Surviving Domestic Abuse & Human Trafficking

During this week's episode, I interview Deanna Kuempel, a survivor of Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking.  

This is a heavy topic and could trigger some listeners.  

• Who is at risk for human trafficking
• Physical abuse versus emotional abuse and control
• Repeating the cycle of abuse
• Why the victim protects the abuser

Learn more about Deanna in her BIO.

Deanna was born & raised in Chicagoland and studied Business & Accounting at Harper College. Before meeting her husband, she had a small event-planning business & offered personal training services. Deanna has an extensive background as an entrepreneur & leader. She was VP of Key Accounts & Business Operations for a $20 million transmission remanufacturing facility with 150 employees. She simultaneously ran four other entities (3 commercial real estate holding businesses & 1 installation arm for our manufactured transmissions) for 10yrs. Before a life-changing event, she closed one of the most significant contracts in my career with the State of South Carolina for 5yrs, estimated at $20 million. In one contract, she doubled the size of the business. She has many multi-million contracts/Key Accounts (FGA, Verizon, AER Dhamer Powertrain, and more). All have given her stellar recommendations.

But In 2016, she was forced to start over. Deanna always had a passion for Fashion. So she engaged a design company out of Soho, NY, to start on that journey. In 2017 she founded Deanna Marie Label - where she designed, produced, and launched three collections over a few years. I successfully fulfilled a Kickstarter campaign raising over $5k to make my first collection. I was on the runway in Rhode Island at StyleWeek. Deanna was a finalist for Style Chicago for the Cadillac Design Challenge and ended her fashion adventure with the last collection at a significant runway charity event against Human Trafficking at Stan Mansion in Chicago. During that time, she also rolled out a skincare line with her label and still has a steady client base.

In 2019 she read an article on how to start a podcast and thought, "I don't know who the heck I think I am, but I'm gonna do it!" Deanna says, "I have overcome much abuse & trauma, so I decided on the name Label Free with the help of my best friend, Julie Bryant. I truly live my life free of any labels. I focus on talking to  entrepreneurs that are living life on their terms and can offer insight or a piec

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