201: Leading The Way In Preventing Child Sex Trafficking With Jan Edwards
Jan Edwards is the founder, president, and chair of the board of a non-profit organization named Paving the Way Foundation.
Edwards used to work in the corporate world when all of the sudden she experienced a change of flow in her path.
She had the opportunity to attend various conferences that lead to her changing her thoughts and path.
Paving the Way Foundation aims to help inform people about human trafficking especially to children and parents. It helps in enlightening them about the topic so it could be prevented in the future.
She personally saw how human trafficking is happening during a mission she went into after she left her job.
Human trafficking has been a huge problem especially to those who are misinformed on what it is. Parents are most often don’t have any idea that it was already happening in the lives of their kids. The kids sometimes do not tell their parents on what’s happening.
Orphans are also victims. Edwards mentioned that they were the number one source of human trafficking. Children are most likely the target in this.
Episode 201 of The Beyond Adversity Podcast are for those who wants to be educated and enlightened about the topic regarding human trafficking. This will help prevent grooming and recruitment of children.
In this episode, Edwards shares to us her personal experience while working in the foundation. She also discusses all about human trafficking. She shares how they were able to educate over 16,000 young people and adults during the past years.
“The Beyond Adversity Podcast with Dr. Brad Miller is published weekly with the mission of helping people “Grow Through What They Go Through” as they navigate adversity and discover their promised life of peace, prosperity, and purpose.
https://www.pavingthewayfoundation.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-edwards-8aa6431a2/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PavingW/
Transcript
Hello, good people. Welcome to Beyond Adversity with Dr. Brad Miller.
Dr. Brad Miller::This is a podcast where we help you to grow through what you go
Dr. Brad Miller::through whatever adversity you may be facing. We'd love to talk to
Dr. Brad Miller::people who either have faced some adversity in their life and come
Dr. Brad Miller::through to a better place or are helping other people to face profound
Dr. Brad Miller::adverse life events. And one area that is really significantly impacted
Dr. Brad Miller::the world in Philly forever, but certainly come to the forefront in recent
Dr. Brad Miller::years is the whole issue of online sexual exploitation of children and
Dr. Brad Miller::sex trafficking. It is just a horrible, terrible thing. I've have had some
Dr. Brad Miller::experience myself and dealing with this from the Ministry perspective.
Dr. Brad Miller::But we are going to be glad to talk to our special guests here today,
Dr. Brad Miller::Jan Edwards, who's dealing with this area in life. She comes from the
Dr. Brad Miller::perspective of one who was in the corporate world doing some really
Dr. Brad Miller::good things there and having some success, but at a pivotal moment,
Dr. Brad Miller::which changed her towards really focusing on this area of life. So Jan
Dr. Brad Miller::Edwards, welcome to Beyond Adversity.
Jan Edwards::Thank you, Brad, very happy to be with you today.
Dr. Brad Miller::It is an honor to have you with us, then maybe your organization
Dr. Brad Miller::is Paving the Way Foundation. You are all about helping to prevent
Dr. Brad Miller::child sex trafficking and online sexual abuse, especially of children
Dr. Brad Miller::and education of parents, and so on about all this. I've got a feeling
Dr. Brad Miller::that this wasn't always where you were tracking in your life. And I
Dr. Brad Miller::know that you had some success in a business and corporate world,
Dr. Brad Miller::and then something changed. Tell us a little bit about your story,
Dr. Brad Miller::about where you were, what happened, and what focused
Dr. Brad Miller::you towards this area?
Jan Edwards::Sure. Well, I was working in corporate America and left that I
Jan Edwards::was working for a startup. And which afforded me the opportunity
Jan Edwards::to go to a couple of really cool conferences, and one happened to be
Jan Edwards::in New York. And I came back and left that job. And at the same day,
Jan Edwards::I was laid off, I was invited to the Get Health Summit at the UN,
Jan Edwards::which was a few weeks later. And I went right. I had nothing else to
Jan Edwards::lose, I already made these connections. So like I'm going and it was there
Jan Edwards::that I met this extraordinary man, Dr. Mehari, who has a 501 C three
Jan Edwards::that gathers the dispara of Ethiopia to really make a difference for the
Jan Edwards::orphan children and we exchanged cards, exchanged texts, exchanged
Jan Edwards::emails, and where the emails was, I said, you know, he was like, Yeah, Jan,
Jan Edwards::you know, we're planning to go to Ethiopia. I can't connect with you until
Jan Edwards::after we get back. I'm like, not a problem. Have a great time. send me
Jan Edwards::pictures. And he sends an email right back and says, Do you want to go?
Jan Edwards::Okay. It's not everyday brandy get invited to go to
Dr. Brad Miller::Yeah, that's that. That's awesome. So I'm assuming you went.
Jan Edwards::I went!
Dr. Brad Miller::Yeah.
Jan Edwards::And if you know, you're being a pastor, I know, You've been on several
Jan Edwards::medical missions. So you know what it's like. And there were many missions.
Jan Edwards::I know, you know what it's like, at the end of the day of the mission day, right.
