Disclaimer/trigger warning: sexual abuse Shannon is joined by Grace Raje and Carolina Allen to discuss victims of sexual abuse move to healing and insights on how to help protect children and bring light and awareness to our communities and in our homes. “We may not be able to fix every broken system overnight, but we can decide what kind of culture we want to contribute to.” Shannon Russell “Through strong families, it is possible to create a world where sexual violence is not simply punished, but actually unthinkable.” - Grace Raje “It’s worth it to heal. Life is worth living.” - Grace Raje “There’s nothing more powerful in disrupting abusive systems than healed mothers.” - Grace Raje “God loves children. Our creator has a special place for the most vulnerable, and special children who are looking to us for protection and guidance. And I'll do anything within my power to, to grow that. And I know that that's the ultimate litmus test: how we treat children.” - Carolina Allen “Darkness does not get the final word. It does not. Change doesn't always start in courtrooms, it rarely starts in headlines. It starts in everyday decisions, in how we treat people, how we speak up, how we create safe and honest space in our homes and our communities.” - Shannon Russell 00:00 Trigger Warning Intro 00:32 Why Epstein Matters 02:00 Meet the Guests 03:28 Grace’s Story 04:51 Justice System Failures 07:32 Two Core Messages 09:37 Hope Through Connection 12:11 Trauma Aftermath 18:14 Memory Suppression Explained 25:23 Protect Kids First 27:40 Calling Out Grooming 31:06 Healed Mothers Protect 34:21 Talking to Kids Early 38:52 Families as the Solution 39:52 Why Abuse Happens 40:48 Testosterone Myth Debunked 41:35 Control and Dehumanization 42:21 Beyond Not All Men 43:33 Rape Culture Pyramid 47:11 Calling It Out Publicly 49:52 Guilt Versus Shame 53:19 Building Life Culture 57:55 Help for Porn Addiction 01:01:58 Trauma Changes the Brain 01:05:55 Parenting Without Shame 01:08:22 Body Trends and Control 01:14:55 Protecting Children Find out more at www.bigoceanwomen.org. For Grace's complete presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou6SqSP19RE

Big Ocean Women on Global Sisterhood, the Maternal Economy, and Upcoming Summits Carolina Allen, founder and director of Big Ocean Women, and Shelli Spotts introduce our new monthly podcast series that applies the group’s tenets to current issues, beginning with “working side by side in the global sisterhood." They also celebrate our Big Ocean Women CSW team’s successful, safe return from sharing our maternal feminist message at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. They describe a “maternal economy” that decommodifies relationships and draws on abundance, creativity, and generational impact, contrasting it with hustle culture and profit-driven models. Carolina announces a May 9 summit (with more to follow) where Big Ocean will share lessons from years of attending UN forums and help mothers and families understand complex agendas, language, and how to respond with clarity, education, self-reliance, and safety.   "And one of the things that strikes me about this, about the whole idea of women coming together from all over the world, is that it is truly a decommodification. Of the way we interact with one another. And, um, my, my daughter called it the, I know, a guy economy. Yes. We call it the maternal economy." Shelli Spotts "I love the structure of the library, right? That you go and there's the wisdom of all of these people there and I think often that this type of thing is like a library of experience. We each bring our skills and our inspiration and our experience and our special interests. We have education in different areas. We know how to do different things and together we are creating this library, this maternal economy where we can metaphorically check out the knowledge that we need from one another. And it's for a purpose. It's for the benefit of communities, and that is very exciting." Shelli Spotts "Every time we've attended, it's been a transformative experience for women because we get to see, it's like scales fall from your eyes and you're like, wow, this stuff is real. These agendas are real, and they're very calculated. These people are talking about my children." Carolina Allen "You have to rise up in power and not in fear, not in reaction, like you talked about, just in a very centered, grounded way that is, um, generationally impactful." Shelli Spotts "And what we found though is that we're pulling farther and farther away from this human-centered familial roots of our humanity. We're just moving towards a technologically driven, isolated, and like an AI governance system that's really encroaching over the whole world that's transhumanist, that's very anti-human." Carolina Allen "Being a mom today poses a lot of challenges and big ocean women. We're here to help mothers not feel alone. So we are a community that you can belong to and we're not just like a feel good, you know, sunshine and roses community. We're gonna help educate you so you know exactly what's happening out there and how to process it. And when you know how to process it, you stand in your power." Carolina Allen 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:25 Monthly Series and UN Update 01:27 Global Sisterhood Ripple Effect 02:25 Maternal Economy Explained 04:52 Living Abundance Not Scarcity 07:29 Library of Shared Wisdom 08:44 Summits and Podcast Direction 12:01 Education Self Reliance Safety 13:10 Wake Up and Rise Up 14:22 Inclusive Maternal Feminism 16:09 Family Power and Community Bonds 17:20 Tech Isolation and AI Concerns 18:56 Hopeful Support for Mothers 20:52 Resources and Closing May 9, 2026 Summit Information: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/awake-and-arise-the-big-oc www.bigoceanwomen.org

