A Conversation on Healing, Hope and Human Trafficking Awareness
Updated: Aug 4
In this powerful conversation, Georgie Perigny speaks with Christie Polson about her personal journey, her work with the Risen Foundation, and the urgent need for awareness around human trafficking. What begins as a deeply personal story about shame, healing, and transformation evolves into a broader call to action for families, educators, communities, and policymakers.
Christie shares how her early life on a farm in rural Alberta shaped her work ethic and confidence, but also how family divorce and rejection left deep emotional wounds. As a teenager, she turned to drinking and drugs as a way to numb pain. But even in those darkest moments, Christie describes spiritual encounters that changed the course of her life — moments of healing, compassion, and unexpected hope.
One of the most moving parts of the conversation is Christie’s story about becoming pregnant at 16. She describes the fear, shame, and isolation she felt, along with the compassion of a youth worker who encouraged her to return home. That simple act of kindness became a turning point. Later, she recounts a remarkable birth experience that reinforced her belief that she was not alone and that healing was possible. Christie also speaks openly about the long-term impact of self-hatred and negative thinking on her physical health.
After years of chronic pain and thyroid issues, she began to understand the connection between mindset, stress, and the body. Through a combination of spiritual conviction, practical change, and renewed thinking, she experienced healing and found a new sense of purpose. That purpose eventually led her into human trafficking awareness and advocacy. Christie explains that she originally knew very little about trafficking and didn’t believe it could be happening in small-town Alberta. But after encountering survivors in Iraq and then seeing signs of exploitation closer to home, her perspective changed dramatically. She started researching and paying closer attention to what was happening around her. Her work eventually became the foundation for outreach efforts in Canada.
Christie and her team now focus on two major areas: direct outreach to victims and public awareness. They collaborate with community leaders, schools, churches, law enforcement, and government representatives to help people recognize the signs of trafficking and understand how widespread the issue really is. A major theme in the conversation is that human trafficking is not just a distant or international issue — it is local, hidden, and often misunderstood. Christie emphasizes that traffickers are active in small towns and cities, and that awareness is one of the most important tools communities have. She encourages people not to ignore their instincts and to ask questions when something feels off. The conversation also explores how large public events can create opportunities for trafficking, and why coordinated responses from police, NGOs, and policymakers are so important. Christie shares examples of major enforcement efforts and notes that progress is possible when people take the issue seriously and work together.
Toward the end of the discussion, Christie introduces her leadership retreat business, Elevate Escapes, which creates meaningful space for women leaders to connect, rest, and grow. Though very different from her trafficking work, it reflects the same heart: helping people heal, lead, and live with purpose. She speaks candidly about learning to lead from a place of rest rather than exhaustion or anxiety.
The conversation closes with Christie’s strong warning about pornography as a fuel source for trafficking and exploitation. She explains the psychological, relational, and physiological effects it can have, especially on children, and why age verification and stronger safeguards matter. While the topic is heavy, her message remains anchored in hope: people can change, healing is possible, and communities can make a difference.
This episode is more than a story — it is a reminder that awareness leads to action, and action can save lives. If you would like to learn more about Christie’s work and advocacy, watch the full video below. If you would like to learn more about Authentic Self-Compassion, please visit: www.authenticselfcompassion.ca
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