Dr. Brad Miller::I've also been on a medical mission as well. So yes, yeah.
Jan Edwards::So you're poop to give your all for 12-14 hours a day. And really, all you want to do is go home.
Dr. Brad Miller::You have a medical? I just curious, do you have a medical background yourself?
Jan Edwards::Um, no, but I was working for medical device company.
Dr. Brad Miller::Oh, I see. Okay. I'm with you now.
Jan Edwards::Yeah. So we were there. We were, you know, coming home from a long day
Jan Edwards::doing our thing. And there's just a moment in time, it was in Addis Ababa, which
Jan Edwards::has two stoplights, by the way. So you can only match what the traffic's like. And,
Jan Edwards::you know, we're stuck in traffic. And I looked over and there were two older men and
Jan Edwards::two younger women, and it just didn't feel right. And by the time I, you know, my brain
Jan Edwards::started connecting with what I was feeling, you know, off we were. So when I got home
Jan Edwards::to my sponsors house, I shared with him what I saw, and he's like, oh, yeah, that's human
Jan Edwards::trafficking. Like, oh, let's have a cup of coffee is very nonchalant. I was like, Hang on.
Jan Edwards::Wait a minute. Like, what are you talking about? Now? You gotta get this is 2013. So
Jan Edwards::you're talking almost 10 years ago, you know, Epstein hadn't happened. Our Kelly hadn't
Jan Edwards::happened. So I'm staring him I go, What are you talking about? When he says Jim,
Jan Edwards::Ethiopia has 4.5 million orphans. They were the number one source of human
Jan Edwards::trafficking into the Middle East. And again, I sat there and I and I'm looking at
Jan Edwards::him. Like, I don't know what you're like I heard the words but my brain wasn't
Jan Edwards::connecting. What are you telling me? And I said, Hang on. I said, Are you telling
Jan Edwards::me people are selling people? Like I couldn't wrap my head around it? Again,
Jan Edwards::he looks at me and He says January event, like this is $150 billion industry.
Jan Edwards::And I smiled sweetly and said, Wow, I live in Orlando. We don't really talk
Jan Edwards::about this. Right. So it was right there got laid on my heart. And I came
Jan Edwards::home and started do some research and discover that Florida has the
Jan Edwards::third highest number of calls to the national trafficking hotline behind
Jan Edwards::California and Texas. Now, it's not, you know, it's a good thing, right?
Jan Edwards::Because people, it's front side of the hand back side of the hand kind
Jan Edwards::of thing. People know, to pick up the phone and call, right, which is
Jan Edwards::good. They're actually placing an action. On the backside is there's
Jan Edwards::a reason for them to take an action. So they're seeing something.
Jan Edwards::And after doing a little bit more research, I discovered that children
Jan Edwards::are the primary target. And I remember sitting there at my desk, and it's
Dr. Brad Miller::sometimes very young children as well, right? Yeah.
Jan Edwards::Yeah. And I remember sitting my desk thinking, Well, I kind of talked to
Jan Edwards::, they're my answer. They're my solution, right? Well, this is a little bit of
Jan Edwards::an uncomfortable topic to talk about in, they wouldn't have it. So
Jan Edwards::I'm a little bit on the assertive side bread. I'm like a dog with a bone s
Jan Edwards::ometimes, right. And plus, by the way, God gave this to me, right? I am
Jan Edwards::God's girl. And I'm like, I'm supposed to do what he tells me to do. But
Jan Edwards::okay, I'm like, Fine, I'm gonna go talk to your kids. And so we've educated
Jan Edwards::over 16,000 young people, and adults in the past five years about human
Jan Edwards::beginning of the conversation, it really does a lot of the heavy lifting
Jan Edwards::trafficking, and we use our film trapped in the trade is the basis for the
Jan Edwards::and showing the grooming recruitment tactics that are used, that our
Jan Edwards::children on our stand, they're being groomed and recruited. And parents
Jan Edwards::don't understand what it looks like. So they really can't have that prevention
Jan Edwards::conversation with them, right. So we're really out to disrupt it by educating
Jan Edwards::our parents and empowering our kids. So together, we can prevent it.