Speaker Bio: Fatima Njoku is a devoted wife, mother, and leader who embodies the core values of faith, family, and motherhood upheld by Big Ocean Women. A committed member of the organization for over eight years, Fatima has faithfully served and grown within the community, inspiring women through her dedication and leadership. Married for 14 years and blessed with three children, she skillfully balances family life with her professional and academic pursuits. A lawyer by training and currently a Ph.D. candidate, Fatima is passionate about lifelong learning and personal growth. Although she loves reading, her busy schedule often leaves her wishing for more hours in the day. Beyond her family and academic commitments, Fatima serves as the President of the Jos, Nigeria Pioneer W.A.V.E., leading a vibrant community of over one hundred women. She also holds the position of Regional Manager for West Africa, where she continues to empower and support women across the region with vision, integrity, and heart. Event Description: Across global regions, women and girls experience compounded injustice rooted in an intersectionality of issues. These harms include sexual and gender-based violence, forced and child marriage, trafficking, forced displacement, denial of legal documentation, persecution, and systemic exclusion from protection and remedies. When justice systems fail to respond, women—especially mothers—become the frontline defenders of children, culture, and community survival. The Beijing Declaration affirms that the human rights of women and girls are an inalienable and indivisible part of universal human rights, including freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Oftentimes, justice systems fail to respond quickly- if at all- yet women are somehow still finding healing, resilience, and empowerment. We will hear firsthand accounts of the tools and mechanisms they have employed to accomplish this. Big Ocean Women takes an evidence-based approach to healing through its Model of Powerful Impact, which recognizes that sustainable justice begins with women’s lived authority and expands outward in concentric circles: Women as moral agents and protectors can impact families as the first site of safety and healing Families can impact communities as spaces of restoration and continuity Communities can impact society is strengthened by women-led stability From a maternal feminist lens, justice cannot be reduced to courts and statutes alone. Justice must also heal. When institutions fail, mothers protect children, preserve spiritual and cultural dignity, transmit resilience across generations, and rebuild life after violence. This is not an insignificant contribution. The state does not delegate this authority—it is inherent, relational, and sacred. This parallel event asserts that healing is not secondary to justice; it is foundational to it. By centering women’s authority and community-based healing, Big Ocean Women reframes access to justice as a living process that restores dignity, safeguards families, and stabilizes societies. Find out more at www.bigoceanwomen.org.

Across global regions, women and girls experience compounded injustice rooted in an intersectionality of issues. These harms include sexual and gender-based violence, forced and child marriage, trafficking, forced displacement, denial of legal documentation, persecution, and systemic exclusion from protection and remedies. When justice systems fail to respond, women—especially mothers—become the frontline defenders of children, culture, and community survival. The Beijing Declaration affirms that the human rights of women and girls are an inalienable and indivisible part of universal human rights, including freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Oftentimes, justice systems fail to respond quickly- if at all- yet women are somehow still finding healing, resilience, and empowerment. We will hear firsthand accounts of the tools and mechanisms they have employed to accomplish this. Big Ocean Women takes an evidence-based approach to healing through its Model of Powerful Impact, which recognizes that sustainable justice begins with women’s lived authority and expands outward in concentric circles: Women as moral agents and protectors can impact families as the first site of safety and healing Families can impact communities as spaces of restoration and continuity Communities can impact society is strengthened by women-led stability From a maternal feminist lens, justice cannot be reduced to courts and statutes alone. Justice must also heal. When institutions fail, mothers protect children, preserve spiritual and cultural dignity, transmit resilience across generations, and rebuild life after violence. This is not an insignificant contribution. The state does not delegate this authority—it is inherent, relational, and sacred. This parallel event asserts that healing is not secondary to justice; it is foundational to it. By centering women’s authority and community-based healing, Big Ocean Women reframes access to justice as a living process that restores dignity, safeguards families, and stabilizes societies. Find out more at www.bigoceanwomen.org.

