The Fierce Freedom Podcast

Today we're highlighting Adam and Alicia Condit of Blue Ox Running , who will share more about what you can expect from the E au Freedom Fun Run & Fest and why they decided to partner with Fierce Freedom and our work locally. The couple also shares about their collective passion to develop healthy internet/social media practices for families and some practical ways to model this by resetting our o...

Tattoos have become a popular way to represent personal interests and passions. But for a victim of sex trafficking, "branding" tattoos from their pimp tell the gut-wrenching story of their abuse and exploitation. Stephanie Andresen-Stevens is the Founder of Restorative Ink , a 501-c3 non-profit providing FREE tattoo removal services to those who are rebuilding their lives due to human trafficking...

The LGBTQ+ population is three times more likely to engage in survival sex when compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers, yet these cases go highly unreported. ( Loyola University ) We invited Melinda Sampson, Community Outreach Coordinator for NC Stop Human Trafficking to shine light on some the root causes as to why this population is disproportionately affected, and to discuss the nee...

Encouraging artistic development is an important aspect of childhood and can foster both creative problem solving and healthy avenues for collaboration and positive self-expression in youth.  The CollECtive Arts is a local non-profit organization made up of multiple ministries that seek to glorify God through music, dance, theater, and visual art with programming for children, youth, and adults. W...

How can each of us learn how to advocate for ourselves in a holistic and trauma-informed way? Today's guest Kayleen Soden, Founder of Phoenix Holistic Wellness LLC will share about how she began moving beyond unhealthy patterns cemented in childhood and subsequently embracing her own journey towards self-awareness and efficacy.  She encourages listeners to check out her org Phoenix Holistic Wellne...

What is being done to curb sexual predation towards children in Wisconsin and to decriminalize underage victims of trafficking? We invited Wisconsin State Senator Jesse L. James to speak more about his passion for protecting families in our state through enacting policy and legislation. He provides updates on new legislation he and his team are working to get passed. Bills include amendments to ch...

How can I bring porn-resiliency into my own personal spheres of influence? In part II of today's podcast, our guest Taylor Chambers, MS, LMFT shares with us about his work as a sexuality coach and how he encourages couples seeking guidance after betrayal trauma to move beyond it and stresses the importance of becoming a trustworthy and honest person versus regaining trust. He also points to severa...

Can fearlessly embracing our sexuality lead to more resilience towards pornography?   In part I of today's podcast, our guest Taylor Chambers, MS, LMFT shares with us about his work as a sexuality coach and how he encourages his clients towards a higher form of sexual expression amidst a constantly evolving pornographic landscape by focusing on a model that he believes will point to overall sexual...

School-age children and youth spend 80 percent of their waking hours outside of school, and yet third spaces can be inaccessible to families due to cost or lack of knowledge. Enter Village , a local tech company empowering families to easily find and connect with the many out-of-school programs in their community, connecting youth with new experiences and relationships. We invited Trish Cummins, t...

Spotify, Ebay, Discord, Instagram - all these major corporations are featured on the National Center on Sexual Exploitation's "Dirty Dozen" list this year for facilitating, enabling, and even profiting from sexual abuse and exploitation. To speak more on the history of this decade spanning initiative, and its many victories, we invited Lina Nealon , Vice President & Director of Corporate Advocacy...

Deepfake pornography is on the rise. In fact, a 2019 report showed that deepfake creation would double yearly and that 96% of existing deepfakes were nonconsensual pornography. (Fight the New Drug) To dive deeper into this newer form of online exploitation, host Cat Morgan is joined by new podcast co-host, and broadcast veteran, Mark Halvorsen. Together they'll also share some of the ways to appro...

On today's episode we're highlighting our friend Marlene Sorenson, who is the Co-Founder/Executive Director of Zeteo Community based in Madison WI. This is a non-profit organization working to provide housing, healing and hope for women who have been sexually exploited and their children. Marlene shares about this journey to create a beautiful home of healing and restoration for survivors - which...