Dr. Brad Miller::I'm sure you've learned a lot about that whole process on everything that
Dr. Brad Miller::happens in the grooming and all the recruitment. And there really does
Dr. Brad Miller::six stuff that goes on. And then teaching others is part of what you're all about
Dr. Brad Miller::now, and but for everybody, I think Jan, they have to have their kind of their
Dr. Brad Miller::aha moment with whatever it is, in this case, human trafficking and share
Dr. Brad Miller::your briefly one of one of my aha moments. And this I, I live in suburban
Dr. Brad Miller::Indianapolis, Indiana, and tin GISTIC almost exists. We're recording this in
Dr. Brad Miller::late January of 2022. And almost exactly 10 years ago, indianapolis hosted
Dr. Brad Miller::the Super Bowl, which is coming up pretty soon. But anyhow, long story short,
Dr. Brad Miller::I had friends around the world at the local airport and people in various ministry
Dr. Brad Miller::and I was in almost everyone, the city was somehow involved in the Superbowl in
Dr. Brad Miller::one form or another. And I became aware in a ministry context about the
Dr. Brad Miller::enormous issue of human trafficking, basically, young girls and boys being
Dr. Brad Miller::brought into, to our city from all over the world, to service, so to speak,
Dr. Brad Miller::people who came with a Super Bowl, and he was like, the numbers that
Dr. Brad Miller::came out were astonishing. And I was part of the groups that helped to
Dr. Brad Miller::you know, to deal with that. I'm just saying that this is an I became aware
Dr. Brad Miller::of kind of the economics about how the huge business it was, and how
Dr. Brad Miller::what a pervasive problem was, that was kind of my aha moment. I've
Dr. Brad Miller::involved with some of those aspects ever since with this area of life, and
Dr. Brad Miller::I commend you for getting involved. But we kind of have to have that gut
Dr. Brad Miller::wrenching moment, you know, saying, Oh, my God, you know, something's
Dr. Brad Miller::gotta be done here. So that's why I'm gonna go with you right now for a few
Dr. Brad Miller::minutes, Jan. It's one thing to have that gut wrenching moment, it's one thing
Dr. Brad Miller::to have that, that that moment of transition yourself, it's another thing to
Dr. Brad Miller::have a moment of transformation to do something about it, to take action
Dr. Brad Miller::.
Dr. Brad Miller::So you've said a little bit about it. But go a little further about some of the
Dr. Brad Miller::actions that you took, you know, some of the specific actions you took to
Dr. Brad Miller::respond to this gut wrenching aha moment that you had.
Jan Edwards::Sure, well, knowing that our kids were the target. You know, and there'll be you
Jan Edwards::gotta remember, this is nine years ago, nobody really talked about this. We
Jan Edwards::didn't have an art career and Epstein to fall back on it go that guy that's like
Jan Edwards::happening right here. Yeah. And I am, you know, I'm a sales professional by
Jan Edwards::trade. I grew up doing marketing and sales in management and leadership
Jan Edwards::in the cable industry for a super long time. So I'm kind of like a dog with a
Jan Edwards::bone when it comes to stuff. And I use great discernment. And so when
Jan Edwards::I have the experience of no like, No, this is what you're supposed to do.
Jan Edwards::Like, okay, this is what I'm doing. I am a dog with a bone. So I did market
Jan Edwards::research for about two years. Okay. And really,
Dr. Brad Miller::you did your homework, let's look at your homework.
Jan Edwards::I went out to bid because I'm a true believer that the market will tell you
Jan Edwards::what it wants, okay. Doesn't really matter what above so
Dr. Brad Miller::you applied your expertise to this problem. Okay,
Jan Edwards::absolutely, yeah, and I'm a, you know, Problem Solver by turret by nature,
Jan Edwards::and I'm a girl of action, I don't just sit around, I was very busy the past few
Jan Edwards::years, I didn't sit around watching Netflix and eat bonbons, you know. So I
Jan Edwards::am driven by action I am. And so I just took that and talk to as many people
Jan Edwards::as I could I went to as many networking events as I got. And I also got some
Jan Edwards::coaching. Because I knew, you know, as a trainer inside my organization,
Jan Edwards::because I was always starting something new inside our company.
Jan Edwards::So I always ended up training people on it. So you know, being in front of
Jan Edwards::people is one thing, but really being able to deliver a powerful message
Jan Edwards::succinctly where people move and take an action that takes training.
Jan Edwards::So I have done a lot of training, personal growth and development inside
Jan Edwards::an organization called Landmark Worldwide. And then I've also done a
Jan Edwards::lot of training inside of, you know, having personal coaches, I tell people,
Jan Edwards::because people are always amazed, like, oh, gosh, here this year, it's like,
Jan Edwards::no, I keep taking the right I just keep taking actions. And if the action doesn't
Jan Edwards::produce a result, I go get some coaching to the gap. And then I go take
Jan Edwards::another action. So it's like I tell people, my parents gave me a phenomenal
Jan Edwards::foundation, right? I've got education, understanding how to operate inside
Jan Edwards::an organization understanding how to operate inside a space, right?
Jan Edwards::And then I had some phenomenal years inside corporate America
Jan Edwards::and that training, development and all these kids that want to go start
Jan Edwards::businesses, unlike stop, go get OJT and get paid for it go have someone
Jan Edwards::train you how to be inside an organization before you think you can lead
Jan Edwards::one. Right? Unless you've come from a family of entrepreneurs and you're
Jan Edwards::raised in that environment. It's just different. Right? And then third piece,
Jan Edwards::God, God's my foundation, all right there, and then I got great training,
Jan Edwards::I am the product of great coaches and great training. So I apply it.
Dr. Brad Miller::It's how your training was not just specifically on this issue of
Dr. Brad Miller::trafficking, for instance, it was about communication. Here are
Dr. Brad Miller::some business dynamics, some entrepreneurialship, and perhaps
Dr. Brad Miller::even some spiritual training. It was all involved here. Is that right?
