Beyond Sensationalism: Navigating Human Trafficking Stories with Matthew Fairfax
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In This Episode
Join us as we explore the complex world of human trafficking storytelling with Matthew Fairfax, co-founder of the Justice and Soul Foundation.
Content warning: This episode discusses sex trafficking and sexual violence. Please be mindful of your emotional capacity while listening.
Matthew's journey from salon owner to advocate is both surprising and inspiring. His organization is dedicated to empowering survivors and at-risk youth through professional cosmetology training, offering them a path to self-sufficiency and renewed confidence.
In this episode, we'll explore how Matthew's experiences in Cambodia transformed his mission and shaped his approach to advocacy. We'll examine the delicate balance between creating impactful stories and avoiding harmful sensationalism when advocating against human trafficking.
Listen to gain insights into how we can all contribute to a more responsible and compassionate dialogue around human trafficking.
About Matthew Fairfax
Matthew Fairfax is the President/CEO of James Alan Salon & Spa in Seattle and co-founder of the Justice and Soul Foundation. In 2012, he and his colleague, Lauren Ebright, co-founded the Justice and Soul Foundation, and in 2013, Matthew sold all his belongings and moved to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He now oversees both a salon and academy in Cambodia, along with the Justice and Soul Foundation in Seattle. Matthew recently returned to Seattle to implement a similar program for at-risk youth and survivors in the Pacific Northwest.
Connect with Matthew Fairfax
Learn More About Justice & Soul | Facebook | Instagram
Connect with Maria
Speaking & Training | LinkedIn | Email
Transcripts
In this episode, we are grappling with the power of storytelling and the harms of sensationalism in the world of human trafficking.
Our guest is Matthew Fairfax, co founder of the Justice and Soul Foundation. This innovative organization works with survivors and at risk youth of commercial sexual exploitation.
Through professional cosmetology training in Cambodia and the United States, they are helping young people build confidence and achieve self sufficiency.
Before we begin, I want to offer a content warning. This episode includes discussion of sex trafficking, sexual violence, and rape. Please be mindful of your emotional capacity while listening.
Maria Bryan:
Welcome to the show. I am so excited to have this conversation. I would love to start by hearing your founding story. What is the story behind Justice and Soul?
Matthew Fairfax:
Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.
I am a salon owner, and I do not do hair. I never have. That always surprises people. I bought into a salon with my partner at the time, who was a hairdresser, back in 1999.
I was leaving corporate America, where my background was in human resources, organizational development, and team building. I believed strongly that businesses have a responsibility to give back to the communities that support them. Because of that, our salon became known for supporting nonprofit work.
One of our salon clients asked her stylist if we would be interested in helping in Cambodia. The stylist came to me and asked if I would be interested. I said absolutely not. I did not know where Cambodia was, and I assumed it was hot. I also knew nothing about trafficking at the time. This was around 2008, when the broader conversation about trafficking was just beginning.
Six weeks later, the client asked if she could take me to coffee. Once a client asks for coffee, it is hard to say no. I went in planning to write a check and leave. But about an hour into the conversation, I started hearing about the ages of the young people involved in trafficking, and I realized we might actually be able to do something.
I started thinking that other stylists and manufacturers might want to help too. I brought the idea back to my team, and they encouraged me to explore it further. One stylist even had Cambodia on her vision board at our annual retreat. She had already been sending money to help. She said if we did this, she was in.
In 2009, she and I traveled to Cambodia. We met with many NGOs and came with a half formed idea of doing short term training. At our final meeting, one organization told us directly that our idea was not sustainable and that donors eventually get tired of giving. That feedback only motivated me more.
Two years later, I returned and met with more NGOs. By then, I saw economic changes happening in the city. I wondered what would happen if we opened a high end, western style salon that charged more and served expats, NGOs, and wealthy Cambodians. The salon could fund the program and reduce reliance on donors.
When I realized it would not work unless I moved there, I sold nearly everything I owned and relocated to Cambodia. One year later, we opened the Kate Corporee Salon and Academy. Eventually, the salon became Cambodian owned and staffed, and the academy continued as the nonprofit arm.
It all started with a client.
Maria Bryan:
Through the lens of your organization, who is being served and what does that work look like?
