Andrew Kroeger joins Dr. Sandie Morgan as the two discuss how anyone can find their unique role in fighting human trafficking without changing careers, using the metaphor of grabbing a handle on an ancient Greek pithari jar.

Andrew Kroeger is a podcast producer with over a decade of experience and a proud Vanguard alum. Before podcasting, he worked in book publishing as an editor and spent years as a live sound engineer. He’s also passionate about global missions, having spent many summers living in Romania, doing outreach work for the past eight years. Andrew has been the invisible force behind this podcast, editing every episode, managing the website, and ensuring content reaches listeners in over 170 countries. What’s fascinating is how Andrew never set out to work in anti-human trafficking – this opportunity came to him through his existing skills and connections.

[00:00:00] Sandie Morgan: Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking Podcast here at Vanguard University’s Global Center for Women and Justice in Orange County, California. I’m Dr. Sandie Morgan, and this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking.

[00:00:24] Today I’m flipping the script and putting our producer Andrew Kroeger in front of the microphone. Andrew is a podcast producer with over a decade of experience. And a proud Vanguard alum. Before podcasting, he worked in book publishing as an editor and spent years as a live sound engineer. He’s also passionate about global missions, having spent many summers living in Romania, doing outreach work for the past eight years.

[00:01:05] Andrew has been the invisible force behind this podcast. He’s been editing every episode, managing our website, and ensuring our content reaches listeners in over a 170 countries. What’s fascinating is how Andrew never set out to work in anti-human trafficking. This opportunity came to him through his existing skills and connections.

[00:01:40] In our conversation, we’ll discuss how he found his handle. Think about the pithari jar, why you don’t need to change careers to make a difference in fighting human trafficking, and we’ll also share some exciting news about the podcast future direction. And now let’s hop to the interview.

[00:02:07] One of our favorite stories on the ending Human Trafficking podcast is the story of the pithari. The pithari is a huge jar, a vessel in the King’s pantry of the palace at On the island of Crete. And I still remember the first time I saw it because I thought. I could stand up inside of that. It was so huge and I learned that it was used to bring olive oil, grain, nuts, whatever, into the pantry.

[00:02:47] Now the pantry was downstairs in the King’s palace and the stairs were rather narrow and very steep, and I wondered how the people could get it down there. This is 3000 years ago, and then it was explained that the handles that I thought were decorative were instrumental. They were baked on from the top.

[00:03:14] Of the jar all the way to the bottom and all the way around. So try to imagine people being able to grab a handle, whether they’re on the top stair or middle or down below, to carry this huge vessel filled with maybe olive oil. You don’t want it to spill, and everyone had to find. Their handle to carry it safely to the bottom,And that is the image I have in my mind when I think about how many people it takes to lead the anti-human trafficking movement. And one of the most important people that you never get to see or meet, and the ending Human Trafficking podcast is our producer. Andrew Kroeger. So I have him today in studio and I am excited to welcome you here.

[00:04:16] How does it feel to be on the other end of the microphone?

[00:04:21] Andrew Kroeger: It feels absolutely wild, and I’ve never been more nervous.

[00:04:24] In my entire life.

[00:04:26] Sandie Morgan: Oh my gosh. So let’s do a little bit of our origin story. And when you joined the team, most of our listeners, remember when Dave Stachowiak was on our Global Center for Women I Justice Board and said, let’s start a podcast.

[00:04:43] And I’m like, what? We started the podcast. We were co-hosts for years, and that was his handle in how to respond to anti-human trafficking. But today you are the producer.

[00:05:01] Andrew Kroeger: I am the producer, so the story actually goes way back, way before this show, and I was actually a student here at Vanguard and a sound engineer here on campus doing live sound for events and every big conference you had on campus.

[00:05:16] I would run the sound for it. So I got to know you guys years and years ago and then somehow I know, stayed in touch doing all sorts of projects and I work with Dave a lot and the, something was changing on the Vanguard website and we were gonna lose all of our episodes, so we thought now’s the time to build our own website.

