Ashes & Beauty is a podcast by Switch, a nonprofit in Greenville, South Carolina, on a mission to end local sex trafficking and exploitation. Each episode features real-life stories, thought-provoking conversations, and powerful insights that raise awareness and inspire action.
Through our five core programs—Awareness, Prevention, Demand, Intervention, and Restoration—we’re bringing hope, healing, and freedom to survivors.
To learn more or give to our ministry, visit www.switchsc.org (http://www.switchsc.org/).
Housing Instability & Sex Trafficking: The Hidden Connection
Housing instability isn’t just about where someone sleeps. Without a safe, stable place to live, it’s incredibly difficult to heal, rebuild your life, or focus on what comes next. In this episode Julia sits down with Lee Anne Cavin of Front Porch Housing to talk about the connection between housing insecurity, vulnerability, and sex trafficking in Greenville. 🏠 We talk about: • Why safe housing is foundational to healing and long-term stability • What supportive housing really means and why i...
18 Aug 2026
Behind the Badge: How Law Enforcement Is Fighting Sex Trafficking in Greenville
What does it really take to fight sex trafficking and protect the women being exploited? In this episode of Ashes & Beauty, we sit down with Greenville City Police Captain Alia Paramore to talk about sex trafficking in Greenville, law enforcement’s evolving response, and why seeing the whole person behind the call matters. Captain Paramore shares how she became involved with Switch and why advocating for women experiencing exploitation has become such an important part of her work. We dis...
28 Jul 2026
From Sex Addiction to Intimacy: How Recovery Changes Lives and Reduces Demand
Pornography addiction doesn't just affect one person: it impacts marriages, families, communities, and fuels the demand for sexual exploitation. In this episode of Ashes & Beauty, we sit down with Tim Lyda, founder of The Recovery Trek, to discuss how recovery from sexual addiction leads to healthier relationships, restored intimacy, and lasting freedom. Tim explains why pornography rewires the brain, but also shares the encouraging truth: the brain can heal. We explore why so many men st...
14 Jul 2026
Why the Church Must Engage in the Fight Against Trafficking
What role should the Church play in ending human trafficking? In this episode, we sit down with Jason Yon of Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church to discuss why churches are uniquely positioned to prevent exploitation, restore dignity, and bring hope to the most vulnerable in our communities. Mitchell Road supports more than 75 missionaries in 35 countries, but they also recognize that mission work begins right here at home. Jason shares why the church chose to partner with Switch. We also explo...
23 Jun 2026
Meet Switch’s Executive Director: Faith, Leadership & the Future of Anti-Trafficking
In this episode of Ashes & Beauty, we sit down with Executive Director Julia Starnes for an honest and inspiring conversation about faith-filled leadership, calling, and the future of the organization. Julia shares her background, what led her to Switch after serving at a Christ-centered pregnancy resource center, and how her faith shapes the way she leads. We also discuss what has surprised Julia most since stepping into the role and why understanding exploitation requires compassion, aw...
19 May 2026
Prevention Training: Protecting Our Youth in a Digital World
How do we protect kids in a world where predators have greater access than ever before? We sat down with Krystal Nierman, from our Prevention Program at Switch, to talk about equipping students, parents, and communities to recognize warning signs before exploitation happens. Today’s youth are navigating a digital world full of hidden risks... from online grooming and manipulation to pornography exposure and exploitation. The good news? Prevention starts with awareness. Krystal shares how Swit...
5 May 2026
Pizza & Purpose: Todaro Pizza Supports The Fight Against Sex Trafficking in Greenville
What does pizza, purpose, and protecting people from exploitation have in common? In this powerful episode, we sit down with John Todaro, owner of Todaro Pizza in Greenville, and Elliott Gibbs, founder of SPAR (Supporting Porn Addiction Recovery), for a conversation that will challenge how you define success and how you live it. John shares his journey growing up in New Jersey in the pizza business and the Catholic faith, and how that foundation led him to partner with Switch to fight human t...
13 Apr 2026
Hidden in Plain Sight: Understanding Modern-Day Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking in Greenville doesn’t always look the way we expect (and definitely not how the movies depict). We sat down with Krystal Nierman, Switch Prevention Lead, to unpack the reality of modern-day human trafficking: what it actually looks like, why many victims don’t even realize they’re being trafficked, and how this crisis is happening in our own community. We start by defining trafficking and breaking the common misconception that it always involves physical chains or captivity. I...
24 Mar 2026
The Mystery of Intercessory Prayer in Ending Sex Trafficking and Exploitation
Can prayer really make a difference in the fight against sex trafficking and exploitation? In this powerful episode, Christie McMillan, Intervention Team Lead, explores the role of intercessory prayer as a tool for spiritual warfare and how faithful prayer can lead to real-world impact in the fight to protect vulnerable people. Scripture reminds us to keep knocking on God’s door and never stop praying. But what does that actually look like when you’re praying for justice, freedom, and the end...
