Kait Gannon is the Founder and CEO of Mezzo Allies, Inc., which raises awareness for family-controlled human trafficking and child sexual abuse. She is a survivor of family-controlled commercial child sexual exploitation and shares her experience through public speaking and hosting the podcast The Ugly Truth About the Girl Next Door. With a background in social work, Kait is trained in suicide prevention and was the program director for a public health clinic in Buffalo, New York.

Laurie Krull is the Clinical Director of Mezzo Allies, Inc., the co-host of The Ugly Truth About the Girl Next Door podcast, and a licensed clinical social worker. With over 30 years of clinical experience, she specializes in foster care, adoption, and trauma. Laurie began her career as a social worker with child protective services before working in an outpatient children’s mental health ward.

Sex trafficking isn’t talked about enough, as most people remain unaware of the magnitude of abuse taking place throughout the world, believing it’s relegated to minority groups and third-world countries. Yet much of this trafficking occurs within the family unit, as 82% of survivors report parents or extended family members as primary offenders. How can you educate yourself and become a fierce advocate for child sex trafficking victims?

A family home is supposed to be a safe haven, but for Kait Gannon, it was a recurring nightmare. Beginning before the age of four and continuing well into adulthood, Kait was sexually trafficked by her parents, grandparents, and uncles — a mere pawn in a generations-long organized trafficking scheme. After receiving threatening messages following repeated attempts to escape, Kait connected with trauma social worker Laurie Krull, who helped her reconcile the compartmentalized abuse with other areas of her life, leading to support initiatives for child sexual abuse victims. Through rigorous training programs and volunteering with mission-based organizations, you can become an advocate these survivors need.

Tune in to the latest episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show as Andrea Heuston welcomes Kait Gannon and Laurie Krull of Mezzo Allies, Inc., to talk about family-organized child sex trafficking. Together, they uncover abuse survivors’ compartmentalized worlds, how to reconcile prolonged trauma, and the three levels of public understanding in human trafficking.

Lisa Fain is the CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence and the founder of Vista Coaching. She was formerly senior director of the diversity and inclusion function at Outerwall Inc. (former parent company to automated retail giants Redbox and Coinstar). She is a certified mediator through Chicago’s Center for Conflict Resolution, and a certified life coach through the International Coach Academy.

The Harvard Business Review reveals that corporations have a more inclusive culture when women and other minority groups occupy C-suite and board positions. How can mentoring and leadership coaching lead organizations to adopt these practices?

As a leader in DEI, Lisa Fain maintains that mentorship is inclusion in action. Mentoring up-and-coming leaders invites transparent conversations about diversity through relationships and connections. The relationship between mentors and mentees is reciprocal, with both parties learning from each other. Companies can create a mentoring culture by providing ongoing support and training that enables consistent communication.

Tune in to the latest episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show as Andrea Heuston welcomes Lisa Fain, the CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence, to talk about the role of mentoring in leadership and organizational inclusion. Lisa shares the most common mentoring myth, why she transitioned from a legal career to an entrepreneur, and how to build trust between a mentor and mentee.

Diane DiResta is the CEO of DiResta Communications, Inc., a consultancy serving business leaders who deliver high-stakes presentations. As a certified speaking coach and communications professional, she coaches executives to be influential public speakers and delivers keynote speeches, seminars, and workshops to train teams in effective communication and leadership skills. Diane is also the author of Knockout Presentations and has been featured on CNN and quoted in the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Although it may seem far-fetched, 78% of people would rather die than speak on stage. This is especially true for women, who often overanalyze their public personas. Yet public speaking is crucial for leaders who want to make an impact. How can you overcome your fears to deliver confident speeches?

Master presenter Diane DiResta maintains that since the presentation is for the audience’s benefit, to be nervous is to be self-centered. Instead, shift your perspective to create an informative and memorable experience for your listeners. Delivering powerful speeches requires understanding yourself, your audience, and your message without relying on memorization or using passive phrases such as “like” or “I think.”

In today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Diane DiResta, the CEO of DiResta Communications, joins Andrea Heuston to discuss how to communicate with confidence and intention. Diane talks about her military upbringing, how she leads like a woman, and the dos and don’ts of Q&A sessions.