Fierce Freedom

10/15/2026

Tomorrow is Empower Freedom 2026! 🎉

We can’t wait to bring our community together for a powerful day of speakers, survivor-centered conversations, meaningful education, and connection as we work to disrupt cycles of human trafficking and exploitation.

✨ Inspiring speakers
✨ Powerful stories
✨ The What Were You Wearing? art installation
✨ Tools to make a difference in our communities

📍 Tomorrow, October 16 | Eau Claire, WI

We’ll see you there! 💙

10/13/2026

Trigger Warning: This podcast contains details and discussion of sexual assault.

👉bit.ly/ffpodcast-cornell7

Did you know? 1 in 5 women are sexually assaulted while in college but its estimated that 85% to 90% of campus sexual assaults are never reported to campus administrators or law enforcement. (RAINN; American Psychological Assc.)

In the wake of the recent events of the Cornell Seven R*pe case, Fierce Freedom Co-Hosts Cat Morgan and Mark Halvorsen sit down to discuss why victims often never come forward due to feelings of fear, shame, as well as institutional or policy hurdles and cultural biases which blame them for their own assault and do little to hold perpetrators accountable.

In addition to this issue of the prevalence of SA on college campuses and society at large, we'll discuss proactive ways to teach consent from a young age and how to walk alongside your child during the reporting process.

If you'd like to find support or make a report visit http://rainn.org or visit your campus Title IX office. If you or someone else is struggling with their mental health you can call the su***de hotline 988 or call 211 for WI resources.

To learn more about this issue, visit: https://www.thehuntinggroundfilm.com/the-facts.html

10/11/2026

Speaker Spotlight: Detective Chaz Walton 🚔🔎

Keeping our communities safe takes collaboration, awareness, and a commitment to protecting our most vulnerable.

Join us at Empower Freedom 2026 as Detective Chaz Walton of the Eau Claire Police Department joins our afternoon panel to discuss interagency collaboration and staying safe whether online or at home.

With nearly 28 years in law enforcement, Chaz serves as a Sensitive Crimes and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Investigator and was recognized in 2025, as ICAC Investigator of the Year.

We may still have a few spots left, let us know ASAP if you want to secure your spot at Empower Freedom this year by emailing [email protected]!

10/09/2026

💜 SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT: KATI ANN DUSSL 💜

What does it look like to be a true advocate for survivors? It starts with how we show up, the language we use, and the cultural norms we’re willing to challenge.

At Empower Freedom 2026, Kati Ann Dussl, Program Manager for the St. Croix Tribe’s Ganawenindiwag Program, will share practical ways we can support survivors through everyday actions, challenge harmful norms, and help create safer, more supportive communities.

Drawing from her experience in domestic and sexual violence advocacy, trauma-informed support, and social justice, Kati Ann brings a powerful, intersectional perspective to this important conversation.

✨ Real advocacy goes beyond good intentions—it’s reflected in what we do every day.

📅 October 16 | 📍 Eau Claire, WI
🎟️ Join us at Empower Freedom 2026!

We may still have a few spots left, let us know ASAP if you want to secure your spot at Empower Freedom this year by emailing [email protected]!

10/06/2026

Empower Freedom Speaker Spotlight: Starla Thompson 🎙

Did you know? Native women are 2.5 times more likely than non-Native women to experience r**e or sexual assault, and at least 86% of perpetrators are non-Native men. (National Indigenous Women's Resource Center)

What happens when we listen to the stories of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people—and turn that listening into action?

At The Empower Freedom Conference, Starla Thompson, (Waben Gizhek Kwé — First Light That Breaks the Night Woman) founder of Walks With a Good Heart, LLC and a leader with Waking Women Healing Institute, will share her work addressing the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls & Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S).

Through a survivor-led and Indigenous-centered lens, Starla will invite us to better understand this crisis, the systems surrounding it, and how communities can meaningfully respond.

📅 October 16 | 📍 Eau Claire, WI
🎟️ Join us at Empower Freedom 2026
👉 bit.ly/empowerfreedom2026

Ticket Sales Close TOMO WED OCT 7TH ✨

10/05/2026

💙 Why Should You Come to The Empower Freedom Conference?

Because one day can change the way you see, understand, and respond to human trafficking and exploitation.

✨ Hear from powerful speakers with lived and professional experience
✨ Learn practical strategies for prevention and survivor support
✨ Experience the What Were You Wearing? art installation
✨ Explore the crisis of MMIWG2S and its connection to exploitation
✨ Connect with others who are working to create safer communities

And there’s only TWO DAYS left to get your ticket! ⏰
🎟️ Register now: bit.ly/empowerfreedom2026

October 16 | Eau Claire, WI
Come ready to learn. Come ready to listen. Come ready to be empowered.

10/03/2026

Empower Freedom Speaker Spotlight: Jenny Almquist 🎙

Passionate about engaging in justice work—but running on empty?
At this year's The Empower Freedom Conference 2026 presented by SCHEELS, Jenny Almquist will share about her journey from the brink of burnout to inner peace, and how inner work + intentional rest can help us sustain the work of social change for the long haul.

💛 Learn how to move beyond survival mode and build habits that support both your well-being and your mission.

📅 October 16 | 📍 Eau Claire, WI
🎟️ Register at 👉 bit.ly/empowerfreedom2026

Ticket sales end OCT 7TH

10/01/2026

Warning: This story contains distressing details and discussion of sexual assault.

Every 19 hours, someone is r*ped on a college campus.

This recent case of gang r*pe from Cornell University speaks volumes about the need for systems that actually support and protect victims rather than enabling perpetrators to continue these acts with nothing but a slap on the wrist.

"In a 101-page civil lawsuit, the woman (Jane Doe) alleged that on the night of 19 October 2024, seven men from Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity chapter assaulted her for hours in an incident involving alcohol and the drug ketamine."

This begins with teaching respect and consent from a young age while creating infrastructure that gives survivors, support throughout this incredibly traumatic experience while creating meaningful consequences for perpetrators.

If you'd like to find support or make a report visit http://rainn.org or visit your campus Title IX office. If you or someone else is struggling with their mental health you can call the su***de hotline 988 or call 211 for WI resources.

The woman alleges she was drugged and r**ed at a fraternity house at the university two years ago.

10/01/2026

We have an incredible speaker lineup for the 2026 Empower Freedom Conference on October 16 — and an equally incredible group of Sponsors helping make this important event possible!

Join us in recognizing and celebrating this year’s Empower Freedom Conference Sponsors! Empower Freedom is presented by Scheels, and joining them in sponsorship is London Road Laundromat Eau Claire, WI, River Valley Property Management, Clear Water Kiwanis- Eau Claire, Coulee Tech, and Sandy's Clothing and Art! 👏

By the way, if you haven’t secured your ticket yet, now’s the time! Ticket sales close at 12:00 noon on October 7.

We’d love to have you join us for a day of learning, connection, and empowerment as we come together to better understand and prevent human trafficking and exploitation.

Get your ticket before the deadline! https://fiercefreedom.org/

09/30/2026

⏰ ONE WEEK LEFT!

The Empower Freedom Conference 2026 presented by SCHEELS ticketing deadline is just ONE WEEK away! Join us October 16 for a powerful day of speakers, survivor-centered conversations, practical education, and connection as we work together to disrupt cycles of human trafficking and exploitation. 💙

🎟️ Don’t wait—get your ticket!
👉 bit.ly/empowerfreedom2026
October 16 | Eau Claire, WI

We’d love to see you there!

Join us for the Empower Freedom Conference to equip communities towards disrupting cycles of human trafficking & exploitation!