An Army of Normal Folks - Jessica Lamb: Changing Lives One Tattoo At A Time (Pt 2)

Episode Date: December 26, 2023

Jessica is a survivor of child molestation and human trafficking, who found her calling helping other survivors transform painful reminders of their past into symbols of hope. Her nonprofit Atlanta Redemption Ink, and their network of 80 tattoo shops across the country, have helped 673 people get tattoos removed and covered up that were from their sex traffickers, gangs, addiction, or self-harm.Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an Army of Normal Folks and we continue now with part two of our conversation with Jessica Lamb right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. When Walter Isaacson set out to write his biography of Elon Musk, he believed he was taking on a world-changing figure. That night he was deciding whether or not to allow Starlink to be enabled to allow a sneak attack on Crimea. What he got was a subject who also sowed chaos and conspiracy.

I'm thinking it's idiotic to buy Twitter because he doesn't have a fingertip feel for social, emotional, networks. When I sat down with Isaacson five weeks ago, he told me how he captured it all. They had Kansas spray paint and they're just putting big axes on machines. And it's almost like kids playing on the playground, just choose them up left, right, and center.

And then like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he doesn't even remember it, getting the bars, done an excuse, being a total f***. But I want the reader to see it in action. My name is Evan Ratliffe, and this is On Musk with Walter Isaacson. Join us in this four-part series as Isaacson breaks down how he captured a vivid portrait of a polarizing genius. Listen to On Musk on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Cheryl McCollum, host of the Colkays podcast, zone seven. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer. Here, Carrie Rossin, daughter of the notorious serial killer BTK weigh in on the accused Long Island serial killer's children.

You show like genuine interest and you can't fake it. Look, these guys can see like right through to your soul. So you have to be like walled off prepared. And if you don't know your stuff, they're gonna just call you out. And they're gonna be like, nope, I'm talking to somebody else.

I'm not talking to you. Here great insight from one of New York City's finest detective Joe Jekalon, a Col. K. Secksburg. You know, as well as I do, cops weren't even aware of it back then. So they're going to have some difficulty putting those cases together. Unless of course he confesses.

Listen to zone seven with Cheryl McCollum on the I Heart Radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Get ready because Aaron and Karissa from Calm Down have got something special coming up at State Farm Park in I Heartland, a reading of Twist and Night Before Christmas.

They'll infuse it with stories and memories tying into the holiday spirit. Don't miss this special event starting Thursday to 7th as 7 pm Eastern at State Farm Park in I Heartland in Fortnite, available all weekend long. Afterwards, stick around and check out all the exciting things State Farm has to offer. Say hi to Jake from State Farm on the big screen and try to be Jake's core at the parkour minigame. Visit iHeartRadio.com slash iHeartland to start playing today. We now return to Jessica on how she tried to escape Si, her sex trafficker. sigh her sex trafficker. So I went to the bathroom flush the toilet, walked downstairs, set on the front porch, lit a cigarette, and I looked across the street and there was a salvation army that had just opened. And I looked at the

salvation army and I looked back at the door of the house and then I looked back at the Salvation Army, dragged off my cigarette, flipped it and I ran. Ran right into the Salvation Army and I said, I need to use your phone. And they were like, we're not letting you use our phone, unless it's emergency. And I was like, I need to call my one one. And they were like, okay, I didn't call 911 first. First person I called was my dad. And my dad was like, I was like, dad, I'm in trouble. And he's like, what did you get yourself into this time? And I didn't even respond. I hung up immediately. Next I called my grandmother. I said, me, me, me,

me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me's the situation? And I was like, this guy did this to me last night. I need to get my keys, I need to leave. I need to get out of here, I'm scared. And he was like, I'm sorry, he was like, I just got on duty, I really don't wanna be bothered with paperwork.

And he's like, I really don't wanna deal with this and he's like, and wire girls like you over here anyway. And I was like, what is that supposed to mean? You know, and like that never really made any sense to me. I still doesn't make sense to me. But he gets sigh outside and he's like, she's lying. She's full of shit, she's nothing but trouble.

And he's like, I want her out of here anyway. And he's like, we'll go get her keys and let her get out. And so he goes, I get my keys, trafficker and the cop fist bump each other on the front porch. I get in my car and I leave. No reports made, or I don't, there was no report made. Well, actually, there probably was a report made,

but like nothing, like he just didn't want to like go through the due diligence of doing the entire investigation of what's going on. And I ended up going to the guy that I was talking to in high school, and I went to his house, and I told him everything. And he's like, well, now that you have experience, do you think I can I get some? And I was like, this nightmare is never going to end. So ended up- Did you ever contemplate suicide?

Multiple times. It's actually something I struggled with for years, in years, in years, was fun. I mean, you can only get abused so much. I carry a lot of heaviness and it was something that always crossed my mind on a daily basis. And I don't know if it's just I'm resilient as hell or what but like I'm still breathing and I'm still here and But I remember leaving my ex-boyfriend's house because of his comment and I went straight to my miemoll's house And she held me and I told her everything you told her everything. I told her everything. What's that hard for you? What is shame? No, my me-mall is my safe haven.

In fact, my logo, I can get into that with AI when we talk about it. But my grandmother loves birds. She's the one that saved me. So she drove my car that she gave me for Christmast present that my trafficker would use to traffic me and hit it behind her house. And she would, I would sleep all day. And then I would stay up all night

because I was so scared this guy was gonna come for me. Everywhere I went, I thought I was seeing him. He had so like, even away from him, I was terrified that he was going to find me. I doubt he ever was looking for me, but I remember. Oh, you're traumatized. I was terrified. I was terrified. Yeah, I was terrified.

This guy was going to come for me. And I ended up staying with my grandmother in my aunt. And they made sure that I went and got mental health counseling. They would take me to my GED classes, which I still was failing. They would help me with all kinds of things. And there were times that like, I wouldn't be invited to like family gatherings and

My grandmother said well, she's not she can't be there, but I'm not coming and so she would make me Thanksgiving dinner or make me Christmas dinner and I would eat with her and She advocated for me so much and she never turned her back on me And she's I think she turns 87 this week. And I get some questions with her. But um, she's Nigel on her. She's my, she's my, she is definitely my savior, um, through all of this. And even this all led to a life of addiction, homelessness, I went and tried to go into the adult entertainment industry independently. I didn't work in strip clubs, but I would like, I was doing my own thing. I tried to audition to be a suicide girl.

