Episode 12: Daniela Deas

Episode 12: Daniela Deas

In this episode, host Robin Hassler Thompson imagines freedom with Daniela Deas, a trauma-informed professional, survivor leader and social justice advocate with over eight years of experience supporting youth and adults impacted by sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation and gender-based violence. Daniela currently serves as a Survivor Mentor with You Are More Than, Inc., providing group and one-on-one mentorship and supporting economic empowerment through career guidance and small business development. She also works as a Human Trafficking Collaborative Strategic Advisor with the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, where she supports federally funded anti-trafficking programs nationwide. Daniela’s background includes direct service, prevention education, and systems-level collaboration with organizations such as Pace Center for Girls, Kristi House, Fair Girls, and the Jewish Community Center. In 2023, she founded Survivors HOPE, a survivor-led nonprofit dedicated to healing and empowerment for commercially sexually exploited youth involved in delinquency systems. A national speaker and panelist, Daniela is known for centering survivor voices, challenging tokenism, and advancing collaborative, equity-driven responses to trafficking. At the Imagine Freedom 2026 Symposium, she brought both lived and professional expertise to the conversation on ending sex trafficking and building survivor-centered systems of care. Show Notes * Survivors Hope [https://survivors-hope.org/] * The Thrive Space [https://thethrivespace.org/] * Daniela and Robin discussed this Human Trafficking Symposium [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/events/freedom-rising-a-community-in-action-symposium-on-sex-and-labor-trafficking/] * Here’s Part 1 and Part 2 of Carter’s Story, 2-minute videos that show how a young boy is groomed by a trafficker. [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/take-a-look-at-carters-story-part-1-and-2-to-understand-how-traffickers-use-social-media-and-gaming-apps-to-lure-youth/] * National Human Trafficking Hotline (24/7) to answer questions, connect to resources and get help: [https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en] 888-373-7888 * Florida Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) Abuse Hotline: [https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/abuse/abuse-hotline] 800-962-2873 Support Human Trafficking Survivors through STAC Your gift directly empowers trafficking survivors and the community! Give Now [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/donate-now/]     The post Episode 12: Daniela Deas [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/episode-12-daniela-deas/] appeared first on Survive and Thrive [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org].

Episode 11: Exploring The Thrive Space Website

This Imagine Freedom podcast is a little different because we’ve adapted it from a webinar that STAC hosted, where we featured The Thrive Space [https://thethrivespace.org/], a great website created by and for survivors of human trafficking and exploitation. In this episode, host Robin Hassler Thompson [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/our-team/] imagines freedom with Jamie Rosseland, an expert and brilliant consultant to STAC who created the Thrive Space website with us. This platform is dedicated to eliminating the noise of other websites and providing clear, empowering information for those impacted by trafficking and other forms of exploitation. If you want to know more, you can watch the full webinar [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/events/discover-the-thrive-space-a-website-for-survivors-by-survivors/] and actually see them move through pages of the Thrive Space website.   Support Human Trafficking Survivors through STAC Your gift directly empowers trafficking survivors and the community! Give Now [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/donate-now/]     The post Episode 11: Exploring The Thrive Space Website [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/episode-11-exploring-the-thrive-space-website/] appeared first on Survive and Thrive [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org].

Episode 10: Katie Papke – Part 2

Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP In this episode, host Robin Hassler Thompson [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/our-team/] imagines freedom with Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP. Katie is a human trafficking survivor. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker, Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Clinically Certified Human Trafficking Victims Services Provider. Katie has her own private therapy practice and has a passion for providing trauma treatment to survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other traumas. Katie has years of experience in community education and consultation. She is a School of Social Work Program Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., teaching classes on human trafficking. She has provided over 120 national and international trainings on human trafficking and is a HEAL Trafficking trainer and subject matter expert. Katie graduated from Florida State University with her Bachelors and Masters of Social Work in 2006. Katie serves on the Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA) Advisory Survivor Board, the Colorado Human Trafficking Council Survivor Leader Advisory Board and the 3Strands Global Foundation Survivor Advisory Board. She is active in her local West Michigan human trafficking task force and serves on the Board of Sacred Beginnings, providing services to those who have experienced human trafficking. Katie has provided expert consultation with the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, Polaris Project, HEAL Trafficking, Freedom Network Training Institute and the Michigan Abolitionist Project. In 2024, Katie was appointed by the Governor to the state of Michigan’s Human Trafficking Commission as the vice-chair. Katie was recently awarded “40 under 40 Boston Congress of Public Health Catalyst Award” for her achievement at the Department of Veteran Affairs in shaping human trafficking as a public health concern. Katie lives in Michigan with her two daughters. Show Notes Contact Katie at: Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP Life Support Counseling and Coaching, LLC 2730 5 Mile Rd NE Suite 101 Grand Rapids, MI 49525 (616) 426-9104 [tel:+16164269104] Connect with Katie on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-papke-500172b4] Additional Resources * You can listen to Katie as she discusses the intersection of Trauma and Human Trafficking in two webinars. They are part of STAC’s “Third Friday Webinar Series.” [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/training-education-resources/] * Katie and Robin talked about the excellent Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Video Series called “Faces of Human Trafficking.” Unfortunately, the webpage for this video series is “temporarily unavailable.” If OVC makes it available in the future, it may be found at the original link here [https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/human-trafficking/faces-of-human-trafficking]. * Sex and Labor Trafficking Power and Control Wheel [https://www.familyjusticecenter.org/resources/human-trafficking-power-and-control-wheel/] – It is based on the Duluth Power and Control Wheel. [https://www.theduluthmodel.org/wheels/]   Support Human Trafficking Survivors through STAC Your gift directly empowers trafficking survivors and the community! Give Now [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/donate-now/]     The post Episode 10: Katie Papke – Part 2 [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/episode-10-katie-papke-part-2/] appeared first on Survive and Thrive [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org].

