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About this guest

For those of you who do not know Paul, he:

1. Is the Co-Founder of Bridge Investment Group (now with more than $50B AUM) – Paul Hutchinson co-founded Bridge Investment Group and was instrumental in growing the firm from $0 to $20 billion in assets under management before his retirement in 2017. Today, Bridge has more than $50 billion AUM, a testament to the foundation he helped build and the investor trust he cultivated through transparency and performance.
2. Led over 70 undercover missions rescuing children from trafficking across 15 countries – Following his departure from the private equity world, Paul shifted his focus to global humanitarian work. He has played an active role in more than 70 undercover operations dismantling child trafficking networks, directly contributing to the rescue of more than 5,000 children through coordinated efforts with international law enforcement and nonprofits.
3. Executive Producer of Sound of Freedom and recipient of multiple national honors – Paul served as Executive Producer of the film Sound of Freedom, which brought global attention to the realities of child exploitation. For his work, he has received several national awards, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the 2022 Medal of Freedom Award, recognizing his extraordinary impact in both business and humanitarian arenas.

For those of you who’d like to meet Paul in person and take your career—and life—to the next level, he hosts private healing retreats through Liberating Humanity. 

These immersive 7-day experiences are designed to help high performers break through deep mental blocks, release trauma, and unlock their full potential in business, relationships, and impact: liberatinghumanity.com

About this episode

Join Adi Soozin on 9×90™ for an inspiring conversation with her mentor Paul Hutchinson, the renowned co-founder of Bridge Investment Group, who helped grow the firm to over $20 billion in assets before dedicating his life to a profoundly urgent cause—ending child trafficking.

Paul shares candid insights on building a powerhouse investment firm with integrity, strategic hiring, and continuous learning. Then, he reveals the powerful story behind his transition to philanthropy, including his role leading over 70 undercover rescue missions and executive producing the acclaimed film Sound of Freedom.

Discover how Paul’s Child Liberation Foundation has helped free thousands of children and learn about his upcoming book, The Sound of Freedom, which sheds light on the realities of trafficking and the path to healing trauma.

This episode is a rare blend of high-stakes business wisdom and courageous humanitarian work—perfect for founders, investors, and changemakers ready to make a difference.

Tune in for lessons in leadership, generosity, and how one person’s dedication can change millions of lives.

Links

Child Liberation Foundation (non‑profit)
— To learn more about their mission and donate: https://childliberation.org

Paul’s Upcoming Book “The Sound of Freedom”
— Official book site with details and pre-order: https://SoundOfFreedomBook.com

➡️ Liberating Humanity – Personal Transformation Retreats
— Retreat & Sanctuary Info https://liberating-humanity.com/

