The Fierce Freedom Podcast

Trafficking in strip clubs is an all too common tale, and occurs when traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to force them to engage in commercial sex acts. To share an insider's perspective we invited two owners of a gentlemen's club to share how they believe this industry has changed and their desire to eradicate trafficking from their establishment. We encourage listeners to challenge their...

What is the difference between seeing a peer specialist and a therapist? To chat more about this we invited Renee Sommer, certified Peer Specialist and Founder of At the Roots LLC. Renee shares about how her personal experience with counseling led her to become a peer specialist and why it may be a good fit for individuals who want to connect outside of a clinical model. Amanda Casey, our Survivor...

Is sex work work? Should it be legalized? And would its legalization lead to more STD prevention? Regardless of where you stand on this issue, it is important to hear from multiple perspectives, which is why we invited Jess Teresi , survivor of childhood sexual abuse and intimate partner violence, an advocate for change and an expert in sexual violence trauma & prevention. Jess is joined by Fierce...

Ever wondered how trauma presents differently in adults versus children? We invited Licensed Psychologist Sara Werner  to share her expertise of working for over 26 years to facilitate healing from abuse and trauma for kids and adults alike. She shares about how trauma presents in adults versus youth, as well as the the varying therapeutic approaches she uses including: EMDR Therapy, Play Therapy,...

"If I were a trafficker, I would create OnlyFans." We are joined by podcast guest Adam Dodge, Founder of EndTAB (Ending Technology-Enabled Abuse). Adam breaks down the massively popular site, which monetizes explicit content through subscriptions to private content creators, blurring the line between social media influencer and sex worker - or as he describes it "instagram meets pornhub." He also...

We want to introduce podcast listeners to Matt Kendziera, Creative Consultant for Fierce Freedom and our brand-new Justice Race Director this year! Matt shares about his involvement with Fierce Freedom and shares about what to expect at this year's Justice Race where participants can join both in-person and virtually this year! 100% of ALL proceeds raised this year will go to support victim-surviv...

Today's podcast guests are professionals, friends, and co-authors of the book Leaving the Life: Embracing Freedom from Exploitation survivor Jessa Dillow Crisp and psychologist Dr. Becca Johnson. They share about their new book, which is written in a narrative form to engage both survivors of exploitation and their allies to come alongside them throughout the brave, non-linear, sometimes messy wor...

Stop. Collaborate and listen.  Today we invited Executive Directors Jenny Almquist and Stephanie Page of Fierce Freedom & Stories Foundation respectively, to the podcast to share about their journey as long-time friends, and collaborators. They explain the necessity developing relationships and working to champion other agencies in the fight. Stephanie also shares the Storyteller Cafe, a space for...

During the course of a school year more than 300 children and their families in the Eau Claire school district are homeless. Circumstances have only grown more dire in the wake of the pandemic and has allowed exploitation to thrive. We invited Maria Guzman, Councilwoman for the city of Altoona to share how she went from volunteering wit this populace to finding herself on the other side, in a situ...

On today's episode we invited guest Rwatie Matsika, former diplomat from Zimbabwe and vehement defender of human rights. He now works not only to uphold and defend the rights of victims of human trafficking as the State-wide Labor Trafficking Case Manager in North Dakota, but also firmly believes in the power of grassroots community education to help reduce the demand for trafficking as well.

We are joined by Caragan Hollenbeck, who shares how she took the topic of human trafficking and, along with her Documentary Theatre class - brought it to the stage with an original play she helped co-write and direct called simply "Traffick." She'll unpack some of the challenges she and her group faced as they began production, the response they received, and how this experience helped shape her f...

On today's episode we invited Krista Allgor, Direct Program Services Director for Arrive Ministries whose work addresses specific vulnerabilities within displaced populations such as those of immigrant status, refugees and asylum seekers.  Krista shares how her own background working and living internationally sparked a desire to assist others in their transition to a new country as well as what t...

For this week's episode, podcast hosts Cat Jacoby and John Pulley have an open and frank conversation about the recent Atlanta-area massage parlor murders and whether or not it is a crime motivated by racial hate or whether there were other factors involved. While we are not minimizing the plight of Asian-Americans in the current social climate, we also feel that neglecting to unpack the layers of...