Jan Edwards::Absolutely. And then I took that, and then I, you know, would literally
Jan Edwards::go out and throw it up against the wall and test it.
Dr. Brad Miller::You applied it, you
Jan Edwards::Went out, you know, I bought people lunch, and I showed my film
Jan Edwards::and I went through my training program. And at the end of it, I'm like,
Jan Edwards::Okay, tell me what to take out. Tell me what to put in. Tell me what
Jan Edwards::you did miss. You know, we we trained and educated, probably
Jan Edwards::150 people before I stood in front of my first child.
Dr. Brad Miller::Wow. So that is awesome. But so therefore you not only you kind
Dr. Brad Miller::of had your research and your development, but then you also had
Dr. Brad Miller::you know, your go to market type of thing, if you will, or your preparation
Dr. Brad Miller::going to market. And then you your your testing phase, if you will, and
Dr. Brad Miller::then you You did so that is awesome. So I just wanted folks to understand
Dr. Brad Miller::and learn that, yeah, your heart may be broken for something. But
Dr. Brad Miller::sometimes we have to channel our emotional break breaking point
Dr. Brad Miller::into action and application that can really make a difference here.
Dr. Brad Miller::You know, sometimes if we just bleed all over the place ourselves.
Dr. Brad Miller::It may be cathartic for ourselves. But it may not be as helpful to the problem, right?
Jan Edwards::You know, and what's interesting, too, is because I talked to everybody
Jan Edwards::in this space, you know, I talked to Florida Department of Law Enforcement,
Jan Edwards::I talked to Homeland Security, I talked to FBI, I talked to local law enforcement,
Jan Edwards::I talked to survivors, like I talked to a lot of people to see what was missing
Jan Edwards::in the market. Yes. And no one was doing prevention education for kids, no one at the time,
Dr. Brad Miller::same study, that same study, because you know,
Jan Edwards::There were organizations that were recovering and working on the restoration,
Jan Edwards::and they were discovering they were having a hard time trying to raise funds
Jan Edwards::when people didn't understand what human trafficking was about. So they
Jan Edwards::would go out and speak to it and have survivors or your speak, you know,
Jan Edwards::to it and everything else. However, they you know, theirs was from a
Jan Edwards::particular point of view, or kids look at it from a different point of view.
Jan Edwards::And that's really, it's not really where my heart is, over time. Like, I'm just
Jan Edwards::good at it. And I'm clear, God gave me something. Like, I can't even tell
Jan Edwards::you what it was because I've had more people tell me, I understand why
Jan Edwards::kids relate to you. You're just relatable, you're easy to talk to. You're easy to
Jan Edwards::understand. You're succinct in your messaging and you're really listening
Jan Edwards::what's happening out there so you can speak to it. And that is an overtime
Jan Edwards::training phenomenon that a lot of people don't really grasp because you
Jan Edwards::got to go out and see what's missing. Back to the bleeding heart piece.
Jan Edwards::I promise I'm gonna bring this back around. Sure is you know, if your heart
Jan Edwards::is bleeding for orphans, go out and find out what's happening in the foster
Jan Edwards::care system in the foster parents system in the group and go out and talk to
Jan Edwards::people. And then my favorite question is always to ask what's missing the
Jan Edwards::presence of which would make a difference? What's missing? You know,
Jan Edwards::in the end, I kept hearing no one's it was awareness and prevention.
Jan Edwards::No one's aware that this is happening and no one's talking to
Jan Edwards::our kids about it. Yeah. Okay, I'll take that. That's,
Dr. Brad Miller::That's in some ways, that's just pure marketing, isn't it? You know,
Jan Edwards::It is. It is. It's not it's really not rocket science. But it takes a lot of work.
Dr. Brad Miller::Well, it also takes something that you've mentioned a couple times here.
Jan Edwards::Sure. Well, first of all, I'm on the front side of this. I'm in the prevention space,
Jan Edwards::right? In Yes, I hear heartbreaking stories, but we're catching it early. You
Jan Edwards::know, they haven't been in the life or they haven't been abused yet, for
Jan Edwards::dozens of two decades, and then coming out, right, I were on the front
Jan Edwards::end of this. So it's, quite frankly, the most rewarding thing I've ever done.
Jan Edwards::Sure, inside of that space, because God is my North Star, you know, and
Jan Edwards::I'm, I get very clear what I'm supposed to do, what I'm not supposed to
Jan Edwards::do, what my lane is and what my lanes not. And that also brings me
Jan Edwards::deep peace. You know, when people go, Well, Jan, how come you don't
Jan Edwards::go after the demand? I'm like, because that's not my role. Stop my job.