[00:05:35] And at the time I was building websites for people and salvaged all these episodes that were gonna disappear. And then I ended up producing all of them. That was eight, eight years ago. So the story with us goes way back to running events and doing, you know, stacking chairs in auditoriums, doing all sorts of interesting stuff.

[00:05:53] And I really didn’t know you beyond those few events. So it’s really cool to connect again, like that.

[00:05:59] Sandie Morgan: Vanguard alums are so a part of our story at the Global Center.

[00:06:05] Andrew Kroeger: That is for sure. So tell me a little bit about how you see your role in carrying this issue forward. I think of my role in two ways. First of all, it’s the obvious stuff is the producers.

[00:06:22] So I’m sort of the tech guy behind the scenes and I make sure the websites are still running and episodes are being recorded and put together properly. But also I. My role is maybe not one that Sandie ever feels, but I feel like the a perfect man on the street in an interview where I don’t really know the subject.

[00:06:39] I mean, I’ve been listening to every single episode for eight years, so I do know the subject well now, but when I first started, it was really interesting listening as a non-expert and kind of going along the journey. But now I feel like. I play more of an editorial role where I know as I’m doing an an edit where to move things around and where to make sure we preserve something because it’s an important point and where we are able to cut things down for time and that was something that is a role.

[00:07:08] I wasn’t playing in the beginning. I was just sort of learning and now I think that’s a really cool part of the job we have. We have now.

[00:07:14] Sandie Morgan: So when I think about how you got involved in this and where you are in your life and your career, I’m curious about how you invested so much of your personal passion and compassion for global issues for the marginalized, and somehow I believe that is a key part of why you keep showing up.

[00:07:42] It’s not just because you’re the tech guy. Is that what you called yourself?

[00:07:47] Andrew Kroeger: I don’t know

[00:07:50] Andrew Kroeger: Yeah. So I am, I am, like I said, just a tech guy and just, uh, innocent bystander at the beginning, and now I’ve become sort of a content topical expert just by listening.

[00:08:02] But the reason I keep coming back and investing so much of my own energy into this is I think I’ve spent my entire life doing sort of short term mission trips all over the world, but also all across the US and in Mexico. And I think working with all these people across the world has given me the opportunity to see, to see.

[00:08:24] The other person’s perspective in a way that I wouldn’t get just living in Orange County. So for example, in Egypt I went to, I think they call it Garbage city. It’s basically the Cairo

[00:08:33] city dump. And we spent a couple weeks there working with kids and seeing a lot of the human trafficking stuff going on over there.

[00:08:42] And then I also spent many, many years in Romania. I spent a lot of summers there and

[00:08:48] That’s a major hub for trafficking in that part of Eastern Europe. And I was working specifically with gypsies, and that really gave me, I think, an an interesting view that, like I said, I hadn’t had before in Orange County.

[00:09:01] So now coming back here, I found I still apply that sort of that global perspective and that that care and compassion for people that I learned by being alongside them rather than just reading about them or learning about them. And I think that’s what keeps me coming back to this is, you know, there’s a lot of episodes with, Ioana Bauer, who’s from Romania, and we think the most recent one she did maybe was about Ukraine or a couple episodes ago.

[00:09:26] And I’ve got a friend, a close friend who’s a Ukrainian refugee and learning about the trafficking situation there, specifically with Ukrainians, again, brought it. All that right. Closer to my home. ’cause I know somebody who’s lived through that and that’s a really cool, like a cool kind of connection point again, and that’s why I keep coming back to this.

[00:09:45] Sandie Morgan: So when I think about the pithari, which is kind of our theme, we have a huge issue, too big for one person to carry.

[00:09:55] But the impact of The Ending Human Trafficking podcast, it’s turned you into an armchair expert. Is that right? and you get to connect with people literally all over the world, and your personal compassion is energized by those connections, but at the same time, you have an important role. It is significant to have the behind the scenes production of this podcast.

