The Dr. Lois Lee Show

Part 2: In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Alex R reflects on her journey out of exploitation and what it takes to rebuild a life after years of survival on the streets and online.
Alex marks February 14 as her “celebration date”—two years since leaving the life. After 16 years of exploitation, she reached a breaking point. Her body could no longer endure what she had been through, and she knew she had to find a way out.
Although she initially planned to leave in 2020, economic instability and limited work experience led her back to survival-based choices. With few employment options and a criminal record tied to her past, barriers to stability remained high.
During the conversation, Alex shares how a conviction from Iowa has continued to follow her, impacting her ability to move forward. Dr. Lois Lee discusses the importance of long-term advocacy, including access to legal support. Through partnerships with volunteer attorneys, efforts are made to help clear records and remove barriers that keep survivors stuck.
Alex’s story highlights the reality that leaving is not a single moment—it is a process that requires ongoing support, opportunity, and care.
At Children of the Night, that support does not end. The organization remains committed to walking alongside survivors as they rebuild their lives.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

Part 1: In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Alex R reflects on her journey out of exploitation and what it takes to rebuild a life after years of survival on the streets and online.
Alex marks February 14 as her “celebration date”—two years since leaving the life. After 16 years of exploitation, she reached a breaking point. Her body could no longer endure what she had been through, and she knew she had to find a way out.
Although she initially planned to leave in 2020, economic instability and limited work experience led her back to survival-based choices. With few employment options and a criminal record tied to her past, barriers to stability remained high.
During the conversation, Alex shares how a conviction from Iowa has continued to follow her, impacting her ability to move forward. Dr. Lois Lee discusses the importance of long-term advocacy, including access to legal support. Through partnerships with volunteer attorneys, efforts are made to help clear records and remove barriers that keep survivors stuck.
Alex’s story highlights the reality that leaving is not a single moment—it is a process that requires ongoing support, opportunity, and care.
At Children of the Night, that support does not end. The organization remains committed to walking alongside survivors as they rebuild their lives.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

Locked inside an apartment. No phone. No food. No way out—until she found one. Janel left home as a teen, searching for safety and a way to survive. What she found instead was control and exploitation.
At one point, she was kept inside an apartment, cut off from the outside world, with basic needs used against her. She found a way out.
When Janel called Children of the Night, everything began to shift. With support, she earned her GED and was flown out to celebrate a milestone she once thought was out of reach: her graduation.
Her message to her 18-year-old self:You are worthy of love without having to earn it from anyone. You do not need a man to survive. Invest in yourself.
Every young person deserves the chance to rebuild, to learn, and to choose a different path.
Support the work that makes stories like Janel’s possible.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.
 

In Episode 27 of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Jayla shares a story of betrayal, survival, and the long path toward rebuilding safety.
At 13, Jayla reached out to an estranged half-brother in the Bronx, hoping for connection. Instead, she was harmed by someone she trusted and exploited over a period of weeks.
After escaping, Jayla told her best friend, who then informed her grandmother. From there, she was connected to Children of the Night and flown to Los Angeles to receive care at the organization’s shelter home.
At the shelter, Jayla experienced structure, safety, and support during a critical time. With guidance and stability, she began the process of healing and redirecting her life after a deeply traumatic experience.
Today, Jayla is focused on being a present and protective mother to her 6-year-old daughter. She speaks openly about the importance of parenting differently — creating safety, setting boundaries, and putting her child first.
Dr. Lois Lee also continues to support Jayla as she navigates ongoing safety concerns, including threats from her incarcerated brother, reinforcing the importance of long-term advocacy and protection for survivors.
Jayla’s story is a reminder that exploitation often comes through trust, and that recovery requires more than rescue — it requires sustained care, protection, and guidance over time.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