Jan Edwards::I'm clear what my job is. And anytime, Brett, anytime, because it is
Jan Edwards::frustrating, and it is heartbreaking. The past two years have been
Jan Edwards::horrific for us. Our kids have been more exposed to online predatory
Jan Edwards::behavior than ever before. And well, we should have been in schools,
Jan Edwards::kids were out of schools, and people were being barred from coming
Jan Edwards::into schools, right? We couldn't go in and talk to our kids, our kids were
Jan Edwards::in danger, or suicide rate was up, self harm was up. And we couldn't let
Jan Edwards::people in to talk. So it was a very frustrating two years for me. And there
Jan Edwards::were days when I'm like, Are you sure? Like do you really want me to, you
Jan Edwards::know, just like really. And I would within hours, some child would show
Jan Edwards::up in front of my face, whether they were sitting on my lap in a you know,
Jan Edwards::in an airplane that is not my kid, right? But kids gravitate towards me.
Jan Edwards::God's like, Nope, this is why he would always put a child in my face as a
Jan Edwards::reminder. It's like, No, you have a mission. I get you're frustrated. This is
Jan Edwards::your reminder. Why?
Dr. Brad Miller::Yes. And every time-
Jan Edwards::That gives me clarity and peace. To answer your question gives me
Jan Edwards::clarity, because I know what I'm supposed to be doing.
Dr. Brad Miller::Two things that are important here, what your that your spiritual walk
Dr. Brad Miller::is helping you do. And that is the clarity piece, which you mentioned,
Dr. Brad Miller::which is all about purpose. That's one of the things I love to teach
Dr. Brad Miller::and you don't really have true purpose in life,
Dr. Brad Miller::until you take some action about something that's bigger than yourself.
Dr. Brad Miller::Yes. And then also the peace of mind that comes with that, you know,
Dr. Brad Miller::one of the things that people are seeking more than anything else is
Dr. Brad Miller::peace of mind or healing from brokenness or meaningless pneus and
Dr. Brad Miller::the way to find that and I'm sure you had your successes and your
Dr. Brad Miller::affirmations and your corporate world I know you were involved
Dr. Brad Miller::various things you you still use some of that in what you're doing
Dr. Brad Miller::now. But I'm thinking that that this has been a really good thing
Dr. Brad Miller::for your peace of mind for your your own mental well being is that a fair thing?
Jan Edwards::Absolutely. Well, and I you know as we get older you know, we
Jan Edwards::find peace in things that we never thought that we would and my
Jan Edwards::daughter always used to say why is it that older people get so
Jan Edwards::much more religious? I'm like, Well, we have a little less time here
Dr. Brad Miller::Cramming for finals some people say
Jan Edwards::I said you know, and and after you know, over time, the maturity
Jan Edwards::level you just realize that all the things that were important when
Jan Edwards::you were in your 20s and 30s and even 40s Quite frankly really don't
Jan Edwards::matter. You know, as long as you've got a roof over your head, food in
Jan Edwards::your refrigerator, clothes in your closet and the bed to sleep on some
Jan Edwards::you know a handful of solid good friends. You know it was watching
Jan Edwards::chosen. It's one of my favorite shows. It's awesome. Yes, I go there when
Jan Edwards::I need solace. And I think about that, yeah. They've dropped around all
Jan Edwards::over the place with nothing more than, you know, the stuff on their back
Jan Edwards::and a couple of wheelbarrows full of stuff and, and they were doing God's
Jan Edwards::work. Literally, I, you know, I kind of feel the same way. And I think when you
Jan Edwards::find that purpose of yours, and you'll know, you, you'll just know there's a
Jan Edwards::knowing that comes from having that connection with your higher power,
Jan Edwards::spirituality, it's God for me, yes. That, that you'll just have this knowing
Jan Edwards::of what you're supposed to do and the steps and you just keep taking
Jan Edwards::actions. And I truly believe that, when you continue to take actions
Jan Edwards::going in, in going in a direction you feel like you should be going
Jan Edwards::in at some point in time, that universe is going to match up with
Jan Edwards::you, God's gonna match up with you, you know, and I think about
Jan Edwards::David and Goliath, you know, he was slaying bears and lions
Jan Edwards::protecting his sheep, well, before he met Goliath, right.
Dr. Brad Miller::And then the big problem you got to do is you got to deal with
Dr. Brad Miller::those problems before you then go after the big problem. And
Dr. Brad Miller::you have been called to tackle pretty daggone big problem
Dr. Brad Miller::here. So that means you have to now to apply tactics, disciplines,
Dr. Brad Miller::new ways of approaching things that perhaps in what you did
Dr. Brad Miller::before in the corporate world, and things like that. So tell us a
Dr. Brad Miller::bit about what are some of the disciplines or habits, processes
Dr. Brad Miller::or things that either you do personally, or that you can do part
Dr. Brad Miller::of what you teach others to do? What are some things that
Dr. Brad Miller::people are talking about, you know, disciplines, things that
Dr. Brad Miller::people can actually do?
Jan Edwards::So such a great question, you know, I used to sit on a lot of
Jan Edwards::boards when I was working for corporate America, and the
Jan Edwards::thing that I noticed is most 501, C threes don't really have
Jan Edwards::a business plan, okay? Or a plan, or, you know, it looked
Jan Edwards::doesn't have to be 150 pages, you can have three pages
Jan Edwards::isn't what I'm going to do first quarter, second quarter,
Jan Edwards::third quarter, fourth quarter, right. But really having a
Jan Edwards::strategic plan. It's it's important whether you make it or
Jan Edwards::not, but it's having that goal and going towards that
Jan Edwards::goal and knowing you're going to have to be flexible
Jan Edwards::to get there. Because there may be roadblocks, maybe
Jan Edwards::bridges out, there may be flash floods, there may be
Jan Edwards::fibers, there may be all kinds of things
Dr. Brad Miller::that get there's always going to be something, whatever
Dr. Brad Miller::it is part of the pandemic the last couple of years.
