The Cherished Lounge

The Cherished Lounge

by Command Creative Studios

Society & Culture

Season 1

Ending Sex Trafficking Means Confronting Demand | Helen Taylor

What if one of the most important ways to fight sex trafficking is to confront the demand that fuels it? This week on The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette-Wedell sits down with Helen Taylor, Vice-President of Impact at Exodus Cry, an organization working to combat sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. Helen shares the work being done to shift the conversation toward demand, accountability, prevention, and stronger protections for people who have experienced exploitation. They discuss the role sex buyers play in sustaining the commercial sex trade, efforts to hold buyers accountable while protecting those who have been exploited, and why changing the culture surrounding sexual exploitation matters. This is a conversation about challenging the systems that allow exploitation to continue and what it could look like to address trafficking at its source. Connect with Helen Taylor and Exodus Cry: Exodus Cry: https://exoduscry.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exoduscry/?hl=en End Demand Petition: https://exoduscry.com/demand/ Learn about the Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CZ2ogwA6AY Watch High Class: http://highclassmovie.com/ Follow The Cherished Lounge: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherishedlounge/ Facebook: The Cherished Lounge TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge Mission Partner: Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/ Learn more about Kate: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/ Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Surviving-Commercial-Sex-Industry/dp/B0H1S5ZTRD/ Support The Cherished Lounge: http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge Credits: Hosted by Kate Ouimette-Wedell Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler Produced by Command Creative Studios https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/ Music by Danny Keene and Doug Maxwell #HelenTaylor #EndDemand #HumanTraffickingAwareness #SexTrafficking #ExodusCry #TheCherishedLounge

Surviving Trafficking & Building a New Life | Keyana Wheatley

This week on The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette-Wedell sits down with Keyana Wheatley, author, entrepreneur, lived experience expert, and survivor advocate. Keyana shares her journey from surviving domestic minor sex trafficking and the commercial sex industry to rebuilding her life through faith, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and community. She opens up about the barriers survivors can face when trying to find traditional employment and how those challenges helped lead her toward entrepreneurship. What began with making soap eventually grew into a larger vision of creating economic opportunities and helping other survivors develop their own businesses and skills. Kate and Keyana also discuss survivor leadership, healthy relationships, dignity, faith, policy advocacy, and why helping survivors move forward requires more than simply helping them escape exploitation. Keyana leaves listeners with a powerful reminder: “Society may have counted you out. Friends and family may have counted you out. Please know that God has not counted you out.” Connect with Keyana Wheatley Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theredbarnboutiqueohio?igsh=dnBoeHY5N2podjlzg Follow The Cherished Lounge Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherishedlounge/ Facebook: The Cherished Lounge TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge Mission Partners Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/ Damaris Hope: https://www.damarishope.org/ Kate Ouimette-Wedell: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/ Exposed: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Surviving-Commercial-Sex-Industry/dp/B0H1S5ZTRD/ Patreon: http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge Credits Hosted by Kate Ouimette-Wedell Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler Produced by Command Creative Studios https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/ Music by Danny Keene and Doug Maxwell #KeyanaWheatley #SurvivorLeadership #HumanTraffickingAwareness #SurvivorEntrepreneurship #LivedExperience #TheCherishedLounge

Meet Kate Ouimette-Wedell: Her Story of Survival, Healing & Hope

This week on The Cherished Lounge, we're flipping the script. Bronwen Healy returns, this time taking over the host's chair to interview Kate Ouimette-Wedell. Kate shares how she came to Los Angeles at 18 dreaming of a career in music, only to experience betrayal and exploitation that led to an eleven-year journey through the commercial sex industry. Kate and Bronwen talk openly about trauma, addiction, identity, recovery, and why “escape and recovery are far from the same thing.” Kate also shares why she founded Cherished LA, creating what she once desperately needed: a safe place, a job, and a community. They discuss her memoir, Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry, survivor advocacy, trauma healing, and how her own journey now allows her to walk alongside others. This special episode is a chance to meet the woman behind The Cherished Lounge and discover the story that helped inspire the work she does today. Guest Host: Bronwen Healy There Is Hope Australia: www.thereishopeaustralia.com Love Bronwen, coming soon: www.lovebronwen.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/love.bronwen/ There Is Hope Australia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereishope.australia/ Connect with Kate Ouimette-Wedell Kate's Website: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/ Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Surviving-Commercial-Sex-Industry/dp/B0H1S5ZTRD/ Follow The Cherished Lounge Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherishedlounge/ Facebook: The Cherished Lounge TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge Mission Partners Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/ Damaris Hope: https://www.damarishope.org/ Support The Cherished Lounge http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge Credits Hosted by Bronwen Healy Featuring Kate Ouimette-Wedell Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler Produced by Command Creative Studios: https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/ Music by Danny Keene and Doug Maxwell

