
- “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
#SHMS #STRAW #BEST
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:04.6 | Hi, I'm Roshan McDonnell. |
| 0:06.5 | I host the weekly Money Making Conversation Masterclass show. |
| 0:09.4 | The interviews and information that this show provides are for everyone. |
| 0:12.9 | It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and start living your own. |
| 0:17.3 | If you want to be a guest on my show, please visit our website, Moneymakingconversations.com, |
| 0:23.5 | and click the be a guest button. Press submit and the information will come directly to me. |
| 0:28.7 | Now, let's get this show started. My guess that I have currently on the show today, |
| 0:34.2 | fights to find the right solutions for families in crisis. With her years of experience |
| 0:39.2 | as a prosecutor, attorneys respect Tessa as an aggressive advocate who knows how to achieve |
| 0:45.7 | clients' objectives. Clients see her compassion side where she and her team take the time to listen |
| 0:52.3 | to gain a full understanding of the situation. |
| 0:56.6 | Please welcome to Money Making Conversation Masterclass, Attorney Tessa D. Edwards. |
| 1:01.1 | How are you doing, Attorney Edwards? |
| 1:03.3 | I'm good. I'm good. Thank you for having me with Sean. |
| 1:05.8 | First of all, being an attorney, was that something you dreamed of? |
| 1:11.2 | It is. I actually knew I wanted to be an attorney since I that something you dreamed of? It is. |
| 1:12.2 | I actually knew I wanted to be an attorney since I was in third grade. |
| 1:15.4 | I had a teacher that asked me what I wanted to be and being a person that likes to talk and debate and just liking to, I guess, challenge other people against an argument. |
| 1:25.9 | I knew very, very early that I wanted to be an attorney. |
| 1:29.5 | So, so good, the attorney was now, argument and debating. |
| 1:33.5 | Now, you just, well, you just, one of those people just, would they have to get the last word in? |
... |
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