Episode Details

Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Leanna Clark, CEO of Girl Scouts Colorado who paved the way for the first ever Girl Scouts DreamLab.

When you think about the Girl Scouts, what do you think about?  Maybe your favorite cookie?  (Thin Mints anyone?). But then in February of 2023, the CDC published a devastating report on US Teen Girls with 3 of 5 experiencing sadness or hopelessness.  And then in March, the Girl Scouts, the oldest and largest girls’ organization in the US did something remarkable.  They opened the Girl Scouts DreamLab.  A first of its kind physical space built for girls, designed by girls where you can experience everything it means to be a Girl Scout.

What does it mean to be a Girl Scout?  It means pushing limits, building resiliency and confidence, learning skills in key areas like STEM, in a supported and supportive environment.  This space is meant to build the leaders of tomorrow.

We need solutions for the health and well-being of girls.  And we need more Girl Scouts and more DreamLabs.  And don’t forget to get your Thin Mints.

Hear Leanna talk about:

    Her Career Journey

• Like a Girl Scout actually –many instances of really stretching for that next objective while armed with skills, confidence, and a sisterhood of support.
• Not your typical CEO background – POWERFUL but often under-appreciated skills of relationships that build partnerships and effective communication are foundational for a CEO

   Girl Scouts:  More than just Cookies…..

• …and campfires and crafts. It’s a premiere leadership organization.
• To be a Girl Scout means pushing limits, building resiliency and confidence, learning skills in key areas like STEM, in a supported and supportive environment.

  DreamLab

• Ribbon cutting March 2023 in Denver. The First but not the last.
• A space where you can experience everything it means to be a Girl Scout.
• A place for Girl Scouts to meet and troops to gather. Also open to the public.

  It’s hard to be a girl:  3 of 5 teen girls feel sad or hopeless (CDC)

• Girl Scouts can be one of the solutions and for the different stages a girl may be in.
• Recognizing a “rainbow of feelings”; what do healthy relationships look like; focusing on positive body image and providing the support of a community that is bigger than yourself.

 Her absolute favorite thing:

• Spending time with any one of 1 million Girl Scouts in the US or 2 million across the globe

 

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BIO 

Leanna Clark is CEO of Girl Scouts of Colorado, the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. GSCO is a statewide nonprofit with 125 full-time employees, more than 22,000 members and 10,000 adults dedicated to building girls of co