Episode 11: Penny Ronning: Who Are We as a Moral People

In this episode of the Pay Love Forward Podcast, Dr. Matthew Leavenworth sits down with Penny Ronning, a nationally recognized advocate whose life’s work has helped shape Montana’s response to human trafficking and sexual violence through survivor-centered policy, public safety, and moral leadership.Rooted in Pay Love Forward’s mission to build compassionate communities for the at-risk and underserved, this conversation moves beyond credentials and into the deeper question Penny returns to again and again: who we are as a moral people. What began with notes and an outline quickly became nearly three hours of honest, grounded dialogue about story, voice, and responsibility.Together, Penny and Matthew explore how story transforms, how truth can be carried without turning suffering into spectacle, and how a steady, courageous voice can heal the divide that fear and hate keep alive. This episode is not only about what Penny has done, but about the kind of people we are called to be when dignity, courage, and compassion become our measure.