INNOVAT3

Alicia amazes me. She has overcome so much and turned it into knowledge & empathy to help others. It was an honor to sit down with her & let her tell her story. Trigger warning - several of the things she’s been thru were brutal, it wasn’t all easy to hear. Having said that if we going to fix an issue like human trafficking, we need to start by understanding it. There are many miss conceptions, leg Alicia tell you herself…

What happens when a child is abandoned and no one steps in? In this week’s episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, Ted Hahs sits down with Alicia Baker, a survivor of trafficking who experienced abandonment, abuse, and incarceration all before she turned 18. Her story is difficult to hear, but it’s also necessary. Because what Alicia lived through wasn’t just a personal tragedy. It’s a reflection of the systemic failures that allow vulnerable youth to fall through the cracks every day. Today, Alicia works as a case manager for Maranatha Christian Center in San Jose and advocate with Love Never Fails, helping others break free from the same cycles she escaped. Her perspective is raw, powerful, and deeply informed by lived experience. If your work touches education, public health, criminal justice, youth development, or social impact, this conversation will challenge how you see the problem… and what you think the solutions could be. ?? Episode 18 is now live! Spotify: https://lnkd.in/g5Kcp9kt Youtube: https://lnkd.in/gWayAcHy ?? How are we doing as a society at protecting our most vulnerable? #INNOVAT3Podcast #HumanTraffickingAwareness #SocialImpact #SurvivorLeadership #LoveNeverFails #YouthAdvocacy #BreakingTheCycle #LeadershipWithPurpose #FromSurvivorToLeader

We’ve all seen how traditional power structures struggle to adapt—whether in government, finance, or business. Systems meant to serve people often concentrate power at the top, leaving little room for transparency, flexibility, or true community ownership. Enter DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations)—a model that promises distributed decision-making, economic coordination, and governance without the bottlenecks of centralized control. In the latest episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, Ted Hahs sits down with Jan (Puncar) Brezina, a Web3 builder and DAO advocate, to talk about: ?? Can DAOs run businesses, cities, or even entire economies? ?? How do DAOs avoid the pitfalls of centralized control? ?? Are DAOs the next big shift in governance—or just another Web3 experiment? At a time when trust in institutions is at an all-time low, DAOs offer a new way to organize, make decisions, and share value. But can they truly scale? Can they work in the real world? ?? Episode 17 is now LIVE on Spotify & YouTube! Youtube:?https://lnkd.in/gMMBDVGM Spotify:?https://lnkd.in/g9vu997N ?? Are DAOs the future, or are they just another passing tech trend? Let’s discuss. #INNOVAT3Podcast #DAOs #Web3 #Decentralization #FutureOfGovernance #Crypto #DigitalOwnership #Innovation #Leadership

?? New INNOVAT3 Podcast Episode Drops Tomorrow! ?? DAOs are being hailed as the future of governance, but can they truly replace traditional power structures? What if cities, businesses, and economies were run by self-governing, decentralized communities instead of corporations and governments? In tomorrow’s episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, Ted Hahs sits down with Jan (Puncar) Brezina, a Web3 visionary, to discuss: ?? Can DAOs run an entire city? ?? Are DAOs the answer to corporate and political power imbalances? ?? Will this be a decentralization revolution—or just another experiment? The potential for DAOs is massive—but is the world ready for this shift? ?? Dropping tomorrow on Spotify & YouTube—stay tuned! ?? Do you see DAOs as the future of governance, or are they just a Web3 trend? Let’s discuss. #INNOVAT3Podcast #DAOs #Web3 #Decentralization #FutureOfTech #DigitalOwnership #Crypto #Innovation

Web3 Promised a Decentralized Future, Are We Getting It? Web3 is supposed to be the next evolution of the internet, a world where individuals, not corporations, control their data, assets, and online presence. But are we actually building something different, or just repeating Web2’s mistakes? In the latest episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, Scott Morris and Ted Hahs explore the future of Web3 and the risks of centralized control creeping back in. Right now, we have a chance to shape the digital economy in a way that benefits everyone, not just a select few. ?? Will Web3 be a true revolution, or will it become Web2 with a new name? ?? Listen to the full conversation now on Spotify & YouTube. Youtube: https://lnkd.in/guWSmfpt Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gwSahrDi ?? What’s your take—will Web3 succeed in decentralization, or is it heading toward corporate dominance? Let’s discuss. #INNOVAT3Podcast #Web3 #Blockchain #FutureOfTech #Decentralization #DigitalOwnership #Crypto #Web3VsWeb2

What Monopoly Doesn’t Want You to Know About Money. We’ve all played Monopoly. We’ve learned that the goal is to own everything, bankrupt the competition, and dominate the game. Sound familiar? But what if I told you that the original version of Monopoly had two sets of rules? One focused on wealth hoarding (the version we know), and the other promoted shared prosperity, reinvesting in communities, and sustainable wealth-building. In the latest INNOVAT3 Podcast, Scott Morris breaks down how our financial system mirrors Monopoly’s “winner-takes-all” approach, and why we need to rethink the game entirely. The rules we play by aren’t the only ones that exist. ?? Listen now on Spotify & YouTube. Youtube:?https://lnkd.in/guWSmfpt Spotify:?https://lnkd.in/gwSahrDi ?? What’s one way we can shift from competition to collaboration in the economy? Let’s talk. #INNOVAT3Podcast #MonopolyTruth #FinancialInnovation #CommunityWealth #EconomicJustice #RethinkingMoney