Jan Edwards::Yeah. And then the other piece, too, thatI bring with me in
Jan Edwards::this space, and I'm clear on the source of it. Right. And it's
Jan Edwards::not about taking credit, I just know what I bring to the table.
Jan Edwards::And, you know, that's really creating a space of collaboration.
Jan Edwards::Okay. And in business, we collaborate, it's what we do,
Jan Edwards::it's how we get things accomplished. And, and I think if
Jan Edwards::more 501 C threes really took that, as to I'm not gonna
Jan Edwards::steal your donors, I got my own, you got yours I, you know,
Jan Edwards::it's I'm not up for that, we're all kind of trying to move the
Jan Edwards::ball down the field together. Sure. So let's figure out how
Jan Edwards::best to do that. In my world, there's plenty of money, right?
Jan Edwards::There's lots of money available, you just gotta go find it. And,
Jan Edwards::having the discipline to really manage your your space. And what
Jan Edwards::you say that you're going to do, I've got one of my favorite sayings
Jan Edwards::here. I simply do what I say I'm going to do life will start to go how
Jan Edwards::I say it, Well, Your Honor, you go creating a calendar and honoring your word, right.
Dr. Brad Miller::And that's a strategy right there, you know, make a plan and follow
Dr. Brad Miller::the plan, you know, salutely Another way of putting it and I love that
Dr. Brad Miller::and you have anyone who comes from the nonprofit space 501 C,
Dr. Brad Miller::threes have worked on some of those, my my, my doctoral degree is
Dr. Brad Miller::actually in transformational leadership, which is helping churches and
Dr. Brad Miller::organizations to get better organized to do their mission. And so I see
Dr. Brad Miller::that a lot where there's a lot of floundering, especially in the nonprofit
Dr. Brad Miller::world, you kind of have, you know, you get that broken heart about what
Dr. Brad Miller::the issue is, but how do you get there, and I think that's what you're applying
Dr. Brad Miller::here. And also you mentioned collaboration, and that that emotional
Dr. Brad Miller::connection, which I think has to be deep there. And we have to learn
Dr. Brad Miller::from our mentors and then have all those also people that we mentor
Dr. Brad Miller::and then also people are kind of on the same plane as us so to speak.
Dr. Brad Miller::And we work with and and so what you're doing now is you are serving
Dr. Brad Miller::other people through various ways about this issue about the online
Dr. Brad Miller::exploitation of children and human trafficking. And you've uh, for
Dr. Brad Miller::instance, you've created a film and some of the things that you have
Dr. Brad Miller::done and so what I want to get go with you now is this kind of this
Dr. Brad Miller::email original piece of serving other people through some practical
Dr. Brad Miller::means Jan, so one of the ways that your organization, Paving
Dr. Brad Miller::the Way Foundation is serving the needs of parents and others
Dr. Brad Miller::as well. What what do we got here?
Jan Edwards::Yeah, so we developed a parent toolkit over two years ago.
Jan Edwards::I remember it was, you know, right, late March, early April, because I
Jan Edwards::started getting calls about kids going missing. And I'm like, Okay, I
Jan Edwards::gotta empower parents to start figuring out how to talk about this. So
Jan Edwards::we developed a parent toolkit that really kind of guides parents what
Jan Edwards::kind of questions they can engage in a really great conversation with
Jan Edwards::their kids. Because parents are our frontline fence. Now, not every home
Jan Edwards::has loving parents, not every child has someone we can talk to. But I
Jan Edwards::can empower as many as I can, right. And then we have monthly
Jan Edwards::parent tech talks. Every month, I interview someone from around
Jan Edwards::the country, about a particular topic, I just had a young lady on
Jan Edwards::last week, earlier this month, about Daxing, which is online
Jan Edwards::exploitation times 100. Because they start to go after some very
Jan Edwards::personal things, right. And so I try to because I understand the
Jan Edwards::brain enough that the brain likes facts and data in the brain also like stories.
