Wandering Through Nothingness

Yep…that’s me.   My two children know me as Mom. To some, I am a recovering alcoholic; to others a former Ironman triathlete.  To my beautifully tattooed yoga-mat-mates, I’m known as the woman who sweats alot and to my Girls on the Run colleagues and girls, I am more commonly referred to as Girls on the Run Founder..

I, however, am on a lifetime journey to figure out precisely what “me” is.  I’m hoping that somewhere my “me” is connected to your “you”.  The way I see it…there’s got to be a connection here somewhere or we wouldn’t be where we are right now…my typing these words and your reading them.  I believe these sorts of discoveries don’t happen by accident.  We asked for it…and now we’ve found each other. I’m hoping you will pack up and come along for the ride, reveal and evolve right along with me. To join in, read “Wander With Me”  to get the gist of what this is all about and then let’s get this show on the road.

To get the “real deal” on who I am, please visit Ashoka’s website.  I am an Ashoka fellow and they’ve done a stellar job of recording precisely who I am and what I am all about.  Read it here…http://usa.ashoka.org/fellow/molly-barker

(A more formal read of my bio looks something like this:)

Molly Barker, MSW, founded Girls on the Run in 1996 in Charlotte, North Carolina. A four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete, she used her background in social work, counseling and teaching, along with research on adolescent issues, to develop the program. Today, there are Girls on the Run councils in over 190 cities across North America serving over 150,000 girls and women each year. (www.girlsontherun.org)

The “Girl Box,” a phrase coined by Molly, describes the imaginary place many girls go around adolescence, where cultural and societal stereotypes limit choices as well as opportunities. Starting with this strong foundation, Molly’s idea is, through the strategic launch of a variety of targeted and innovative social media and curriculum-driven projects to create a social movement, which provides girls and women with the tools and the courage to see, unravel from and eliminate their own and often unconscious buy-in to the Girl Box and its limiting messages.

With her launch, last year, of “The Naked Face Project”  (www.thenakedfaceproject.com) Molly is fast becoming a well-known and innovative social entrepreneur who uses the simplest of actions to create shifts in perception around gender, beauty and power, to fuel the women’s self-liberation movement and hence create a world where girls and women can boldly pursue their dreams and activate their greatest potential.

A current  and very strong interest of Molly’s is elevating and creating a space for  conversation which celebrates, honors and embraces enlightened and collaborative  leadership.  Recently selected by the highly regarded Bipartisan Policy Center, Molly is preparing to serve on their 25-person commission.  The commission is being tasked with exploring ways we might encourage a more civil discourse at the highest levels of government.

Molly has been featured in many media outlets including People, Runner’s World, Glamour, Self, Shape, Redbook and Woman’s Day. Molly has authored  two  books,  “Girls  on  Track, A  Parent’s  Guide  to  Inspiring  our  Daughters  to  Achieve  a  Lifetime  of Self-Esteem and Respect”, and “Girls Lit from Within” which is specifically for 3rd – 8th grade girls.

Molly is a positive role model for girls and women of all ages. She enjoys writing, running and yoga but most enjoys the challenges which emerge in her own personal evolution and deep desire to live life outside the Girl Box.

http://mxp.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/28/girls-on-the-run-creator-molly-barker-is-a-breakthrough-woman/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri3kaA3PHBQ