Susie Hageman is a local friend of mine and I’m very excited to have her on the show with me because she is doing very important work, at a local level, on a global crisis.
Susie has a clinical doctorate in Physical Therapy and works primarily with patients in an outpatient orthopedic setting, spends her time with her sons, and volunteers in her community with a passionate voice in her efforts to address the issue of human trafficking in her community and state.
In this episode, Susie and I discuss how learning human trafficking existed in her community and state changed her life, why human trafficking became Susie’s cause instead of other societal issues, the place Susie’s found for herself in the fight against human trafficking, her advice for speaking to your children about human trafficking, and more!
Take a listen to the episode below!
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Transcript
Hey, hey! It’s Andrea, and welcome to the Voice of Influence podcast!
Today, I have with me my friend, Susie Hageman, who is a local friend. And I’m excited to have her with me because she is somebody who is really doing some important work on a local level over a global topic. We’ll explain that here in a minute, but let me just introduce you to Susie Hageman.
Susie has a clinical doctor in physical therapy and works primarily with patients in an outpatient orthopedic setting before choosing to stay home with her son, and now she is working a little more again. She continues to volunteers in her community with a passionate voice in her efforts to address the issue of human trafficking in her community and her state.
Andrea: Susie, thank you so much for being here on the Voice of Influence podcast.
Susie Hageman: Hello! Thank you for having me Andrea. I appreciate this.
Andrea: Alright, so you’re a physical therapist, a mom, and a Christian, somebody who just really has a passion in your heart for a topic that you really have pursued in a very wholehearted way. But also, you’ve got all these other things going on as well. I’m curious. Those of us who are trying to figure out what our purpose is, our mission, or our message, is there something that is driving you like a message or a mission that is driving you as kind of a citizen leader?
Susie Hageman: You know, I think it just kind of came in bits and pieces initially. When I first learned about human trafficking, it disturbed me and I just thought, “How can I apply this to my life? How can I be making different choices in what I purchase and be making an impact that way?” It just grew from there.
When I learned that trafficking exists in my state and it exists in my community that broke my heart and I just began questioning again, “What can I be doing as an individual to address this?” I think this topic of human trafficking in particular because _____ obviously other areas in our society where our hearts can be broken also.
But human trafficking, I think, spoke to me personally just because I tend to be kind of an independent girl that just kind of like to move to the beat of her own drum a little bit and I’ve just really appreciate independence. I think that’s what drove me to choose physical therapy as a career.
Andrea: Explain that. What is physical therapy has to do with independence?
Susie Hageman: I really enjoy restoring people back to as much as independence as much as they can. I enjoy helping them find a way to make adaptations or restore whatever physical restrictions they may have so they can get back to living life the way they want to and that’s what is the feeling for me in my career.
I think when I learned about human trafficking, it just really bothered me to think that someone might not have a say in how they live their life. That’s the part that independence, that freedom is the part that just really kind of spoke to me as individual and kind of drew me in and why I’m passionate about it.
So I kind of see as kind of a common thread that runs through the different areas of my life. So yeah that’s I think why human trafficking in particular stood out to me as far as where I get involved in my community.
Andrea: It’s really interesting. I like that connection that you mean there between restoring people to their independence physically and like with their physical body but then also in this human trafficking arena.
We know that this is a big issue on a global level. It’s hard to even kind of fathom I think for most of us and some of us maybe more familiar with the issues around human trafficking while others may not. But I know that your focus has been more of that state and city level, so can you tell us why that in particular, why did you decide to focus more locally?
Susie Hageman: So when you look at the issue of human trafficking, it is very complex. It can be overwhelming and so I just kind of began to look at what I could do with an individual. When I saw the statistics of other states that every month, 900 individuals are sold for sex in the state of Nebraska and out of those 900 individuals 70% to 75% show indicators of being trafficked. And that Grand Island, my community is the highest per capita in the state for individuals sold for sex. Those are statistics for the human trafficking initiative.