Jan Edwards::Yes. So I try to give as much facts and enough data, and a couple of
Jan Edwards::interesting stories that something's going to stick. So the parent
Jan Edwards::can have a real simple conversation about like, hey, you know,
Jan Edwards::I was listening to this podcast, they were talking about human
Jan Edwards::trafficking and child trafficking. And like, Have you ever heard
Jan Edwards::of that? And just be quiet? Yeah. And they're gonna say what
Jan Edwards::they say? Yeah. And then you're gonna be like, Yeah, well, you know,
Jan Edwards::here's what I heard, which was, like, shocking to me is, you know, the
Jan Edwards::average age, these predators online start to groom children's between
Jan Edwards::10 and 13. Like, I was shocked, have you, you know, have any of your
Jan Edwards::friends shared anything about some strange person trying to connect
Jan Edwards::with them. And again, be quiet, quiet. And you listen, because mostly
Jan Edwards::Brad, or kids just want us, they just want to be with us. And they want
Jan Edwards::to know that we love them. And we are proud of them. And we support
Jan Edwards::them all they want. And the past two years have been real challenging for
Jan Edwards::them, they've gone straight to their phones. And that's in predators now
Jan Edwards::that they've gone after him in fast,
Dr. Brad Miller::That's the most place for getting their support, but also most
Dr. Brad Miller::vulnerable to these kind of situations.
Jan Edwards::So you know, it's, it's, it's a challenging topic, but we've given you
Jan Edwards::enough data and tools that you can watch the videos with your kids,
Jan Edwards::you know, will do the heavy lifting for you. And I encourage
Jan Edwards::parents to watch the movie called Social Dilemma with their kids, it's on
Jan Edwards::Netflix, because you'll walk away going wow, I'm, I'm just really number
Jan Edwards::two these people, right? I don't matter. I'm not anything. Yeah. platform
Jan Edwards::where I can connect, but people
Dr. Brad Miller::will exploit them just a whole different agenda than people have about your film,
Jan Edwards::trapped, film or trapped in a trade. Sure, it's a short films about 28 minutes,
Jan Edwards::and it shows the intentional grooming and recruitment of children by children.
Jan Edwards::And that is how it happens a lot of times, and we use it as our basis for all our
Jan Edwards::training, because it does the heavy lifting for us. And we engage in really great
Jan Edwards::conversations following the film about bystanders and bystanders syndrome
Jan Edwards::and what actions kind of, you know, could you take inside that environment?
Jan Edwards::And more importantly, you know, what would what action would you actually
Jan Edwards::take? If you saw someone, you know, being bullied? If you saw someone, you
Jan Edwards::know, being enticed to take drugs? If you saw someone who was drugged at a
Jan Edwards::party or a bar, like what would you do, and I'm a huge fan of the Socratic
Jan Edwards::Method of Education, so I got to ask great questions. And let them do
Jan Edwards::the thinking. And they come up with some great answers. Let me tell ya,
Dr. Brad Miller::well, that, that that's awesome. And what the film you mentioned and
Dr. Brad Miller::other resources that you have garnered, helps get those conversations
Dr. Brad Miller::started maybe a tool, you know, because a lot of times I think parents
Dr. Brad Miller::and their kids, you know, they have kind of a rhythm and a routine of life.
Dr. Brad Miller::And sometimes there's not a lot of direct communication going on about
Dr. Brad Miller::the very important things like this. You know, they may be talking about
Dr. Brad Miller::you know, the ballgame at school or whatever, but maybe not this. And
Dr. Brad Miller::maybe this can be the kind of thing that starts things but also I think you
Dr. Brad Miller::give a very good the training piece you given I've actually how a
Dr. Brad Miller::conversation might go and training people about those points to shut
Dr. Brad Miller::up and listen, you know, I think that's so, so important. And so what kind
Dr. Brad Miller::of what kind of resources general folks going to find on your website?
Dr. Brad Miller::Let's just say you're a parent, or a grandparent, or a teacher or some
Dr. Brad Miller::other person and mentor, mentor in relation to young people. And
Dr. Brad Miller::you know, what kinds of things are gonna find your website that's
Dr. Brad Miller::going to guide them directly? What kind of other resources do you
Dr. Brad Miller::have to offer folks?
Jan Edwards::Sure. So we, you know, we have signs of human trafficking there
Jan Edwards::that they can download, we have the parent toolkit that they
Jan Edwards::can download. And they have a really great flyer called Teen
Jan Edwards::Tech Talk. And it's a flyer of a lot of the apps that these predators
Jan Edwards::use, and we talk about the recruitment and grooming tactics that
Jan Edwards::they use. And probably the two biggest ones that I want parents to
Jan Edwards::be aware of, is these predators will coach your children on what to
Jan Edwards::say to you? Yes, they will. And they'll say something like, they're smart.
Jan Edwards::And they're gonna say that I knew, they told me, my boyfriend told me
Jan Edwards::we're going to say that, right. And so having a no phone in the bedroom
Jan Edwards::policy really works. Everybody have a, you know, you walk in the door,
Jan Edwards::everybody puts a phone in the basket, and we talk for 30 minutes or
Jan Edwards::40 minutes, it's, you know, connecting with our kids, and they're gonna
Jan Edwards::fuss about it, and just got it, you know, put your big boy and big girl
Jan Edwards::panties up and deal with the short term storm, that over time will
Jan Edwards::make a difference for your relationship with you and your kids.
Dr. Brad Miller::Because that it has to do with actually interacting as people, man,
Dr. Brad Miller::which is phenomenal thing, because so many people just spend
Dr. Brad Miller::their world just with their nose down to their phone or their iPad or something.
