4/18/22 - Business that Brings Freedom: Rachel Rose Nelson, Freedom Business Alliance

Intro: As a Christian working woman, you have many roles from your responsibility with family and friends to community and work. How do you connect all that you do with all that you are, and still have your face shine through? It's a challenge, but you are up to it. The, sheWorks4Him podcast at the gathering place to empower Christian working women, to live out their calling at work.

By connecting them to God resources and each other through powerful face stories from other working sisters in Christ. Welcome to sheWorks4Him.

Martha: You've tuned into, sheWorks4Him with your hosts, Martha Brangenberg and Nadya Dickson. We are a place where we connect Christian, working women to God resources and one another.

And I know that today's going to be like just what we experienced every time is that God connects us to new friends and through. Giving us resources that we maybe can use in our own lives to take us to a new level where maybe that is how we then connect with God. We don't know what God has in store for this conversation, but I'm so grateful for each and every listener that's here along the way with us.

And I'm just looking, anticipating what God has to say. So just remember you can connect with us on, sheWorks4Him.com. She works the number for him.com. You can also do that on all of our social media platform. LinkedIn is a great place to hang out with our, our are working women. We often get to know each other a little bit better personally, on Facebook and Instagram.

And I just am so grateful that you can be our friend in that way where we can stay connected. So remember to do that.

Nadya: Thank you, Martha, you know, more and more with we're becoming aware of an issue. That's just rocking our country and our world. And that is the area of human trafficking. And what we do know is that it has become an evil multi-billion dollar business trading in people.

And there are many impactful rescue organizations on the front lines. But today's guest believes that to fight human trafficking and exploitation strategy is needed. That includes more than one. Today we visit Portlan, Oregon, to have a conversation with Rachel Rose Nelson. Rachel is the executive director of Freedom Business Alliance, and she believes that Christian women in the marketplace have the opportunity to play a key role in helping create safe employment opportunities for survivors of human trafficking and exploitation.

Rachel Rose, Nelson. Welcome to sheWorks4Him.

Rachel Rose Nelson: Thank you so excited to be here too.

Nadya: Well, Rachel, before we get into more of your story, why don't you tell our listeners how or why you became a follower of Jesus?

Rachel Rose Nelson: Yeah. It's, it's a pretty dramatic story in that. I became a Christian age, 26 after the birth of my second son.

I was in the middle of an abusive marriage that caused me to get to the end of myself. The end of my ability to solve that problem and run right into God. And so it was a reluctant conversion, but a dramatic conversion. And I would say that is at the heart of why I feel led to be in the position I am today to help vulnerable women all over the world.

Nadya: Wow. So good, Rachel, and I know that you now are working all over the world and leadership development. You worked for 20 years as a creative director and a business consultant for small and large companies. Can you tell us just, even back then, how you integrated your faith with your.

Rachel Rose Nelson: Sure. I mean, I was already in business when I became a Christian.

And so I really have had a journey of integrating my faith and my work. I really think in the beginning, I didn't see a lot of integration. Probably the insight came when I encountered Proverbs 31 in the Bible. I think Proverbs 31 ministries was running a radio spot at that time. It kind of piqued my curiosity.

I read in so I looked it up in the Bible and read about this woman who was an entrepreneur, a philanthropist. You know, I really saw myself in her. And so I think at the beginning of that integration came, when I just cried out to the Lord, helped me gain the wisdom that this woman of noble character had helped me integrate that I knew I would be working at that intersection of faith and business, but it's been a journey of truly integrating those things.

Martha: You know, it really is a journey. And I think that's one of the things that. Our listeners really need to hear. It's like we're failing, you know, it's like today, what can I do? Open my eyes, Lord to that new opportunity. And to be more authentic has really that's integrating our faith is just being more authentic about who we really are and not segmenting our lives.

So I'm such a great reminder for each and every one of us. So you began your focus at California Polytechnic university in graphic communications. And then you went on to complete a masters of art in ministry leadership. What was the catalyst?

Rachel Rose Nelson: Yeah, well, there's about a 20 year gap between that initial degree.

And then when I went back and studied in seminary and. I would say I was a little bit of a fish out of water as a mother of three, a woman not training to be a pastor, but knowing I was going to be entering the world of business in a ministry capacity. And the catalyst actually was just starting to do a little research for on behalf of my teenage sons, about local Christian universities.