Speaker Bio: Cara Baldree is a woman of great faith and courage who relishes in sharing her love for Jesus Christ. Professionally, she works as an instructional coach at an elementary school and holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. As a ritual abuse survivor who knows the depths and miracles of a healing journey, Cara has become deeply committed to child advocacy, feeling a lifelong calling to protect children from abuse and to support survivors. Learning about policy reform has become a highlight in her journey as she championed pioneering legislation to illegalize ritual abuse in Utah. She continues to advocate for other legislation to help children be safer. Cara treasures being with family and friends, laughter, travel, and heartfelt music. She believes a beautiful pair of shoes or radiant jewelry can brighten even the cloudiest days. Event Description: Across global regions, women and girls experience compounded injustice rooted in an intersectionality of issues. These harms include sexual and gender-based violence, forced and child marriage, trafficking, forced displacement, denial of legal documentation, persecution, and systemic exclusion from protection and remedies. When justice systems fail to respond, women—especially mothers—become the frontline defenders of children, culture, and community survival. The Beijing Declaration affirms that the human rights of women and girls are an inalienable and indivisible part of universal human rights, including freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Oftentimes, justice systems fail to respond quickly- if at all- yet women are somehow still finding healing, resilience, and empowerment. We will hear firsthand accounts of the tools and mechanisms they have employed to accomplish this. Big Ocean Women takes an evidence-based approach to healing through its Model of Powerful Impact, which recognizes that sustainable justice begins with women’s lived authority and expands outward in concentric circles: Women as moral agents and protectors can impact families as the first site of safety and healing Families can impact communities as spaces of restoration and continuity Communities can impact society is strengthened by women-led stability From a maternal feminist lens, justice cannot be reduced to courts and statutes alone. Justice must also heal. When institutions fail, mothers protect children, preserve spiritual and cultural dignity, transmit resilience across generations, and rebuild life after violence. This is not an insignificant contribution. The state does not delegate this authority—it is inherent, relational, and sacred. This parallel event asserts that healing is not secondary to justice; it is foundational to it. By centering women’s authority and community-based healing, Big Ocean Women reframes access to justice as a living process that restores dignity, safeguards families, and stabilizes societies. Find out more at www.bigoceanwomen.org.

Across global regions, women and girls experience compounded injustice rooted in an intersectionality of issues. These harms include sexual and gender-based violence, forced and child marriage, trafficking, forced displacement, denial of legal documentation, persecution, and systemic exclusion from protection and remedies. When justice systems fail to respond, women—especially mothers—become the frontline defenders of children, culture, and community survival. The Beijing Declaration affirms that the human rights of women and girls are an inalienable and indivisible part of universal human rights, including freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Oftentimes, justice systems fail to respond quickly- if at all- yet women are somehow still finding healing, resilience, and empowerment. We will hear firsthand accounts of the tools and mechanisms they have employed to accomplish this. Big Ocean Women takes an evidence-based approach to healing through its Model of Powerful Impact, which recognizes that sustainable justice begins with women’s lived authority and expands outward in concentric circles: Women as moral agents and protectors can impact families as the first site of safety and healing Families can impact communities as spaces of restoration and continuity Communities can impact society is strengthened by women-led stability From a maternal feminist lens, justice cannot be reduced to courts and statutes alone. Justice must also heal. When institutions fail, mothers protect children, preserve spiritual and cultural dignity, transmit resilience across generations, and rebuild life after violence. This is not an insignificant contribution. The state does not delegate this authority—it is inherent, relational, and sacred. This parallel event asserts that healing is not secondary to justice; it is foundational to it. By centering women’s authority and community-based healing, Big Ocean Women reframes access to justice as a living process that restores dignity, safeguards families, and stabilizes societies. Speaker Bio: Albert M. Pooley is the Founder and President of the Native American Fatherhood & Families Association (NAFFA), based in Mesa, Arizona. A proud member of both the Hopi and Navajo cultures, he has dedicated his career to strengthening Native American families and communities through education, advocacy, and cultural preservation. Mr. Pooley holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and has extensive experience as a marriage and family counselor. Find out more at www.bigoceanwomen.org.