Show Notes Generated by Gemini

These show notes were generated by AI

• Introduction to Paul Hutchinson Adi Soozin introduced Paul Hutchinson, co-founder of Bridge Investment Group, who helped grow the company to $50 billion in assets under management. Adi Soozin noted that Paul Hutchinson is no longer with the company, having retired in 2017 to dedicate himself to combating child trafficking through his Child Liberation Foundation (00:00:00). His work includes participating in over 70 undercover rescue missions and executive producing the film Sound of Freedom (00:01:10).
• Building Bridge Investment Group Paul Hutchinson recounted starting Bridge Investment Group by partnering with John Pennington, who provided structure and handled details, complementing Paul’s ability to build relationships and bring in capital (00:09:59). Paul recalled their early days in a small office and John’s grounded perspective compared to Paul’s ambitious vision of a billion-dollar fund (00:11:48). They recognized the need to bring in a team with the necessary pedigree to manage a large fund as they grew, hiring individuals with JDMBAs to enhance their credibility with larger institutions (00:13:37).
• The Partnership with John Pennington Adi Soozin highlighted the evident respect and admiration between Paul Hutchinson and John Pennington (00:13:37). Paul emphasized the deep trust he had in John, stating that he would sign any document with John’s signature without needing to read the details (00:14:43). He recounted a situation from his previous company where he trusted John’s integrity above others when addressing issues with management (00:15:36).
• Early Challenges at Bridge Paul Hutchinson was surprised by the influence of inner circle Ivy League networks in larger institutions, making it crucial to bring on team members with those credentials as Bridge grew past $100 million. He also noted the different skill sets and teams required for growth from zero to $100 million, then to a billion, and subsequently to larger scales, emphasizing that credibility and track record are paramount (00:19:12).
• The Importance of Integrity in Capital Raising Paul Hutchinson stressed that integrity is crucial for long-term success in capital raising, and transparency is key when deals go bad (00:20:25). He and John Pennington implemented a “total transparency model,” opening their investment meetings to LPs to build trust and accelerate growth, a practice highlighted in Steven M.R. Covey’s book, The Speed of Trust (00:21:43).
• The Value of Continuous Learning Paul Hutchinson shared advice from a mentor who emphasized the importance of investing in one’s personal development through reading and listening to audio programs on leadership, business, and relationships (00:23:04). He noted the significant impact of consistent learning over time, both personally and in one’s broader influence (00:24:04).
• Strategic Decisions and Values for Scaling Bridge Paul Hutchinson identified the hiring of Don Hartman as a key factor in accelerating Bridge’s growth. Don’s foresight regarding the 2008 financial crisis led to a strategic shift, positioning Bridge as a qualified purchasing platform and allowing them to capitalize on distressed assets (00:25:08). This strategic move and the ability to provide solutions created a win-win situation for investors, employees, and tenants, resulting in significant growth (00:28:05).
• Time and Team Management Strategies Paul Hutchinson admitted to relying heavily on highly efficient personal assistants, particularly one named Kitty, to manage his time effectively (00:29:55). He illustrated the company’s growth by describing how he and John initially handled all roles before gradually replacing themselves with more specialized and effective individuals, leading to a large and capable team (00:31:52).
• Transition to Philanthropy Paul Hutchinson explained that his early commitment to significant charitable giving, influenced by a mentor, served as a “multiplier” in his business success (00:36:18). His transition to full-time philanthropy was inspired by a call from the attorney general about child trafficking and his subsequent involvement in an undercover rescue mission in Colombia, which deeply impacted him (00:38:35). This experience led him to dedicate his life to eradicating child trafficking, founding the Child Liberation Foundation (00:40:33).
• Impact of Child Liberation Foundation and “Sound of Freedom” Paul Hutchinson shared that the Child Liberation Foundation has contributed to the liberation of over 7,000 children. He also discussed his role as the primary investor and executive producer of the film Sound of Freedom, which has raised significant awareness and contributed to the safety of hundreds of millions of children (00:41:38). The film and related efforts are also leading to legislative changes and increased awareness among professionals to combat trafficking (00:44:34).
• The Importance of Generosity Adi Soozin and Paul Hutchinson discussed the principle of tithing, with Paul emphasizing that many ultra-wealthy individuals give 10% or more of their income to charity, attributing it to a higher power’s interest in good deeds (00:46:30). He believes that generosity brings significant positive returns (00:37:33).
• Child Liberation Foundation and Liberating Humanity Paul Hutchinson provided the website for the Child Liberation Foundation (childliberation.org) for those interested in donating. He also mentioned his for-profit entity, Liberating Humanity (liberatinghumanity.com), which is transitioning to a nonprofit focused on healing trauma in both rescued children and adults through retreats and programs (00:47:27).
• Upcoming Book “The Sound of Freedom” Paul Hutchinson announced his upcoming book, “The Sound of Freedom,” set to be released at the end of July. The book will cover his experiences as an undercover operator, the rescue missions depicted in the movie, and insights on healing trauma and elevating global consciousness (00:52:38). Information about the book can be found at sofbook.com or soundoffreedombook.com (00:53:31).
• Healing Trauma and Mental Health Paul Hutchinson shared his perspectives on healing trauma, emphasizing that it’s possible to uncouple from past negative experiences without constantly rehashing them (00:54:36). He discussed the potential limitations of traditional therapy and the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring and their retreats in helping people overcome anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other related issues, often reducing or eliminating the need for medications (00:55:37).
• Motivation for First Company Paul Hutchinson explained that his initial aspiration was to become a pediatric cardiologist, driven by a desire to “fix how people think” stemming from his experiences with bullying (00:56:38). A car accident altered his path, leading him to business and finance. His passion for helping others, rooted in his high school peer leadership experience, motivated him to join and excel in selling a program focused on anxiety and depression, which eventually led to his first successful company (00:57:30).
• Paul Hutchinson’s Background Paul Hutchinson shared their journey, including starting a marketing company called Midwest Center Marketing and personally speaking to thousands of people about overcoming anxiety, depression, PTSD, and addictions. They noted that their current retreat work can achieve similar results in less than seven days compared to the previous 12-week coaching program (00:59:08).
• Adi Soozin’s Medical Background and Haiti Experience Adi Soozin revealed their background in medicinal and biological chemistry and their initial aspiration to become a surgeon. Adi recounted a significant experience volunteering in Haiti, performing surgeries despite a lack of formal training due to the urgent need, and the presence of dangerous wildlife in the operating room (01:00:09). This experience led them to reconsider their medical career path (01:01:10).
• Shared Experiences in Haiti Paul Hutchinson expressed admiration for Adi Soozin’s and their father’s charity work in Haiti, sharing that they conducted 12 undercover missions there and witnessed the dangers and difficulties of the region (01:01:10). Paul also mentioned meeting their wife, a Colombian actress, in Haiti while she was volunteering at an orphanage (01:02:06).
• Child Trafficking in Haiti Both Adi Soozin and Paul Hutchinson discussed the issue of child trafficking in Haiti, with Adi recounting disturbing encounters their father had with individuals offering access to children. Paul mentioned their involvement in taking down a large trafficking ring that included corrupt officials (01:03:11).
• Meeting Conclusion and Future Plans Adi Soozin thanked Paul Hutchinson for sharing their experiences, noting the inspirational nature of their life and looking forward to reading their books. Paul offered to send Adi a pre-launch copy of their book, “The Sound of Freedom,” and briefly addressed their upcoming travel plans, mentioning potential speaking engagements and a retreat (01:04:05). Due to technical difficulties, the discussion about Paul’s presence in Orlando was cut short (01:05:03).

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Transcript

These show notes were generated by AI

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Adi Soozin: Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of 9×90. Today I have a very special guest, Paul Hutchinson. For those of you who don’t know, he was the co-founder of the infamous Bridge Investment Group. Some of you may be familiar with his partner, Mr. John Pennington, who co-wrote a story in my book. Paul helped grow the company to its first $10 billion — and if any of you have started something from scratch, you know exactly how difficult and grueling that is. That tells you how much of a gladiator this guy is. I’m sure you’re going to be very excited to listen to this episode today. Bridge Investment Group is now up to nearly $50 billion in assets under management.

Paul Hutchinson: Thank you.

Adi Soozin: He doesn’t work there anymore, so please don’t send him emails about properties you need help with. After retiring in 2017, he dedicated himself to combating child trafficking. He founded the Child Liberation Foundation and has participated in more than 70 undercover rescue missions across 15 countries.

Adi Soozin: His efforts have contributed to liberating more than 5,000 children who were slated to become sex slaves. Mr. Hutchinson also served as the executive producer of the film Sound of Freedom, which portrays one of the largest child rescue missions in history. He’s also the author of an upcoming book and hosts an amazing retreat. So, he’s all of the things, and we’re going to dive into all of that today.

Paul Hutchinson: Thank you, Adi. I’m incredibly excited to spend time with you and your audience today. And a quick correction — you accidentally said I built it to $10 billion, but we’re actually almost at $50 billion now.