Matthew Fairfax:
In Cambodia, we work directly with NGOs that provide aftercare for survivors rescued from brothels. We also work with organizations supporting at risk youth, including young people aging out of orphanages without family support.
Our focus is vocational development, but many of these youth were exploited at very young ages and did not receive formal education. We teach basic academic concepts alongside cosmetology skills, including math and technical training related to hair color and chemistry.
Maria Bryan:
What I love about your founding journey is that it began with a story. The ask alone was not enough. Cambodia felt far away, and trafficking was unfamiliar. I worry sometimes that people think ethical storytelling means not telling stories at all. But without storytelling, Justice and Soul might not exist.
Matthew Fairfax:
Absolutely. When the story was shared with me, it was not about one individual. It was about the issue, the young people, and their ages. That made it personal for me. I thought about my granddaughter.
Daniel Kahneman showed us that decision making is driven by emotion, not logic. Storytelling matters because it moves people to act.
Maria Bryan:
You work with one of the most vulnerable populations. How do you balance raising awareness while protecting dignity and privacy, especially when some participants want public careers as stylists?
Matthew Fairfax:
We never show faces in connection with trafficking. Doing so would put a permanent label on someone and jeopardize their safety. We use side views, back views, and other non identifying imagery.
If someone chooses to identify as a survivor and share their story publicly, that is their choice. I do not make that choice for them. Most participants want to move forward and be known as parents, stylists, and community members, not defined by their trauma.
Maria Bryan:
I appreciate that storytelling is not required as part of participation.
Matthew Fairfax:
I do not ask about their past. We work with partner NGOs to understand safety needs, but the details are not required. They decide what to share and when.
If someone chooses to share their story with me, I listen. I am not a therapist, but I can hold space and offer support.
Maria Bryan:
That distinction around scope is so important.
Matthew Fairfax:
It comes from my HR background. I cannot fix everything, but I can listen and connect people to resources.
Maria Bryan:
What trauma informed practices do you use inside the salon and academy?
Matthew Fairfax:
We trained our leadership and educators in trauma informed care. Safety is central to everything we do. Guest artists are never alone with students. There are cameras and multiple educators present.
One early lesson taught me how easily trauma can be triggered. I corrected a student firmly during a training exercise, and he later broke down in tears. He shared that raised voices had always preceded violence in his past. That moment taught me how important tone and safety are.
When mistakes happen, we pause, listen, and repair. Creating safety is essential.
Maria Bryan:
That is such a powerful example of harm repair.
Matthew Fairfax:
We also take vicarious trauma seriously. Our team has access to self care, therapy, and time away. While living in Cambodia, we made space to leave the country, visit the beach, or take breaks when needed.
Self care does not have to be complicated. Sometimes it is a massage, a walk, or simply stepping into the sun.
Maria Bryan:
I relate to that deeply. Sometimes it is just about grounding in the moment.
Matthew Fairfax:
Exactly. You cannot sustain this work without those systems in place.
Maria Bryan:
You have been working in anti trafficking efforts since before this issue was widely discussed. How do we balance telling painful truths without sensationalizing or stigmatizing communities?
Matthew Fairfax:
I have seen people share stories before they were ready, and it felt retraumatizing. I do not need to share horrific details to convey impact.
I tell stories about what people are doing now. I talk about gratitude circles where someone shares that they no longer cry every day. That single sentence says everything.
We focus on empowerment, confidence, and growth. Over time, we learned to tell stories that move people because of the good, not the harm.
Maria Bryan:
That gratitude example is incredibly powerful.
Matthew Fairfax:
You can see transformation over time. Six months in, students begin smiling, joking, and sharing gratitude in English for the first time. That shift tells the story.
You cannot rush self esteem. Our program takes over two years because healing takes time.
Maria Bryan:
The slowness you have built into this work is refreshing.
Matthew Fairfax:
Anything worth doing is worth doing right. In this case, doing it right means taking time.
Maria Bryan:
Thank you so much for this conversation and for the care you bring to your work.
Matthew Fairfax:
Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to share and to support this important conversation.
The When Bearing Witness Podcast is produced by Rustic Roots. They are video storytellers passionate about sharing the impact of nonprofits. From story ideation to beautiful and powerful videos on screen, they've got you covered. Learn more at Rusticroots.co.
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