Q&A with Executive Director of My Life My Choice: Audrey Morrissey

PACT’s Senior Director of Development, Cherise Charleswell, sat down for a heartfelt discussion with survivor leader, advocate, Executive Director of My Life My Choice,  and 2026 Freedom Awards honoree, Audrey Morrissey. 

From mentoring, facilitating prevention workshops, and serving in leadership positions on Human Trafficking Task Forces and coalitions; you continue to be actively involved in anti-trafficking efforts. 

As a Survivor and valued Lived Experience expert what keeps you motivated to do this work? 

I never planned to come to this work. I got here as a Survivor, participating in a 12-steps program, and during one of the Sunday meetings, I reconnected with another Survivor who I was on the streets with. She pulled me aside and mentioned that she was working with My Life, My Choice, and that they were doing their first training for Department of Children and Families workers; and she wanted me to come and share my story. I will never forget her saying this to me, as it was a time of life where I had been in recovery for 10 years. I made the decision to do it when she shared that I would be paid $75, and it dawned on me that I was already telling the people in the 12-steps program my business – without being paid! 

I showed up to My Life, My Choice that Monday.

I began when few people were doing this work. There was Vanita Carter in Minnesota, Kathleen Mitchell who’s since passed away, but in Massachusetts where I’m based, people were not talking about this issue. That changed when a young child was found murdered and the investigation revealed that they had a history of commercial exploitation. Her murder remains unsolved. Law enforcement believe that either a Buyer or her Exploiter murdered her. 

Following this case, the Boston Area Department of Children and Families was the first child welfare agency in the country to step up and began thinking about trafficking prevention. They hired Lisa Goldblatt Grace, a Survivor, to develop a resource that would prevent youth from being exploited. What was developed was a 10-week curriculum, My Life, My Choice, that to date is used in 32 states across the country. 

When we began these prevention groups we realized that we had a problem. DCF staff were telling children that they were going to “the prostitution group” and saying other problematic and misinformed things. We realized that before we could roll out the curriculum, we needed to first train the DCF workers. Session 8 of these trainings involved a panel of Survivors speaking to the youth, and I initially participated in those panels, but Lisa Goldblatt Grace reached out and asked if I would co-facilitate the trainings. 

When funding became an issue and I was asked to facilitate the trainings independently, I would still reach out to Lisa every Sunday around 7pm, to make sure that I was covering the right things in the curriculum. Lisa reassured and encouraged me, and I continued with this work. 

It was while working in the youth group homes that I recognized the heartbreaking need for mentorship and even more meaningful interactions with youth, especially those who had already experienced exploitation. We held the groups on Mondays, and the youth would often talk about their weekends, by I remember one girl saying to me “Well, I've been here all weekend. My family wants nothing to do with me. They never come and get me on the weekend”. I eventually made the commitment to get this young person every couple of weeks – on Saturday or Sunday and the outings didn’t have to be fancy– McDonald’s, going to the movies. Then, I got a call from a DCF worker about another girl in a psych unit, who had a long history of exploitation. I also went to her, and shared about my experience, what made me vulnerable, how I was recruited, and also how I had gotten out. Letting her know “if I can do it, so can you”. After getting her permission, I also made the commitment to see her on a weekly basis. Before long, I had a caseload of 10 kids who I was meeting with and mentoring.  After setbacks, such as loss of funding, and agencies not being able to partner, Lisa and I were able to introduce mentorship and other services to the My Life, My Choice program. That is when our mentoring program was founded, exactly 20 years ago; and it has really grown.

Lisa, another Survivor, and I initially contracted for 4 hours/week, and I continued to grow the program under difficult circumstances. Eventually, we were able to partner with the Justice Resource Institute (JRI), and we’ve worked under JRI for 17 years.

Please share more about your mentoring efforts and experience. 

Running trainings workshops and groups was awesome, but mentoring, being able to sit in a space on a beanbag on the floor and across from an engaged young person is a different experience altogether. My third mentee and I shed tears together, and from what I know of recovery, is that pain shared is pain lessened. Meeting with my mentee and others allowed me to learn about my own damage. My trafficking experience was of complete dehumanization. During the era of street prostitution,  there was no internet or online exploitation. 