Did you know which products you use everyday are tainted by slavery and which aren't? In today's age, 60% of forced labor is associated with supply chains. To shed more light on this, we are joined by Matt Friedman, Founder and CEO of The Mekong Club, a catalyst for change, inspiring and engaging the private sector to lead in the fight against modern slavery. Matt explains the need to enlist the p...

Marilyn first sang about them in 1949, and in today's market, 78% of all engagement rings contain them - we're talking about diamonds, and the industry behind them. Most are familiar with the film Blood Diamond and its portrayal of conflict diamonds, which were mined by enslaved people and sold to fund rebel military operations. We asked podcast guest Nicole Lasker, President of Lasker Jewelers -...

This episode is Rebroadcast of Episode 37 which was both a past look at some of our favorite highlights and moments from the past year, and an exciting look towards some future developments, including sneak peaks of our new weekly video series Fierce Parenting and a new toolkit entitled "The Faces of Human Trafficking" launching 2021! Our financial partners allow us to continue this work and to th...

We always love to highlight organizations that value people over profit, and there's no better way to do that than inviting Kristen King, an Organizer for Equal Exchange , which has been a leading pioneer in fair-trade productions and ethical production for the past 35 years. Kristen breaks down what exactly "fair-trade" means and how to ensure the product you're consuming really is ethically prod...

For the final chapter of our "Let's Talk About Sex" series, we are joined by Survivor Advocate Amanda Casey who breaks down core beliefs of shame and how it affects our sexuality. Whether you're single, married, or a survivor of trauma, Amanda says that the root of shame is universal and it similarly affects our ability to engage with one another and ourselves if it goes unaddressed. She shares so...

Did you know that studies show 1 in 3 women watch porn at least once a week? But so many women who want to come out of their addiction never get help because they feel so ashamed and outside the "cultural norms." As part III of our series to take the shame out of sex we invited Joy Skarka , Director of Discipleship for Authentic Intimacy and currently pursuing her Doctorate to study how women find...

As Part II of our impactful "Let's Talk About Sex!" series, we invited Dr. Doug Rosenau , a therapist, theologian and author whose personal mission is exchange how sexuality has been taught through external behaviors with deep heart attitudes. Doug unpacks how traditional purity culture has largely focused on "how many ways can you say don't?" and physical virginity, rather than a framework of liv...

This first episode in our monthly series focusing on taking the shame out of sex. To kick things off we are joined by business partners and spouses Keelie and Austin Reason, whose marriage blog Love Hope Adventure seeks to point couples towards true and lasting intimacy with each other.  They'll unpack how introducing porn or even romantic comedies can set unrealistic expectations for relationship...

A first for our podcast, we'll hear the incredible story of how John Turnipseed , a former pimp, drug dealer and gang leader of the most notorious gang in Minnesota was transformed into a community leader, pastor, speaker and agent for change. John unpacks how childhood abuse and normalized gang culture shaped him into a hugely notorious gang leader, and shares what he believes to be the number on...

Today's episode highlights the importance of building a network of advocacy as an intrinsic part of restorative justice. To answer this we asked Kara Doan, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer of Restoration 61 - an organization that provides trafficked victims emergency housing and support - her views on why these partnerships is vital to supporting and reaching victims and how to best begin build...

Today we chat with Adri Neitzke, Founder of Trafficking Justice and now Law Enforcement Officer in Nevada.  Adri tells us the story of how her experiences with trafficking abroad became the origins for Minnesota nonprofit Trafficking Justice. She also shares about her remarkable journey of discovering her calling in the field of anti-trafficking and encourages those trying to find their own that i...

Today we interview Jennifer Lyons, Shelter Coordinator for Bridge to Hope, whose unique background has allowed her to walk through several parts of the trafficking journey.  Listen as Jennifer shares how her own experience as a trafficking survivor equipped her as a Deputy to identify inmates who had been trafficked which then informed her role working with victims of domestic violence as a Shelte...