[00:10:33] Tell me how that makes you feel. It’s a pretty heavy lift, and I don’t think people understand what it takes to produce a podcast. And actually I have to interrupt myself here because I’ve, I’m on Instagram, I am on other social media, and it always feels like anybody can do a podcast.

[00:10:58] You just need a phone and do this, and you’re done. And then I listen to podcasts and now. I listen occasionally to our podcast and it is very good to hear the quality and the careful editing that keeps it, most of the time, pretty close to our 30 minute limit, which fits a lot of people’s commutes.

[00:11:28] And so your technical expertise is a handle on that pithari. And what, how do you understand that as, as a mission, as an occupation, as a driving force that values that behind the scene contribution.

[00:11:51]Andrew Kroeger: That’s an interesting question. I think because I, I’ve done all this mission work all across the world and I came home and I’m just kind of settled into a career doing all sorts of projects for all sorts of clients, and I.

[00:12:02] Andrew Kroeger: Had sort of gotten disconnected from the issue because you know, it’s been a long time since I was a student here running sound for events for the global center here, and I was just going about my daily life and then this whole thing kind of plopped into my lap because I had another client I was working with, Dave, the co-host we mentioned earlier.

[00:12:19] I work with him on his show and he called me one day and he said, Hey, we need some help on this show. And I said, okay, whatever. I just thought it was just another random project I’d be doing it. And when it started, that was really all it was. Was just another project. But as time has gone on, like I said, I’ve, I’ve become less of a random listener and more of an expert and so involved in it.

[00:12:41] And I found that all the stuff that I’d done there earlier in my life with traveling and working with all these people perfectly came back and tied into what I’m doing now, where I’m able to help people even though I’m not able to travel anymore, I’m still able. To be a part of that fight against trafficking.

[00:12:58] To me, that was super, super cool.

[00:13:00] So all the background stuff I do. So we talk about editing and yeah, every, every show is edited, some of them better than others, so you don’t know. They’re being edited. And what we try to do here is

[00:13:10] to make sure nothing we edit changes the message or the content in any way. It’s just helping people express their ideas better and so we can meet our time goals, so we can respect your time as a listener.

[00:13:25] And that process. Again, it’s like all the traveling I’ve done that process is also using a skillset set. I spent my entire life developing. I was a book editor for a long time before this, and it’s again, really cool seeing how all that stuff is tying together into this role, the travel with, which gives me the, the, the compassionate ear and the care for these people and just my random skillset.

[00:13:46] So it’s been cool how it’s all tied right back together

[00:13:49] Sandie Morgan: And going back to our image of the pithari, and we’ll have that picture on the webpage if you are trying to imagine it. And this idea that there is a handle, there is a place that your unique skillset. Is just right for you don’t have to carry the whole thing.

[00:14:12] I often talk to nonprofit leaders who feel overwhelmed by the burden, and I think one of the things we have to do better is engage our partners in the community that can find a handle and make the work lighter for everybody.

[00:14:32] Andrew Kroeger: and, and like with me, I didn’t have to find like make a new handle for myself or knock down doors to find a way I could help.

[00:14:39] I’m just going about my daily life and things are just coming to me and I’m recognizing an opportunity as some way that I can help. I didn’t have to change my entire life to do this. And I think a lot of people can be the same way.

[00:14:50] Sandie Morgan: I love that, and I often wish there was a way, now I’ll refer them to this conversation because I have students who come in and they wanna change their major, they wanna change their career.

[00:15:04] “I wanna fight human trafficking. How do I do that?” And that is exactly right. There is one handle that is perfect for you. I don’t need you to change who you are and what you’re good at.

[00:15:21] Andrew Kroeger: Yeah. And, and I always thought too, if you want to continue doing like mission work like I was doing, or, or run a nonprofit or something, you have to quit everything you do in your entire life just to do that. And that’s definitely not the case. And it’s probably not even the best approach anyway. ’cause there’s so many other people already doing all this stuff.

