Paul Hutchinson had everything people chase: money, mansions, luxury cars, and front-row seats to the high life. But behind the scenes, his life was quietly unraveling. His children were distant. His relationships were broken. And despite all the success, he felt completely empty.
Then came a phone call that changed everything.
It wasn’t a business deal; it was an invitation to help rescue children trapped in sex trafficking rings. What started as a donation quickly turned into direct action. Paul didn’t just fund missions; he joined them. Over the years, he would go undercover on more than 70 operations across 15 countries, confronting the darkest parts of humanity face-to-face.
I Rescued 100+ Trafficked Kids—Here’s What Most People Don’t Know | Paul Hutchinson | Ep. 71
In an episode of “A Healthy Point of View” podcast, Sam Tejada, CEO and Founder of Liquivida®, sits down with Paul Hutchinson, now the founder of the Child Liberation Foundation and executive producer of Sound of Freedom, to unpack a journey from wealth and comfort to purpose, pain, and ultimately, healing.
The Billionaire Who Walked Into Hell
Hutchinson’s early life paints the classic picture of the American dream fulfilled. By age 29, he had sold a business for $20 million and later helped build a multi-billion-dollar real estate investment fund. His life was full of luxury, planes, mansions, private chefs, and NBA players at his parties. But beneath the surface, Paul was battling emptiness.
“I had everything, but I wasn’t fulfilled,” he admitted. “My kids weren’t speaking to me. My relationships were falling apart. I was a man with success, but no purpose.”
That purpose arrived with a phone call from the Attorney General, who introduced him to a group performing undercover child rescue missions. What started with funding turned into full participation: Paul joined over 70 covert operations in 15 countries to help dismantle sex trafficking rings and rescue innocent children.
The Cost of Compassion
Undercover work wasn’t glamorous; it was harrowing. Hutchinson recounts missions in Colombia, Haiti, and other regions, including one where he posed as a wealthy investor interested in buying property that would be turned into a resort for trafficking American men with vile intentions.
In Haiti, he discovered a 14-year-old girl who had been held captive for seven years after the earthquake, forced into sexual slavery daily.
“She didn’t speak for two weeks after we rescued her. Her first words were, ‘I didn’t think anybody would come.’”
These experiences shifted Paul’s definition of charity. He came to believe that giving wasn’t just about money, it was about donating time, energy, and self.
“It’s easy to write a check. But being present with people in pain, looking into the eyes of a child who’s been abused, that’s where real change begins.”
Pulling Hell Out of Humanity
While liberating children was a noble mission, Paul quickly realized something deeper: rescuing kids wouldn’t end the problem.
“The real issue is not just pulling kids out of hell, it’s pulling hell out of humanity.”
Most traffickers he encountered weren’t the stereotypical monsters; they were often professionals, clean-cut individuals fueled by unhealed trauma, addiction, and greed. Many had been victims themselves.
“This doesn’t excuse their actions,” he clarifies. “But if we want to stop the cycle, we need to address the root cause; not just the symptom.”
Healing the Inner World
That realization led Paul down a path of intense personal healing, culminating in transformative experiences with plant-based medicine, a process he describes as “the most beautiful and horrific” of his life.
Guided by trained facilitators, Paul participated in psychedelic therapy using psilocybin, ayahuasca, and other healing compounds. He describes one session where he felt the pain his children experienced when he betrayed their mother, down to the bone. Another allowed him to reconnect with God after decades of spiritual disconnection.
“It was like being dragged through hell and lifted back up by God’s hand,” Paul says. “It wasn’t recreational. It was sacred.”
He now runs healing retreats in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, helping people overcome trauma, addiction, and PTSD. The mission? Help others feel whole so they don’t hurt others.
“If everyone who was abused, addicted, or had dark thoughts went through this kind of healing, we wouldn’t have child trafficking anymore.”
The Ripple Effect of Integrity
Hutchinson calls attention to what he describes as the “tension transfer.” It’s the domino effect where one person’s pain or unresolved trauma ripples outward, harming others, sometimes dramatically.
“If I show up out of integrity and yell at an employee, and he goes home and gets drunk and hurts his daughter, that ripple started with me.”
The True Path Forward
Paul’s story isn’t just about rescuing children, it’s about rescuing ourselves. He believes healing is not a privilege, it’s a responsibility. Whether through charity, therapy, faith, or introspection, every individual has the power to shift the world by healing their inner landscape.
“We need fewer angry heroes and more compassionate warriors,” he says. “If we each put the man back together, the world will follow.”