Episode 9: Evelyn Chumbow

Evelyn Chumbow In this episode, host Robin Hassler Thompson [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/our-team/]imagines freedom with Evelyn Chumbow, a survivor of child labor trafficking turned anti-trafficking activist and public speaker who has focused her life’s work on ending modern-day slavery, a crime impacting some 40 million victims globally. Ms. Chumbow was brought to the United States from Cameroon at the age of 9 and was forced to cook, clean, and care for her trafficker’s children. She was never paid for her work, and any hope that she might escape was undermined by the constant beatings she received from her trafficker. After years of captivity she finally escaped, and her trafficker was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Today, Ms. Chumbow works tirelessly to raise awareness and advocate for other survivors. She strongly believes in the need for professional development for survivors and dedicates her time volunteering at the grassroots level to guide communities on how to create employment opportunities for trafficking survivors. Among her many honors, Ms. Chumbow is the recipient of the 2021 Abolitionist Award from the Nomi Network, the 2018 African Heroine Award from the Ohio University African Student Union, and the 2015 Peace Seeking Award from the Presbyterian National Church. In 2021, Ms. Chumbow was selected to be included in the launch of Voices of Freedom, an initiative created by Story Corps and the Administration for Children and Families, in honor of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. Ms. Chumbow has serves as an advisor to human trafficking NGOs. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Human Trafficking Legal Center and Free The Slaves. She has worked at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie LLP in Washington, DC, where she supports human trafficking and human rights related pro bono initiatives for seven years. Ms. Chumbow is currently the Director of Operations & Survivor Leadership Director for The Human Trafficking Legal Center. Ms. Chumbow hopes to leverage her unique position as a former child slave to end human trafficking in West Africa, in her hometown, and the rest of the world. Show Notes Contact Evelyn at: Evelyn Chumbow Director of Advocacy & Survivor Leadership The Human Trafficking Legal Center 1030 15th Street, NW #104B Washington, DC 20005 (202) 849-5815 Connect with Evelyn on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyn-chumbow-8347329b/] More Resources * Human Trafficking Legal Center [https://htlegalcenter.org/] * Racism and the Anti-Trafficking Movement [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/racism-and-the-anti-trafficking-movement-survey-results-and-personal-reflections/] * National Human Trafficking Hotline [https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en] * Webinar with Evelyn Chumbow on Child Labor Trafficking [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/events/child-labor-trafficking-what-we-need-to-know/] * Investing in Survivors of Labor Trafficking Through the Harriet Tubman Fellowship [https://humanityunited.org/perspectives/the-harriet-tubman-fellowship/] Support Human Trafficking Survivors through STAC Your gift directly empowers trafficking survivors and the community! Give Now [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/donate-now/]     The post Episode 9: Evelyn Chumbow [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/episode-9-evelyn-chumbow/] appeared first on Survive and Thrive [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org].

Episode 8: Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP

Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP In this episode, host Robin Hassler Thompson [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/our-team/] imagines freedom with Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP. Katie is a human trafficking survivor. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker, Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a Clinically Certified Human Trafficking Victims Services Provider. Katie has her own private therapy practice and has a passion for providing trauma treatment to survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other traumas. Katie has years of experience in community education and consultation. She is a School of Social Work Program Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., teaching classes on human trafficking. She has provided over 120 national and international trainings on human trafficking and is a HEAL Trafficking trainer and subject matter expert. Katie graduated from Florida State University with her Bachelors and Masters of Social Work in 2006. Katie serves on the Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA) Advisory Survivor Board, the Colorado Human Trafficking Council Survivor Leader Advisory Board and the 3Strands Global Foundation Survivor Advisory Board. She is active in her local West Michigan human trafficking task force and serves on the Board of Sacred Beginnings, providing services to those who have experienced human trafficking. Katie has provided expert consultation with the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, Polaris Project, HEAL Trafficking, Freedom Network Training Institute and the Michigan Abolitionist Project. In 2024, Katie was appointed by the Governor to the state of Michigan’s Human Trafficking Commission as the vice-chair. Katie was recently awarded “40 under 40 Boston Congress of Public Health Catalyst Award” for her achievement at the Department of Veteran Affairs in shaping human trafficking as a public health concern. Katie lives in Michigan with her two daughters. Show Notes Contact Katie at: Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP Life Support Counseling and Coaching, LLC 2730 5 Mile Rd NE Suite 101 Grand Rapids, MI 49525 (616) 426-9104 [tel:+16164269104] Connect with Katie on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-papke-500172b4] Read Robin’s article on the subject of family as traffickers published in the Tallahassee Democrat. [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/family-members-can-be-human-traffickers-author-robin-hassler-thompson/] Support Human Trafficking Survivors through STAC Your gift directly empowers trafficking survivors and the community! Give Now [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/donate-now/]     The post Episode 8: Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCHTVSP [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org/episode-8-katie-papke/] appeared first on Survive and Thrive [https://surviveandthriveadvocacy.org].