248 Odyssey House_Journals - Amber Kehl248 Odyssey House_Journals - Amber Kehl
Odyssey House Journals
Guest Amber Kehl shares a raw account of childhood trauma, addiction and sex trafficking, and how prison, treatment and purpose led her into advocacy. The conversation also examines fentanyl’s impact, rising overdoses and the struggle between hopelessness and the possibility of recovery.
29:51•5 Jun 2026
From Sex Trafficking Survivor to Recovery Advocate: Amber Kehl’s Fight for Hope
Episode Overview
- Amber links her exploitation and addiction to severe childhood trauma and early exposure to institutional settings.
- She describes a dramatic shift in 2020 as fentanyl flooded Salt Lake City, leading to overdoses across multiple drug types.
- Despite free treatment beds being available, many people refuse help due to hopelessness, mental health issues and comfort in the street routine.
- Amber emphasises extreme ownership and accountability as key to no longer being a "victim of circumstance" while still recognising systemic failures.
- Partnerships between survivors and law enforcement are shown as crucial but complex in helping people exit sex trafficking and addiction safely.
“I needed to find a reason to stay alive. I needed to find a purpose. I needed to find a way to transmute all of my experiences and to make sense out of my life.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation on Odyssey House Journals brings together three people in recovery – host Randall Carlisle, co-host Jackie Buckman, and guest Amber Kehl – to tackle that question head-on. Amber talks frankly about growing up with severe childhood trauma, landing in rehab at 12, becoming desensitised to crime and drug use, and eventually being rescued from sex trafficking in 2016.
She explains how law enforcement went from being "the enemy" to key allies, helping her reach safety and eventually complete an Odyssey House programme while in prison. From there, Amber describes how education and purpose became her lifeline. She studied computer science so she could fight against traffickers and sexual predators, and now works closely with gang task force teams and Homeland Security, helping survivors exit trafficking. As she puts it, "I needed to find a reason to stay alive.
I needed to find a purpose. I needed to find a way to transmute all of my experiences and to make sense out of my life." The episode also takes a hard look at the current drug landscape. Amber shares on-the-ground observations from shelters, hospitals and detox units, saying she has "never seen it this bad" since fentanyl hit Salt Lake City in 2020.
She and Jackie describe rising overdoses, fentanyl showing up in multiple substances, and a heartbreaking loss of hope among people who feel there is "no other life" for them. Yet amidst the darkness, there’s a steady thread of hope: free treatment beds, people who genuinely care, and survivors like Amber who refuse to stop fighting.
If you’ve ever wondered how anyone comes back from such extremes – or you need a reminder that relapse and recovery can both be part of the same story – this conversation may hit home. What part of Amber’s story speaks most to where you’re at right now?
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