We’re told that if we work hard, save diligently, and make smart financial choices, we’ll build wealth. But what if the problem isn’t individual effort, it’s the system itself? In the latest episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, Ted Hahs sits down with Scott Morris, a community currency expert and economist, to talk about why traditional financial systems create inequality and how we can build something better. Scott has spent years designing alternative financial models that challenge the way we think about money. He’s worked with community based currencies, financial innovation, and economic justice solutions that put wealth back into the hands of local communities instead of funneling it upward. This conversation goes deep into: ? Why wealth keeps concentrating at the top while poverty remains widespread ? How local currencies can keep money circulating within communities ? What we can learn from crypto, decentralized finance, and financial innovation ? How rethinking money could create more opportunities for everyone, not just a select few The truth is, our financial system isn’t broken, it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do. The question is, can we build something better? ?? Listen to the full conversation now on Spotify & YouTube. Youtube:?https://lnkd.in/guWSmfpt Spotify:?https://lnkd.in/gwSahrDi ?? What’s one thing you would change about the way money works today? Let’s discuss. #INNOVAT3Podcast #FinancialInnovation #RethinkingMoney #CommunityWealth #EconomicJustice #SocialImpact #WealthInequality #BreakingTheCycle #Leadership

Most people think trafficking starts with force, but more often, it starts with trust. It happens through relationships, manipulation, and control that slowly strip a person of their freedom. In the latest episode of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, I sit down with terryal bell, a survivor who now fights for others through Love Never Fails. I met her through Vanessa Russell, and her story is one that everyone needs to hear. She met her trafficker in college, and at first, he seemed like someone safe. But little by little, things changed. Blame turned into control. Control turned into violence. By the time she realized what was happening, she was trapped. ?? This is a conversation we need to have. Human trafficking doesn’t just happen in distant places, it’s happening right here, right now. And if we don’t see it, we can’t stop it. ?? Listen to the full episode now on Spotify & YouTube. Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gMgK9Jri Youtube: https://lnkd.in/gRjtHqHq ?? What are the warning signs most people miss? Let’s talk. #INNOVAT3Podcast #HumanTraffickingAwareness #SurvivorStory #BreakingFree #SocialImpact #FaithInAction #JusticeForAll

A crisis is happening right before us, but most people don’t even see it. In Los Angeles, the average age of a child’s first encounter with trafficking is just 12 to 14 years old, barely old enough to navigate the world, yet already being exploited in the most horrific ways. Once they enter this cycle, their average life expectancy is only 7 years. Could you let that sink in? Many of these kids won’t even make it to adulthood. Not because of illness or accidents, but because they were targeted, groomed, and discarded by a system that profits off their suffering. Trafficking isn’t always the movie version we imagine, kidnappings in dark alleyways. It’s happening in plain sight. Traffickers don’t need to snatch kids off the street when they can find them online, in schools, in foster care, and even in group homes. It’s a slow, calculated process of manipulation, one that makes children believe they have no way out. ?? And here’s the real tragedy: When they are found, they aren’t always rescued. Many are arrested, labeled as criminals instead of victims, and thrown into a system that fails them again. So, what can we do? ?? Educate yourself – Know the signs of grooming and trafficking. It’s not just about physical control—it’s emotional, financial, and psychological. ?? Speak up – If something doesn’t look right, trust your instincts and report it. You might be the only person who does. ?? Support survivor led organisations like loveneverfails – They are on the frontlines, offering real solutions and real hope. This is not a problem we can ignore. These are not statistics. These are real children, real lives that deserve better. ?? If you care, share this post. Awareness saves lives. #EndHumanTrafficking #ProtectOurChildren #LosAngeles #HumanTraffickingAwareness #SaveOurKids #BreakTheCycle #Innovat3

When Trafficking Hides in Plain Sight. Most people think human trafficking happens in back alleys, far away from everyday life. But the truth is, it’s happening in dating apps, on college campuses, and through people who appear completely safe. In the Season 2 premiere of the INNOVAT3 Podcast, terryal bell from loveneverfails shares how a simple Tinder match led her down a dangerous path she never saw coming. She thought she met a rapper, a successful man who seemed trustworthy, but within weeks, her life was no longer her own. Trafficking thrives in silence and misunderstanding. How can we stop it if we don’t recognize how it happens? This conversation is urgent, eye-opening, and deeply necessary. ?? Watch the full episode now on Spotify & YouTube. Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gMgK9Jri Youtube: https://lnkd.in/gRjtHqHq ?? What can we do to better educate and prevent trafficking in our communities? Let’s discuss. #Innovat3Podcast #HumanTraffickingAwareness #SurvivorStory #BreakingTheCycle #HiddenInPlainSight #SocialImpact #Leadership #JusticeForAll