80% Return to Their Trafficker. Empowered Network Changed That with Kristy Norbert

Kristy Norbert is the co-founder and executive director of Empowered Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 that partners with survivors of human trafficking to achieve economic independence. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience, Kristy didn't set out to work in anti-trafficking. After moving to Connecticut, she met Abby Fabiaschi, the board chair of an anti-trafficking organization operating in Southeast Asia, and once she saw exploitation up close, she couldn't walk away. The two co-founded Empowered Network to address the gap that exists after crisis services end, partnering with survivors who have reached stability to build a 12-month empowerment plan covering housing, education, and employment. The organization serves around 200 survivors per year, with fewer than 2% of graduates returning to exploitation after completing the program. **Timestamps:**  \[00:00:00] Who keeps going back? \[00:00:33] What is Empowered Network? \[00:01:04] Why did Kristy end up here? \[00:03:25] What does trafficking look like in the U.S.? \[00:06:09] How does Empowered Network define trafficking? \[00:06:48] What is familial trafficking? \[00:07:58] What long-term impacts does nobody talk about? \[00:08:36] What gap did Empowered Network exist to fill? \[00:10:24] What is the re-trafficking rate? \[00:11:31] When does a survivor enter the program? \[00:13:46] What are the two program pathways? \[00:15:06] What careers and wage gains are survivors seeing? \[00:16:42] How did Empowered Network change how it measures impact? \[00:18:46] Why does this data matter to survivors too? \[00:20:34] What do survivor stories from the program look like? \[00:24:43] What keeps Kristy going? \[00:26:08] How does she stay grounded doing this work? \[00:27:52] How has this work changed how she parents? \[00:31:40] Where is Empowered Network headed? \[00:33:50] How can someone get involved? \[00:36:04] What does Kristy want people to know? **Guest Links:** - Website: https://www.empowerednetwork.com - LinkedIn (Kristy Norbert): https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-norbert-73448231 - LinkedIn (organization page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/empowerednetworkorg/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpoweredNetworkorg/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empowerednetworkorg/ **GTZP Links:** - Website: http://www.gtzp.org - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/ - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQ - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp