Kat Emrick’s Story • Backyard Trafficking and the Girls Nobody Noticed

[Content Warning]: Discussions of child sexual assault/abuse, neglect, child sexual exploitation, discussion of sexual acts, mild language Kat Emrick grew up in a single-parent household in Michigan, moving between her mother's home and her aunt and uncle’s before landing, at around age 12 or 13, largely on her own. She was seeking connection and attention she hadn't found at home, and that vulnerability is exactly what a trafficker exploited.In this episode of Trauma Interrupted, Jan Broberg sits down with Kat for a searingly honest conversation about what backyard trafficking actually looks like, not the high-profile Epstein-level cases that make headlines, but the everyday, neighborhood-level exploitation of kids that nobody wants to believe is happening. Kat shares how she was recruited, what the grooming process felt like from the inside, and what it meant to be a 13-year-old having sex with men in their suburban homes while their family photos looked down from the walls.They also talk about what comes after: four marriages, four children, taking part in advocacy as a birth doula, and the persistent reality that trauma doesn't just end when the exploitation does. Kat is blunt, funny, self-aware, and unsparing, about the systems that failed her, the police who didn't believe her, and the ongoing lack of support available to survivors today.This is a conversation about what we miss when we dismiss the "troubled teenager" in our neighborhood. And it's a conversation about what it takes to use your voice anyway. Where To Find Kat: Insta: @emotionalsupportbaeMentioned Resources: S.A.S.S. (Sexual Assault Survivor Stories)If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation, please access the resources below:National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988National Sexual Assault Hotline  (RAINN) : 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)National Alliance for Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264  🎧 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE🍎 Apple Podcasts🎵 Spotify▶️ YouTube  ❣️ JAN BROBERG FOUNDATION🌐 JanBrobergFoundation.org🫂 Survivor Circle (free community)⏳ T.I.M.E. Program🔎 SPOT6📖 The Jan Broberg Story (book)🗞️ Newsletter  📲 CONNECT📷 Instagram🎶 TikTok✍️ Share Your Story💌 Fan Mail Support the show