And I stumbled upon George Fox university seminary, and looked at the classes and I said, I would take these classes if there was no degree, they just sounded so fascinating. And I knew. At that point, I was doing a a writing project and it just seemed like the right next step to prepare me to speak with authority and from a studied perspective.

On God's word God's ways. And I had no intention of going through the ministry leadership track. I w I entered in spiritual formation. I thought I'm not a leader, but halfway through that journey. It really opened up. I mean, it was the only track that I had dismissed from the beginning. And then it, God just made it clear.

That is the track I want you on. So I shifted gears in the middle of that seminary experience to focus on leadership.

Martha: Wow. So where in that timeline, did you start the organization Her Worth International. And why did you start it?

Rachel Rose Nelson: Yeah. First off. I started it while I was in seminary.

Martha: You are a crazy woman.

Rachel Rose Nelson: I do not recommend that to anyone, but I was so on fire to address the issues I was seeing. I had a transformational experience. I went to Haiti in 2012 and. Spoke to a group of single mothers there who were living in extreme poverty, had resorted to prostitution to feed themselves in their families.

And I saw that connection. I had begun working with a local pastor there in Jack Mill, Haiti. And I just saw it also clearly I have learned God can give a vision. That doesn't mean you do need to do it tomorrow. There was a lot Preparation. He was, he was getting me ready for, but that was the impetus to starting.

It was to create a channel of support and empowerment for that group of women there in Haiti. But I saw, I was starting to become aware of the needs of women living in extreme poverty all over the world. So that was the start.

Wow. So

Martha: Rachel Rose Nelson, I know that there is so much that we're not going to be able to cover in our conversation because that is just, there's just, I can already see so many facets that we really want to dive into, but when we come back from the break, I really want to talk more about the conversation of human trafficking and How that might affect our listeners and what we can, what we can actually do about it.

But listeners, if you, along the journey, as we're having a conversation, want to connect with Rachel, I'm going to make sure all of that's in the show notes, how to engage with what God has you doing right now, and to learn more. So just go to those shows. And we'll make sure that you get more information, but we're going to be right back in just a minute with Rachel Rose Nelson.

We are your co-hosts Nadya Dickson, and Martha Brangenberg.

Break: Did you know that God has a calling on your life? It's true. He's called you to bring Jesus to the world for some that may look like a pulpit or a foreign mission field, but for most of us, it looks like a construction site, the cubicle, a hospital, or a class.

Wherever it is that you work with volunteer and best. That is your mission field. To learn more about integrating your faith into your work and retirement. Check out our books. iWork4Him. sheWorks4Him and iRetire4Him by going to, iWork4Him.com/bookstore.

Martha: Welcome back to, sheWorks4Him with your cohost Nadya Dickson and Martha Brangenberg.

We are joined today by Rachel Rose Nelson. And I know that there is, this is a topic. That a lot of women really want to lean into because it is it's heart-wrenching and, and as a woman, there are things that I don't know. I think that compel us to the compassion and the level that, that we need a better understanding though.

And, and Rachel, I am so grateful that you're here to share a little bit about how God is using you in that process, but listeners just remember the show notes. We'll have some connections, some live. To help you with some you know, just more information along the conversation. So Nadya, why don't you just kind of lead this conversation as we go into this segment?

Nadya: Sure. Well, you know, we've learned a lot. I have anyway, from my perspective in business and marketplace learned a lot about human trafficking and I, I see things now that I have not seen before, but once you see something you can't unsee. But just in your perspective, Rachel, you know, here we are in 2022, this is an age old issue.

I mean, it's been around forever, but we're just now learning more about it. What would you want our listeners to know about human trafficking? This business in 2022?

Rachel Rose Nelson: Yes. And you're right. It is a business. It's a wide multinational organized business trading in. And a lot of people are not aware of the prevalence.

There are over 40 million people caught in trafficking today, which is a staggering statistic. It's happening all over the world, including here, right here in the United States. It's kind of grown in people have grown in awareness, especially associated with some of the headlines in the news about traffic.

It looks different all over the world. Kind of along the lines of what I was sharing my awareness grew when I saw the particular manifestation of that economic vulnerability among this group in Haiti, but that opened my eyes to see, oh, this is happening all over the world to different women in different ways because of that vulnerability.