What's that? Don't Google it, but it's basically alternative looking girls that do webcams or different types of like just edgy girls that that do sex stuff on video or take pictures. And so I was trying to dabble into that. So I was like that was only when you had to make money. Is I was like, this is... Jessica. From... You're part of this organic suburban Christian family. And... suburban Christian family and Hearing these things is

It's just gut-wrenching and did I mean I When you were going through all of this as a result of being molested in your own home, never being able to figure out a way out. And then when you, when you confronted your bluster, your father didn't believe you, which makes you feel even more alone. And then what you ended up with with sigh, I mean, all of it, I've sat and listened to and I, you know, I got to ask you, deep inside that brain of yours, there was still a foundation. You had to have been struggling with reconciling where your life was and where you started.

You had to have been dealing with that, right? Were you, I mean, you had to have been looking in the mirror going, what, what happened? I guess I, I, I, there's been so many struggling for. There's an identity inside you that is not all of this. Did you feel that conflict? There was a lot of times that I would look in the mirror and I'm like, how did I get here? That's what I'm asking. Yeah, like, like, like, what the, like, literally, what the hell, you know?

Like, like, just something just screaming inside of me, like, like, I've got to keep pushing through. Like, I don't know what it was, but I was like, I gotta keep going. And I think I think I owe a lot of that to my grandmother. Very praying grandma. So she, I think she's the one that just really kept me going. And well, this life stopped at some point. How?

Well, let me, can we, I'm gonna, Oh yeah, you do whatever you want. Okay. So I basically was, you know, I didn't want to be, like I said, a burden on my grandmother. And so I ended up leaving her house for a while. And I ended up just finding myself living in dope houses out of my car.

I was dating a guy that was twice my age. We had three children together that I miscarried. He ended up committing suicide. And I just remember like just feeling a lot of hopelessness, but even when I was on the streets and I was living out of my car, the head busted out windows because my ex had thrown a piece of firewood through my windows of my car when I try to leave. I, um, I remember, um, just trying to pull myself out of this hole

and my grandmother and my aunt continued to advocate for me. And... True, uncondistral love. Yeah, and, um and I remember my mom, like, meeting me at gas stations because I was hungry, and she's like, I know you're hungry, and I know you can't come back home, but she would bring me food, because I was hungry.

You know, and I remember being on drugs so bad, she took me out for lunch one day, and I was nodding out, and I almost dropped my entire head into a bowl soup right in front of my mom. I will never forget that. And like I was ashamed and humiliated and... That's what I was asking. Yeah, I felt, I was embarrassed.

Like, who, like I didn't even recognize myself, honestly, and I have my... You were literally lost. There's mug shots of me on LinkedIn, and you know, you can see that, you know, the light in my eye was just completely gone. And so, I, um, I remember my breaking point was,

I was pregnant with my daughter Elizabeth, and I miscarried her at four and a half, five months, and I remember bringing her home. I remember bringing her home. My parents were out of the country in my aunt's set in the hospital with me, and I remember bringing her home. and I buried her in my parents' pack yard, and I had a memorial for her, and that was my breaking point of, I cannot live

like this anymore. The guy I was dating was in and out of jail. For drug charges, I was addicted to meth. I was just everything was just terrible. And I was like, I can't live like this. And I remember my aunt being on the front porch one day and she's like, and she was going through her own hell. And she was like, when you're ready to get off this stuff, we're here.

We're not going to give up on you. So there was always a place for me to shower, always a place for me to eat, always a place for me to sleep. My Mimaw would make a palette for me on her floor because she had a small house and she'd make a little palette for me on the floor and sometimes I would sleep in the bed with her and she would play a gospel music when she could go to sleep and so I would feel so much peace and safety with my grandmother and even to this day like whenever I feel tired or just need a place to rest I can know that I can go there and

I used to pull her bed sheets back for her every night and I still do that today whenever I go to visit her. I turn her bed back for her. But I remember like my breaking point was just losing my last child and I was like, enough. So I got clean. And I just completely did a one like I just completely turned everything around and I started getting involved

and anti-trap can work through my friend Casey's organization for Sarah. And she's the one that was in the strip club across the street from when I was in the hotel. So she's a survivor from the adult entertainment industry. And, but I ended up volunteering with her org. And so I was working with them, and I started noticing we were looking at these ads

of girls that were advertising online trying to extend services, not trying to convince them to do whatever, just saying, hey, if you're in any kind of situation and we can help you out, let us help you out. We have scholarships if you wanna go back to school. So we'd raise money to help them do that. And I started saying,

like, these girls have all matching tattoos. And I was like, I recognize these things. All matching tattoos. Or very similar tattoos to, like some of the girls had the same tattoos. Some of the girls, I was like, oh, I had a tattoo that was similar to that. Or I was like, I started just noticing patterns of some of the girls on these ads. Were they like the ones you had? Some of them were similar.

Of course, they were not going to be the exact ones. But, yeah, just things that were pertaining to money or to the game or street name or, you know, dollar signs, people talk about barcodes. It's not that common. Um, I got a question. Yeah. Now, I'm going to tell a terrible joke, ask a stupid question. But I mean, is there a Pimp school?

I mean, how did that, how does this tattooing girls thing go around? Apparently, this is a thing among pimp's or traffickers or whatever. This is clearly, as I'm listening to you, and I'm discovering that I guess girls are tattooed as if they belong to a pimp or a trafficker. I mean, is that the deal? I actually train on this. I train in iconography and identifying iconography. What is that word?

Iconography is basically the study of an image and the background of where that image comes from. So I actually go, when I do trainings, I've done 6,500 trainings. I trained 6,500 individuals this year alone through conferences and podcasts and all kinds of things. And I train people on, this isn't a new thing. People have been branded since ancient Rome.

