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 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

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

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

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

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

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/

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

What happens when one survivor refuses to stay silent?

In the premiere episode of The Cherished Lounge, Kate Ouimette-Wedell welcomes Kelly Dore, survivor, advocate, policy leader, and one of the few survivors elected to public office in the United States.

Kelly has served under the last four U.S. presidential administrations as a Commissioner, helping shape victim-centered policy, educate government leaders, and advocate for survivors around the world. Her work has included advising on issues surrounding exploitation, human trafficking, childhood abuse, and accountability, including efforts connected to the Epstein files.

Together, Kate and Kelly explore the lifelong impact of childhood trauma, breaking generational silence, healing through truth, survivor leadership, and why meaningful change begins by listening to those with lived experience.

This conversation also examines the complexities surrounding the Epstein investigation, systems of exploitation, public accountability, and why Kelly believes the conversation extends far beyond one individual or one case.

Whether you're a survivor, advocate, policymaker, educator, parent, or someone seeking hope and understanding, this episode is a powerful reminder that healing is possible and every story matters.

Follow Kelly Dore on:

Instagram: @kellyszoo4

Support Sierra Cares Foundation:

https://www.sierracaresfoundation.org/

Thank you to our Mission Partners

Cherished LA https://www.cherishedla.org/

Emerge With Hope https://emergewithhope.org/

Damaris Hope https://www.damarishope.org/

Learn More

Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/

Kate's Website: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/

Support The Cherished Lounge

Help us continue sharing meaningful conversations that inspire hope, healing, and lasting change.

Become a Patron: http://patreon.com/Thecherishedlounge

Author of EXPOSED: Surviving the Commercial Sex Industry

Follow The Cherished Lounge

Instagram: @cherishedlounge

Facebook: The Cherished Lounge

TikTok: @thecherishedlounge

Watch the full video on 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 #KellyDore #HumanTraffickingAwareness #SurvivorStories #HealingJourney #GenerationalHealing

Welcome to The Cherished Lounge, where soul, story, and wild grace meet.

Hosted by survivor leader, author of EXPOSED, teacher, and Cherished founder Kate Ouimette-Wedell, The Cherished Lounge invites you into meaningful conversations about faith, purpose, resilience, leadership, and the stories that shape who we become.

Each week, Kate sits down with survivors, advocates, attorneys, policymakers, ministry leaders, and changemakers, including voices from some of the most significant human trafficking and exploitation cases of our time. Together, they explore healing, hope, justice, and the courage to move forward through honest conversations that inspire, challenge, and encourage.

If you believe every story deserves to be heard and every soul deserves to be known, we invite you to pull up a chair and join us.

The Cherished Lounge premieres July 28, with new episodes every Tuesday.

Be sure to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

Learn more at Cherished LA: https://www.cherishedla.org/

Kate's Website: https://www.kateouimettewedell.com/

Follow The Cherished Lounge on:

Instagram: @cherishedlounge

Facebook: The Cherished Lounge

TikTok: @thecherishedlounge

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCherishedLounge

Recorded and produced by Robert Altschuler at Command Creative Studios. https://www.commandcreativestudios.com/

#TheCherishedLounge#KateOuimetteWedell#HumanTraffickingAwareness#SurvivorStories#FaithAndPurpose#PodcastTrailer