Part 2: In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Alex shares her journey through exploitation, survival, and recovery — and the reality that healing is not a straight path.
Alex began being exploited at just 13 years old after running away and surviving on the streets in Miami. After being located by the FBI through an anonymous tip, she was connected to Children of the Night and flown to Los Angeles.
While at the Children of the Night shelter home, Alex experienced safety and support — but like many youth, the pull of the streets and the effects of trauma made it difficult to stay. She ran multiple times and returned to dangerous situations across different cities.
Her story reflects several patterns often seen in exploitation: recruitment through people she knew, including at one point a female exploiter, ongoing instability, and cycles of progress followed by setbacks.
Alex speaks openly about how her sense of normal had been shaped by survival, and how long it took to rebuild a different understanding of relationships.
After years of struggle, including addiction and periods of instability, Alex found her way back to recovery. Today, she has been sober for three years. She is an insurance agent and the mother of twin girls and an 8-year-old boy.
Her story is a powerful reminder that healing can take time, support, and many second chances — and that consistent, long-term care can make all the difference.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Alex shares her journey through exploitation, survival, and recovery — and the reality that healing is not a straight path.
Alex began being exploited at just 13 years old after running away and surviving on the streets in Miami. After being located by the FBI through an anonymous tip, she was connected to Children of the Night and flown to Los Angeles.
While at the Children of the Night shelter home, Alex experienced safety and support — but like many youth, the pull of the streets and the effects of trauma made it difficult to stay. She ran multiple times and returned to dangerous situations across different cities.
Her story reflects several patterns often seen in exploitation: recruitment through people she knew, including at one point a female exploiter, ongoing instability, and cycles of progress followed by setbacks.
Alex speaks openly about how her sense of normal had been shaped by survival, and how long it took to rebuild a different understanding of relationships.
After years of struggle, including addiction and periods of instability, Alex found her way back to recovery. Today, she has been sober for three years. She is an insurance agent and the mother of twin girls and an 8-year-old boy.
Her story is a powerful reminder that healing can take time, support, and many second chances — and that consistent, long-term care can make all the difference.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Silvia reflects on her journey from exploitation as a minor to becoming a mother determined to create a different future for her children.
Silvia was arrested as a minor in the Dallas area in 2008. At the time, authorities knew who to call — Children of the Night in Los Angeles. She was flown to the organization’s 24-bed shelter home, where she experienced something many exploited youth have never known: safety, structure, and consistent support.
While living at the home, Silvia earned her GED, began practicing meditation, and reconnected with her faith. She even participated in the Los Angeles County Science Fair, where she placed third — a moment that showed her what was possible when stability and encouragement were present.
Like many young people, Silvia struggled with the desire for independence. She eventually left the shelter home with another girl. Not long after, the life found her again. Promised work, she instead found herself exploited by a man who sent her by Greyhound bus back to Texas.
Silvia remained in that situation until becoming pregnant with her first child — a turning point that began shifting her path.
Throughout the years, Children of the Night remained present in Silvia’s life, offering guidance and support whenever she reached back out.
Today, Silvia is the mother of five children, with her oldest now 13. Her story reflects a reality often overlooked: leaving exploitation is rarely a straight path. Healing and stability often take time, support, and multiple chances.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Ashley shares a lived experience that reflects a common but often misunderstood entry point into prostitution: recruitment through trusted relationships.
Exploitation rarely begins with a dramatic abduction. More often, it begins with instability, unmet needs, and someone familiar offering connection or escape.
At 16, Ashley was navigating multiple foster placements after a family crisis involving her paternal grandmother. When conflict escalated and police became involved, Ashley ran to her sister for safety. Although her sister ultimately helped remove her from immediate danger, she was unable to take legal responsibility for Ashley long-term.
Ashley was returned to the foster care system. On her first night back, there was no placement available. She slept on the floor of a services office and relied on convenience food — a stark example of the instability many youth experience.
This lack of stability created vulnerability. As with many prostituted youth, exploitation did not begin with force — it began with unmet needs and trust.
Children of the Night became the turning point.
From aging out of foster care while pregnant to rebuilding stability and hope, Ashley’s journey highlights the importance of long-term, trauma-informed support. Rescue alone is not enough. Consistent advocacy, education, and presence are what shift outcomes.
Ashley’s story underscores a critical truth: when systems leave gaps, exploitation moves in. When support steps in, healing becomes possible.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

In Episode 22 of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, Giselle shares her story of perseverance, health challenges, and the kind of long-term support that changes lives.
Giselle participated in last year’s Children of the Night graduation — a milestone that marked not just academic progress, but years of resilience. Today, she is facing renal failure and is waiting for a kidney donor. During dialysis treatments, Children of the Night flew case managers out to be with her — a reminder that support does not end after a program is completed.
In this conversation, Giselle speaks candidly about what many people misunderstand: recovery from exploitation does not happen in 14 days. Healing is not a short-term intervention. Survivors need consistent guidance, advocacy, and sometimes lifelong support to rebuild stability and confidence.
Despite her health challenges, Giselle is determined to complete her education and pursue work in the medical field — inspired in part by her own experiences navigating the healthcare system.
This episode underscores a core belief of Children of the Night: rescue is the beginning. Long-term care, education, and presence are what sustain hope and create lasting change.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.

In this episode of The Dr. Lois Lee Show, McKinzie shares how resilience, support, and intentional parenting helped her break a generational cycle of trauma and exploitation.
As a child, McKinzie grew up in a chaotic home where boundaries were blurred and safety was uncertain. She describes how isolation, mental health struggles, and instability shaped her early years. Eventually, running from an unsafe environment led her into further harm.
As a minor, she was located by the FBI and placed in a group home before being connected to Children of the Night. There, she experienced structure, consistent care, and the opportunity to begin understanding her mental health and her worth.
McKinzie reflects on what it meant to feel like a child in a safe environment for the first time.
Later, during a period of addiction, learning she was pregnant became a turning point. She chose sobriety. She built stability. She created a home of her own. Today, she is a devoted mother of two who is determined to parent differently than she was raised.
Dr. Lois Lee also discusses the organization’s monthly parenting program, designed to help mothers protect their children — educating them without overwhelming them, creating safety without secrecy.
McKinzie’s message to policymakers is direct: exploitation begins long before a child reaches the streets. Youth who are exploited are not disposable. They are capable, intelligent, and often desperately seeking a way out. Empathy, early intervention, and sustained support make the difference.
Her story is one of interruption — of choosing a different legacy for her children.
⸻
Listen Now:
🎧 New episodes weekly on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Podbean, and wherever you listen. Follow & Support
🌐 Website: childrenofthenight.org
📲 Facebook & Instagram: @childrenofthenight
🕊️ X/Twitter: @LoisLee_COTN
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this podcast to help us reach more listeners and protect vulnerable children.