Adi Soozin: Sorry!

Paul Hutchinson: No worries. Yeah, we’re almost at $50 billion now. I retired when we were just under $20 billion in assets under management. By then, we had 4,000 employees running things better than me.

Paul Hutchinson: I wanted to spend full-time on philanthropy and liberating humanity — not just the children. But we can start back at the beginning with the company and share this incredible, beautiful, blessed journey that I’ve had a part in.

Adi Soozin: And your son is the second generation now, so you’re officially a multi-generational legacy.

Paul Hutchinson: Yes, exactly. I actually had a conversation with him last night about some things we’re doing with the family office and some pretty big growth plans. He said, “We should bring grandpa on,” referring to my dad, who’s in his late 70s now. I was the builder. My dad had a successful company, worth a few million, but when I graduated high school, we didn’t even have furniture in the living room.

Paul Hutchinson: So, I didn’t inherit anything from him directly. He built his success after I left the house. But he set the example with his work ethic and what it takes to build something substantial. Then I had a successful first company that helped people with anxiety and depression — sold it for $20 million when I was 29. I used that money to start investing in real estate. I realized if I didn’t hire people smarter than me, I would lose my money, so I built a power team that’s now managing upwards of $50 billion in assets.

Paul Hutchinson: I’m incredibly grateful for that journey. My son Jordan puts on the Jackson Capital events — high-end, highly curated gatherings. I told him, “What you’re doing right, Jordan, is real vetting.” When you go, you’re not hanging out with fakes.

Paul Hutchinson: These are real families with good hearts who want to connect with other good families and have an enjoyable time — luxury jets, high-end cars, and great opportunities to act.

Adi Soozin: I have to say, your son’s event was one of three or four I went to this year. The others felt like ultra-secret society level, and Parker told me I had to go to Jackson Capital’s event. He promised there were no bottom feeders. I was skeptical, but it was amazing.

Paul Hutchinson: Yeah, he does a good job and keeps it clean. For example, at the yacht party after the F1 event, someone asked Jordan if they could bring 10 more people. Jordan said no — everyone is pre-vetted. The guy said, “But they’re really hot models.” Jordan said, “I don’t care if they’re models or not. This isn’t that kind of party. If they’re not real contributors who my people want to meet, they’re not coming.”

Adi Soozin: It’s funny. At some events, you can tell who’s there from good family offices, looking for strategic partnerships, and then there are the gold diggers trying to latch on and run things into the ground.

Paul Hutchinson: Exactly.

Adi Soozin: Years ago, when you were building Bridge and had $2-3 billion under management, you went to a conference in Laguna Beach and spotted a guy with the hottest girl you’d seen in a long time — a cover model on multiple magazines. You realized this guy was an eighth-generation billionaire from Asia controlling almost a billion dollars a year. You built a relationship with him, but not by commenting on the girl or his appearance.

Paul Hutchinson: Right. I waited until he got up to get his car. I handed my valet ticket to the bellman and hoped the sequence wouldn’t backfire — I was driving a rental Hyundai, after all. But after a brief silence, I built a relationship with him, and he gave me his card with his home and cell numbers, which normally wouldn’t be on the card. He said, “Call me. I want to get together and talk strategy.”

Paul Hutchinson: So, there’s value in following the supermodel sometimes.

Adi Soozin: We’ve gone off on a tangent here, but it’s fun. Maybe we can do another episode to cover that fully. There’s also an interesting generational shift. For example, the Koch family and my family bonded because our fathers were financial geniuses and our mothers were Ford models in New York City. That was a thing in the 80s — prominent successful men married Ford models.

Adi Soozin: But now it’s different. I saw a friend at an event with a woman who had a lot of plastic surgery throwing herself at him. He’s from a good family, and when I asked if he was okay, he said, “Save me,” and pulled me in like we were together just to escape. Times have changed. You used to just follow the models, but now legacy families protect their networks better. Jordan’s vetting reflects that.

Paul Hutchinson: Exactly. Beautifully said.

Adi Soozin: When you write that book, I want to be the first to know — I’ll buy it immediately because I need that advice. My family likes to throw me into the deep end and say, “You’ll figure it out.” So I reach out to the smartest people around the world and ask, “What do I need to give you to mentor me?” That’s how we do it.

Adi Soozin: What was the first thing you did when you started Bridge Investment Group?

Paul Hutchinson: The first thing was partnering with someone who filled in my weaknesses. John Pennington was meticulous — crossing every t and dotting every i. I could walk into a room, identify the wealthy guys, and become their best friend by the end of the day. I could make it rain. But if it was just me alone, when it rained, everything turned to mud. I needed someone with structure I could trust — someone who’d protect my grandmother’s money if I invested it.

Paul Hutchinson: John handled the SEC regulations, banking, legal stuff. I knew that was taken care of, and John understood me. I can’t tell you how many times I was at an NBA game on the front row at 10 p.m. and John would call with questions because he was still in the office doing paperwork. He understood I wasn’t just there to hang out — I brought in $30 million in the early days when we had almost no money.

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00:11:48

Paul Hutchinson: I brought in $30 million from connections I made at an NBA game. Then, when I was down in southern Utah on a Hummer off-road trip, I realized that if guys were driving $150,000 Hummers and rolling them, they probably had some cash to spare. So, I was building relationships to bring in that initial money while he was handling all the detailed work. Finding someone who matched on the other end was everything. John and I remember it was so funny—we were in an office so small we’d turn around and bump elbows. It was just the two of us, managing up to about $10 million, then $20 million under management. People ask John today, “Did you see it? Did you see the billions coming?” And he says, “No, but ironically, Paul kind of did.” He said, “We’d be in the room with a deal where we needed $25,000 by Friday.”

