We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jan Edwards a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

It started when she attended the United Nations Get Health Summit, where she met Dr. Mehari, a neurologist from Kentucky. Mehari runs a 501(c)(3) focused on orphans and vulnerable children in Ethiopia. “We all have those moments in time when we meet someone or see someone speaking and we feel drawn to connect with them,” Edwards said. “That was the case here.” They kept in touch via text and email until one day he told her of his upcoming trip to Africa. “I said, ‘Have a great time. Let’s talk when you get back,’” she recalled. Mehari’s response came as a question: “Do you want to go?” Well, as Edwards puts it, “It’s not every day you get invited to go to Ethiopia.” So she went.

It started out as a mission trip in the medical field and ended up starting a mission to end child exploitation. On our way home one night in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia , I saw two older men with two younger girls, and it just didn’t feel right. You know that feeling in your gut when things just don’t sit right with you, but you can’t put your finger on it? When I got to my sponsor’s house and told him what I had seen, he said, rather nonchalantly, “That’s human trafficking. I paused him and said “wait, what?” He continued, “Ethiopia has 4.5 million orphans, and we are the No. 1 source of human trafficking in the Middle East.” I said, “hang on, you’re telling me people are selling people?”

And it was right there that this issue was laid on my heart. I came home, started doing research and learned that Florida has the third-highest number of calls to the national trafficking hotline, behind California and Texas. The average age of entry is between 10 and 13. So I said to myself, “Ethiopia, I’m coming for you; however, I need to fix my own backyard first,” and we’ve been on that mission for seven years. Since then, we’ve educated more than 21,000 children and adults from Miami to Washington DC, from Georgia to South Dakota. We’ve helped pass legislation at the state level (such as HB 851 and HB519 in Florida) and working to pass federal legislation and raise national awareness about this horrific crime

Jan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Once I learned the facts, I went on a mission to fully understand why no one was talking about this. I started this journey back in 2013, way before R. Kelly, Epstein and Maxwell were convicted of human trafficking. No one fully understood the darkness that is in our world or how to tackle it.

Being naturally curious, I set out to speak with people at the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, undercover police officers and survivors. I asked everyone the same question: “What’s missing that would make the biggest difference?” They all said awareness. With my background in marketing and advertising, I knew that was something I could do to help.
Since children are the primary targets of predators, it was natural to talk with parents, and we tried, unfortunately, they couldn’t be with the reality of child trafficking and exploitation. That was super frustrating, and I wasn’t giving up.

I’d talk to anybody who would listen, and a plan began to form. I hired business coaches, took additional training and built relationships with other local organizations that were doing similar work. At the time, people were mostly focused on recovery of victims and rehabilitation, which is really important, but only a few were focused on prevention.
Learning that our children were the target, it was a natural place for me to go, directly to the youth to empower them to disrupt the cycle, and that’s how we came to do what we do: educate, empower and prevent child exploitation.

Our audience is students, especially those in middle school, and the people who surround them. I’m happy to say that parents and educators have come around and are hungry for this information as well. We like to talk with parents first, then educate the kids. That way we are all on the same page when engaging in this conversation.

We use our Award Winning film, Trapped in the Trade, to begin the conversation. The film shows the intentional grooming and recruitment of children by children. Then we engage in conversations asking the youth what actions would they take if they were in that situation. We discuss actions they can take to keep themselves and others safe, both online and in person.

I think what sets us apart from most any educational organization or prevention programs is being a huge fan of the Socratic method of teaching. We share the information, both data and stories and then ask engaging questions. We want students to do the critical thinking, having them discover for themselves ways to stay safe, how to share this information and develop the muscle to transform the future by taking small actions today.

One of the things I’m most proud of are our interns that worked with us for a couple of semesters and go on to work in the field of recovery, rehabilitation or restoration. This is a challenging topic and dark business. It takes something to work in this field and it is so very rewarding. Watching young people’s faces light up when they see for themselves that the future can be different. That they have a say in how it goes and sometimes all it takes is some encouragement from a stranger that can make all the difference in the world.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I share with people that I am the product of great coaching. My parents set the foundation with hard work, ethics and integrity. Both came from hard working families and knew that is what it takes to succeed. God is my foundational rock in good times and bad – His guidance and promises are what keeps me going when things are not going how I wish they were going and when they are going well. Prayer and being with other warriors strengthens my resolve, especially when I look to the Bible for stories of resilience and courage.

The other resources I highly recommend are personal growth and development programs that work for you. I have utilized programs from Tony Robbins, Brian Tracey, Zig Ziglar, Les Brown, Dale Carniege and Landmark Worldwide. The best business books I can recommend are Good to Great by Jim Collins, Essentialism by Greg McKeown, A Road Less Traveled Morgan Scott Peck and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey. Many considered old books; their wisdom, teachings and messages transcend time.

I’ve been honored to have some extraordinary leaders in my life outside of my parents. One of them is a woman by the name of Anne Ragsdale. She was my boss for 15 years and later became my friend. Her foundational business leadership has guided me most of my career. My business coaches at Red Elephant believed in me enough to think I wasn’t crazy when I came up with this idea of prevention education. They helped me craft a message and business plan to grow into a sustainable business. Along with my crew of incredible friends that been in my life for a long time – encouraging me to keep going along with kicking me in the backside when warranted. Having a trusted group of friends and family to stand along side you is one of the most valuable resources you can develop for yourself.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I believe the most effective strategies for growing our clientele are two fold. One is showing up – when you say you will. Mostly, people throw their word around and don’t honor it. Showing up for people when you say you will demonstrates a few things.
1. You are count – on- able. People can count on you.
2. You have demonstrated integrity. If you can be trusted with the small things, you’ll be trusted with the big things and doing them with integrity.
3. You are open to ideas, people and opportunities.

When I first started this organization, I talked to anyone who would talk to me. Then I learned about events and organizations that were in the anti-trafficking space and talked to them all while developing the vision that I was given – a course that would impact, empower, educate and engage young people so they don’t fall prey to online bad actors and predators.

The 2nd is to do the work – quietly – with those you trust to test out your idea, theory, business, product or program. We did market research for 2 years, testing and trying it out before I stood in front of our first student. Then we let our reputation precede us. We let our work speak for us – and by continually showing up, going the distance to educate young people, we’ve established a reputation around the nation and soon the globe.

Lastly, persistence. Being an entrepreneur is not easy. It’s exciting, scary, challenging, fun, exhausting, and engages all of your brain. It is not for the faint of heart or someone who needs certainty. It literally is Mr. Toads Wild Ride (an old ride at Disney) with unexpected twists and turns. You have to be ok with the craziness of it all; falling, getting back up and starting again as many times as it takes. Much like parenting, it’s the most rewarding and heartbreaking time of your life and worth every delicious moment.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pavingthewayfoundation.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pavingw/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PavingW
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-edwards-8aa6431a2
• Youtube: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paving-the-way-foundation-inc

Image Credits
Julie Little Photography (colored shirt photo)