Ending Modern-Day Slavery ... and Taking Fridays Off | Kathyann Powell, Exec. Director, Saving Jane
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Ending Modern-Day Slavery ... and Taking Fridays Off | Kathyann Powell, Exec. Director, Saving Jane
Today we have a truly inspirational guest, Kathyann Powell, who was living a glamourous life in the dazzling world of high fashion in New York City until four years ago. That’s when, one morning, she awoke with a start and knew this was no longer enough. And this was no vague sense of wanting “to do something more meaningful.”
It was dramatic, heroic, and specific. In that pre-dawn moment, she knew she wanted to devote the rest of her life to ending human trafficking and modern-day slavery, even though she’d never thought about this before or been exposed to the problem.
But voice in her head was unmistakable --- and even had a name for it.
She would go from being a fashionista to an abolishinista. And that’s exactly what she did.
Today, Kathyann runs Saving Jane. She dedicates her time to visiting schools throughout New York City and teaching kids about human trafficking. She used play, story-telling, and the power of comic books and computer games to give kids tools to keep them safe from perpetrators and help them recognize potential victims. And as big as it is, the Big Apple is only her first target.
The problem is global, and so is her ambition.
Join us as we learn more about human trafficking and discover how each one of us can join the fight against modern-day slavery, plus there will be talk of lavender fields, playing hooky on Fridays, and vegan cheesecake.
More about Kathyann:
Email giveback@savingjane.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kathyann-powell-b5796a73
Kathyann Powell migrated to the US from Barbados with her mother in 1986 and was interested in fashion from an early age, eventually attending FIT and obtaining a merchandising degree. She then parlayed that experience into a 14-year career in luxury retail sales which she found to be lucrative but unfulfilling in spite of winning accolades from her management team and national recognition while being featured in company magazines.
In 2017, she attended a leadership training program and chose to retire from fashion and sales and use her new freedom to explore all the things she had never had time to do. She became a gourmet chef, took up Pilates and yoga, and moved to Las Vegas to enjoy the weather. About three months later, in late February of 2018, she had an epiphany and chose to dedicate her life to helping survivors of human trafficking. She founded Saving Jane in March of 2018. Today she spends her time creating new ways to address the three pillars of Saving Jane: Awareness, Prevention, and the Aftercare of survivors.