I take this thing all the way back and I go through the history of human branding and how it started and how we saw it go through the Armenian genocide, how we saw it go through Holocaust, how we saw it in this. I swear to you, I was sitting there thinking about the inside of the risk that I've seen of Jewish Holocaust survivors that were tattooed like they're inmate number. I don't know the right word for it, but I go through, I go through this whole training for like an hour and I train people on the indicators and the tattoos and all that kind

of stuff, so but that's kind of a jumping way ahead of how I started at land. No, I get it. And we've got to go back and stay chronologically in order, but the point is you started noticing these girls having similar looking tattoos, yeah, which we're talking about brands. Yeah, we're talking about human ownership, right? Yeah, pretty, I mean, it's not always sometimes I've worked with women that have had these tattoos in men that have had tattoos and It's not nobody's like sitting on them making them get him. Sometimes it's the manipulation or they are truly like and love with their traffic Or there was like a soul tie there or there

There's that trauma bond there and so they're wanting to show that they're loyal um I've covered up tattoos or artists that we work with have covered up tattoos on women that were like, I loved this man and I wanted to show him that I was loyal to him and I wanted the tattoo. Although the love was completely perturbed at it wrong. So we did a, we talked to Deb Allinger who is in Detroit, and she works providing food and clothing for women in the street of Detroit. Very much in the same situation like what you're talking about, and she's just constant

consistent, and she will wait for three or four years for girls that finally want to get out of the life and then they provide everything for them and You talk about a grassroots gal. She's unbelievable. She's from the opposite. She was a cop and then started doing this but Every time she pulls up to the street corner or the house or the drug house or the trafficking house, whatever, and it's two, three times a week, the same girls come out and she says to him, every time you are worthy, you have value, you are loved. She's trying to counteract the sick stuff that's been put in these skits, and when you're ready, I will take you from here. And I ask her, when these people are often living

in homes without running water, without electricity, and they're being pimped out for food, and oftentimes drug use and everything else, and you pull up, and you've been there for two or three years, you have to develop some type of relationship and report these folks. Why wouldn't they jump in your truck and run like hell? And she said this, they are affixed to that trauma and they really don't know the way out. And the truth is the fear of the unknown of a clean life is worse than the fear of the abuse that they're

living in because at least they know those rules. So it's just, I want you to hear me. I do not want people to think, well, these are adults, they can always get away. There's this grip of this lifestyle that holds people that don't even want to be in it, and they're almost wrestling with themselves to get out. And I've learned that through people I've met and everything else. And your story is yet another illustration of how that trauma affects somebody and how phenomenal your story is that you did get away from it. So tell me that, you did get away from it.

Let's get to the good part of the story. And we will, right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. When Walter Isaacson set out to write his biography of Elon Musk, he believed he was taking on a world-changing figure. That night he was deciding whether or not to allow Starlink to be enabled to allow a sneak attack on Crimea. What he got was a subject who also sowed chaos and conspiracy. I'm thinking it's idiotic to buy Twitter because he doesn't have a fingertip feel

for social, emotional networks. And when I sat down with Isaacson five weeks ago, he told me how he captured it all. They had Kansas spray paint and they're just putting big axes on machines. And it's almost like kids playing on the playground, just choose them up left, right, and center. And then like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,

he doesn't even remember it, getting the bars, done an excuse being a total f***. But I want the reader to see it in action. My name is Evan Ratliffe, and this is On Musk with Walter Isaacson. Join us in this four-part series as Isaacson breaks down how he captured a vivid portrait of a polarizing genius.

Listen to On Musk on the iHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Cheryl McCollum host of the Colk case podcast zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island Serial Killer. Here, Kerry Rosson, daughter of the notorious serial killer BTK, weigh in on the accused log island serial killer's children. You show like genuine interest and you can't fake it. But these guys can see like right through to your soul. So you have to be like walled off prepared.

And you if you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call you out. And they're going to be like, no, I'm talking to somebody else. I'm not talking to you. Here great insight from one of New York City's finest detective Joe Jackalone, a co-case expert. You know, as well as I do, cops weren't even aware of it back then. So they're going to have some difficulty putting those cases together, unless, of course, he confesses. Listen to zone seven with Cheryl McCollum on the I Heart radio app, Apple podcast, or

wherever you get your podcast. Get ready because Aaron and Karissa from Calm Down have got something special coming up at State Farm Park in I Heartland, a reading of Twisted Night Before Christmas. Dell infuse it with stories and memories tying into the holiday spirit. Don't miss this special event starting Thursday to 7th as 7 p.m. Eastern at State Farm Park in I Heartland in Fortnite, available all weekend long. Afterwards, stick around and check out all the exciting things State Farm has to offer. Say hi to Jake from State Farm on the big screen and try to be Jake Skour at the parkour minigame. Visit iHeartRadio.com slash I Heartland to start playing today.

So like I was working with my friends, Org, which is a survival led organization. And we were noticing the tattoos. And so we started documenting them. And you started documenting the girl tattoos that you saw. Yeah, because if we found out that they were like a need of like law enforcement help or they were in need of getting out of the situation, like we were like, Hey, or if there was somebody that was missing, like we've actually recovered children that were like being advertised on back page when back page was the thing.

For us back page. Back page is kind of like Craigslist. So there used to be the adjobs for people. Yeah, you've never heard of Back page? No, ma'am. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. No, it was okay. So Back page, you could buy a car on Back page. You could sell a car on Back page. Oh, I remember Back page. Okay. I was thinking the various stuff. Yeah. So like back in the day, there was a website where they would advertise. You, like, it was like a garage sale online. Yeah, but there was also places where you could also purchase or find a date or, you know, all that. So there was, so we would call these girls that were working online when back page was up and running,

but it ended up getting shut down. So, I mean, they just moved to different platforms. It's still out there. But I started like we've recovered missing people like they were missing from their families. And ways that we were able to do it was we would notice like there was one young lady that had her street name tattooed across her clavicle. And it was she's been trafficked. Yeah, and her grandmother was like, we can't find, we can't find a scroll. And Casey was able to find her. We were able to get her recovered

and return back to her family, but like she had a tattoo and I was actually honored. And you identified her from her street name on her shoulder? She had it on there and then her, the way she looked like, I didn't identify Casey founder, but we were able to, I actually the the honor to cover that up for her several months ago. So, but yeah,

we were able like I started documenting these and we started putting in on the sheets of different tattoos that we were seeing. And I remember one day the founder of the org called me and she goes, you're really into tattoos and all that. She's like, I have a young lady. She's got Rev tattooed on the back of her neck because her trafficker called himself the Reverend. So she had our EV tattooed on the back of her neck. And she's like, can you get her to connect to a shop? And I was like, on it. And so like I got on Facebook and I was friends with a tattoo artist on there.

