Power in the Pain Podcast
Ending Sex Trafficking Starts With Community: Alexandria Dean Returns (Part 2)
Content note: This episode includes discussion of childhood abuse and sex trafficking. Please listen with care. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 (text BEFREE to 233733) or 911. "I prayed. Nobody came. I don't want that to be an empty prayer for somebody else." Alexandria Dean is back in the Spread the Positive studio for Part 2. In Part 1 she shared her testimony. This time she and Greg Pihs talk about the mission that came out of it: eradicating human sex trafficking by rebuilding community. Alexandria is the author of From Heaven to Hell and Back a Few Times, now moving from self-published to a publisher, with a second book on the way. She traces trafficking not to "the oldest profession" but to the breakdown of community, the moment we stopped taking care of the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the single parent. When people don't know where the next meal or bed is coming from, they do the unthinkable, or they are tricked into it. She goes somewhere most conversations don't. She was in fifth grade when trafficking began. Her teacher saw. Police, nurses, doctors, and lawyers saw. Nothing happened, and she wore that silence as oppression: every adult who said nothing was agreeing with what was being done to her. Greg builds on it with the flame that costs nothing to share and the mountain we're willing to see for the bystander but not for the victim. The back half is practical. Why narcissists' charisma makes it easy to believe the lie. Why the average age of exit is 26 to 32. Why "that's none of my business" is the wrong answer when children are being harmed next door. And a direct message to anyone listening who doesn't yet recognize themselves as a victim: if someone is selling you or trading you for sex, that is trafficking, and you are not alone. Alexandria is hosting a community meeting on October 15 in the morning, likely at the Dapper Owl. Details on her YouTube channel, AD Redeemed. β±οΈ CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:24 A word from our sponsor (Bryan Nale) 1:15 Welcome back, Alexandria Dean 2:17 From Heaven to Hell and Back a Few Times 2:48 The second book: building community 3:51 Trafficking is not the first profession 5:02 The poor will always be with you 6:48 A discarded group is an easy group to exploit 8:11 "Why can't you get over it?" 10:22 The flame that costs nothing to share 11:33 Fifth grade: the teacher who saw 12:49 Wearing the silence as oppression 14:22 Isolation can only exist in isolation 16:09 We see the bystander's mountain, not the victim's 17:36 Trauma lives at the cellular level 20:05 How you respond the first time sets the tone 22:34 The October 15 community meeting 23:59 "The only way it continues is if you allow it" 25:14 Awareness first, then action 27:13 Translation between two childhoods 29:11 Who controls the narrative 30:50 Charisma and the lie 32:14 Average age of exit: 26 to 32 32:54 "My mother trafficked me" 34:34 The kid climbing out of the building 36:53 Curiosity and critical thinking 37:02 "Is it none of your business?" 38:27 "I prayed. Nobody came." 39:13 How to get involved: resources beyond money 40:36 AD Redeemed on YouTube, adredeemed.com 42:24 Understanding trauma and triggers 44:42 Trust is earned by walking together 47:33 If you don't recognize yourself as a victim 48:56 "You are not alone" 49:14 Outro KEY TAKEAWAYS β’ Trafficking grows where community breaks down. Caring for the vulnerable is the prevention. β’ Silence is agreement. The victim wears the oppression of every adult who did nothing. β’ No one wakes up wanting this. People arrive in a situation, or are tricked into it. β’ Awareness creates choice, and choice creates freedom, but awareness has to come first. β’ Believing the charismatic lie is easy. Critical thinking and simple curiosity protect the vulnerable. β’ It is your business. If you'd pray for someone to step in, be the one who steps in. Guest: Alexandria Dean, author of From Heaven to Hell and Back a Few Times YouTube: AD Redeemed | Web: adredeemed.com | Email: lexie@adredeemed.com Catch Part 1: Alexandria's Testimony: Surviving Trafficking and Choosing Forgiveness Watch the video version on YouTube: Success After Trauma If this episode made you think of someone, share it with them. Spread the Positive is shedding light on what's going right in the world. Like, subscribe, and we'll see you next week. #PowerInThePain #GregPihs #SuccessAfterTrauma #AlexandriaDean #ADRedeemed #HumanTrafficking #EndTrafficking #SurvivorStory #Community #TraumaHealing #SpreadThePositive