Today's episode continues our conversation with Shayla Beaumont, the Elevate|Uplift Coordinator for MIWSAC Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition. Shayla shares more about best practices for engaging with this work and highlights the programming available through Elevate|Uplift to assist organizations serving survivors of sexual violence to change their practices and uphold the healing...

The BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) estimates there are 4,200 missing and murdered cases that have gone unsolved, most of these cases are women.   To speak more about the disproportionately high rates of sexual violence and incarceration among native women and its roots in historical oppression, we invited Shayla Beaumont, who has advocated for those in human trafficking or domestic abuse for nearl...

Oscar-winning film " Women Talking " is living up to its name by inciting thought-provoking conversation about abuses going on in isolated religious communities. This episode is no exception, to delve more into the hard truths stirred up by this powerful film, we invited returning guest Hope Anne Dueck, Executive Director of A Better Way which often works with survivors of abuse from plain dress c...

Studies show that about 61% of adults surveyed across 25 states reported that they had experienced at least one type of adverse childhood experience (ACE). All of us carry invisible traumas from childhood that greatly affect our life trajectory and can also lead to higher risk for substance abuse, depression, and lower life expectancy. Despite this fact, there is hope. We invited Fierce Freedom Bo...

What is sextortion and why is it on the rise? We asked returning guest D r. Justin Patchin , Co-Founder of the Cyberbullying Research Center  to share about growing trends of sextortion - what has caused its rise and why kids make such common targets for predators.  He also gives an overview of a new tool "Take It Down," aimed at helping victims of sextortion have their image taken down across var...

As part of our monthly series about porn and sexuality, we invited Laila Mickelwait, CEO of the Justice Defense Fund and Founder of #Traffickinghub Movement to talk more about her work to hold "mega trafficking" site Pornhub accountable and her work to help survivors of sex trafficking find justice. In part II of this episode, Laila highlights her org The Justice Defense Fund which endeavors to br...

During our monthly series talking about porn & sexuality, we are highlighting the collective work of several organizations and one woman in particular, who has relentlessly worked to expose the "mega trafficker" Pornhub, the most popular porn site in the world. Laila Mickelwait, Founder of #Traffickinghub Movement has made global headlines for her work to sound the alarm against this porn site, an...

Whether you were raised to believe in hook up or purity culture, our attitudes towards sexuality can be incredibly varied, leading to a lot of confusion on how best to approach sex. Our podcast guest, Evening Snow has authored a book, "Sex On Clearance"  that challenges readers to look beyond social norms that dictate how to view their sexuality by using research on how casual sex is impacting our...

This month we're talking about porn and sexuality. To kick things off we invited Author and Sexual Therapist Andrew J. Bauman to share about his work with men, inviting them to embrace healthy and wholistic sexuality. He shares about his journey of outgrowing pornography and what he wants men to know about repairing a spousal relationship in the wake of this kind of addiction. Mostly, Andrew's mes...

If there's one thing our podcast guest understands, it is finding ways to step out faithfully everyday. For decades, Terry Hildebrandt has stepped into opportunities that serve others and shine light on injustices like sex trafficking. On this episode, Terry shares about how his work with the Salvation Army intersected with vulnerable populations and informed his personal, professional, and academ...

Regardless of your favorite steaming service, binging on documentaries and other depictions of lived experiences can be a fantastic way to bring awareness to the masses. But are there potential harms to over consumption of these kinds of shows? To join the conversation we have Naomi Wright, Executive Director of beEmboldened Ministries. Together, she and host Cat Morgan unpack their own experience...

Part II of our conversation with Rosie Cataldo, who works as a trauma-informed human trafficking consultant, prevention educator & healing conduit through her consulting service, Consult Rosie. In today's episode Rosie gives advocates some strategies to create a "trauma barrier" for themselves and their clients, which include some de-escalation techniques and other methods of harm reduction when w...

This is part I of our conversation with Rosie Cataldo who works as a trauma-informed human trafficking consultant, prevention educator & healing conduit through her consulting service, Consult Rosie. In today's episode, Rosie shares about her first interaction with the world of sex trafficking and how it spurred her on to find her own role. She encourages us all to examine our own gifts which may...