Founder of Zera House, Ariel Wallace, Helps Women Heal After Sex Trafficking

By Lauren Rose Correa, March 18, 2025

Ariel Wallace are her husband are proud foster parents, currently caring for a set of five-month-old twins. She is also the cofounder and CEO of a non-profit organization called Zera House. Zera House is a long-term aftercare program for women who have escaped to sex trafficking, founded to assist them in their healing journey.

Started in 2015 and located in West Virginia, Zera House is built on sustainability and holistic living. They own gardens and have chickens on the property, which the residents help tend to. The word “zera” actually means “seed” in Hebrew, so the gardens also lend a deeper meaning to the ministry of Zera House. They hope to plant seeds of healing and hope into the hearts of their residents.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Ariel to learn more about her work with Zera House. Follow along as we discuss the challenges they have overcome, what an average day looks like for Ariel, and much more.

Q: Walk me through a typical day with you on the job.

A typical day on the job [includes] meetings and interviews – lots of meetings. Planning next-steps fundraising is a huge part of my job. Our funds come in solely from independent givers; we don’t have grants. We don’t do anything federally, because we are a Christ-centered program. We don’t want to deviate from being able to talk about Jesus in our program, so everything is privately funded.

We are proudly a debt-free organization. But we have to sustain [our operations], so I have to get out there and raise funds. Our operational costs can be expensive. We own many houses in the area so that we can house our staff, but [we also own] the main house where the residents live.

[The day-to-day also involves] looking out for our staff – making sure they’re good and checking in with them. It’s really hard working with women who have experienced some of the most traumatic things you could ever think of. It can be very challenging, and there are a lot of ups and downs. I care so deeply for each one of our staff that when something happens to them or they’re affected greatly by something, it affects me too.

Q: What is the biggest challenge that comes along with your job and how do you tackle this challenge?

This past week, we had a really big flood – we’ve actually had quite a few in the last several weeks. We had a boutique, which is where our residents “go shopping.” I put that in quotes because they’re not paying for anything, they just get to go and look around and shop like you would in a boutique. It was set up so beautifully with secondhand, lightly used clothes. It ended up under 10 feet of water a couple weeks ago. I live in Atlanta, and the staff is taking care of everything in West Virginia, and so to not be there with them – that’s hard for me, that’s challenging.

This is a weakness of mine, but I tend to carry what others are going through. It is not my job to carry it, but I can’t help it because I do care so deeply. The best way I tackle [these challenges] is just giving them back to the Lord and surrendering what is happening, because it is out of my control.

Q: What is your favorite aspect of your job?

I think my favorite [aspect] is being able to talk about what we do. It’s something I’m obviously very passionate about. You don’t just go out and start a home for women. [I enjoy when] we are able to link arms with others, and when people capture the vision and understand the gravity of what we’re doing. [I like it when people realize that] this is a problem here [in America]. It’s not just happening overseas; it’s happening in our own backyard. When people understand that and that lightbulb goes off, you’ve just gotten another person to spot [the problem]. When there’s awareness, that’s when we start to see a dent being put in it.

I also love to see the growth in the residents. Even if [they are only with us for a short time.] That’s really encouraging too.

Q: What advice would you give to someone else looking to step into the same vocation as you?

My advice would be to take your time. Anything that lasts takes time. You don’t want to bite off more than you can chew, [like] I did in the beginning. Surrender [is important], because it is really hard. You just have to be able to surrender all of it to the Lord, from the little details to all the things that are just simply out of your control. You can’t carry it all – this this isn’t ours to carry.

Yesterday in church, we were challenged in prayer, but the verse that he brought up was [when Jesus was praying and said], “God, if you can, take this cup from me, but ultimately your will be done.” It was like a punch in the gut, because so many times – especially in this last season – I’ve have [pleaded], “Please take this cup from me. But at the end of the day, your will be done.” It has been a very challenging season, and I just feel like I’ve lost my joy. I’m being very vulnerable and transparent – I feel like I’ve lost my joy and my drive to do this, because I’m just so exhausted from the challenge. But it goes back to surrender.

[What we are doing is] rooted in Christ, and when it’s rooted in Christ, you have the whole backing of heaven. Why am I trying to carry the things that I can’t?

Q: What qualities about you do you believe help you do your job well?

My leadership skills, and just being able to rally people together and encourage them.

Q: How has your walk with the Lord influenced your career choices?

My walk with the Lord hasn’t always been wonderful, and it was because of my waywardness that [I was brought] into some really dark places. It was bad relationships, abusive relationships. [When I was] coming out of my last relationship about 12 years ago, I was just in this place of, “Lord, I need you!” I just wanted a place to go to in the mountains where there was sustainable living – a place I could go to just heal. That’s all I wanted. And I kept hearing the words, “beauty for ashes.” Six months later, I was writing things down in a notebook about this home for women who escaped sex trafficking. Here we are ten years later, and we have a house in the mountains with sustainable living for women who have escaped sex trafficking.

I really threw myself at the feet of Jesus and had to walk through a lot of healing. It was through understanding his grace and his love for me that I was able to understand my worth. I just wanted that for others. Zera House is that for women, to empower them and to share Jesus with them. It’s for them to fully understand their worth. If only people understood just how loved we are by the father, everything else will fall into place.

Q: How do you balance your career with your personal life?

[Boundaries are important], just to make sure that I’m not bringing work home with me. My husband is very supportive and will be an ear, but I try not to bring [my work] here into the house. [It’s also important to set] time aside to just have family time. Self-care is really important, and we encourage that for everybody, because we do have such great staff on the ground. I’m able to step away when needed, especially when [I need a break for my] mental and emotional health.

Learn More About Zera House or Make a Donation

To learn more about Zera House, you can visit their website at www.ZeraHouse.org. We also encourage you to make a donation if you feel led – they are always in need of regular donors who can help support their operations.

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We hope you enjoyed this interview with Zera House founder, Ariel Wallace! We regularly feature interviews with successful women from all vocations and walks of life. View the Featured Women category to read about other women!