Human Trafficking Is Closer Than You Think | Dan Broyles

Human trafficking isn't just something that happens somewhere else. It can exist in our own communities, often hidden behind trauma, shame, isolation, and circumstances most people never see. This week on The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette-Wedell sits down with Dan Broyles, pastor, therapist, and current leader of the Santa Clarita Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. Dan shares how his work as both a pastor and therapist shaped his understanding of trauma, exploitation, and healing, including a powerful truth he has learned through years of working with people: “If people's secrets don't heal, people don't heal.” Kate and Dan discuss the realities of human trafficking, how the Santa Clarita Valley Human Trafficking Task Force came together, warning signs families should understand, the importance of educating parents and schools, and why prevention requires participation from the entire community. It takes a community that is educated, aware, and willing to act. Dan also shares information about the work being done locally and the upcoming Human Trafficking Summit designed to bring education, resources, and community partners together. Connect with Dan Broyles: Valencia Hills Community Church: https://www.valenciahills.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vhcommunitychurch Mission Partners: Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/ Damaris Hope: https://www.damarishope.org/ Follow The Cherished Lounge: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherishedlounge/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCherishedLounge TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge Learn more about Kate Ouimette-Wedell: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/ Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Surviving-Commercial-Sex-Industry/dp/B0H1S5ZTRD/ Support The Cherished Lounge: http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge Credits: Hosted by Kate Ouimette-Wedell. Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler. Produced by Command Creative Studios: https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/ Music by Danny Keene and Doug Maxwell #HumanTraffickingAwareness #HumanTraffickingPrevention #DanBroyles #TraumaHealing #SantaClarita #TheCherishedLounge

Raised in Pimp City: Breaking the Cycle Before it Starts | Armand King

This week on The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette-Wedell sits down with Armand King, nationally recognized speaker, author of Raised in Pimp City, and founder of Walk With Me Impact. Armand shares his journey growing up in San Diego and entering the pimping lifestyle as a teenager while searching for identity, belonging, and direction. He talks openly about the broken homes, violence, gangs, drugs, lack of mentorship, and cultural influences surrounding him, as well as the experiences that eventually led him to leave that life behind. Today, Armand has dedicated his work to prevention. Through Walk With Me Impact, he works to reach boys and young people before exploitation begins, providing educators, service providers, families, and communities with practical tools rooted in lived experience and prevention. Kate and Armand discuss the preschool-to-prison pipeline, youth mentorship, identity and self-worth, reaching boys before they become exploiters, trauma-informed care, reentry, and why awareness means little without action. Armand also challenges those working in advocacy to care for themselves along the way, reminding us: “You do not have to set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.” This is a conversation about breaking cycles, reaching young people earlier, and recognizing that everyone has a role in preventing exploitation. Learn more about Armand King and Walk With Me Impact: https://wwmimpact.com The Cherished Lounge Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherishedlounge/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCherishedLounge TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge Mission Partners Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/ Damaris Hope: https://www.damarishope.org/ Kate Ouimette-Wedell: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/ Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Surviving-Commercial-Sex-Industry/dp/B0H1S5ZTRD/ Support The Cherished Lounge: http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge Credits Hosted by Kate Ouimette-Wedell Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler Produced by Command Creative Studios: https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/ Music by Danny Keene and Doug Maxwell #ArmandKing #HumanTraffickingPrevention #YouthPrevention #TraffickingAwareness #WalkWithMeImpact #TheCherishedLounge