And I asked him, he was really like down the street from where I live. And I said, would you be interested in helping me cover up this tattoo for this young lady that's been through some some hell of stuff, you know, and he was like, absolutely, I'm down. I didn't have an organization, I didn't have a nonprofit, I didn't have $50. So I name you also had your own tattoos. Yeah, I still have my own tattoos. I hadn't been covered up yet. Right. Yeah. And so I was like, yeah, cool. I'll do that. I'll love to help her out. Bring her into the shop. We covered it with this gorgeous rose with a butterfly. And I remember her looking in the mirror. I'll never forget it.

And she literally fell to her knees, crying. Again, Casey was there with me. The shop artist was crying. And she was like, thank you. And then like something inside of me was like, this is my niche. Like, I found it. I found it. Like, I loved working with Forsair and I actually was our outreach director for a long time, but I was like, I just felt this fire. Like, I can't even describe it.

I just got like super excited. And something inside of me was like, this is my thing. Hold it. Why does this matter? Why does this matter? Well, I had my own stuff, right? And I knew the feelings that I felt with mine. And then when I went and tried to go get mine covered up,

the artist was a complete douchebag. Just being honest, man. Like, he was like making like just off, just discussing comments like the music he was playing was like giving me a freaking headache. He was not trauma informed or sensitive. He was rude and like he covered up my tattoos and did a crappy job.

And I remember sitting in that tattoo chair and thinking, I don't ever want to see another survivor have to deal with somebody like this and come hell or high water. I will make sure that they don't. And the point is by getting rev turned into a flower with a

butterfly. Yeah, it's beautiful. All right, turned into a beautiful flower with a butterfly. So much. Yeah, it's beautiful. All right. Turned into a beautiful flower with a butterfly. It changes from a reminder of the worst part of this young lady's life to something pretty and metaphorically, literally metaphorically breaks the proverbial chains of her bondage to her pump or truffin. Absolutely. And she no longer has to look in the mirror and be disgusted by what she sees on her own body. Yeah. And you felt that. Yeah. And I was like, and I was like, I want to

make sure that I connect people with shops and artists that are going to be trauma informed and trauma sensitive and caring and loving. And I have found some of the most incredible artists on the planet around this whole country. It just started in my hometown down the street from where I live now. And, you know, I didn't have any kind of fancy fundraising teams. I don't have an office. Like I literally said, you're a normal average person. They found a place.

I found a place that I found a need that wasn't being met in my community and decided to meet that need. And go ahead. The two tattoos that you got when you were being traffic. One was on your wrist and I think one was on your leg. It was on my butt cheek. Your help, whatever, right? After you finally got away and we're working with your friend,

then that was three year period. That was still there before you got it covered up. Yeah, I was literally still working in anti-trafficking with my own tattoos on me still. What did you think when you saw that on your wrist or looked in the mirror and saw that? What was your initial reaction when you saw that? You're clean now, you're getting your life back together,

you're working and you're helping and anti-trafficking. So you're aware, you're, no, what did you think when you solve us? Like my old tattoos. Every time I was looking at them, I was like, every time I took a shower or changed my clothes, or I was intimate with my kid's dad. I was like, I don't want this on my body.

I don't wanna see this anymore. And it was a constant reminder of... That's what it felt. It's a constant reminder of the most desperate time of your life. Yeah, and I'm like, I don't wanna look at this the other day. So how do you move on when every time you look at yourself, you're reminded of that time? Yeah, and so I was like, it's time.

And then I had some self-harm scars. And I was like, it's time. It's time for me to stand up for Jess and do something for Jess. And so I, I, I say you got rev fixed. Yep. While you have your own. But now it's time. Now you say, well, you know, this works. I'm getting rid of my own. Yeah. And then you

think there's a need that needs to be met that's not being filled for probably a population or community of some of the most traumatized and abused women on the face of the planet. Yeah, so I was like, I was like, this is where I'm going to, what I'm going to do. So I remember going home and that's why I brought my pamphlets so you could see them. I remember going home and sitting at the computer and I was sitting on the floor of my apartment and I opened up sitting on the floor of my apartment and I opened up, like, word, clip art. And I was like, birds symbolize my grandmother because my grandmother was my biggest advocate

and she helped me through so much. Both of my grandmother's loved birds. I was like, I took a bird and then I took a tattoo machine and I put them together and I was like, I took a bird and then I took a tattoo machine and I put them together and I was like, there's my logo. I didn't have some fancy marketing scene. If you can see it, I'm holding it now and I'll describe it to you. There's a bar, it looks a lot like a dove, I think. I don't know.

It's just a bird. It's just a bird in the center. And then there's a tattoo tool in the image. It's in the claws of the bird. Oh, it's in a stallion. Yeah. Okay. And then behind it is this vibrant mix of color assume tattoo ink and the whole symbol is I think that you're changing the darkest ink on your body to the most vibrant ink and You're being free as a bird. I get really excited talking about AI.

You're allowed to. I went from crying to like, you shared gut wrenching with this. It is so nice not to see you cry and see you smile. You have a beautiful smile. It's great. So now you're like, okay, here's this thing that needs to be filled. It's worked for me. It's worked for the girl that had Rev.

And you decide at your computer to make a logo of this bird tattoo thing and his talons with this cool color. And you decide you need to name it. Yeah, so I was actually sitting with my friend again, and I was at one of her things. She was like, you can come and speak with me at this event, and I was like, sure, and I'm getting up there. And when I first started working in this field, I'd be like, hi, I'm Jessica.

I, you know, I'm like real shy, would look at the floor and hold her bag with her logo from her company. And I'd be like, I'm just, you know, I'm a survivor, and I help people. Like I was afraid to share anything. And she's like, it's time to share your story. You've got to share your story.

This was almost seven years ago. But I like, I was sitting in, she was speaking at this church and this song came in and it was like, I am redeemed. You've set me free. I shake off these heavy chains, break away, everything. I'm not who I used to be. And I was like, redeem.

Hmm. I was like, Atlanta redemption. I was like, I was like, redeeming, redemption ink. I was trafficking Atlanta. I was like, Atlanta redemption ink. And it stuck. And I felt my heart start racing. Every time I would say Atlanta Redemption Inc. And it stuck and I felt my heart start racing. Every time I would say Atlanta Redemption Inc.

