Meet the Watsons

The Watsons. Stronger together.

Most of us are born into, marry into, or end up creating a messy family. The Watsons Stronger Together is a rare look at one that works, even when it doesn’t.

The two Watson sisters standing together in a studio portrait

Two sisters, one table

Carolyn and Beverly Watson open up about adoption, success, loss and resilience. Their conversations are real, unfiltered, sometimes hilarious, and always full of love. Think Black-ish meets The Kardashians, but grounded in truth and heart.

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Meet the Watsons

The Spark
Beverly Watson
Beverly is laughter in human form. She has a gift for turning pain into humor, using wit as her survival tool through loss, struggle, and the rollercoaster of family life. Behind the jokes is a heart of resilience, love, and loyalty that shines through in every conversation. With Beverly, you’ll laugh hard, and sometimes cry harder.
The Voice
Carolyn Watson
Carolyn’s journey through adoption and self-discovery has given her a powerful perspective. She speaks with courage about the messy parts of healing, the strength it takes to show up for family, and the importance of telling the truth, even when it’s hard. She is the reminder that resilience isn’t about perfection, but about showing up again and again.

A delicious podcast 150 years in the making

A brief timeline

“Ours is a story of flight, faith, and fierce love, proof that the roots of a family can reach across continents and centuries.”

The Watsons

~1860
The Escape
The name Rose first enters the Watson story, and never leaves.
Dave Tuppins (later David Thomas), the Watsons’ great-grandfather, escapes a plantation in North Carolina. He makes his way to Virginia, where he meets and marries Rose, the woman whose name and spirit will echo through generations. Together they raise three sons, including Reverend Otto Minor Thomas, a minister who teaches faith, education, and courage as acts of liberation.
~1890
Roots in Jamaica
From the sugarcane fields to the heartland, the Watsons’ journey becomes global.
Marxman Watson is born in the Jamaican countryside. A farmer’s son turned master builder, Marxman works on the Panama Canal and later in Cuba, where he falls in love with the name Carlos. By the 1950s, he brings his children, including Carlos Sr., to Ohio, where Caribbean rhythm meets Midwestern resolve.
Dr. Rose Camille Thomas Watson. From the Watson family archive.
1931
A Rose in Bloom
From segregation to sophistication, Rose’s spirit lights the way.
Born in segregated Virginia, Rose Thomas Watson learns to blend grace and grit. Her life will carry her from the Jim Crow South to Portugal and Angola, and finally to New York City, where fate reintroduces her to a young Jamaican man named Carlos Watson Sr.
1934
The Builder’s Son
He waited years for her, and built a life worth waiting for.
Carlos Watson Sr., son of Marxman, leaves Jamaica to chase education and opportunity across Ohio, New York, and West Virginia. When he first meets Rose, she’s boarding a ship to Portugal. Years later, when she returns, he still remembers. Their love story begins in New York and endures for life.
1966
A Union of Strength
Two educators raising three dreamers, a family built on curiosity and courage.
Rose and Carlos marry in Cincinnati, Ohio, launching a life filled with books, classrooms, and love. Within five years they have three children, Carlos, Carolyn, and Beverly, and move through Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Kalamazoo, and Miami chasing higher education and new dreams. Both serve as teachers and mentors at FIU, University of Miami, Florida Memorial, and public schools.
1985 to 1990
The Next Generation
Education wasn’t just a value, it was the family business.
The three Watson children scatter across top universities. Beverly becomes a lawyer. Carolyn earns her PhD in psychology. The seeds of purpose sown by Rose and Carlos Sr. blossom into achievement.
1997 to 2002
Building a Movement
From family ideals to national impact.
Carolyn co-founds Achieva, a groundbreaking education company helping 100,000 students across 75 districts, from New York to Chicago to Miami. The Washington Post acquires Achieva and merges it into Kaplan, turning the Watsons’ vision into a national movement.
2000s
Expanding Horizons
Three siblings. One mission: to make meaning.
Each of the three Watson siblings takes a different path. Carolyn builds a thriving therapy practice. Beverly becomes a global lawyer and diplomat.
2025
The Rebirth: ROSE Media
150 years of brilliance, still unfolding.
In honor of their mother, and of every silenced voice that deserves to be heard, the Watsons launch ROSE Media. Its shows embody resilience, intelligence, and joy, including From Behind This Chair and The Watsons: Stronger Together.

2026 Signal Awards

Two wins at the Oscars of podcasting

The Watsons: Stronger Together won a Silver and the Listener’s Choice for Best Video Podcast Co-Host Team, for our episode “50 and Still Single”.

See the Signal win