From Exploitation to Advocacy: Fighting Online Sexual Abuse | Mariah Rief

This week on The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette-Wedell sits down with Mariah Rief, Founder of Undox Content Removal, Director of Client Experience & Trust at Protect Privacy AI, and a survivor-informed policy consultant. At 19, what Mariah believed was a modeling opportunity became sexual exploitation. She shares the manipulation that led her there, the trauma of discovering the content online, the doxing and public shaming that followed, and eventually learning she was one of many women targeted. Mariah also discusses her involvement in the federal Girls Do Porn case and how the FBI helped her understand that what happened to her was trafficking, challenging common stereotypes about what exploitation looks like. Today, Mariah has transformed her experience into advocacy. Through Undox Content Removal, Protect Privacy AI, and her policy work, she helps survivors navigate online exploitation and image-based sexual abuse while pushing for stronger protections and accountability. Kate and Mariah discuss trafficking, coercion, doxing, content removal, survivor justice, technology, policy reform, and the lasting impact of exploitation in the digital age. Above all, Mariah wants survivors and families facing these situations to know one thing: you are not alone. Connect with Mariah Rief Mariah Rief is the Founder of Undox Content Removal, Director of Client Experience & Trust at Protect Privacy AI, and a survivor-informed policy consultant. Website: https://www.undoxcontentremoval.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariah-rief-07aa0433a/ New episodes premiere every Tuesday. Instagram: @cherishedlounge Facebook: The Cherished Lounge TikTok: @thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge Kate Ouimette-Wedell: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/ Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry Read Kate Ouimette-Wedell's book Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Surviving-Commercial-Sex-Industry/dp/B0H1S5ZTRD/ Mission Partners Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/ Damaris Hope: https://www.damarishope.org/ Support The Cherished Lounge on Patreon: http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge Credits Hosted by Kate Ouimette-Wedell Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler Produced by Command Creative Studios https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/ #OnlineExploitation #HumanTraffickingAwareness #SurvivorAdvocacy #ImageBasedSexualAbuse #MariahRief #TheCherishedLounge

From Heroin and the Sex Industry to a Life of Hope | Bronwen Healy

This week on The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette Wedell sits down with her dear friend Bronwen Healy, an overcomer and survivor, author, speaker, counsellor, charity and social enterprise founder, mom, pioneer, and self-described life-delighter. Bronwen’s story is one of survival, recovery, faith, heartbreak, rebuilding, and hope. After becoming addicted to heroin and spending years in the sex industry, Bronwen entered rehab at 24 and began a journey that would completely transform her life. She went on to become an author and founder of Hope Foundation, creating spaces where women impacted by addiction and the sex industry could be seen, known, loved, and treated with dignity. But healing did not mean life stopped being difficult. Bronwen opens up about betrayal, divorce, losing the organization she had poured years of her life into, walking through seasons of loneliness and wilderness, and eventually realizing she had to choose herself. Kate and Bronwen also have a deeply personal conversation about boundaries, worthiness, slowing down, self-care, motherhood, friendship, faith, and what it means to begin again after life doesn't turn out the way you expected. Bronwen shares one of the most powerful lessons she has learned through 27 years of recovery: Where there’s a heartbeat, there’s hope. No matter where you find yourself today, now is not forever. This conversation is an invitation to give yourself permission to heal, flourish, set boundaries, receive goodness, and believe that there may still be another chapter waiting for you. Connect with Bronwen Healy There Is Hope Australia www.thereishopeaustralia.com Love Bronwen, coming soon www.lovebronwen.com Instagram @love.bronwen @thereishope.australia The Cherished Lounge Instagram: @cherishedlounge Facebook: The Cherished Lounge TikTok: @thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge Mission Partners Cherished LA https://www.cherishedla.org/ Damaris Hope https://www.damarishope.org/ Learn More About Kate Ouimette Wedell https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/ Read Kate’s Book Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Surviving-Commercial-Sex-Industry/dp/B0H1S5ZTRD/ Support The Cherished Lounge http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler. Produced by Command Creative Studios https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/ New episodes of The Cherished Lounge premiere every Tuesday. #AddictionRecovery #SurvivorStory #TraumaHealing #HealingJourney #HopeAfterTrauma #TheCherishedLounge

PTSD, EMDR and Healing After the Sex Industry | Katie Green

What actually happens to the brain after trauma, and is it possible to truly heal? This week on The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette-Wedell sits down with Katie Green, a licensed clinical social worker, certified advanced alcohol and drug counselor, clinically certified human trafficking victim services provider, and survivor of human trafficking. Kate and Katie explore what trauma actually does to the brain and body, including PTSD, fight, flight, freeze and fawn responses, hypervigilance, shame, triggers, and the ways multiple traumatic experiences can become layered over time. Katie also explains how treatments such as EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, can help survivors process traumatic memories and begin separating those memories from overwhelming emotional and physical responses. They also discuss one of the most important realities of trauma recovery, there is no universal timeline for healing. Before someone begins processing trauma, Katie emphasizes the importance of safety, stabilization, coping skills, trust, and community. That process may take months, years, or even decades. The conversation also challenges the idea that survivors need to be "rescued." Katie explains why trauma-informed care means looking beyond behaviors, recognizing barriers, examining our own biases, and giving survivors the skills, support, hope, and community they need to make their own decisions. Most importantly, this episode is a reminder that trauma does not have to define the rest of your life. Healing is possible. Our brains can heal. Our stories matter. Connect with Katie Green Learn more about Katie's work through KTP Empowerment, where she provides education, consultation, training, and resources related to human trafficking, mental health, trauma, and substance use disorders. http://www.ktpempowerment.org Katie also provides virtual EMDR therapy for individuals located in Florida and Michigan, where she is licensed. Our Mission Partners Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/ Damaris Hope: https://www.damarishope.org/ Read Kate's Book Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Surviving-Commercial-Sex-Industry/dp/B0H1S5ZTRD/ Learn more about Kate: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/ Support The Cherished Lounge Patreon: http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge Follow The Cherished Lounge Instagram: @cherishedlounge Facebook: The Cherished Lounge TikTok: @thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler Produced by Command Creative Studios: https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/ #TheCherishedLounge #KatieGreen #TraumaRecovery #HumanTraffickingAwareness #PTSDRecovery #EMDR

