Fracture to Flourish examines systemic challenges affecting communities across the nation. Unveiling raw, honest stories of resilience, we illuminate the journeys that transform fracture into flourishing—revealing what becomes possible when systems truly serve the people they’re meant to protect.

Season Two: Aging Out: The Hidden Pipeline investigates how foster care instability, isolation, and unmet needs can create a pathway to exploitation, and what it takes to interrupt that pathway before harm becomes a life sentence.

Across four episodes, host Bryce Butler follows the pattern from multiple angles: the early warning signs that get missed, grooming that hides in plain sight, system breakdowns that let kids disappear, and the reforms and relationships that make prevention real.

Through intimate survivor stories and candid insight from advocates, practitioners, and policy leaders, this season asks a hard question with urgent stakes: What would it look like to build a system designed around children—so fewer are ever within reach of traffickers?

Season 2 overview

- Episode 1 — Nobody Noticed: The Making of a Target

- Episode 2 — Targeted: Grooming in Plain Sight

- Episode 3 — Designed to Fail: Lost in the System

- Episode 4 — Beyond Rescue: Reform, Hope & Choosing Joy

Guests + Organizations (Season 2)

- Lauren — survivor voice

- Priscilla Roman — survivor voice

- Dr. Jeanne L. Allert — Institute for Survivor Care

- John Richmond — Atlas Free (former U.S. Ambassador‑at‑Large)- Jeremy Vallerand — Atlas Free (CEO + founder)

- Ricky Lynn — law enforcement (KY)

- Ashlee Lucas — The Tebow Group

- Dr. Jennifer Jacobs — Connect Our Kids

- Ashleigh Chapman — Engage Together / Alliance for Freedom, Restoration, and Justice

- Dani Pinter — NCOSE

- Rachelle Starr — Scarlet Hope

- Wes Lyons — Eagle Venture Fund

- Christabella Ryder — Season 1 guest

- Dr. Brook Parker Bello — survivor advocate

- Tori Hope Petersen — former foster youth and advocate

Partners:

Atlas Free (Season Partner): This season is made possible in part by our partners at Atlas Free, a global movement fighting sex trafficking. Atlas Free supports local organizations helping survivors find freedom and rebuild their futures, and works to stop traffickers where they operate. Learn more at http://atlasfree.org

Scarlet Hope (Season Partner): This season is made possible in part by our partners at Scarlet Hope, which has been showing up week after week with outreach and restoration for women who’ve been exploited in clubs, on the streets, and online. Learn more at http://scarlethope.org

Access Ventures (Series Partner): Fracture to Flourish is a production of Access Ventures, a catalyst for change working to build a flourishing society. Access Ventures leverages catalytic capital and partnerships to drive economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental sustainability in communities. Learn more at http://accessventures.org

Resources

National Human Trafficking Hotline (US): Call 1‑888‑373‑7888 or text BEFREE (233733)

RAINN (sexual assault support): http://rainn.org

National Runaway Safeline: 1‑800‑RUNAWAY (786‑2929) or http://1800runaway.org

NAMI (mental health support): http://nami.org

Credits:

- "Fracture to Flourish" is a production of http://accessventures.org.

- Created, written, and hosted by Bryce Butler.

- Editing and production by Jacob Bozarth.

- Additional editing and production by Crystal Esquivel and Amelia Witts.

- Audio mixing by Pat Kicklighter.

- Cover art and design by Justin Esquivel.

- Marketing support by Amelia Witts and Madison Butler.

- To listen to past episodes, check out http://fracturetoflourish.com.

In this powerful final episode, we shift our focus from the weight of challenges to the momentum of solutions, exploring how youth are becoming architects of their own change in the foster care system. This episode reveals what's possible when foster youth and their communities refuse to accept the status quo.

We follow the inspiring story of Ella, a young woman who transformed personal frustration into powerful change. After being denied access to her own birth certificate, she wrote and championed a foster youth bill of rights that passed unanimously through the state legislature, making Tennessee the 17th state to enact such protections. Her story proves that real change doesn't always come from the top down—sometimes it starts with the very people most affected by the system.

But this episode isn't just about individual triumph. It's about collective responsibility. We hear from advocates and community leaders who are reimagining how we support young people aging out of care—offering not just resources, but consistent presence and lasting connection.

This final chapter challenges us to move from awareness to action. Because identifying problems isn't enough—it's time to build solutions together.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of foster care system challenges.

For additional resources and stories featured in this episode, visit: fracturetoflourish.com

Featured organizations and resources:

• Redemptive Connection by Pam Parish
• pamparish.com
• Foster the City
• New Culture
• Connection Homes
• Orphan Care Alliance
• WindShape Homes

(00:00) Introduction

(00:32) The Power of Supportive Adult Relationships

(03:33) Shifting the Focus: From Systems to People

(06:03) Breaking the Cycle Through Community Connection

(09:11) Ella's Story: Turning Personal Struggle into Policy Change

(14:59) Reimagining the Future of Foster Care

(25:58) The Lasting Impact of Community Support

(31:15) From Awareness to Action: What You Can Do

(35:33) What’s Next: A Preview of Season Two

(40:09) Credits

What exactly do foster youth age out of? In this powerful episode, we step inside the foster care system to understand the lived reality behind the statistics—and why so many youth, especially young men, end up incarcerated after leaving care.

Through raw, honest stories, we witness the hidden toll of growing up in a system designed to protect, but often failing to provide what children need most: consistency, safety, and belonging. From 30 different placements to nights spent at government offices, these aren't just statistics—they're lives shaped by constant upheaval.

We open with a haunting scene: four-year-old Harmony, sleeping under fluorescent lights in a Memphis DCS office. She’s about to be separated from her sister because no foster home can take them both. It’s a moment that reveals just how stretched—and broken—the system can be.

We explore the devastating symbolism of the trash bag: how being told to carry your life in something meant for garbage sends a message no child should ever receive. We hear about the hypervigilance these children develop, being constantly on edge, always ready for, and how it becomes a survival skill that leaves lasting emotional scars..

But this isn't just a story of failure. Crystabella's journey from addiction and incarceration to recovery and purpose shows the transformative power of having even one person show up and stay. Lance Villio shares a powerful shift in perspective when community leaders stopped seeing these youth as “the state’s problem” and started seeing them as our kids.

The episode challenges a deeply held myth: that independence means going it alone. These young people don't need pity. They need presence. They need us to understand that no one thrives in isolation, and that real, lasting change happens when communities decide to show up.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of trauma, abuse, addiction, and incarceration.

For additional resources and stories featured in this episode, visit: fracturetoflourish.com

(00:00) Introduction and Content Warning

(01:23) Inside the Foster Care System

(03:11) Harmony's Story: Sleeping in DCS Offices

(06:03) Gabe's Start: From Chaos to Care

(11:25) Crystabella's Journey - 30 Placements Before 18

(17:26) How Instability Disrupts Education

(22:13) The Trash Bag: A Devastating Symbol

(26:56) Heather's Story: Growing Up Isolated

(29:18) Vulnerability and Exploitation in Care

(34:45) The Foster Care to Prison Pipeline

(37:26) Trauma and the Need for Mental Health Support

(41:59) The Power of Showing Up

(44:23) These Are Our Kids: Community Responsibility

(47:17) A Call to Action