My Story
Hi, I'm Toni. I love life — and I'm honored to spend mine helping others reclaim theirs.
Where It Started
I'm a survivor of child trafficking. What happened to me shaped the course of my life — not just the healing I had to do, but the work I felt called to do afterward. Although I am not thankful for what happened to me, I am thankful for the opportunity to use my past pain for good.
From Survival to Purpose
My personal lived experience of trafficking — combined with my education, certifications, and more than ten years of work in this field — led me to where I am today. I'm honored and grateful to be here, at a time when this work matters more than ever.
Every week, I work side by side with women who are working hard to recover from trafficking trauma so they can live a life of freedom. That work led me to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. It's also what led me, more recently, to become a certified personal trainer — because healing isn't just something that happens in a therapy room. It happens in the body, too.
What I've Built Along the Way
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Licensed Professional Counselor–Supervisor (LPC-S)
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Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner
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Trained in DBT, Motivational Interviewing, and EMDR
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Certified Personal Trainer (ISSA)
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Member, National Survivor Network
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Board member, two anti-trafficking organizations
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Contracted with multiple government & non-profit organizations
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Recipient, Unlikely Hero Award
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Recipient, Texas Governor's Commission for Women — Human Trafficking Prevention Award
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Author of What Happened to Me?!, The Freedom Code, and The Freedom Code Journal
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TEDx speaker, "A Locket Full of Hope"
Why I do this work
I believe healing happens when someone finally understands what happened to them, and why — that understanding is what breaks the trauma bond, and it's what makes real recovery possible. That belief runs through everything I do: the way I counsel, the way I train, the way I speak, and the way I supervise other counselors.
Whether you're a survivor looking for coaching that understands your body and your history, an organization looking for a speaker who brings real expertise, or a counselor looking for a supervisor who's walked a hard road herself — I bring the same thing to all of it.
Where My Work Shows Up
Trauma-Informed Coaching | Speaking & Training | My Books | LPC Supervision
Let's connect
If my story resonates with you — whether you're looking for coaching, a speaker, or a supervisor — I'd love to hear from you.