17 Years of Trafficking Couldn't Silence Her | Marjorie Saylor

For 17 years, Marjorie Saylor lived through different forms of exploitation, abuse, trafficking, addiction, and trauma. Today, she uses her lived experience to fight for survivors and help change the systems that once failed her. In this powerful episode of The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette-Wedell sits down with nationally respected survivor leader Marjorie Saylor for a deeply personal conversation about survival, faith, freedom, motherhood, and turning lived experience into lasting change. Marjorie opens up about childhood sexual abuse, religious abuse, domestic violence, running away from home, and the circumstances that made her vulnerable to years of exploitation. She shares her experiences in the adult industry, labor trafficking, coercive control, and a forced pregnancy, as well as how becoming a mother ultimately became part of her journey toward freedom. But escaping was only the beginning. Marjorie went on to become a survivor leader working in human trafficking advocacy, survivor services, legislation, and policy reform. Kate and Marjorie discuss holding sex buyers accountable, demand reduction, survivor-centered legislation, and why the people who have lived through exploitation need a voice when policies affecting survivors are created. This is a story of survival, but even more importantly, it's a story of purpose, faith, resilience, and what can happen when a survivor finds her voice and uses it to fight for others. Marjorie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjorie-saylor Learn More About The Cherished Lounge Learn more at Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/ Kate's website: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/ Kate's Book, Exposed: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Surviving-Commercial-Sex-Industry/dp/B0H1S5ZTRD/ Our Mission Partners Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/ Damaris Hope: https://www.damarishope.org/ Support The Cherished Lounge Patreon: http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge Follow The Cherished Lounge Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherishedlounge/ Facebook: The Cherished Lounge TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge New episodes every Tuesday. Like, follow, and subscribe. Hosted by Kate Ouimette-Wedell Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler Produced by Command Creative Studios: https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/

Identity, Belonging & Healing Beyond Race | Michael Thornhill

What does it mean to truly belong? In this powerful episode of The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette-Wedell sits down with author, speaker, neurodivergent poet, salsa instructor, and somatic strategist Michael Thornhill to explore identity, race, belonging, trauma, and the courage to tell the truth. Michael shares the deeply personal journey behind his groundbreaking book, The First, The Few, and the Only, and explains why he wrote it for those who have often felt like the only person who looks like them in the room. Together, Kate and Michael discuss code switching, tokenism, fragmentation, white fragility, healing, the Church, culture, and what it means to create spaces where people no longer have to shrink themselves to belong. This is an honest, compassionate conversation that invites every listener to approach difficult topics with curiosity, humility, and a willingness to grow. In this episode: • The story behind The First, The Few, and the Only • Identity, belonging, and code switching • Why fragmentation is part of surviving trauma and systems of oppression • Tokenism, assimilation, and cultural expectations • Healing through storytelling and writing • Faith, race, and difficult conversations within the Church • Why curiosity creates connection • Building communities where everyone belongs Learn More About Michael Thornhill Website: https://www.thefirstthefewandtheonly.com Instagram: @thefirstthefewandtheonly TikTok: @underscorecubano Our Mission Partners Cherished LA https://www.cherishedla.org/ Emerge With Hope https://emergewithhope.org/ Damaris Hope https://www.damarishope.org/ Support The Cherished Lounge Help us continue sharing conversations that inspire healing, hope, and meaningful change. Patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCherishedLounge Follow The Cherished Lounge Instagram: @cherishedlounge Facebook: The Cherished Lounge TikTok: @thecherishedlounge YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge Hosted by: Kate Ouimette-Wedell Recorded and mixed by Robert Altschuler Produced by Command Creative Studios:https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/ #TheCherishedLounge #MichaelThornhill #Belonging #HealingJourney #FaithAndCulture #Identity

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