And So it's something where people will immediately think, okay, let's free these women from this situation, physically not realizing that around the world, the leading factor vulnerability is economic vulnerability, and that still exists. Once someone has been set free from their physical captivity, except now to make matters worse, they're dealing with post-traumatic.

Stress that will often manifest itself in the workplace, since it is in the workplace that they experienced that trauma, they have disrupted relationships with authority and peers. So it presents challenges that have to be addressed.

Nadya: Well, and so I know that part of your assignment now is to bring more awareness and opportunities.

Why don't you tell us a little bit more about the Freedom Business Alliance and how you were introduced to that work?

Rachel Rose Nelson: Sure. Well, again, it was through that initial work I was doing in Haiti and my growing awareness that this was part of the human trafficking crisis. And that there were people all over the world just like me, that God was calling out to create business solutions to combat this problem.

And so as soon as I became aware that there was a whole group, right. And it was really at an event where I had heard about it from one of the founders and I leaned in and kind of stopped her afterwards and said, Hey, we need to talk. And I always say, you know, it might be similar for your listeners.

They may be leaning in right now saying, how can I get involved in this? And I would encourage people to contact me and reach out and subscribe to our mailing list to get more involved. And it was really just a progression from there of the organization, understanding or getting more familiar with my business when.

And work as a strategist, as a consultant with other businesses, they brought me on just to facilitate strategic conversation. One thing led to the next, and now I'm here as executive director.

Martha: So tell us a little bit about what Freedom Business Alliance actually does for, you know, I'm kind of grasping that there's, you know, there's a way to help with income to, as you're pulling people out of trafficking.

Tell me what that really means. What does that look like? What does freedom business Alliance do?

Rachel Rose Nelson: Yeah. Well, we should probably start with what is a freedom business because most people don't know, right. And a freedom business is one that exists to create employment opportunities for survivors of human trafficking and those at risk of being trafficked.

And so these businesses have been purpose built for that. And. They are providing the structures of support because it really isn't enough to just offer a job. That's a great first start, but because of some of the issues that these survivors are dealing with, and because they haven't maybe received the level of education or vocational training, there are special special structures of support that have to be provided.

And. What we saw we've got started as a conversation coming out of the business as mission movement and a number of businesses saw they had the same mission to create these jobs. And they started in conversation. In 2013, formed the nonprofit in 2015 and convened forums in regions all over the world.

But we've grown in our role within the movement to address challenges that these businesses face that no single business can address on its own. So we work kind of as the strategic arm doing research training, building awareness, and looking for opportunities to capitalize on market opportunities in sales, on behalf of our members.

Martha: So if I could just kind of translate a little bit, someone could have just created this, had a passion that says, I see a need, and I want to create a business, not even knowing that they maybe necessarily were creating a freedom business, but now you are coming behind them trying to gather those people together so that they can exponentially work together for the good of.

Those that are, have been trafficked or been rescued or to keep them from it. Is that kind of a that is air bottom line, right?

Rachel Rose Nelson: That is exactly right.

Martha: Yeah. So, so what if somebody, I mean, are there still freedom businesses out there that don't know that they have an alliance?.

Rachel Rose Nelson: Absolutely. Yes, because there are people working in the anti-trafficking space, especially who've seen this issue and start businesses.

Martha: Right. So I just want to address that just for a moment because we are Christian working women, helping other Christian working women, connect to God resources and one another. And this is one of those places that we can very easily do. All of us have friends working in anti-trafficking and one way or another they're either, you know, on a, on a, you know, social media platform, or they're doing a business.

And this is an opportunity for us as listeners to say, Hey, there's an Alliance to help you do what you're doing. For the kingdom in a much bigger way. And so I just want to, why don't you just quit before we go to break, tell people how they can connect either themselves or their friends to your organization.

Rachel Rose Nelson: So, and it goes beyond there, maybe some who have a business and operation doing this, want to start one, right. And also is as easy as using the power of your purchases to make an impact. Most of these businesses are creating apparel, jewelry, handbags, things that women purchase, and you can support them just through your purchases.

The place to start would be our website. We have a member directory where you can see them, but be sure to subscribe and you'll receive updates of all the sorts of ways and entry points to get involved in this particular cause.

Martha: And that website. Freedom Business Alliance.com freedom business alliance.com listeners.