[00:15:36] Find a way to partner with them, grab a handle on their pithari jar rather than starting, you know, reinventing the wheel.

[00:15:43] Sandie Morgan: I love that. Okay, so you do the behind the scenes stuff, and I do have to thank you publicly.

[00:15:51] When I meet people, they say, oh, Dr. Morgan, you are so articulate. I never hear. An uh, or an eh. I was like, yeah, thank you, Andrew.

[00:16:04] Andrew Kroeger: Yeah.

[00:16:05] Sandie Morgan: He edits out for time purposes. Of course. Not for my vanity. Is that right?

[00:16:10] Andrew Kroeger: But it’s all shows. Like I said, all shows are being edited and they’re all editing out, that kind of stuff because it doesn’t help help people with understanding. It’s distracting. And it’s really easy to do.

[00:16:20] It’s doesn’t take that long to do now, and I think that that’s a service we’re providing the listeners, but also something that helps the guests feel comfortable coming on the show, knowing, okay, there’s somebody kinda watching out for me as I’m going through this, and I think it helps reduce the stress level a lot for guests too.

[00:16:37] So again, it’s just like one thing I can do, I’m not there in person recording except for today. Obviously this is weird for me, but. My presence is there helping them behind the scenes. And I think that brings a lot of peace to people, and that’s part of the things I love most about what I do.

[00:16:52] Sandie Morgan: Oh, I love it too.

[00:16:54] And I always tell my guests that, don’t worry, Andrew. We’ll fix that. Yeah. So, okay, let’s talk about some of your favorite episodes. What are they and why?

[00:17:08] Andrew Kroeger: I think the, the ones I, I love the most are the ones where Romania comes up ’cause that’s where my heart is and I still want to get back there. I thought I’d end up believing there forever. I love those episodes because those are sort of the ones that tie me back to why I am even doing this in the first place. The love for the people that I’ve seen and you know, after a decade or whatever, things just start to feel distant. You know, you still have friends there, but you don’t talk to ’em very often, if ever.

[00:17:35] And it starts to feel just so foreign and you sort of lose track of it. And you don’t care so much about the people just ’cause you’re not around them. And this has been a really cool way for me to kind of dive back into that world ’cause that was really what made me compassionate person that I am doing that work.

[00:17:50] And I love coming into the office here and seeing all the posters for all the Romanian trips you guys have done.all over Romania, and it’s so cool for me to see that because I’m not, I’m not able to get over there right now.

[00:18:00] Sandie Morgan: Wow. Any other episodes that you found really important? Yeah,

[00:18:05] Andrew Kroeger: the one we did with David Tyre recently about AI was fascinating to me because people are so scared of AI. Because it could do a lot of damage, but also does a lot of good stuff and it’s really cool seeing emerging technology helping us in the fight against human trafficking instead of making things worse for us.

[00:18:25] So the way they’re using AI modeling to track financial records it’s allowed us to do things that we never could have imagined like the speed and the scale that you can find problems and track people down has completely changed, and I think they’re doing amazing work.

[00:18:40] That was super exciting.

[00:18:41] Sandie Morgan: That’s very cool.

[00:18:43] Has anything surprised you about producing the podcast?

[00:18:47] Andrew Kroeger: One thing that’s been interesting for me is years ago when you hear about trafficking and you watch a documentary or, or something about it, and this might be a hot take, but you get really impacted by it.

[00:19:00] ’cause it’s so, it’s so scary and I have been doing this for so long that I’ve heard all these stories and in some way it’s, it’s kept me compassionate, but it’s also sort of numbed me to the harsh realities of this, and I think that’s something a lot of people working in nonprofits.