00:12:44

Paul Hutchinson: Paul (me) was on the phone calling all of my contacts trying to get that extra $25,000. I’d turn around and say, “John, we’re going to be a billion-dollar fund someday.” I’d put my pinky by the side of my mouth like Austin Powers, saying, “We’re going to be a billion-dollar fund.” John would say, “Paul, we need $25,000 by Friday.” So, he was the realist, and I was the dreamer. Together, we made it work and built it up to the point where we could attract bigger investors. As we grew, John said to me, “Paul, neither you nor I have the background or pedigree to run and manage a $10 or $20 billion investment fund. I’m a University of Utah dropout. You have an MBA, but it’s not a JD/MBA from an Ivy League school.” We had that conversation often.

00:13:37

Paul Hutchinson: He said, “But if we build it right—with integrity and a solid foundation—we will attract the right team members who can manage it.” By the time we hit $100 million, neither of us had the pedigree to be the CEO or senior management. I was capital markets manager, he was COO, but we hired people with JD/MBAs to add credibility and pedigree. That way, when we went to firms like Morgan Stanley, they’d write $100 million or $200 million checks because of the track record John and I had created, augmented by the right team at the right time.

Adi Soozin: One of the most admirable things is the respect and admiration you two have for each other. When I mention his name, his face lights up like you’re brothers.

00:14:43

Adi Soozin: I remember when I handed you my book and flipped to his page, your face lit up—that’s a rare partnership.

Paul Hutchinson: We love each other. We were joined at the hip for 10 years building the foundation. I understood John’s strengths and never tried to step on his toes because of the respect we had for each other. I respected John so much that when a massive legal document needed my signature, I told them, “I don’t have time to read the details. If John’s signature is on it, I’ll sign it. If not, I won’t.” That’s how I operated.

00:15:36

Paul Hutchinson: That level of trust was crucial as we built the company.

Adi Soozin: How does that feel to you?

Paul Hutchinson: I had a marketing company I sold for $20 million when I was 29. It helped people overcome anxiety, depression, PTSD, addictions, childhood trauma. We had 50,000 calls a month from an infomercial. A public company wanted to buy the marketing arm, the team, the background, etc. John helped take that company public, and part of my buyout required me to stay on as marketing director for a year.

00:16:34

Paul Hutchinson: About a year in, I found out the CEO and CFO were dirty—putting out false press releases claiming IP the company didn’t have. I told the board, “I’m going to Africa to climb Kilimanjaro for two weeks. If those guys are still running things when I get back, I’m going public with what I know. I won’t work for a company without integrity. The only person I trust is John Pennington—the guy who took you public. If he or someone like him is president when I return, I’ll stay and help fix it. If not, I’m done.” I went to Africa, climbed Kilimanjaro, came back, and sure enough John was CEO, those guys were out, and we fixed it. From there, we built Bridge.

Adi Soozin: That’s amazing. For those from my East Coast group who know my father but not Mr. Pennington—they have about a 95% personality overlap. Salt of the earth. They lead with integrity, teach people, and make money honestly. If there’s a chance to cheat for an extra dollar, they don’t take it. Someone told me, “Check out the Penningtons.” I was like, “They’re Mormon, we’re Jewish.” They said, “You don’t understand—there’s a 95% overlap.” At an event, I heard about his parenting and leadership style, and I thought, “This is literally the Mormon version of my father—the Utah manufactured version.” It’s very cool to get to know you and the other side of the story. Much of what you describe about your relationship mirrors what I see in our fund. A lot of what I’m doing matches your tracks, and what Grant is doing is like John. This is very encouraging to me personally.

Paul Hutchinson: That’s beautiful.

Adi Soozin: Maybe by the end of this episode, I’ll convince you to be my mentor.

Paul Hutchinson: I would be honored, honey. I would be honored.

Adi Soozin: Awesome. So, what obstacles surprised you in your earliest months or years at Bridge?

00:19:12

Paul Hutchinson: I was surprised—but now I’m not because I understand how the industry works—that the bigger institutions were run by inner circle Ivy League friend groups. Even as a University of Utah dropout and founder, it didn’t matter. Once we crossed $100 million, it was very valuable to have JD/MBAs from Harvard, Kellogg, and others on our team. That was an eye-opener. Also, the skill sets you need at different stages vary widely: going from zero to $100 million requires different people and skills than going from $100 million to $1 billion, and then again from $1 billion to $10 billion or $20 billion. Credibility and track record are everything.

00:20:25

Paul Hutchinson: It took us an entire year to raise $2 million, and $1 million of that was basically our own money syndicated with others’. By the time I retired, we were bringing in $10 million a day because we had built a track record with audited financials that created trust and credibility, allowing us to scale.

Adi Soozin: Wow. What’s one piece of advice for those starting their capital-raising journey?

Paul Hutchinson: Integrity is everything. You might get away with something lacking integrity at first, but you will never get big—truth always comes out.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Paul Hutchinson: If you take someone’s money and a deal goes bad, be completely transparent and open about it.

Adi Soozin: Yeah.

Paul Hutchinson: John and I created something later, with Don joining us, called the Total Transparency Model. If you remember Stephen Covey, who wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People—his son Steven M.R. Covey wrote The Speed of Trust. In his seminars, he used John and me as an example of the Total Transparency Model to accelerate growth. We even opened our weekly investment meetings to LPs—not just GPs—so they could attend in person or by phone, hear everything. If a hurricane hit one of our Texas properties and caused losses, they heard the whole story and saw how we handled it. That total transparency created what Stephen called the “speed of trust,” allowing us to grow bigger and faster, maintaining momentum through integrity and openness.

00:23:04

Adi Soozin: I’m taking notes. I’ve heard of that book, but now I’ll actually read it. I read a lot, if you couldn’t tell.

Paul Hutchinson: That’s awesome.