The only thing that they had in terms of prevention or services was a van that went around during the height of the AIDS epidemic, passing out condoms. And not passing out condoms to protect us. They wanted to give us condoms so we wouldn't infect the upper middle class suburban white men who come into the city to purchase us. Then, there was acknowledging the pain that I caused my eldest child (who just turned 46) through active addiction and being in “the Life”. I made sure that I would always leave my mentee laughing or smiling; while dealing with the reality that my daughter has not forgiven me. My daughter also experienced a lot of trauma, because I didn’t come out of “the life” until she was 14. Her father was my Exploiter. 

With my second mentee, who is 36 and thriving, my involvement in her life remains consistent since she was 15. I’m honored to have become her godmother. She signed herself out of the system at 18 and moved to Florida, and I’ve been present for every major event in her life since then from birthdays to graduations. Last Mother’s Day was our 20-year anniversary. She sends me heart-wrenching texts just saying things like “You've been more than me than a mentor, you've been, like a mom. and I love how you show up for London [her 5-year old] the way in which you showed up for me.”

I also still hear from my first mentee, a relationship of over 20 years. The one that I shed tears with on those beanbags. She has unfortunately been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and it is my number that she calls when she ends up in the psych ward of a hospital. I’m there to provide the requested clothes, makeup, hugs, and love.

As you're doing this work and giving so much of yourself, how are you taking care of yourself in this space?

I do not have a single or easy answer to that, so I’ll share a story. 

It’s another story about my first or eldest mentee. When she turned 18, DCF got her an apartment, and it was roach-infested and not in good condition. On my first trip to visit her at the apartment, I noticed that she was no longer wearing the jeans and swimsuits that she wore while in the program; her hair, lashes, and nails were made up. As I’m talking to her, she keeps looking at her watch and I ask “what’s going on?”.  She informed me that she had a “date” at 6:00. At that moment, I got up, because I realized that I had to take care of myself. She was now 18, I wasn’t mandated to file a 51A. Before I left the triggering situation I spoke with her calmly, about her decision. But, I had to get myself out of there, because the thought came to my mind – “I wonder if he’ll take two”. I recognized in that moment that I was deeply in need of self-care, and I thank God for recovery and a phone, because I was able to call the other Survivor who worked with me. The next day, I checked in with clinicians on staff to process what had occurred, and acknowledged the other overwhelming things that had happened while doing this work.

What I’ve been privileged to do and what I found works for self-care is working for a few months, and then taking time to go on vacation to disengage. I’m also no longer working on weekends outside of one-off events. I also had to make the decision of which job I want to keep, because I couldn’t risk burning out. Of course, I choose working in this field and being with My Life My Choice full-time. And I have embraced continuing to go to therapy. 

Is there anything else that you would like to reflect on regarding your commitment to this work?

Over the past two decades, Lisa and I built an organization. Went from two people, to three people, and up to 35. We hire more Survivors than any other organization; and I’ve gone from being a mentor, to managing mentors, to associate director, director, co-executive director, now executive director. But, I honestly don’t care about titles and exploring the idea of being a co-executive director with my colleague Sonya. Sonya is also a Survivor and she’s the “glue” of our organization, preferring the background, and keeps everything moving. 

I love the work that we do, and it doesn’t feel like a job to me. The hardest part of the work relates to policy and legislative advocacy. Having to go to hearings and trying to get others to understand the distinction between our work and sex workers rights. And when it comes to youth, who I work with, everyone should understand that children are not sex workers. 

Could you tell us more about the My Life My Choice program, what makes it unique,  and how it provides continuing survivor-led services as well? 

Sparked by the tragic death of an exploited youth, My Life My Choice has been operating for 23 years. We provide all types of trafficking informed training from the basic Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) i 101 and CSEC 102, as well as training for clinicians. We continue to conduct trainings for our Department of Children's and Families; including those for foster parents and how to engage with youth who have experienced exploitation. We also have mentorship programs where we pair adult Survivors with adolescent youth. I’ve participated in the mentorship program and have experienced walking into a room where a kid has their arms crossed and were completely closed off, but after I share a little bit about my background, I see their body language loosen up, as they realize that we share a common experience. 

