Today we’d like to introduce you to Sally Russell.
Hi Sally, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Sally Russell. I am a wife, mother of 3 teenagers who has a heart on fire for Jesus and justice.
I am a domestic abuse survivor and through my lived experience, God used my pain for a purpose. In 2021, I founded Whispers of Hope, a faith based antihuman trafficking organization that outreaches to women in the adult entertainment industry. We have operated for 5 years and distributed almost 5 thousand gift bags in that time. Whispers of Hope is dissolving this December, but the mission is not. In January of this year, I career jumped from the dental field I was in for 15 years to full time discipleship at The Sunday Seed. The Sunday Seed employs survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, substance abuse and incarceration and provides trauma informed employment at a livable wage. We give occupational therapy and training providing our employees with empowering life skills that they can carry with them into every aspect of their lives, and onto any future employment they may have. I was brought on as the Director of Missions and Operations, but in August, I was graciously blessed with the position of Executive Director. It quickly became apparent that I would be unable to fully pour myself into two organizations with the level of excellence that both organizations deserve. Because our missions are so closely aligned, The Sunday Seed was gracious enough to be willing to carry the torch forward for us and continue outreach. Beginning in spring of 2027, we will launch our outreach division. I’m constantly in amazement of how far the Lord has brought me and all that He has given me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It certainly has not been a smooth road. I made the difficult decision to drop out of college at 19 when I became pregnant with my first daughter and began working full time as a single mother. I worked throughout the day and would go to school one night a week to become a dental assistant. This led me to work in the dental field for 15 years and provided me a beautiful opportunity to put food on the table for my family so I will forever be thankful for that. I have always loved to help others, and one of the things I enjoyed greatly about dental assisting was feeling like I was able to help patients have a good experience at the dentist, which is something so often surrounded with apprehension and anxiety. Following the liberation from my abusive relationship in 2018, being diagnosed with complex PTSD and subsequently launching Whispers of Hope in 2021, I began feeling a strong draw away from the dental field and into aiding trafficking survivors in more ways than Whispers of Hope was able to provide. I was overjoyed when the founder of The Sunday Seed, Kelly Orlowski, reached out to me in July of 2025 to consider making the jump onto their team. Besides following Jesus, and saying yes to my husband, it is one of the best decisions I have ever made! God has genuinely given me beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning. At the Sunday Seed, their missional scripture is Psalm 126:5-6, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” I have lived this verse out in so many ways.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the founder and Executive Director Of Whispers of Hope, the founder and publisher of The Whispers of Hope podcast- a discipleship podcast that brings “church” to the ears of those who may never grace the doors of a church. I have the overwhelming opportunity to also be the Executive Director Of The Sunday Seed. We make products with our hands with integrity that our souls can be proud of, enabling growth and healing in the hearts and minds of trafficking survivors. I have the privilege of going into the local jail weekly and leading trafficking awareness classes with the general population because the unfortunate truth is that often trafficking survivors don’t even realize there are words for what’s happening to them and/or that they are being trafficked. I recognized the age and demographic of the women I was encountering in the gentleman’s clubs was young women in the age range of 18 to 22 and a very large percentage of them had either just aged out of foster care or had certainly been in foster care at some point. This truth led me to launch an outreach team at my local church that visits the juvenile detention center once a month and also compelled me to lead the youth group at my church. There is an inlet into the dark, destructive ocean of trafficking. That inlet is often vulnerability. “Prevention is better than cure” is an accurate sentiment and something that I actively try to live out as I advocate and educate against the monster that is human trafficking. My hope is that if we can catch them in high school and begin ministering to their hearts then, then maybe I won’t have to encounter them in the clubs. Then of course if I do, I can still share with them the love and light of Jesus because He meets you anywhere, even on a strip club floor. I am most proud of my family. I am so proud to be my husband’s wife. He is an incredibly gifted, talented man and its a joy to be eternally tethered to him, and one of the biggest honors of my life to parent 3 incredible children.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
God is the only secret ingredient. There is no other reason a teen mom, college drop out who made a million wrong turns and bad decisions should get to live the life that I do. It is by God and God alone. If you see any goodness in me, it is Jesus.
Contact Info:
- Website: Whispersofhopetn.com. sundayseed.org