10 Mar 2026
The Mom's Guide to Protecting Kids from Online Predators Part 2
In Part 2 of this important conversation, Switch Prevention Team Lead, Krystal Nierman, shares how traffickers groom, manipulate, and ultimately control their victims. While many people imagine trafficking as kidnapping by strangers, the reality is far more subtle. Traffickers often build relationships with children online first, slowly gaining trust before isolating and exploiting them. In this episode, we discuss: • The Grooming Phase – tactics predators use to gain trust and infiltrate a c...
27 Feb 2026
The Mom's Guide to Protecting Kids from Online Predators Part 1
Children today are growing up in a fully digital world. From gaming platforms to social media apps to messaging features parents may not even know exist. Access is constant and often more dangerous than we realize. In this episode, we talk with Prevention Team Lead, Krystal Nierman about: How online predators identify and target childrenThe tactics predators use to build trustWhy pornography exposure is often the gateway to deeper exploitationSocial media settings every parent should check to...
13 Feb 2026
Finding Your Identity in Christ After Trauma
How do you find your identity in Christ after trauma, church hurt, or seasons that leave you questioning everything? In this episode of Ashes & Beauty, we’re joined by Rob Nelson from GracePointe Ministries for a powerful conversation about healing, identity, and learning to silence the cultural lies that shape how we see ourselves. Trauma has a way of distorting identity. Church hurt, cultural pressure, disappointment, and negative voices can slowly redefine who we believe we are. But th...
27 Jan 2026
Overcoming Porn Addiction: How Men Can Break Free
Porn addiction affects millions of men, often in silence. In this episode, we have an honest, hope-filled conversation about pornography addiction, recovery, and how men can break free. We're joined by Eric Nierman, Lead of the Demand Program at Switch, who courageously shares his personal journey out of pornography addiction and into lasting freedom. At Switch, we believe that if there is no demand for sex, there are no victims. That’s why addressing pornography use matters, not just for ind...
13 Jan 2026
Sex Trafficking in South Carolina: The Hidden Crisis Parents Can’t Ignore
Sex trafficking isn’t something happening “somewhere else.” It is happening in communities across South Carolina, often hidden in plain sight. In this powerful episode, Pastor Rob Marks of Fellowship Greenville joins us for an honest conversation about the realities of sex trafficking in our state, the challenges within current laws and law enforcement, and why awareness is the first step toward prevention. We talk about the critical role parents play in getting educated, not only so they kno...
30 Dec 2025
Called to the Front Lines: A Faith-Filled Journey to Fight Sex Trafficking with Zaina Greene
Today, we sit down with former Executive Director of Switch, Zaina Greene, to share her powerful, faith-filled journey into the fight against sex trafficking and exploitation. Zaina opens up about how she first became aware of trafficking, why she knew she needed to be part of an organization led by the Holy Spirit, and how Switch’s earliest outreach efforts began inside strip clubs meeting women right where they were. This conversation also busts common misconceptions about trafficking, incl...
16 Dec 2025
Faith & Finance: Helping Survivors Rebuild Their Finances & Life After Sex Trafficking
In this episode of Ashes & Beauty, we take you inside Faith & Finance, a powerful class within Switch’s Restoration pillar that helps survivors of sex trafficking rebuild their finances and their lives. You’ll hear how vulnerable, low-income women in Greenville, SC learn practical tools like tracking their spending, creating a realistic budget, and understanding needs versus wants. We discuss how the class equips them to spot predatory lending, avoid high-risk financial traps, and bui...
2 Dec 2025
Behind the Intervention Pillar: Reaching Women Facing Exploitation in Greenville
In this powerful episode of Ashes & Beauty, we go behind the Intervention pillar of Switch to uncover what it truly looks like to reach women facing sex trafficking and exploitation in Greenville, SC. Our guest from the Intervention Team, Christie, shares the most common questions they receive — including how outreach works, what happens during a club visit, and why a strip club would ever allow Switch to come through their doors. You’ll hear the truth about vulnerability, grooming, and h...
26 Nov 2025
Welcome to Ashes & Beauty
Welcome to the very first episode of Ashes & Beauty, a podcast by Switch in Greenville, SC, dedicated to ending local sex trafficking and exploitation. In this introductory episode, we share who Switch is, the role faith plays in our organization, and how our five core programs—Awareness, Prevention, Demand, Intervention, and Restoration—work together to bring hope and healing to survivors. You’ll learn more about Greenville County being the #1 county in South Carolina for reported sex tr...
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