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

Topizia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Topizia’s passion to raise awareness developed in 2007 when she learned her 14 year old daughter was being sexually exploited. Now, in addition to alerting the community about the epidemic, her mission is to save other parents and children from enduring the same pains her and her daughter encountered.

Topizia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The Chosen Ones, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization formed by a mother whose daughter was sexually exploited at the age of 14. The mission of the organization is to prevent daughters from being sexually exploited by educating, empowering and equipping mothers. Our goal is to provide mothers with the tools and resources required to help eliminate the factors that put young girls at risk. We do this by providing our clients with food boxes, holiday assistance, school supplies, toiletries, awareness siminars, clothes/shoes and parenting courses.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I originally formed the organization in 2014 I was full of expectation and excitement. I was eager to help mothers save their daughters from becoming victims of sex trafficking. However, I soon discovered that the people who agreed to help me get the organization off the ground did not have the same drive as me, so I found myself wearing many hats. Eventually, I became so overwhelmed I put things on the back burner. However, I knew I could not give up because the mission of the organization had to be fulfilled if I wanted to help save other mothers and daughters from experiencing the trauma my daughter and I faced when she was victimized.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

We had to change the direction of the organization when we realised we were preaching to the choir. When we first began, we were being invited to speak for agencies who provided services to victims but we weren’t raising awareness to people who needed us most. Therefore, we had to go back to the drawing board to revamp how we were presenting ourselves and make adjustments to ensure we were attracting the right audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tc1s.org
• Instagram: @thechosenonesinc
• Facebook: @thechosenonesinc
• Youtube: The Chosen Ones Inc