And I know it's a mouthful, which is why we shorten it to AI or R.E. But I remember just feeling this sensation inside of me of this is where God wants me. Or this is where I need to be. And like I said, I don't have a marketing team, I don't have fancy cameras, I don't have an office, I sit at my computer on my floor of my house

with my two kids. You have a cool pamphlet? I have a look again. I made a pamphlet, yay. And Ari was born. And Ari was born. And Ari was born. And the news, actually, my friend Casey had told the news about me, the local news, that I was covering up these tattoos.

And they came out and interviewed me. And then it was like overnight, I started getting questions. Like on, I made a little Facebook page. And like, we we had two followers. Then I started getting bigger. And then the news started asking me more questions. And then I called a friend of mine that makes websites and he's actually runs a coffee company in Covington,

Georgia and he's a roaster and he's like, I look to him and I said, dude, I think I need a website. I was like, I don't have money for a website. And he's like, don't worry about that right now. And like within like 48 hours, build me a website. I love it. I love it. I love it.

So yeah, and I'm like, so like it didn't cost me anything. And- It doesn't need to be lost on anybody that only three years before this, you were being trafficked and you were on drugs. Oh no, I, this, I had been out of that life. I got out of trafficking in 2004. And then I got, R.A. started. R.A. started in 2017. Okay. Yeah. Fine. It doesn't need to be lost on anybody. It doesn't matter. No, number of years, 12 or 13 years earlier. You were desperate. You shared that you had suicidal thoughts.

You were being manipulated. You were the survivor of molestation in your own home. Your survivor of trafficking. And now you're sitting at your computer building out a program. Ari. Yeah. And nobody is beyond redemption. It is never, ever too late.

No. Everybody has an ability to do something in their community. And knowing something and putting action to it are two different things. We'll be right back. When Walter Isaacson set out to write his biography of Elon Musk, he believed he was taking on a world-changing figure. That night he was deciding whether or not to allow Starlink to be enabled to allow a sneak

attack on Crimea. What he got was a subject who also sowed chaos and conspiracy. I'm thinking it's idiotic to buy Twitter because he doesn't have a fingertip feel for social, emotional networks. And when I sat down with Isaacs in five weeks ago, he told me how he captured it all. They had Kansas spray paint and they're just putting big axes on machines and it's almost like kids playing on the playground, just choose them up left right in center and then like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he doesn't even remember it, getting the bars, done excuse being a total f***.

But I want the reader to see it in action. My name is Evan Ratliffe and this is On Musk with Walter Isaacson. Join us in this four-part series as Isaacson breaks down how he captured a vivid portrait of a polarizing genius. Listen to On Musk on the iHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Cheryl McCollum, host of the Colkays Podcast Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island Serial Killer. Here, Carrie Rosson, daughter of the notorious Serial Killer BTK, weigh in on the accused Long Island serial killer's children. You show like genuine interest and you can't fake it, but these guys can see like right through to your soul.

So you have to be like walled off, prepared. And if you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call you out and they're going to be like, nope, I'm talking to somebody else and not talking to you. Here great insight from one of New York City's finest, Detective Joe Jackalone, a Col. K. Secksburg. You know, as well as I do, cops weren't even aware of it back then.

So they're going to have some difficulty putting those cases together, unless, of course, he confesses. Listen to Zone 7 with Cheryl McCollum on the I Heart Radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Get ready because Aaron and Karissa from Calm Down have got something special coming up at State Farm Park in I Heartland a reading of Twisted Night Before Christmas. Bell and Puset with stories and memories tying into the holiday spirit.

Don't miss this special event starting Thursday to 7 p.m. Eastern at State Farm Park in I Heartland in Fortnite, available all weekend long. Afterwards, stick around and check out all the exciting things State Farm has to offer. Say hi to Jake from State Farm on the big screen and try to be Jake Skour at the parkour minigame.

Visit iHartRadio.com slash I Heartland to start playing today. and to start playing today. You're passionate about helping people. You're passionate about understanding girls that have gone through the same trauma that you've gone through. And you saw an opportunity, just like you said, you said out of your own mouth just a few minutes ago, I saw a place of need that nobody was filling. And so you're passionate and you're disciplined about opportunity. And R.A. was born.

Yeah. your passion and your discipline, that opportunity, and R.A. was born. Yeah, and I do wanna say that there are artists around this country that probably do this, and I know one personally, and Chicago, that has been doing this for years, out of his own shop, and there are people that are doing it. But what I did was I built a network. So I started talking to tattoo shops and training tattoo shops on my

lived experience and then like indicators. And then we became, we started making them safe place sites. So if you ever like go to like a quick trip, I don't know if you guys have them here in Memphis, but like you go to quick trip or like a YMCA, they'll have those big yellow signs that say safe place. So that's someone. Oh, you're so tattoo shops that have the yellow signs. Yeah, like so we started, we started the first one to have, the first tattoo shop to become a safe place site

is in Covington, Georgia called Ironclad Inc. And we actually help them become a safe place site. That's right. So youth can go there at any time and say, I need help and then they know exactly what to do and who to call. And then they get youth advocates out there to help before they because sometimes they're afraid to call the police because the thing they're going to get in trouble, right? So we started trying to.

Or they'll be fist bumping your captor on the front porch. Yeah. So I, um, which is a whole another story. Yeah. And I'm not anti law enforcement at all, but like law enforcement need to be trained. And they are actively being trained, which is great. So there has been a lot of. And in fairness, this was also 15 years ago, 15, 17 years ago, yeah, different mentality towards something. Absolutely. They're come a long way and they're still a long way to go.

But I just, I remember, I still sit in my apartment. And I do our website. I do everything. So tell me how you get somebody to help. How does that happen? How does somebody come to you? That needs help. Yeah, because these girls or guys, I see a picture of a guy actually, which I'm interested

in that story, but for the listeners, I'm looking at the pamphlet and what just has here are pictures of before and after tattoos of girls or assumed guys who've been trafficked. And you see the what they had, and then what it becomes. And just sorry, everybody knows, I don't have a single tattoo in my body. I'm not a tattoo guy, never have been, but I'm also not one of these antatatoo people. I mean, if you like tattoos, good for you. I'm, you know, that's great.

But what I'm looking at is like a wrist that has the word cash on it and the S is a dollar sign and it's incursive and it is not attractive and it is cash only. What's that? Cash only. It's too wrist. When you put them together say cash only which I assume, I can't believe I'm saying this, what I assume is a prostitute is basically saying to the John Cash only that was probably put on there by her Pimp or Trafficker. Is that right? Yes, so she was a trafficking victim that had that on her.

