Hold on! Wait. What is this blog about?

Sex, Money, and a Herd of Children is really more like commercial sexual exploitation, couponing, and life there after. Which is a far cry from “normal”, but it is what I call reality.

My name is Jessica Richardson.

I am a wife, mother of five, abolitionist, business woman, and humanitarian.

I am a survivor of intensive trauma and sex trafficking.

I am free because of my Creator.

I have a passion for justice.

My thoughts are big.

My life is random.

My voice is loud.

I am strong.

2002
10/26
CATEGORY
The Nitty Gritty of My Life (My Story)
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Brainwashing in the Little Things

Lately, I’ve come to realize how much the brainwashing that happened when I was trafficked has affected my everyday life. When we think of trafficking, we think of the huge effects that it has a person. The difficulty in learning to trust again, learning how to love and be loved sometimes for the very 1st time, or simply believing that every person wants to abuse you.

The last few weeks, I have paid attention to all my little actions. I don’t know why I’ve been so hyperaware of my every movement, but I started to notice a pattern. Read more

2011
11/08
CATEGORY
Sex Trafficking and Exploitation
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Art Work by Jesse Beam

Sometimes an artist does a project that changes the minds of people.

Jesse Beam is one of those artists.

His vision is to share the stories of survivors, honoring their lives, and giving hope to others. Read more

2011
11/03
CATEGORY
Sex Trafficking and Exploitation
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My Favorite Poem

Every day for the 14 months that Mom lived with us before she passed away, I would read a poem that she had taped to the back of her door. It quickly became my favorite poem of all time and expresses the way I feel in my Christian walk.

The Refiner’s Fire

He sat by the fire of seven-fold heat,
As He watched by the precious ore.
And closer He bent with a searching gaze
As He heated it more and more.
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2011
07/16
CATEGORY
Random Family Goodness
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Sharing My Life

I come alive when I share my life story. I feel like I am living within the purpose I was created for, I am free. I get to see lives change before my eyes, the audience understands the lows and rejoices in the victories.

I don’t think that most survivors share my experience. I have talked to many survivors that have done presentations and interviews and most say that it is painful to share and hear the feedback about their lives. I want survivors to heal and be able to share their stories, when they are ready and they have a community of support around them. So when the media writes a bad article they have people to support and encourage them. The articles and questions can be gut-wrenching, but with support, sharing can be healing. Read more

2011
07/12
CATEGORY
Sex Trafficking and Exploitation
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Beauty

As I was out on a walk I noticed this little flower.

It’s beauty struck me. Read more

2011
07/08
CATEGORY
Random Family Goodness
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Aftercare Housing

I have been asked many times what a shelter, home, or facility for domestically sex trafficked victims should look like and what should be included. This is by no means an in depth study or even a guideline for how a shelter should be ran. This is exclusively my opinion as a survivor of domestic sex trafficking and my thoughts after working with many survivors.

A few months ago, I had the privilege of meeting Lisa Goldblatt-Grace, who co-wrote a very good study on residential facilities, it provides a great breakdown of the clinical side of services that are needed. It is a great starting point. Read more

2011
07/05
CATEGORY
Sex Trafficking and Exploitation
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healing in public

I believe that I am on to a new journey. I know that healing is never truly done but I out of all the things that I could do in public, healing, is not one that I would choose to do in a setting with the world watching. However I am learning some valuable lessons.

When I posted this blog post about the financial difficulties that my family is having, the weight lifted. I did end up applying for a job at IHOP and for the first time in my life I went to an interview and did NOT get the job. I knew that God was guiding me. Sure enough that week we finished the SMART Couponing System and my business was able to make money for the first time in over a year! Read more

2011
06/22
CATEGORY
Random Family Goodness
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Ramen Noodles

I woke up this morning and my head was spinning. I hate being sick. By noon, I was able to stumble down the stairs and look for food. Nothing sounds good. Then on the bottom shelf, I spot it.

Top Ramen. The kind that used to cost 10 cents a bag and now 16 years later only costs 14 cents a meal. Then in my haze, I start to remember the days when I lived on ramen.

Maybe the thoughts of my teens were spurred by the ramen, or the fact that Sierra (my sister) had witnessed a gang shooting yesterday. Or the spinning in my head left me open to remembering the past. Either way, as I stare at that bowl of noodles and instinctively grab the hot sauce and douse my noodles in spice. The thoughts came back like a flood.

The violence. The fights. The shootings.

I started to write this a couple months ago and I stopped writing. I don’t know why. Maybe it was that I was sick, or maybe I just didn’t want to think about the blood. Either way I think it is important to post this because the simplest things can trigger old thoughts or feeling. My life is about understanding the triggers so I can move forward with my head high and a smile on my face!

2011
06/08
CATEGORY
Random Family Goodness
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My $0.02 on Stopping Domestic Sex Trafficking – Resources

I have a lot of people ask me what needs to be done to stop trafficking. While that is a HUGE question and I think that we can break it down a bit. If we all take ownership of a little tiny piece of the great big picture then we have a good chance of stopping the vast majority of sex trafficking within the US.

I have broken the BIG picture down into four categories; awareness, prevention, aftercare, and legislation. There are tons of local, national, and international anti-trafficking non-profits and all of them fall into one or more of categories that need to be addressed in order for us to make a big impact.

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2011
05/31
CATEGORY
Sex Trafficking and Exploitation
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And 32 years later…

In all honesty, I never thought that I would live this long. I also never thought that I would have children, but then I had one and thought “ahh, what the heck! I might as well have half a dozen.” In keeping with that same thought process, if I made it this far I might as well just keep on going!

I don’t have normal milestones like the rest of the world. I was the happiest person alive to turn 30 years old. I had been in my 20′s for over 14 years because of living under a false name. So, 30 I felt like I was starting over. Finally, a new decade! Most women want to be younger than they but after living as 5 years older for 4 1/2 years I already feel younger! Had I not gone back to my birth name when I was pregnant with Allie I could be 37 right now, so 32 works for me. Read more

2011
05/26
CATEGORY
Random Family Goodness
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