Adi Soozin: Readers…

Paul Hutchinson: Are…

Adi Soozin: …leaders.

Paul Hutchinson: You know, when I started my career in my early 20s, before I had the successful company helping people with anxiety, depression, etc., I had a mentor who told me, “Paul, the most valuable piece of real estate you’ll ever own is the six inches between your ears.” He said, “Develop that every day, and everything else will come together.” He said, “If you read at least one book a month and listen to audio programs daily on leadership, business, finance, and relationships, nobody will know after three months, but after three years, your inner circle will notice because you will have grown so much.”

00:24:04

Paul Hutchinson: Thirty years from now, a good part of humanity will know because of the impact you’ve made. Readers are leaders, but those who are consistent make the biggest impact.

Adi Soozin: There was a quote on Instagram last week: “If you don’t think you’ve grown in the past year, answer this: Would you want to trade places with who you were a year ago?” I thought, “No.”

Paul Hutchinson: That’s…

Adi Soozin: …no.

Paul Hutchinson: …scary.

Adi Soozin: I would not. Bridge grew to manage over $10 billion in a short time. What strategic decisions or values do you think were key to scaling so successfully? You’ve already touched on things like the transparency framework and weekly meetings with GPs and LPs so they could see your problem-solving process…

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Paul Hutchinson: One thing that really accelerated us is that John and I, early on, brought on a guy by the name of Don Hartman. Donaldson Hartman had the most impressive resume I’d ever seen. He had raised billions of dollars to bail out the Asian debt crisis in the late ’90s. We hired him to help us develop the credibility and structure needed to go after larger institutions.

I remember he came into my office in December 2006 and said, “Paul, we’re in trouble.” I asked, “We the fund?” And he said, “No, we the country—possibly the whole world.” He had these third-order polynomial equations that went way over my head. But his message was clear: we were staring down a catastrophic financial crisis. This was a year and a half before the 2008 crash.

The reason we listened to him was that in the late ’90s, while working in Asia with Croup, he wrote a series of reports predicting the Asian financial crisis nine months before it happened. He was so well respected that even George Soros was shorting the baht to the tune of $2 billion a day based on Don’s advice. Four countries revoked his visa because he wouldn’t retract his warnings—they believed he was destabilizing their currencies. And then everything he predicted came true.

Fast forward, Don was now working with us. When he warned us about the looming collapse, we took it seriously. At the time, John and I were running a company called Bridge Loan Capital, doing short-term asset-based bridge loans—that’s where the “bridge” name came from. Don said, “You can’t be doing bridge loans. Lenders are going to become owners when this whole thing falls apart.”

So we pivoted. We became one of the first funds in the country to be qualified on a top-level purchasing platform with all the GSEs—Freddie, Fannie, HUD, FDIC. When the 2008 crisis hit, we had dry powder ready—we had exited loans and were holding cash. So when banks had 30 days to live, we got the phone calls.

At that point, bank presidents were finally ready to negotiate. A bank with a $100 million portfolio—we’d offer $30 million cash. It kept them liquid, saved jobs, and prevented a complete loss for shareholders. It was a win for the bank and a massive win for us. We picked up $100 million notes for $30 million.

Adi Soozin: The white knight strategy.

Paul Hutchinson: Exactly. It was a true win-win-win. Our investors were winning, our employees were winning, even the tenants were better off. These properties had been foreclosed on, and the banks weren’t maintaining them—overgrown weeds, broken pool pumps, you name it. But our team knew how to manage those assets effectively.

Ironically, the management team we brought on was named Bridge Property Management. We were Bridge Loan Capital. We came together and formed Bridge Investment Group. With the foresight Don provided, and the positioning we had as authorized purchasers, we ended up with over a 40% IRR while the rest of the market was losing 30 to 50%.

They say make money when there’s blood in the streets—I don’t like making money because of the blood. But I do like making money by providing first aid kits to people who are suffering.

By having that foresight and the right team, we were able to provide real solutions—to banks, tenants, and investors who were losing money everywhere else. We exploded in growth because of that positioning.

Adi Soozin: I love that you’re sharing this story, because that’s literally how I’ve structured the fund I’m working on now. I said, “We’re going to put money into these assets because they’ll be easy to sell, and we’re holding these office buildings in specific industries and locations.” Then, when the blood hits the streets, we step in as the white knight.

Paul Hutchinson: That’s a great strategy.

Adi Soozin: I actually think the first aid kit analogy is even better than the white knight. But I’m very excited to hear that what I thought I should do is what you did. That’s so encouraging.

All right, this is a fan-favorite question—what tools or tactics do you use to manage your time and your team? I mean, a 4,000-person team is huge.

Paul Hutchinson: It is huge, and to be honest, I’m not great at managing all of them personally. I had an assistant—her name was Kitty—and she was worth her weight in gold ten times over. She could type faster than I could think. We’d be in a strategy meeting, and by the time I asked her to look something up, she already had the report in front of me.

She literally out-thought and outperformed me in every way. And because she managed everything about my life, it freed me up to be exponentially more productive. At one point, I actually had four personal assistants. Kitty was my personal assistant, but then we had one for travel, one for managing contacts and follow-ups, and so on.

Right before I retired, we had about 70 people just in accounting. I remember this young man—Andrew—came in with my expense report. At that point, I was the Head of Capital Markets, so my expense report included fine dining, first-class flights, front-row NBA tickets—all for investor relations.

Andrew asked me, “Mr. Hutchinson, how did you get your job?” I realized he didn’t know I co-founded the company. So I decided to mess with him.

I said, “Well, I used to do what you do.”
He goes, “You were in accounting?”
I said, “Yeah. I had this massive spreadsheet that tracked net asset valuations for all our investments. It was 70 megabytes. Then Adam—who is now your boss—came in and said, ‘All these numbers are right, but there’s a much easier way to do this.’ So, I hired Adam to replace me.”