When I looked at those numbers, they obviously creeped me and I realized that the problem here where I live, and if this is where I live and where I work and move; this is where I could be making an impact. I’m not a service provider. I’m not in the law enforcement so I don’t want to be doing job if I’m not qualified for. So I just began to look at “OK, this is the problem, where can I fit on the team and make a difference?”
When I asked that question, I started to see that there was need for funding for programs to help support survivors and victims of human trafficking I thought “Well, I had experience in putting together events. I have this group of friends that are willing to help me.” So that’s kind of a direction I went
Part 2
We started the STOP fund and there’s a need to stop trafficking on the planes. And our intention is to build up this fund so that we can provide financial support to service organizations that directly assist trafficking victims that needs such as medical care, counseling, shelter, transportation to shelters, basic need, and helping them transition back to independent living.
So that’s kind of where we saw where we could fit in to the team and be a useful contributing member. So, yeah, that’s kind of where I found my place in the fight against trafficking.
Andrea: You know, I know that there are some different service organizations that you’re helping fund with the STOP fund, can you explain why you chose to do to create this fund rather than just supporting every single one of this in other way? Is there a reason why you chose to fund versus supporting one particular organization?
Susie Hageman: Well, when you look at the trauma that trafficking victims go through, they need more than just shelter. They need counseling. They need medical care. There’s a lot of different pieces of the puzzle to put together and that involves teamwork from a lot of different organizations.
So yeah, we could have done fundraising from one organization but then we wouldn’t have been meeting the need in all the other areas. So we started the fund to be kind of just a general place for financial resources for all the organizations so that we can kind of help put in pieces to all the other areas of needs for the trauma survivors. So that’s why we started the fund because we saw there was more than one organization that was going to need help.
Honestly, when we look at our nonprofit, they’re service providers but they also have to do a lot of the fundraising themselves and that takes up time. They’re doing an important work. I want to release some of the energy that they’re having to put into fundraising just to support their programs and relieve them of that so they can be doing the important work that they’re trained to do. So that’s why we did with the fund rather than fundraise for a specific organization.
Andrea: What kind of reception the STOP fund received from both service organizations and the community?
Susie Hageman: It’s been beautiful to see the community embraced it and come alongside and support it. Our first banquet was very successful. We’ve been able to give out two grants so far and the service organizations do appreciate the support that we’re giving them and they do appreciate just being recognized for the amazing work that they’re doing.
They tend to be very humble people. They don’t take a trumpet and announce all the amazing things that they’re doing. So just for someone to recognize the amazing work that they’re doing that is honestly really hard and heartbreaking. Just for someone to recognize that and give them a pat in the back and say, “We see you, we’re wanting to help you,” is I think really encouraging to them. So they appreciate it.
I did not anticipate how encouraging it would be to law enforcements. I just have a lot of respect for law enforcements and I just learned to just appreciate them even more after starting this fund, just their hearts for justice. They’ve been very appreciative of the STOP fund as well.
I didn’t really take the time to realize that their job is to catch the perpetrator. It’s not their job to help the victim. They’re helping the victim by catching the perpetrator. They don’t have the resources to then help the victims. That’s somebody else’s job and the resources is there _____.
So for them to know that there’s funding available to help transport someone to a shelter or there’s funding available for a shelter those kinds of things have been really encouraging to them. They’ve been really supportive of the fund also for those reasons just because they have a heart for justice. They want victims to be taken care of and _____ heart for that has been really beautiful as well.
We’ve been very well received and it’s just encouraging to see the community come around it. We knew that the community wanted to fight trafficking too. They just needed a way to do so. To see it fly out so beautifully has just been an amazing experience.
When they got a call when the first grant went out, I kind of just wished to all the people that had donated to the STOP fund could have been there for that moment because it was a powerful moment. I wish they all could have been there for that because they’re all part of it.