[00:19:19] Face is it’s, it sort of becomes normalized and you, and you’re not really shocked by anything like you think about it and it saddens you where you’re not shocked by it. And my mom got back from a trip to India. She was doing a mission trip there, and she came back sharing all these videos about like documentaries she was watching about the girls she was working with there and I

[00:19:40] just sort of, it just sort of rolled right off of me and I didn’t think much about it. And it was a really, ’cause because I just, I’ve, I know so much about it now that I’m not shocked like she is. And I think that’s a really cool, wake up call for me and anybody who’s working with nonprofits to, to continually kind of check your compassion level and make sure you’re not just going through it.

[00:20:01] That was a big, surprising takeaway for me. And it’s sort of a, I don’t know, again, a hot take. But being on the show and actively engaging in the way I am is what’s allowed me to continue doing this. Whereas if you were just reading books about it and not really doing anything about it, I think it’d be really easy to become cynical.

[00:20:20] Sandie Morgan: Mm.

[00:20:21] Andrew Kroeger: And, and having, being an active participant and doing good is, is a much, much better approach.

[00:20:26] Sandie Morgan: I love that.

[00:20:28] So you guys listening, I, I need you to know I don’t come up with all the questions. I’ve got interns, staff, and Andrew to help me. And so this next question I did not write, I’m just just getting that out there.

[00:20:44] So here’s the next question, Andrew. What is it like working with Sandie and what should listeners know about her?

[00:20:54] Sandie Morgan: I know, you’re laughing.

[00:20:55] I have to think about this one. One thing that’s related to what I just said about sort of getting numbed to things is Sandie’s like a little fireball of energy for. Fighting trafficking and she knows far, far more than I will ever know, and she never seems to get numb to it. And I think there’s something special about her that that allows her to continue, continue, continue, and never stop.

[00:21:20] And it’s probably exhausting for her, but it’s also cool to see how somebody who is in a position where. It’d be so easy to be completely burnt out and just kind of grinding away and applying for grants and, oh, here’s another one. Another year, oh, we’re doing these numbers, but losing sight of the actual humans behind those numbers, and I think that’s  something Sandie does really cool.

[00:21:41] That’s what I would say.

[00:21:43] Sandie Morgan: Aw, thank you Andrew.

[00:21:46] Andrew Kroeger: so the point, the point was be like, Sandie, don’t be like me.

[00:21:51] Sandie Morgan: No. but it takes, uh, community like you around me to make sure that fire keeps burning. So, and that kind of leads me to the next question.

[00:22:01] What makes the Ending Human Trafficking podcast different?

[00:22:07] Andrew Kroeger: I think our focus on, on hope is a, a key difference. I mean, it, it’s all, we all, we frame everything around education. We’re trying to teach people, but we do everything with kind of a hopeful perspective that a lot of nonprofits in any industry, I think it’s easy to lose that hope.

[00:22:28] Andrew Kroeger: And again, like I keep talking about getting back to that grind and I think that, that this podcast is really, really good about always emphasizing the hope and the progress and the dignity that people have, rather than just talking about numbers and outcomes.

[00:22:44] Sandie Morgan: I agree entirely, and it is certainly one of my goals to make sure that this podcast points people to hope and their role in growing hope.

[00:22:58] They are part of the solution, and as we look at our future and the podcast. This is episode number 348. We started in 2011. and we just keep plugging along. And so if you were able to cast vision for the next. Three years, what would your hopes for the podcast be?

[00:23:32] Well, I’ll tell you what we’re doing in the next few months, which is helping our goal for the next few years is we’re actually switching to video. I don’t know if that’s a big reveal or not. Maybe we’ve talked

[00:22:35] Sandie Morganoh my gosh. No we haven’t. But I’m scared.

[00:23:44] Andrew Kroeger: the cat’s outta the bag now, so we’re switching the video at some point. We’re working on, it’s a work in progress, like all things, and the goal with that is to. To make, make this more accessible to more people. So I think right now a lot of our listeners are professionals working in nonprofits and things like that, and we have lots and lots of guests who are outside of that system, but still fighting trafficking

[00:24:08] And I think that’s one way. Switching to video will help us reach more people like that because they’re not just finding one little audio only show we can get on YouTube. We can get on all the social media platforms and really have compelling content that people can engage with.