Then I told him, “After that, I did what Jonathan does.”
“Really? You did underwriting?”
“Yep. Big stacks of paper every day—it gave me a headache. So we brought in Jonathan to replace me.”

Eventually, I said, “The only thing I was any good at was going to lunch with rich people. So that’s where they put me.”

He asked, “How many people were here when you started?”
I said, “Just me and John.”

That’s the thing—as you scale, you start as the head cook and bottle washer. You have to understand every job before replacing yourself with someone far more capable. And they, in turn, build teams. That’s how you grow from a two-person team to a 4,000-person organization.

Adi Soozin: I’ve done that in startups too. You begin with just a graphic designer and a copywriter. Then as their workloads increase, you hire to fill in the gaps. My mother’s company has done over $623 million in real estate, and she used to call me asking what to do next. I’d say, “What do you not like doing?” She’d answer, and I’d say, “Hire someone for that.” That’s how she built her 30- to 40-person team—not 4,000, but still under a billion.

Paul Hutchinson: When I retired, Bridge had about 4,000 employees. Today, I think they’re down to about 2,000. Either they got more efficient or outsourced a bunch of things—which I believe they did.

Adi Soozin: Or ChatGPT took half the jobs.

Paul Hutchinson: That’s probably true.

Adi Soozin: When I was writing the marketing book, some younger marketers were saying, “Marketing is going to be obsolete.” I told them, “If you’re not the one generating revenue for the company, yes—your job will be taken over by ChatGPT.”

Okay, now let’s shift gears—from finance to philanthropy. What inspired your transition from leading a successful investment firm to dedicating your life to combating child trafficking?

Paul Hutchinson: I’ll share a few highlights that led to that shift. In my early 20s—before I had a successful company—I had a mentor who said, “The average person donates about 2% of their income to charity. Millionaires give even less. But billionaires? They often have a powerful story around giving.”

He said, “Decide now that your number isn’t 2%. Make it 10%, 15%, even 20%.” He told me it doesn’t matter what you call it—karma, the law of exchange, God—there’s a higher power very interested in us doing good. And your success will be radically enhanced if you commit to giving back in a big way.

I tell people: how does someone who dropped out of the University of Utah become a co-founder of a $20–$30 billion investment fund? Statistically, it’s zero. But I had what I call multipliers. One of those was charity.

I firmly believe that everything I did to give back created a ripple effect—introductions, opportunities, business growth. And here’s a little tip: a great place to meet billionaires is at charity events. I was at every one—from the Alzheimer’s Foundation to every other major fundraiser. Even if I could only afford the cheap $200 seat in the back, I was in the room. That’s where everything began to change.

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Paul Hutchinson: And that’s where things really began. As time went on and our firm had a few billion under management, I got a call—this was about 11 years ago—from the Attorney General. He said, “Paul, I know you’ve donated millions to child-related charities. There’s something dark I want to talk to you about—it’s the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world, and good people have no idea it’s happening.”

He started talking about human trafficking. He introduced me to a team of former government agents in Cartagena, Colombia. They had discovered 20 children being sold as sex slaves. It was horrific. They were putting together a sting operation, but they needed $50,000 to make it happen. So I helped fund it.

A few weeks later, I got another call from one of the operators. He said, “Paul, it’s not just 20 kids. There are over 50 here, and more than 100 in surrounding cities—linked to the same trafficking rings. We think we can rescue them all on the same day, but we need your help.”

I asked, “How much do you need?” thinking it was a bigger donation.

He said, “I need you. Can you be in Colombia in two days?”

They’d identified the traffickers’ plan to build a child sex resort—a hotel. They were looking for millions in funding and thought I might be the guy to invest. My role would be to pose as a potential investor. But the condition I’d set was that they host a party and bring all their “assets” to showcase. If I liked what I saw, I’d fund the project.

Adi Soozin: Oh my God…

Paul Hutchinson: The agent knew more about my background than most people. I had certain skills from a previous life that made me safe in dangerous places. More importantly, I could play the part. He said, “I can’t teach my Navy SEALs how to wear a $50,000 watch and negotiate a multimillion-dollar deal. These guys will spot fake money in a heartbeat.”

So, two days later, I’m face-to-face with some of the most evil people on the planet. I negotiated the deal, and it became what I believe was the largest child rescue mission in history at that time—124 children were saved.

I remember sitting there, seeing these children—10, 11 years old—standing in front of me, and I thought, “How is this even real?” One little girl, the one the movie follows, was standing right there. Her makeup was smeared from crying. I made a promise— to her, to God, and to myself— that I would dedicate the rest of my life to eradicating this evil from the world.

Adi Soozin: Yeah…

Paul Hutchinson: Since then, I’ve led or played a key role in over 70 undercover child rescue missions across 15 countries. I stepped down from my role at Bridge Investment Group—still a founder and owner, just no longer on payroll. Most of my income came from GP interest anyway.

I went all-in on this mission. I started the Child Liberation Foundation. And those numbers you mentioned earlier? They’re actually even bigger now. Through our foundation and others we’ve helped fund or launch, over 7,000 children have been rescued and reunited with their families.

Beyond that, I’m also the primary investor and executive producer of Sound of Freedom. Over 70 million people have seen the film. Hundreds of millions of children are safer because of the awareness it created.

Adi Soozin: My sister actually went to Colombia after seeing that movie with my mom. She joined a nonprofit working with rescued children. My brother and I—natural protectors—were like, “You’re blonde-haired, blue-eyed. You cannot be there. You’re exactly who they’d want to kidnap.”

Now she’s in New Zealand working with a different charity. We love her heart, but we were terrified. Especially because of our family background—it would have made her an even bigger target. But yes, that film changed lives.

Paul Hutchinson: It really did. And that was the goal. I knew I couldn’t take millions of people to see what I had seen, but I could help them feel what I had felt.