Andrea: That’s really cool! I mean, you’re giving people the opportunity to help where they might not otherwise known how to help and it just feels overwhelming.
Susie Hageman: Yes, yes! This gives us all chance to be able to do something.
Andrea: So Susie when you’re thinking about people gaining the independence and restoring people to their independence, why is it such a burden for you?
Susie Hageman: You know, I have this quote “God is my favorite artist and you’re His masterpiece.” And I think that we are all made for a purpose and it’s beautiful. What makes human trafficking so heartbreaking is because people aren’t allowed to live the life they want to. They’re being controlled or coerced by someone else. That’s not their whole story and even that part of their story can be woven into a beautiful tapestry.
I just think that when we live out our own purpose, when we live out our own passion, there’s a deeper sense of joy and satisfaction rather than just going through life trying to as comfortable as possible. That might be okay but it doesn’t give you a deep sense of satisfaction and joy. When you’re living out what you’re made to do and you’re kind of using your gifts and your talents and your experiences to make an impact, it’s kind of meaningful, joyful, and satisfying.
I think for me, anyway, being a part of the story of others and being a part of a team or being in a community of others and I think it’s important for everyone even introverts. I would say I’m an outgoing introvert myself, being a part of that community and bringing that out in others is also deeply satisfying and then seeing them live out that joy and satisfaction, brings you joy and satisfaction as well. Does that make sense?
Andrea: Sure! Oh yeah, I totally agree.
Susie Hageman: I think we are meant to live in a community and I think we are meant to live out who you’re made to be and when that happens, it’s just a beautiful, beautiful experience. So I would encourage people to, it may not be human trafficking, but quite honestly if you’re mentoring youth in your community, you’re helping prevents human trafficking.
I mean, it’s such a complex topic that there’s multiple ways to go about addressing it. But if you’re living out what drives you, if you’re living out where your gifts and talents are and when you are fulfilling your purpose, it’s a beautiful thing. I guess I would encourage people to do that and to not be afraid to step out there and try new things. Don’t be afraid to fall. It’s OK to say I don’t know everything. You know, I don’t think any of us expect other people to know everything.
Throughout this experience, I haven’t known everything about how to set up a fund along the way, but I’ve been willing to say, “I don’t know about this but I’m gonna try this. Will you help me along the way?” And people have been very gracious about it. So I think fear of not knowing how to do it perfectly shouldn’t pull anyone back because you can always learn along the way.
Andrea: Hmm love that. OK, so you’re also a wife and a mother of some small kids. Really, how do you bring them in what you’re doing with the STOP fund? What kind of conversations do you guys have at home with your kids, with your husband? How does this work with your family?
Susie Hageman: Well, so the STOP fund, Travis, my husband is a part of it too. He’s a physician, so his job, obviously, requires a lot of his time, where I could develop more of my time too to actually work with the fund and he’s very much a part of it too. It’s something that’s on both of our hearts. We are a team of this. So it’s kind of a partnership, I would say. It’s not really my thing or his thing. We do it together.
And with the boys, it’s hard because of their ages, they’re 5 and 8, I mean to go into specific details about it. They know that human trafficking is making someone else work a job that they don’t necessarily want to work. We kind of just go into a more level that’s appropriate for their age and they know that that’s not nice.
So they know that mommy and daddy are trying to bring awareness that it didn’t happen anymore and to help those people out of that life so that they can live the life that they want to live. They know that’s important and they know what’s important.
We, as a family, do things for other people in our community and we take time to be appreciative of the things that we have. They know that that’s important to be involved in a community, being thankful for what we have and to share what we have. So I guess, they know about it through that way. Does that make sense?
Andrea: Yeah.
Susie Hageman: And it’s not just the STOP fund, it’s more just teaching them to be good citizens and good community leaders in general. So the STOP fund comes under that but it’s bigger than just the STOP fund I guess is what we’re trying to teach our kids.
Andrea: Yeah. It sounds like you’re teaching them core values of your family.