[00:24:23] So we’ll get more students listening. We have a lot of students here listening and they’re continually asking for video, video, video. ’cause they wanna share these with their friends. And that’s the best way to do it. So I’m really excited. Switching the video, it’ll allow us to increase, uh, increase, increase the size of the audience is not the goal.

[00:24:41] The goal is impact. So people can find how they can help. And the more people we can reach, the more people we can help them find their, you know, their ju their handle on the pithari. And I think that’s a really cool, cool thing that we’re looking forward to doing in the next few years.

[00:24:55] Sandie Morgan: I absolutely resonate with the responsiveness to the student population because I do see the future of combating human trafficking. We have to hand this off to the next generation of professionals when.

[00:25:14] I came back from Spain and our study abroad, and if you haven’t listened to episode 347, friends, go back and listen. Five students from 19 to 20 and their passion and their. Vision for how they’re going to use their major and join this fight inspires me to keep doing the podcast because the next generation, they’re going to be the ones to end human trafficking.

[00:25:48] Andrew Kroeger: Yeah. And that’s exactly it. The next generation is, is everything is video.

[00:25:53] Even podcasts, audio, podcasts are now video. All the shows are switching. It’s because, because that’s where the people are and I think as, as we wanna bring new people into the fold, that’s the way you gotta reach ’em where they are. And if we keep doing what we’re doing with audio only, we’re not gonna be able to reach all those people so they won’t even know how they can fit in.

[00:26:13] To the big picture. This is a way we can do that. And I’m, I’m really excited about video.

[00:26:17] Sandie Morgan: Well, and I’m really grateful to come back to how we started that I have a tech guy who found a handle, to help move this issue forward because I can have all the knowledge. And the understanding around human trafficking, but I gotta have somebody to teach me how to do the recordings and

[00:26:43]  make sure everything is uploaded correctly and you’re so patient, and I know you said nice things about me, but what I want

[00:26:55] Andrew Kroeger: was I called you a ball of fire, which is good or bad,

[00:26:57] Sandie Morgan: ah,

[00:26:58] Andrew Kroeger: depending on the direction it’s heading.

[00:27:01] Sandie Morgan: Well, you are, steadfast and.

[00:27:05] Definitely patient. I, this is not, tech is not my generation’s forte, but I keep recording. I even took portable equipment with me to Spain and produce that amazing episode. Seriously, go back and listen toit.

[00:27:24] Andrew Kroeger: It’s a good one.

[00:27:25] Sandie Morgan: Share it with other students because we want them to see themselves grabbing a handle and we move this issue forward and finish it.

[00:27:38] Andrew Kroeger: the next few years will be huge for us, I think.

[00:27:40] Sandie Morgan: Well, I’m gonna buy more lipstick ’cause I’m gonna be on video. That’s gonna be my big, big takeaway from this transition.

[00:27:48] Andrew, thank you for coming on the podcast, but thank you especially for faithfully making sure that the podcast gets produced and is available to people around the world.

[00:28:04] Andrew Kroeger: You bet. Stay tuned to everybody. Good stuff is coming.

[00:28:07] Thank you, Andrew, for finally stepping in front of the microphone and sharing your insights about finding your handle in the anti-trafficking movement. Your reminder that you don’t need to change your entire life to make a meaningful impact is exactly what so many of our listeners need to hear.

[00:28:30] Sandie Morgan: And yes. Andrew revealed our big news.

[00:28:33] We are transitioning to video. This will help us reach more students and young professionals who are asking for video content so they can share these conversations with their friends and classmates.

[00:28:50] Take the next step. Go over to ending human trafficking dot. Org where you can find show notes for this episode. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. And if you are already part of our community, share this episode with someone who might be wondering how they can get involved.

[00:29:15] There’s a handle on this enormous vessel that’s perfectly shaped for your hands. Find it, grab it, and help us carry this issue forward. I’ll be back in two weeks for another