And then you're touching on the guys, we actually do more than just tattoos from exploitation in trafficking. We cover and remove gang tattoos from former gang members. Awesome. We also cover up self-harm scars. We also, people that have been using IV drugs that are left with scarring and bruising from IV drug use. We help cover those.

You're regardless of the trauma of the of the depths of the desperation these people in, you are trying to cover up the things that they have to look at on themselves so they can change the ugliest time of their life into something pretty so that they can get past the daily reminder on their own bodies of their own trauma. Yes. It's phenomenal, Jess. So the cash-only thing turned into like this big rose with a B, and I'm not sure what that is, but it's pretty and it's cool looking. And then there's another one that is, I'm not even reading it, but it looks like a hip or the small of a back.

I think that's a small of a back. Small of her back, yes. Lower back and it is egregious what it says and it is now a purple pretty bow that you can't even see what it was. And it's phenomenal. Okay, so hold it. So I'm sorry, I've got to get out of your brochure. You make Ari, and this is how long ago? I started it in 2017. Okay, so six years ago. Now you've started it. You got a website, you got an email address. How do you get people?

We started getting the word got out. Like I said, we were on the news. And there was just one news segment. And then people started learning about us, which was why I called my friend Jason up. And I was like, dude, I need a website now. You know, and he got on it. And he's like, I'm behind this 100%. And so he created the website for me. And then now we get referrals from drug courts, we get referrals from probation officers, the GBI. There's actually a young lady, the one that with the bow, we've gotten referrals from GBI, FBI, Homeland Security.

Law enforcement sent you people trying to help them. Yes, we get a lot of referrals from law enforcement and a lot of referrals from programs. There will be women that are in long-term programs that will call us and or contact us for help. And so their advocate will go with them to get help. And they'll meet us at the shop. If they're in Atlanta, I'm always, I do my dead level best to always be present for their appointment. And these people don't pay a dime. They do not have to pay us anything.

We, if I have a friend that's a real, actually a guy I do business with who's a furniture builder, he is literally tatted. I don't, I've never seen him naked. So I can't say it. And Daniel, if you hear me, I don't want to see you naked. But literally the dude, I've seen him during the summer in Georgia, to be sure, there's not an ounce of his body that doesn't have any other than his face, including his head.

All right, and he's just a tattoo guy, right? Well, he was telling me what he pays for some of these tattoos. And I mean, this tattoo work is expensive. Yes, it is. And we actually work with some incredible artists that either donate their time, or they discount it for us. So we raise just through ordinary people, we raise money, or try to raise money, and then I speak to raise money to be able to afford to do some of the cover-ups for these young ladies. But we also go even further than just the tattoos.

Tell us about that, Jess. So we have our Beyond Inc. program. So Beyond Inc. is where we provide holistic counseling. So we have a licensed therapist that works on our team that will do Zoom calls and do therapy sessions with people that want to have them. So they can choose to go to a therapist if they're not able to go through insurance or like any other company. And so that a discounted

rate. We also work with an organization called Tears Free Academy, who actually helped me get my high school diploma. And I was able to graduate. And I did not realize this, but I was only one credit shy away from graduating when I couldn't even pass the GED. No kidding. Yeah, so yeah, I went through her program and I was pregnant with my son and my daughter was three years old and she's in the audience and she's screaming, yay, mommy, as I throw my cap and gown or I threw my cap.

A few years ago, I actually was able to get my high school diploma and then I became a peer support counselor. And I teach art therapy. So I can do art therapy at safe homes with young ladies. And then we have someone that does holistic job readiness, job training skills. So we have like a team that all work together and beyond ink.

So we're able to, it's not just an outward change, but it's an opportunity to do an inward change as well. So it's just this whole program centered around redemption and new opportunities. And I had somebody one time ask me, they're like, oh, so you're just basically changing somebody's identity. And I was like, nah, because that wasn't their identity to begin with.

Their identity was who they were long before someone even put that on them. Their identity is what was breathed into them from birth or from conception. So I am. Yeah, I just, I get super excited to talk about it. I could probably talk about AI for like 500 hours.

Well, the thing that's amazing is is you started just trying to get tattoos covered or removed that are horrible reminders of desperate times for people, because you certainly identified with an empathized with that reality. But now you're using this beyond ink to actually, once people are able to get rid of the physical reminders and get over that, you're actually helping them move on with life and with therapy and with job readiness and all of it. Yeah. And remember, you're the bad girl in the family. Yeah. Amazing.

They don't think that now. No, they don't. They can't wait to hear that part. How many girls over the last seven years, or girls ain't got to say, how many people have you helped get ink off of and or covered or whatever and gone through programs? How many people have you served? As of today, we had two last week and then a couple, a couple of weeks ago.

But as of today, I think we are right at 635 people served since 2017. Cool story because I'm all mom all about 100 a year. Yes, we get a that's 10 a month, eight a month. We get a lot and it's not just in Georgia. We get applications from Georgia to California and everywhere in between. Like we just covered up a tattoo on a young lady in Texas a couple of days ago. The day before Thanksgiving, this story, this has never happened in the seven years

that I've been doing this. I actually met her through a program in Atlanta. It was like a drop in day center. A what? A drop in day center. So it was like a drop in day center. A what? A drop in day center. So it was like a place that they could go to get help during the day. And then they would sleep somewhere at night. And usually the people are still in the life.

I don't know. I went there just to talk to them and let them know about our services. Okay. But it's a drop in day. It's like a day center. Yeah. They don't sleep there. You don't know if they're still alive or getting out alive.

You don't know what state. Yeah. Yeah. The world these folks are everything. It's all confidential with their program. Right. I got it. But she, she had some tattoos and she actually had one of a trafficker's name that I have seen on multiple women. So we're going to be working on that one too shortly. But we're sitting in the tattoo shop the day before Thanksgiving. I had just gotten in a car accident a few days beforehand and I'm sitting there pushing through the pain of the accident and I'm sitting there and I'm holding there's I got a picture of it and I'm holding her hand and she's like talking about her story. She's in pain because it's in a painful area. And she's getting

it covered up. And she says some things to me and I go, Whoa, she's still in the life. This girl needs help. Like, so I immediately get on the phone. And she's like, I can't find a bed anywhere. She's like, there's no open beds for long term. So day before Thanksgiving, I get on the phone with a with a friend of mine. And I'm like, the girl said that she tried to call and there wasn't beds. And he was like, on it. We had her bed within an hour. And she within two hours, they had a team that came out from the program to pick her up from the tattoo shop and got her into a program. So like she got help immediately. So like I don't just share stories of seven years ago. We have stories that

are happening just a few weeks ago. And these people are coming through and are getting all around care. Are you when you said that she had a tattoo that you'd seen before? Yeah, that it's interesting because you're kind of the keeper of the tattoo information. No, you got to, I would think law enforcement will want to know what you want to know. What you know.