Finally, our prevention curriculum is used in 32 states across the country. It ran as a 10-weeks group cohort, and while it was initially designed for adolescent girls, it is now accessible to all youth. The program covers various topics including recruitment, online exploitation, sexual health, media literacy and how media portrays young girls. Sessions include a variety of activities, the use of icebreaker games, roleplay, and responding to what they would do in certain scenarios. We also bring in a panel of Survivors to share their experience of being in “The Life”.  For youth who’ve experienced trafficking we notice that they often lose their voice when it comes to scenarios and issues involving their boyfriend, or exploiters, people who are often adults who are much older than them. 

We recognize that anyone can be trained to run these groups, but they are most powerful when led by a Survivor. 

Let me give you two scenarios. I was once running groups at a youth facility and noticed a girl with a hoodie on backwards – the hood on her face and her arms coming through, and was informed by staff that she did this in all groups. I mentioned that I was a Survivor, and I saw that hood coming down, and by the end of the group it was completely off of her face. For the remaining weeks of the program, she sat next to me for every single group. 

In another group that I was running, a young person said, “Audrey, this is really triggering for me”, and she was 15. I let her know that I understood, but what I learned is either we deal with it now, or deal with it later. I then recommended that she join the groups run by Survivors, someone who understands what you’ve been through, and that resonated with her; and she began to sit next to me at each group. She eventually completed all group sessions. 

At My Life, My Choice we simply believe that  no one should be bought or sold for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Along with the work that I described, we have just started conducting virtual community trainings, and trying to build more partnerships with schools. 

When it comes to prevention, where are we still falling short? And where should we be making some key investments with anti-trafficking efforts, particularly when it comes to child trafficking prevention?

To be honest, the blame cannot really be placed on our agencies. We need to look at school funding and funding for prevention programs in schools. I think that all youth should be able to participate in prevention groups. As agencies working in this space, we know how to make it work, how to tailor curriculum to schools, adjust session times, etc. We make sure that each session counts. We do need more community training, and it starts with reaching school staff. More states need to put mandates in-place for trafficking informed education for youth, educators, and other school staff. We also need more investment in communities with the greatest need, commercial exploitation is something that can happen to any kid, but it is Black and Brown children who are being sold the most. 

Additionally, and since COVID, we’re falling short on in-person interactions with youth. There is less work with group homes for system-involved youth; boys and girls clubs, the Y, Girl Scouts, and other organizations that directly work with young people. We need to make more inroads with these places, begin with educating their staff first, and spend adequate time with the young people that they are serving. We have learned that those one-off, one-hour prevention interventions do not work. What I’ve learned from doing prevention groups – is that youth sometimes didn’t disclose and didn't seek help until 4 or 5 weeks into the program. They were holding on to things, until they had some trust.

We train the workers at the Massachusetts Department of Children’s and Families services, but this training isn’t required statewide. And that is a gap that I’m sure exists in other states. Further, there continues to be a lack of Survivor-led and/or Survivor-informed training of law enforcement; and they are the first responders. Then there are the hotels, particularly their front desk and housekeeping staff who need ongoing training.

What would you say to a young person who is not informed about trafficking, but who wants to help contribute to trafficking prevention, and wants to know how to start?

If this young person is in high school, they can begin talking with a guidance counselor about hosting an awareness event on campus or host a full day around preventing exploitation. I would be happy to come out to events like this to talk with young people. Talking about this issue with your peers, helping them understand that this is real, and more importantly, if you see something that makes  you suspect that another young person is being exploited, you know that not saying anything only causes them to be harmed further. Hosting these events and having discussions should include identifying the agencies in your area that provide prevention and victim services; and how to find a safe adult who can help the young person suspected of being exploited. 

Another opportunity for youth may be working with their local YMCA/YWCA or summer camps to host prevention- awareness days. If we don’t talk about it, if nobody knows about it, or knows that they are vulnerable to it, they're not gonna see it coming if we don't find the space or talk about ways in which to prevent young people from being exploited.

But these conversations should not just be left up to young people. Have them at the dinner table. Name that there are youth who are being exploited in your community; and that it is a real issue. 

Could you tell us about your role on the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking and the purpose of the Council? 