We'll be right back with more from Rachel Rose Nelson, right after this break, you're listening to, sheWorks4Him with Nadya Dickson and Martha Brangenberg. We'll be right back.

Break: Hey listeners. One of the huge projects Martha and I have been working on for years is making it easy for every workplace believer, defined all the voices, speaking, encouragement, and equipping into the faith and work movement.

Presenting the Awaken podcast network. Online and Awaken podcast network.com with over 130 different podcast. Voices speaking truth into you. The workplace believer, including over 30 podcasts, dedicated to Christian working women. Go online to awaken podcast, network.com that's Awaken podcast, network.com.

Martha: Welcome back to sheWorks4Him with your host, Martha Brangenberg and Nadya Dickson. I am so excited about this conversation because I know one thing about women and that is that we can't keep things to ourselves and we want to help and we want to do our part. We know that our our commerce speaks very loud and can also be of great help.

And so we are gift givers. We are buyers, we are consumers of things. So right now I feel like we just really need to address that and how people can help even in that way. And Rachel, you were saying that, you know, there are tons of companies out there that have product that is the result of this. Beautiful.These freedom businesses that are created all over the world to help in. Anti-trafficking. And so listeners, I just want to let you know that you can call our listener line and there's a very generous offer to have a giveaway of a piece of jewelry that has been created through freedom business.

But more than that, I want to encourage you to go and do some of your gifting, some of your buying Rachel and am I right to say that they can go to your website in order to find those other businesses. Is that right? Freedom Business Alliance.com. Yes. Okay. So listeners call our listener line (866) 713-9675.

Eight six, six, seven one three work is the phone number and you will be entered to win one of those giveaways. And, but everyone go to the website, make some purchases. It is it's it's that first step and just getting engaged in that way. So more than that, Rachel, how can Christian women in the marketplace play a role in, in this, in God's redemptive plan for the victims of trafficking?

Rachel Rose Nelson: I, you know, Jesus proclaimed his public ministry by citing Isaiah 61. The verse that says he is proclaiming good news to the poor and setting the captives free. And I really believe that when we're talking about the captivity of. Experiencing trauma that is going to take an army of women to come and lift our sisters out of those situations.

It is a unique call that in my position, I see most of these freedom businesses are led by women that God is calling to do this unique work that cannot be done by men because of the sensitive nature of it. And so if there is an inkling of a call. I encourage everyone to lean into that and pursue that public ministry that Jesus first proclaimed.

Nadya: Well, thank you so much, Rachel, you know, two weeks ago we had a lady that left pastoral ministry as her primary assignment to go into business. And I hear that you have been in business and now you have a primary focus ministering from. You know, it's an integrated business and faith platform, which I love.

I mean, you have, you're showing us that our assignment, God wastes, nothing. He takes everything we've ever done within our business world. Our, our ministry world. It's really all one world it's kingdom. Right. Do you have a particular life verse that you've lived by, through this journey or one that's speaking to you right now that you can share with our listeners to.

Rachel Rose Nelson: You know, I will just reiterate that verse. I just mentioned Isaiah 61. It's the spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

Nadya: So powerful and you're showing us what that looks like today in 2022, with everything God has brought you through yourself personally. And how your freedom is lent now leading the way for freedom for other women. So thank you so much for sharing with us today. A very vulnerable situation and just that God is faithful, that he has a redemptive plan, that he can take a mess and make a message out of it.

We're so grateful for the work that you're doing. Rachel, thank you for being our guest today.

Rachel Rose Nelson: Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak to your audience. So privileged to do so.

Martha: You've been listening to, sheWorks4Him with your host, Martha Brangenberg and Nadya Dickson we're Christian, working women, helping other Christian working women to live out their calling at work. as sheWorks4Him.

Outro: As Christian women, we have many roles from daughter, sister, friend, wife, and mother to analyst, accountant, executive or educator. Is it possible to balance our roles at work and home in a way that honors God? The answer is yes. And our new book, sheWorks4Him will help show you.

Written to celebrate, encourage and equip women in the workforce. sheWorks4Him. Discusses the diverse experiences of today's Christian working woman. Pick up a copy by going to, iWork4Him.com/bookstore. You've been listening to the, sheWorks4Him podcast with your host, Catherine Gates, Nadya Dickson, and Martha Brangenberg.

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