Across global regions, women and girls experience compounded injustice rooted in an intersectionality of issues. These harms include sexual and gender-based violence, forced and child marriage, trafficking, forced displacement, denial of legal documentation, persecution, and systemic exclusion from protection and remedies. When justice systems fail to respond, women—especially mothers—become the frontline defenders of children, culture, and community survival. The Beijing Declaration affirms that the human rights of women and girls are an inalienable and indivisible part of universal human rights, including freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Oftentimes, justice systems fail to respond quickly- if at all- yet women are somehow still finding healing, resilience, and empowerment. We will hear firsthand accounts of the tools and mechanisms they have employed to accomplish this. Big Ocean Women takes an evidence-based approach to healing through its Model of Powerful Impact, which recognizes that sustainable justice begins with women’s lived authority and expands outward in concentric circles: Women as moral agents and protectors can impact families as the first site of safety and healing Families can impact communities as spaces of restoration and continuity Communities can impact society is strengthened by women-led stability From a maternal feminist lens, justice cannot be reduced to courts and statutes alone. Justice must also heal. When institutions fail, mothers protect children, preserve spiritual and cultural dignity, transmit resilience across generations, and rebuild life after violence. This is not an insignificant contribution. The state does not delegate this authority—it is inherent, relational, and sacred. This parallel event asserts that healing is not secondary to justice; it is foundational to it. By centering women’s authority and community-based healing, Big Ocean Women reframes access to justice as a living process that restores dignity, safeguards families, and stabilizes societies. Speaker Bios: Cara Baldree is a woman of great faith and courage who relishes in sharing her love for Jesus Christ. Professionally, she works as an instructional coach at an elementary school and holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. As a ritual abuse survivor who knows the depths and miracles of a healing journey, Cara has become deeply committed to child advocacy, feeling a lifelong calling to protect children from abuse and to support survivors. Learning about policy reform has become a highlight in her journey as she championed pioneering legislation to illegalize ritual abuse in Utah. She continues to advocate for other legislation to help children be safer. Cara treasures being with family and friends, laughter, travel, and heartfelt music. She believes a beautiful pair of shoes or radiant jewelry can brighten even the cloudiest days. Carolina Sagebin Allen is the founder and leader of Big Ocean Women, an international maternal feminist organization representing the perspectives of faith, family, and motherhood across civil society. A native of Brazil and fluent in multiple languages, Carolina holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Utah, where she focused on cultural religions and the philosophy of science. Carolina is a sought-after speaker on maternal feminism and cultural leadership and has represented Big Ocean Women at international forums, including engagements connected with United Nations advocacy, where the organization brings faith-based maternal perspectives into global conversations. Her philosophy centers on the belief that women’s unique capacities — rooted in motherhood, care, and relational leadership — are essential for shaping healthy homes and flourishing societies. Carolina lives with her family in the United States and continues to expand Big Ocean Women’s global reach through community initiatives, mentorship programs, and resources that equip mothers to lead with clarity, conviction, and compassion Grace Raje is a student pursuing a degree in Global Politics with minors in Cultural Anthropology and Deaf Studies. She is the current Director of Global Strategy with Big Ocean Women and has served in several leadership capacities within BOW since 2016. Grace is an advocate for women’s dignity and survivor-centered healing. After experiencing childhood sexual violence and the absence of legal accountability, she developed a lifelong commitment to addressing the gap between formal justice and lived justice. Grace’s work advocated for policy reform, healing, and the role of women—especially mothers—as stabilizing forces within families and communities. Find out more at www.bigoceanwomen.org.

Across global regions, women and girls experience compounded injustice rooted in an intersectionality of issues. These harms include sexual and gender-based violence, forced and child marriage, trafficking, forced displacement, denial of legal documentation, persecution, and systemic exclusion from protection and remedies. When justice systems fail to respond, women—especially mothers—become the frontline defenders of children, culture, and community survival. The Beijing Declaration affirms that the human rights of women and girls are an inalienable and indivisible part of universal human rights, including freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Oftentimes, justice systems fail to respond quickly- if at all- yet women are somehow still finding healing, resilience, and empowerment. We will hear firsthand accounts of the tools and mechanisms they have employed to accomplish this. Big Ocean Women takes an evidence-based approach to healing through its Model of Powerful Impact, which recognizes that sustainable justice begins with women’s lived authority and expands outward in concentric circles: Women as moral agents and protectors can impact families as the first site of safety and healing Families can impact communities as spaces of restoration and continuity Communities can impact society is strengthened by women-led stability From a maternal feminist lens, justice cannot be reduced to courts and statutes alone. Justice must also heal. When institutions fail, mothers protect children, preserve spiritual and cultural dignity, transmit resilience across generations, and rebuild life after violence. This is not an insignificant contribution. The state does not delegate this authority—it is inherent, relational, and sacred. This parallel event asserts that healing is not secondary to justice; it is foundational to it. By centering women’s authority and community-based healing, Big Ocean Women reframes access to justice as a living process that restores dignity, safeguards families, and stabilizes societies. Find out more at www.bigoceanwomen.org