I was nominated to join the council by President Joe Biden, so I'm quite excited about that. It was actually started by President Obama 10 years ago, to bring Survivor Leaders together to initially develop the U.S. Advisory Council Annual Report  that comes out every two years and is released to all federally funded agencies engaging in anti-trafficking work. There are members of the council here on visas who advocate for immigrant communities often targeted for labor trafficking. The council is made up of 13 diverse Survivor Leaders, serving 2-year terms. I will be back in D.C. in December in my capacity as a member of the council, to meet with Health and Human Services and a number of other federal agencies. When we meet with the Federal agencies we ask many questions to inform us where the gaps are, and we’ve identified survivor-led organizations doing great work and ask them to complete a questionnaire providing input on their needs and the supports that are missing. All of this information informs what we include in the reports.

Being on the council has really been an amazing opportunity. I’ve made many contributions to the prevention section of the report which covers whether agencies are working with youth and the type of prevention programs that they carry out. The 2025 report was actually recently released. We held a Zoom webinar to discuss the release of the report. Currently, and for another report, I’m working on the unseen populations section, as well as sections on survivor-leadership. In doing so, I’m asking agencies - how do they engage and provide leadership  opportunities to survivor-leaders? Unseen populations include the LGBTQIA+ who are most at risk.  In this current socio-political climate it has been difficult holding back on language about LGBTIA+, Black and Brown folks when serving in this capacity. Luckily, my agency doesn’t receive any Federal funding, so we have not found myself in the position of having to do this. 

Can you share any initial reactions that you had when you got the notification that you were nominated for this year's Freedom Award?

First of all regarding the notification, let me just say, I think that it is awesome that you do it in a way where a Survivor calls another Survivor to inform them about the award. I found that to be powerful. Katrina [PACT Board member]  has known me for years, so it was amazing having her, another Survivor, say that this was long overdue. It felt authentic and meaningful. This has all come at a time in my life where I’m much older, been doing this work for 23 years, and I’ll say this humbly — I have done the footwork. In working with younger people, highly capable Survivor leaders, you begin to feel like you’re again out of this movement; but it reminds me that it is the best timing to receive an award like this. One that was earned, and not given because of my connections, or because it was just made-up. 

I intend to remain in a humble state. I look back and ask myself – “Who would have thought that this was possible?”  I’m not just a survivor of trafficking, but a woman in recovery. So, all of this feels like the miracles that kept me going in that 12-steps program. If I had written down what I wanted my life to look like 33 years later, getting this award would have been beyond my wildest dreams. It never would’ve made it on my list. 

I also understand the importance of showing up and knowing when to sit down, and really figure out how to lift the work that all of our great organizations do. When I'm done speaking, I want people to write checks for your organization, to support the great work that you're doing. Anti-trafficking work is not a one-man show.  We say it’s a community effort, but it's really bigger than that. It's like a United States effort. So it's an honor for me to be in a space to be able to accept that award, but also uplift those who saw something in me to give me that award. It's about partnerships and coming together, and I feel like me getting this award overlaps into helping support you all in a way. That generates funds for PACT  to continue the work that you're doing as well, because we're all doing important work. I feel like this is going to be an opportunity to even build a closer relationship with PACT and see if there are other ways to come and do something down the line. So I look forward to building new opportunities in support of one another.

Is there anything else that you're looking forward to about being in that room the evening of the Freedom Awards?

I absolutely love a good gala! I’m excited to meet all of PACT’s staff, which is particularly important at this time, so that we can find ways to mutually support each other. I look forward to learning more about the great work that others are doing, and I take networking very seriously.  

With my agency not getting Federal funds and being beholden by current political restraints, we can help get messages out that other organizations cannot, Despite differences in political views, I still believe that anyone who’s doing this work still wants to support Black and Brown people, they still care about LGBTQIA+ people, trans Black women, and especially all children who have experienced trafficking.  So, I’m interested in conversations about how we creatively support each other? Continue to provide our services? As My Life, My Choice transitions this year, I want to remind people that we are still here.  I've learned a long time ago, I'm not in this work to compete, or think I do it better. We need to come together. I think there’s opportunity for us who have those same beliefs, want to help the same people, to create a space where we can have those hard conversations and figure out how we can support one another.