We pulled stories from eight different child rescue missions involving 20+ operators. We combined them into a few characters played by actors. Everything in the movie happened—it just didn’t all happen to one team. For example, the little boy at the border was rescued by a different operator. The jungle scene? That was in another country, with another team, searching for a little boy, not a girl. But these are all real events, crafted into a cohesive story to help people truly grasp the gravity of what’s happening.

Think about this, Adi—back in Abraham Lincoln’s time, it wasn’t just the rescuers who made the biggest difference. It was people like you. Influencers. Storytellers.

They didn’t have podcasts back then, but they had people like Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Her book was the media of that era. When Lincoln met her, he reportedly said, “So, you’re the little lady who wrote the book that started this great war.”

That’s what we need today—storytellers and platforms that raise awareness. That’s what your podcast does. That’s what the film does. And because of that awareness, we’ve helped change laws and policies around the world.

Paul Hutchinson: We’ve created certification programs for educators, law enforcement, hospitality staff, and medical professionals so they know the signs. One of the biggest busts we participated in—between Peru and Ecuador—was thanks to a hospital staff who spotted a trafficked girl and reported it. That tip took down a massive ring.

In truth, I believe the awareness and action sparked by the movie and our training programs has saved millions more children than we ever did with boots-on-the-ground rescue missions.

Adi Soozin: And I know that here in the U.S., there’s been major legislation too. Statutes of limitations have been lifted. People who hurt children decades ago are finally being held accountable.

Paul Hutchinson: Exactly.

Adi Soozin: So, thank you.

Paul Hutchinson: It’s a team effort. There are so many good people involved in this fight.

Adi Soozin: Definitely. And just to circle back to something you said earlier about investing 1–2%. In my family, it was always 10%. Any time we earned anything, my parents would say, “Where’s the 10%? Did you set it aside?” A lot of these awards and trophies I have—they’re for nonprofit work.

Paul Hutchinson: I love that. That’s what stood out to me when we first met. I could feel that giving spirit in you.

And it doesn’t matter what someone’s faith is—Christian, Jewish, Muslim—most believe in the Old Testament. The Book of Malachi says that if you tithe, if you give 10%, the windows of heaven will open and blessings will pour out. That’s one of the inside secrets of ultra-wealthy philanthropists—it’s not 2%. It’s 10% or more.

Call it karma, the universe, God—there is a higher power deeply invested in us doing good in the world. And when we commit to that, the rewards come.

Adi Soozin: We didn’t plan this part, but is there a link people listening to the podcast can go to if they want to support the Child Liberation Foundation?

Paul Hutchinson: That would be incredible. Yes—visit childliberation.org. That’s where you can learn more and support our work.

I’ll also mention another site—liberatinghumanity.com. It’s currently a for-profit initiative, but we just finished meetings to turn it into a nonprofit. It will support Child Liberation Foundation and help build healing retreats for adult survivors of childhood trauma—which is something many people carry.

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Paul Hutchinson: One in four women listening today has experienced sexual trauma as a child. For men, the number is slightly lower—about one in five. Of those men, a quarter experienced it before the age of ten, often in their own home. So many people are silently carrying this kind of trauma. While we have healing programs for trafficked children in safe houses around the world, we realized there’s a massive need—especially in the U.S.—for healing adults who experienced childhood trauma.

My first successful company, launched over 30 years ago, helped people overcome anxiety, depression, PTSD, addictions, and childhood trauma. Today, Liberating Humanity continues that mission alongside our global sanctuaries and the Child Liberation Foundation. We believe healing trauma before it creates ripple effects is how we create real, lasting change.

Paul Hutchinson: Rescuing kids is vital—but healing adults is equally critical. If we don’t, that trauma keeps showing up as anger issues, addiction, low self-worth, anxiety, or depression. We’re really good at helping people break free from those cycles.

We just completed a 7-day immersive healing retreat. Initially, we only brought in women who had experienced childhood trauma. Later, we included my team—Green Berets, Navy SEALs—who had PTSD. Today, we work with what I call the “tip of the umbrella”: billionaires, royalty, global influencers. Why? Because if we help them heal, they can move the needle globally. Each retreat hosts about 10 carefully vetted individuals for a deep, transformative experience.

Paul Hutchinson: We’re transitioning that retreat into our 501(c)(3), but for now it operates as a for-profit through our sanctuary. The Child Liberation Foundation remains a nonprofit—childliberation.org.

Adi Soozin: Let’s pause there. If someone wants to attend one of your retreats or learn more, where should they go?

Paul Hutchinson: Just visit Liberating Humanity. You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook under the same name. On LinkedIn, I’m listed under my name, Paul Hutchinson. Scroll down the site, and you’ll find details on our upcoming retreats. June and July are fully booked, but we have openings in September and October. The cost is $11,000 per person—but the transformation people experience is worth $50,000 to $100,000.

Paul Hutchinson: I’m not promoting it for personal gain—100% of that goes to charity. This is about helping humanity heal. That’s my mission.

Adi Soozin: In September, you’re also speaking in New York?

Paul Hutchinson: Yes. My son Jordan is hosting another Jets & Capital event in NYC in late September. I’m also speaking at several other conferences—eight speaking engagements over the next 30 days, in fact. These include family office events, real estate conferences, and major podcasts. All my speaking fees go directly to the fight against child trafficking. I don’t take a dime.

Adi Soozin: And your book is coming out soon?

Paul Hutchinson: Yes! It’s titled The Sound of Freedom. I originally had a different title, but my publishers said, “Paul, you have to keep this one. Over 70 million people have seen the film—you’re the real-life operator, and this is your story.” So, The Sound of Freedom hits bookstores and Amazon at the end of July.