Well, I actually work with an organization. I actually started doing a survivor hunter with school games. A survivor hunter? Like I'm a survivor. I'm a survivor and I hunt with them. And it's called school games. And their website is schoolgames.io.

And I volunteer with them. And so when we're looking for women, we're actually looking for people that are trafficking them. And so when we're looking for women, we're actually looking for for people that are trafficking them. And we'll see tattoos and they'll ask me like, Hey, Jess, can you tell me about this tattoo? And these are like veterans and law enforcement officers and analysts. And we all meet together and we work together as a community. And they'll ask me about these tattoos. And so I'm able to assist with that. I get a lot of phone calls from people asking me about, you know, can you help me identify this?

What does this mean? I work with gang investigators and they're like, hey, if I have a question, it's something I don't know about. I don't try to be a misnower at all. I literally will call up people and be like, hey, help me out with this because I, I don't know what this one is. So do you know if an obelis is?

You're helping people, you're getting their shame off their body so that they can move on mentally and spiritually and emotionally. You're helping them move on literally and physically with their lives. You're working with people to identify the perpetrators of this evil. From where you wore 15 years ago, from where you are today. It was a totally different person.

And where would you be without your grandmother? I love that woman. I can't ever talk about Ari without talking about my Mimal. I know it's such a southern term, but, you know, I'm from the south, so... I'm southern too. We'll be right back. When Walter Isaacson set out to write his biography of Elon Musk, he believed he was taking on a world-changing figure. That night he was deciding whether or not to allow Starlink to be enabled to allow a sneak

attack on Crimea. What he got was a subject who also sowed chaos and conspiracy. I'm thinking it's idiotic to buy Twitter because he doesn't have a fingertip feel for social, emotional networks. And when I sat down with Isaacs in five weeks ago, he told me how he captured it all. They had Kansas spray paint and they're just putting big axes on machines and it's almost like kids playing on the playground. Just choose them up left, right, and center.

And then like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he doesn't even remember it, getting the bars, done an excuse being a total f***. But I want the reader to see it in action. My name is Evan Ratliffe and this is On Musk with Walter Isaacson. Join us in this four-part series as Isaacson breaks down how he captured a vivid portrait of a polarizing genius. Listen to On Musk on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Cheryl McCollum, host of the Colk case podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island Serial Killer.

Here, Carrie Rosson, daughter of the notorious Serial Killer BT BTK way in on the accused Long Island serial killer's children You show like genuine interest and you you can't fake it But these guys can see like right through to your soul So you you have to be like walled off Prepared and you if you don't know your stuff. They're gonna just call you out and they're gonna be like nope I'm talking to somebody else. I'm not talking to you here And if you don't know your stuff, they're gonna just call you out, and they're gonna be like, nope, I'm talking to somebody else I'm not talking to you.

Here great insight from one of New York City's finest, Detective Joe Jackalone, a Col. K. Secksburg. You know, as well as I do, cops weren't even aware of it back then. So they're going to have some difficulty putting those cases together

unless, of course, he confesses. Listen to Zone 7 with Cheryl McCollum on the I Heart Radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Get ready because Aaron and Karissa from calm down. If got something special coming up at State Farm Park in I Heartland, a reading of Twisted Night before Christmas. Bell infuse it with stories and memories tying into the holiday spirit. Don't miss this special event starting Thursday to 7th at 7 p.m. Eastern at State Farm Park in

I Heartland in Fortnite, available all weekend long. Afterwards, stick around and check out all the exciting things State Farm has to offer. Say hi to Jake from State Farm on the big screen and try to beat Jake Skour at the parkour minigame. Visit iHeartRadio.com slash I Heartland to start playing today. You have a favorite story of somebody you ever worked with to get covered. They're all my favorite stories.

But I get that. I can't I can't think of favorite. I actually hate that question, but this jackat sitting over here always likes me to ask it, you know, the producer tight. But let me just ask this. I get asked that about the kids. I get I get asked that about the kids that I coached. No, I don't have a favorite. They're all different, but there's a story under every element.

And I'm certain there's a story behind every piece of ink. But give us one that people will go, wow, when they hear. I, as she's actually on the pamphlet, there's a young lady who I love very dearly. I talk to her often. who I love very dearly. I talked to her often. There's her. Oh my God, I love all of them. I love everybody that I've worked with. They all have a special place in my heart, but this one right here, I will never forget what she told me. So she was with her trafficker. And I said, what was it like when you got that covered up? Share it with me. And she said, I no longer see the girl I used to see in the hotel mirror. And that has no longer see the girl I see in the hotel mirror. Yeah.

And that stuck with that has stuck with me forever. And I usually like to say that when survivors tell me these things, that those are always going to be tattooed on my heart, because it's beyond, it's beyond me. It's the tattoo community that are stepping up and. Which now you have like 80. Yeah, we have 80 shops across the country that work with us and there's several people in the shop. And then if we have like one artist in one shop,

the other artists get wind of what we're doing and they're like, hey, I want to get on board. And I want to get on board, but we vet these shops. We want to make sure that they don't have any kind of sex crimes or domestic violence crimes in their backgrounds. We want to make sure that when these survivors go into their shops that they are going to be taken care of and respected, which, you know, I've yet to run into a shop where that has been a problem. And I don't think I will ever run into that issue.

But I just have an incredible team of artists. Jessie Rollins, an owner and artist, Ironclad Inc. said, I've seen self-harm scars that go from the wrist to the elbow, branding that I've been put on by pimps and soft-trafflers, women abused by father from five to 15 years old, that had not shed a tear since six and said we gave her back her life. It's the best thing I've ever done. I love Jesse. Jesse's actually the one that repaired my

tattoos from my, uh, the ones that were messed up, he had to go back and fix them all for me. So he's a great guy and he's also a firefighter that works in the community that I live in. Do you have you taken a deep enough breath and a little bit of time to take stock of you? What do you mean? You're changing loves just. I don't know if I can answer that. Well, I can for you.