Susie Hageman: Yeah, but they’re proud of it. I don’t know how much the completely grasp it but they’re still young. But they’re supportive of it and they see it’s a team between Travis and I too. So I think that makes a big difference too when both parents are onboard and supportive of something, the kids are more likely to come onboard too and that’s unified family decisions. Does that make sense?
Andrea: Oh yeah. I think that’s something that can get kind of confusing knowing how to talk to your kids about a topic like this that’s so mature and so intense but yet, you’re so involved with it. I think there’ve been times when I’ve tried to talk to my own daughter about it and my son. It’s kind of confusing but I think it’s confusing to know what to say to them I guess.
But I think it make sense that you would focus on the fact that these people are being forced to work jobs that they don’t want to work and that’s not right and you’re trying to do something about it. I think that makes a lot of sense and I think it helps other parents to think about how we can address this with our kids too. So I appreciate you sharing that.
Susie Hageman: Yeah and I think with human trafficking in general, I think there’s a lot of parents or most the parents of teens or preteens that asked me questions about how to bring up with their kids. I think to look at it from a bigger picture than just talking to them about trafficking. But like for smaller children talking to them about _____ what’s appropriate context versus inappropriate context that kind of thing.
And with older kids, talking about healthy relationship, having healthy relationships modeled at home so that they know when they start dating if what’s healthy and appropriate way to be treated and to treat others and what’s inappropriate. Because oftentimes trafficking isn’t the headline grabbing, you know, child kidnapped at a big store type of setting.
It’s a traffic who grooms the child is their friend or their boyfriend or girlfriend at first and then starts saying “Well, I’ve bought you these nice things, how are you going to help me pay for them? We can have this nice life if you help me pay for it. How about you do this to help me pay for it?” That’s kind of how as far as sex trafficking, that’s kind of how it starts.
So teaching kids healthy relationships and that kind of thing teaching them to be wise on the internet. Those are ways for parents to educate their kids and kind of start the conversation in a way that keep them safe from human trafficking versus “Just be careful so you don’t get kidnapped.” You know what I mean?
Andrea: Right. Oh yeah.
Susie Hageman: That doesn’t really keep them safe you know talking to them about healthy relationships, what makes a good friend and what makes a bad friend, and how to be a good friend. You know those kinds of things are topics that are going to keep them safer overall.
Andrea: Those were really great things for us to keep in mind for anybody that has kids in their life, whether you’re a teacher or you’re a parent or aunt or an uncle or whoever to make sure that we’re modeling those healthy relationships like you’re talking about, Susie. And then being able to really explain to make sure that they know not to…I don’t know, to make sure that they know what it looks like when somebody is grooming them.
I think that that is something that adults need to understand because it’s easy for adults even to be drawn into inappropriate responses in relationships because we’re being groomed or shamed or we don’t know what those healthy relationships are. So we don’t know how to model that for our kids. I think that can often be the case.
So I think that what you’re sharing here is so important to these parents and those educational institutions and churches, anybody that deals with kids for them to understand like we need to be communicating these things, I think.
Susie Hageman: For me personally, I am trying to learn not to react but to listen and keep conversation open and engaged so that when the boys get to those ages where they don’t think I’m cool anymore and hopefully I can still have conversations with them. I mean, I’m not an expert but that’s the part that _____ just keeping those lines of communication open and then having a support system around you because they aren’t always going to listen to their parents but maybe they’ll listen to a family friend or the aunt or the uncle.
You know, I laughed because I picked up a friend’s daughter for her from her practice and she’s going to spend that evening at our house. And so of course the first thing you do is feed the kid. So we were in the fast food drive through and we started having a conversation about the perils of alcohol, “Oh maybe you won’t listen to your mom.”
