Heather Hawley works on one of the harder subjects the Sarasota SpeaX hosts have taken on: human trafficking, and the long road survivors travel to rebuild their lives afterward. As Development Coordinator for More To Living, formerly known as More Too Life, she's spent her career inside an organization built specifically to prevent trafficking and support the people who've lived through it.
The hosts ask Heather what pulled her into this work specifically, and she doesn't give a simple answer. Her devotion to the cause comes through in how she talks about the organization's Founding CEO, whose leadership she credits as central to what More To Living has built. Heather walks through some of the specific efforts the organization runs, from prevention education to direct support for survivors working to rebuild their lives after trafficking.
Mike Whalen, co-owner of Food+Beer and one of the show's regular partners, joins this episode filling in on the panel, giving the conversation an extra voice as Heather lays out both the scope of the trafficking problem locally and the practical work More To Living does to address it.
A Cause Worth the Weight
This is a heavier episode than most, and the hosts let it breathe rather than rushing past the harder parts of Heather's work. It's a conversation less about a business built and more about a mission sustained, year after year, by people committed to it. Heather also outlines practical ways the Sarasota community can get involved with More To Living, from volunteering to financial support, making clear that prevention and survivor support both depend on sustained local engagement rather than a single fundraiser or awareness campaign.
As always, the show closes with the lighter touches: Heather's thoughts on Sarasota's growing number of roundabouts, and a trip through the rapid fire gauntlet before the episode wraps. The tonal shift from the weight of the trafficking discussion to the show's usual closing segments is intentional, giving listeners a chance to breathe before the episode ends on a note of community and connection rather than only hardship. Heather leaves listeners with a clear ask: pay attention, know the signs of trafficking, and support the organizations already doing the work rather than assume it's a problem that happens somewhere else.
What you'll take away
- Heather Hawley is Development Coordinator for More To Living, formerly known as More Too Life
- The nonprofit is focused on preventing human trafficking and helping survivors rebuild their lives
- Heather credits the organization's Founding CEO as a major influence on her commitment to the cause
- Food+Beer co-owner Mike Whalen joins this episode as a guest panelist