You're changing loves, but the interesting part, interesting part, and this is universal on this show. This is universal on the show. You're not just changing the loves of the girls and the guys who are getting the gangs and the trafficking tattoos set up. You're changing lives of the artists. You're changing the lives of the community of the quote network that you talk about building because now they're able to use their passions and their talents and an opportunity to need because you created that for them. And for someone to say, a firefighter, to say, um, this is the best thing that I've ever done. He wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for you. He wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for Ari. He wouldn't be doing this if you didn't decide to get rev off the back of a girl's neck one day.

And you became energized where you're passionate in your abilities, met opportunity, and you're changing lots of girls, but you're changing lots of the community of people helping the girls. And you're just a kid from Atlanta who was abused, who fell into a crazy set of circumstances, who's now a mother and is changing lives for people. And I just want to know if you ever take stock of yourself. I usually just keep going. I don't know what you mean by take stock of myself. Like I don't do you ever sit there and look. I don't know what that means. Take stock. If you if

you go down the aisle of a grocery store and there's people putting empty cartons back on empty shelves, it's because they're taking stock. They're looking at what that allist is now, you know, how empty the all was and then they put it up and it becomes restocked. Look at what your life is. I mean, it's phenomenal. What you're doing. And to come where you've come from and do you've had to built this is just so redemptive and so inspiring.

And, you know, I, I just, I hope you take a second to take a deep breath and realize the blessing you now are and other people's lives much like your grandmother was in yours. Okay. I, I, I, I feel like if I try to go, well, look what I did, I feel like, I feel like that looks arrogant, I guess. And so I, I, I try not to do that, but I do look back and, I try not to do that, but I do look back and go, hang, I've come a long way. And I am honored to be able to sit with the people I get to sit with and meet the people that I meet. But I very rarely will go, look at me. I just, I can't. I get that. That's also universal among almost everybody. We interview.

It's kind of the same with me. I get it. But you know, you can't do anything about me saying, hey girl, look at you. You should be so proud. And all of this work, where's money come from? and all of this work, where's the money come from? So, like I've said, we don't have, I don't sit in a fancy office. I'm just a young lady that sits at home and at homeschool my daughter. And I work from my house on my computer and I have people that volunteer.

We don't have huge donors, but we have some that have been very gracious to give. And we depend on just people that hear our story and are moved by what we do to donate so we can continue to do the work. So how do people that are moved by your story donate? They can do that on the website. As soon as they go to arionline.org, it is bag and massive at the very top. It says support ari.

We will thank your money and put it to good use. That's the thing. What goes into ARI goes into direct services. It doesn't go to a high paying CEO, doesn't go into marketing teams, it doesn't go to a high-paying CEO, doesn't go into marketing teams, it doesn't go into a fundraising coach, it goes directly into direct services. And then when I share, and I train, that's how I also bring in funding to the org. So if somebody's listened to us today and they need your service anywhere in the US or their tattoo artist who wants to be part of your service or

or know somebody that needs your service. How do they get in touch with you? They can go on our website, which is online.org or they can call us at 678-926-9946 and they can reach out and we'll do our best to help. We have our provider application on our website so if you're an artist or a removal specialist or a scar revision specialist you can apply on there. If you're a survivor or an former gang involvement or self-harm, there's a survivor application, you can apply on there, or somebody wants to book me to train, to come out and train an iconography. That's iconography. They can book me as a speaker on there. I travel all around and share my lived experience and the work that we do at AI and it's an

honor every time I get to do that. And it's actually healing for me when I get to share my story. I think it's healing for people to listen to it. And you know, if you tune in and listen to this whole interview and hear the first 20 minutes of it, you got to be going holy crap. Where's this going? And it's ending at a beautiful place that is full of redemption and grace and love and unconditional love and amazing work. I am so inspired by the work you've done.

And like we talk about a lot, we don't go around interviewing A-listers. We're going around and interviewing normal folks who are seeing places in Eden Philadelphia, and you, my friend, are an unbelievable example of no matter where you come from, what you've been through, how you are, you can always find redemption, you can always make your life work, and then you can always be a shining life for other people. And you are my friend, you are certainly a member of Army of

normal folks, but maybe you're like a captain or a lieutenant or something because you're amazing. Thank you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you joining us. I appreciate that. And I appreciate all of you for joining us this week. If Jessica Lamb or another guest has inspired you in general or better yet to take action by donating to Atlanta Redemption Inc. by joining their network of tattoo artists or something else entirely, please let me know. I really want to hear about it. You can write me any time at billatnormalfokes.us

and guys, I will respond. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with friends and on social. Subscribe to the podcast, rate and review it. Become a premium member at normalfokes.us, all these things that will help us grow an army of normal folks for premium members we will have bonus content from this episode and it's me asking Jessica if she's been able to forgive her trafficker and I promise you what she says is powerful.

If you don't want to miss it become a premium member today. I'm Bill Courtney. We'll see you next week. Walter Isaacson set out to write about a world-changing genius in Elon Musk and found a man addicted to chaos and conspiracy. I'm thinking it's idiotic to buy Twitter because he doesn't have a fingertip feel for social, emotional, networks. The book launched a thousand hot takes, so I sat down with Isaacson to try to get past

the noise. I like the fact that people who say I'm not as tough on Musk as I should be are always using anecdotes from my book to show why we should be tough on musk? Join me Evan Ratliffe for on musk with Walter Isaacson. Listen on the iHeart Radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Cheryl McCollum host of the Colk case podcast zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to your cases like the Long Island serial killer. You show like genuine interest and you can't fake it. But these guys can see like right through to your soul. So you have to be like prepared. If you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call you

out. Listen to zone seven with Cheryl McCollum on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Get ready because Aaron and Karissa from Calm Down have got something special coming up at State Farm Park in I Heartland, a reading of Twisted Night Before Christmas. Bell and Pews, it was stories and memories tying into the holiday spirit. Don't miss this special event starting Thursday to 7th as 7 p.m. Eastern as State Farm Park in I Heartland and Fortnite, available all weekend long.

Afterwards, stick around and check out all the exciting things State Farm has to offer. Say hi to Jake from State Farm on the big screen and try to be Jake's core at the parkour minigame. Visit iHeartRadio.com slash I Heartland to start playing today.