Although she’s a very good girl and she’s not going to be doing that, but at the same time, and knowing that she’s going to be getting that age or she’s going to be facing those kinds of questions amongst her peers. So I started into this whole _____ about the perils of alcohol while waiting the drive through lines. And so I thought, “She might not listen to her mom but she might listen to me.” _____ kids are probably going to be running away from crazy Susie, but yeah it takes the whole support system, you know.
Andrea: Absolutely! I really appreciate it when other parents or other adult figures have wise conversation with my kids like that. I really appreciate that.
Susie Hageman: We have to invest in each other and in each other’s kid, you know. It’s takes everybody pitching in.
Andrea: What we’re talking about here I think is really interesting because one of the other thoughts that I’ve had on this topic is that when we have a more authoritarian kind of parenting or leadership style, we’re kind of really training people to not have a voice, to not use their voice, and to not either believe that they do have one or that they should have one.
So I’m afraid of situations like that. I fear for kids who grew up in authoritarian households or in a context with a, you know, whether it’d be a church or a school with a really heavy handed don’t-question authority kind of situation because I do think that maybe even, especially girls they want to please. So they learn to not question. They learn not listen to that inner voice inside when they get into that other situation where there might somebody grooming them for something terrible, it’s harder for them to be able to speak up.
Susie Hageman: Yeah, the shame keeps them from speaking up to the people that care that would help them out of that situation. Yeah, and I will admit that I am the parent that will speak up and state my opinion mostly out of fear in my heart because I want my kids make the right choice. I’m really trying to back off from doing that and I keep my mouth shut and let them talk through their scenario before I insert my opinion or wait _____.
So that I do keep those lines of communication open because if it is just black and white and I’d be wrong then it shuts down that communication and it shames them then I might be putting them at a higher risk _____.
Andrea: Yeah that inner voice too. It makes them think that “Oh gosh, I dunno what I’m talking about.” And then they start to believe that they don’t know what they’re talking about. They shouldn’t trust what they’re feeling and that sort of thing. I think that it’s so true we have still have to insert our opinion or we still have to calm down with “No, you can’t do this and here’s why,” but to guide them through the…
Susie Hageman: But that should be the initial response.
Andrea: Yeah, I really appreciate the way you said that because if there’s something really important about guiding them through that process of thinking it through. This is teaching them how to have that inner voice in the future which is incredibly important and valuable in so many different levels.
Gosh, I love the topic. I love this conversation went in that direction, and I love what you’re doing. I love that you stood up and said “You know, I’ve got to do something. What am I gonna do?” Instead of “I wish I could do something. I don’t know what to do,” you just kind of figured it out. “What kind I do? Where do we fit in this equation of helping this problem of human trafficking?”
I’m really thankful for people like you who step in to those roles and do this kind of behind the scenes but very important work of helping to fund these other nonprofits and things like that. Or whatever kinds of efforts that you’re wanting to make in life, you know whatever kind of things you’re wanting to support to be able to just step up and say, “OK, how can I help,” instead of saying “I don’t know how to help,” and then just giving up.
So thank you for everything that you’ve been doing in that regard.
Susie Hageman: Thank you for giving me an opportunity to here in your podcast and I really appreciate it.
Andrea: What would be something that you would like the listeners to really take away from this conversation today?
Susie Hageman: That there’s a reason that they are here and it may be related to human trafficking. It maybe something completely unrelated with human trafficking, but they are here for a reason. They’re made for a purpose. And if there’s something that’s keeping them up awake at night, if there’s something a nagging thing that just won’t go away that just really keeps coming back to them, I just want to encourage them to pursue that and just keep pursuing it and keep approaching it and working on it until they find what’s in store for them there. Because I think that we all have amazing things that we can do and everybody has gifts to share.
It is beautifully satisfying and joyful to find where you fits and how you can help. So I would encourage your learners to just keep pursuing that nagging thing that keeping them awake at night because they may find that joy in that.
Andrea: It’s great. Thank you so much for your time today, Susie!
Susie Hageman: Thank you, Andrea. I appreciate you!