Jan Edwards::It's easy. It's easy. And they you know, I invite all of your listeners
Jan Edwards::to go out to dinner or go out to lunch one day and leave your
Jan Edwards::phone on the car. Oh, yeah, look at the world, right? Go be out in
Jan Edwards::the world and talk to people. It's amazing.
Dr. Brad Miller::When you have dinner with people or whatever, I used to have this
Dr. Brad Miller::role when my kids are adults now. But you know, bad you gotta leave
Dr. Brad Miller::your phone in your pocket or leave it at home or whatever, and hard
Dr. Brad Miller::to do hard to enforce head but makes a big, a big, big difference. And
Dr. Brad Miller::you find all of that at paving the way foundation.org And, and the website
Dr. Brad Miller::for the film is trapped film.com and some great resource. Is there. Any
Dr. Brad Miller::closing words that you might give Jan to that parent who's just kind
Dr. Brad Miller::of scared right now? You know, they've seen some things in the media,
Dr. Brad Miller::you know, there has been some things, prominent things in the media
Dr. Brad Miller::the last couple of years, especially about things that are happening,
Dr. Brad Miller::people vulnerable. What kind of encouragement or words of
Dr. Brad Miller::enlightenment can you give to some parents who are just scared?
Jan Edwards::You know, it's gonna take courage. It isn't an easy conversation.
Jan Edwards::But I want to say, you're more than capable. You're the parent.
Jan Edwards::Right? You're highly capable of asking a question or sharing a fact.
Jan Edwards::And then just listening. And the thing that I train our kids and our
Jan Edwards::parents with, I said, shouldn't you know, something happened, and
Jan Edwards::you need to talk to your parent about this. They said, You gotta
Jan Edwards::get your parents are gonna have a reaction. And it's not about you.
Jan Edwards::Someone's trying to harm their child. They're gonna have a reaction.
Jan Edwards::You gotta give them space and grace to be human. Yeah. And for
Jan Edwards::the parents, I said, you know, if you start this conversation, it will
Jan Edwards::not surprise me. It might surprise you that out of the blue one day
Jan Edwards::and you're driving home, or you're making dinner or you know, sitting
Jan Edwards::in the living room, reading together, that they look up and say, Hey, Mom,
Jan Edwards::remember that conversation we had a couple of months ago? Yeah. I
Jan Edwards::need to talk to you about something. Well, it's very pivotal moment.
Jan Edwards::Yep. Great. And he's gonna take a deep breath and listen, and they're
Jan Edwards::gonna say, you know, I actually sent a picture of somebody I shouldn't
Jan Edwards::have. Yeah, and I'm really scared, and I don't know what to do. Right.
Jan Edwards::Your response in that next three seconds is everything, Brad, and
Jan Edwards::it's super simple. It's okay, honey. I didn't know. I'm here. We'll
Jan Edwards::get it taken care of.
Dr. Brad Miller::And you got to do with it for that moment. All right. Obviously,
Dr. Brad Miller::judgment and condemnation are not gonna do any good at that point.
Jan Edwards::No, pick up the phone and call the police and, and they'll take it
Jan Edwards::from there. But it's just knowing for the per child to know their
Jan Edwards::parents got their back. It's everything.
Dr. Brad Miller::Yes. Well, let me reflect with you one more thing that I want to just wish
Dr. Brad Miller::you well, and what you're working on here, and I know you've spoken well to
Dr. Brad Miller::our Beyond Adversity audience here today, Jan. And that is part of what I do
Dr. Brad Miller::is that I'm a part time pastor of an inner city church, and we do have a ongoing
Dr. Brad Miller::ministry to homeless folks, particularly homeless women. And we have a
Dr. Brad Miller::homeless women's shelter right across We from our church and we do some
Dr. Brad Miller::things with folks all the time. And what I've noticed is kind of the other
Dr. Brad Miller::end of what you're talking about here. That helps so many women who
Dr. Brad Miller::have Purdue I'm talking about particular women as gays who have been
Dr. Brad Miller::victimized by some form of abuse, and oftentimes it is online and other
Dr. Brad Miller::ways as well. And the recovery and the re-process is so intense and
Dr. Brad Miller::complicated and convoluted in many ways. It is really, really, really
Dr. Brad Miller::challenging. Just yesterday, I had a conversation with a young
Dr. Brad Miller::woman, 26 years old was describing some of what we're talking
Dr. Brad Miller::about here today that went on in her life, toxic relationships and
Dr. Brad Miller::so on. And it's heartbreaking in that it wouldn't be great if we could
Dr. Brad Miller::just greatly impact the need for services on the other side of people
Dr. Brad Miller::being damaged by prevention and so on. So I just want to thank you
Dr. Brad Miller::for what you're doing awesome stuff. And for the again, the
Dr. Brad Miller::organization is Paving the Way foundation. Her name is Jan Edwards, and
Dr. Brad Miller::she's leading the way in preventing child sex trafficking. We thank you for
Dr. Brad Miller::being our guest today on the Beyond Adversity podcast with Dr.
Dr. Brad Miller::Brad Miller. Thank you very much