But it’s not just stories from the field. The first six chapters are called The Making of an Undercover Operator. They’re filled with practical advice for parents—situational awareness, safety, and how to protect their kids. Then I walk readers through the actual rescue missions that inspired the movie. The final six chapters focus on healing—elevating global consciousness and healing the pain that causes people to perpetuate trauma. Even if someone would never harm a child, unresolved pain can cause ripple effects—through anger, fear, judgment—that impact everyone around them.

If you forget the website, just go to SoundOfFreedomBook.com. It’ll redirect you to Liberating Humanity with all the info.

Adi Soozin: And if you’re Googling Paul, just scroll to the show notes—we’ll link everything below so you don’t miss it.

I think the ripple effect of this book will be massive. I’ve seen it firsthand. Some friends who went through cognitive behavioral therapy after childhood trauma are now incredibly successful—they learned resilience. Meanwhile, others who had traditional therapy that kept them reliving the trauma… I walked into one friend’s apartment and saw 27 medications on his kitchen counter. He was morbidly obese and heavily medicated because his therapist had him retelling his trauma three times a week.

Paul Hutchinson: That’s the trap. Constantly reliving it keeps you stuck. You don’t need to rehash the pain to heal it. In fact, you don’t even need to consciously remember it. Some trauma is buried so deep—things that happened when you were three or four—but it still shapes how you react, how you think, how you feel.

We help people “uncouple” from those traumas. You don’t need to excavate the memory—you just need to break the mental patterns it created. Worry, “what-if” thinking, low self-esteem—all of that can be rewired through cognitive restructuring, not medication. At our retreats, we help people safely come off medications like Xanax or Prozac—almost 100% success rate. We ask them to be off these meds for about four days before the retreat starts, so we can work with what’s really going on, not the mask.

Paul Hutchinson: Once we remove that mask, we get to the real wound. That’s where permanent healing happens—not by numbing or reliving, but by transforming.

Adi Soozin: That’s incredible. What inspired your first company focused on healing anxiety and PTSD?

Paul Hutchinson: I actually wanted to be a doctor—specifically a pediatric cardiologist. As a kid, I told my mom I wanted to be a brain surgeon because I got bullied at school and wanted to “fix how people think.” Later, I realized the problem wasn’t with people’s brains—it was with their hearts.

I was on the pre-med track, about two months from taking the MCAT, when a major car accident severed tendons in my hand. They didn’t know if I’d regain enough dexterity for surgery. Eventually, I healed, but I knew I couldn’t become a heart surgeon. And I didn’t want to be “just a regular doctor.” I’ve always been all in—if I’m going to be a garbage man, I’m going to own the dump.

So I switched to business and finance. I had a mentor who told me, “Learn to handle rejection. Learn to sell.” I quit my hospital job and took a sales job at a call center—selling children’s videos. They brought in a new account: Lucinda Bassett’s Attacking Anxiety and Depression program. I jumped on that and became the top salesperson within weeks. I was passionate about it—I had been the president of my high school peer leadership team helping kids with anxiety, substance abuse, and trauma.

Paul Hutchinson: That led to starting my company, Midwest Center Marketing. We did global marketing for Lucinda Bassett’s program. I sold the company at 29, but before that, I personally spoke with over 10,000 people, helping them with debilitating anxiety, depression, PTSD, and addictions. Back then, it took 12 weeks of personal coaching, 1–2 hours a day, to help someone heal. Now, with the tools we use in our retreats, we can do that level of transformation in under 7 days.

Adi Soozin: Wow. I had no idea how closely our early paths aligned. My undergrad was in medicinal and biological chemistry—I wanted to be a surgeon, too. My dad volunteered me in triage during a mission trip to Haiti in college. I didn’t even know how to give stitches. They said, “You’ve read a medical book—our doctors haven’t. You’re the doctor now.” I was literally in surgery learning on the spot… with a wolf spider crawling up the wall mid-surgery.

Paul Hutchinson: That’s wild. Huge respect for your dad—and for you—for serving in Haiti. I’ve done 12 undercover missions there. It’s a hard place. Actually, I met my wife there—she’s a Colombian actress, but I met her while she was volunteering at an orphanage. That’s when I knew she was the real deal.

Paul Hutchinson: She’s now the Executive Director of the Child Liberation Foundation. She oversees our aftercare programs and certifications to keep rescued children safe. Sadly, the last time I was in Haiti was for a funeral—one of my operators was killed. We’ve lost team members. We’ve seen traffickers die during missions. But we’ve also saved thousands of children. It’s a dangerous world, but the impact has been worth it.

Adi Soozin: My dad used to go to Haiti three times a year. They were building a self-sufficient compound with homes, farming, and trade schools. It’s powerful to see how compassion and courage ripple into generational change.

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Adi Soozin: My dad said that on several trips down to Haiti, people would approach him thinking he was a tourist, offering access to any children he wanted. He said it made him want to throw up.

Paul Hutchinson: Yeah, yeah.

Adi Soozin: It’s horrific.

Paul Hutchinson: We took down a huge trafficking ring in Haiti — the largest in the Caribbean — which included four corrupt federal judges as part of the takedown.

Adi Soozin: Oh my god.

Paul Hutchinson: It goes all the way to the top in many countries.

Adi Soozin: Wow. Well, we could probably talk for another two hours, but we’ve gone well over an hour already. Thank you so much for your time and for sharing everything you’ve done.

Adi Soozin: I feel like you’ve lived 12 lives. It’s amazing and incredibly inspiring. You really should write your life story for all of us to read someday. I’m also looking forward to reading your capital raising book and The Sound of Freedom.

Paul Hutchinson: The Sound of Freedom covers a lot of my life story — from high school, helping children, building the anxiety and depression company, and more. It all connects.

Paul Hutchinson: I’d be honored to share a pre-launch copy with you, Adi. Just send me your address and my team will get it to you before the official release on July 29th. Everyone else will have to wait, but you’ll get it early.

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