Wandering Through Nothingness

A Little Something from Molly Barker

Exploring Leadership, Intention, Acceptance and Gender

If you know me or if you know Girls on the Run, this is a pretty obvious love of mine. In 1996 I wrote the first Girls on the Run curriculum and have, over the last fifteen years been primarily responsible (with the assistance of some very innovative and creative co-pilots) for the edits and additional curricula now delivered. All that talking in my head and the ease with which I can be distracted leads to a wonderful gift…the gift of metaphor.  I can take a seemingly abstract concept, connect a lot of dots and create experience-based curricula that bring the concept truly home to people…where they not only think cognitively about the redeeming qualities of a concept…but feel and experience it.

Trying to describe the Girls on the Run experience brings a smile to my face.  Inevitably folks talk about how “finding the words” to share how the program impacted them, is difficult.  “Words just don’t do it justice.”  The experience is something they felt, grew into and now own.

Currently, I’m researching how to bring the softer side of leadership to a larger audience.  Softer doesn’t mean weaker. Softer means less competition, more compassion, empathy and collaboration.  Stay tuned.  Something amazing is indeed, brewing.

Stay tuned.

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4 Responses to “Exploring Leadership, Intention, Acceptance and Gender”

  1. Michele Batz says:

    Hello, Molly-

    My idea is motivate people to develop a healthy lifestyle. I work with such fantastic women. We’re all teachers at the elementary level. When we had our kids running program last fall, 12 teachers joined right in to train with the kids. It was fantastic!

    But I would like to take it one step further. Incorporate a curriculum for teachers, who are mom’s in their own right –to develop a program for them? They need to put themselves on the front burner instead of the back, so they can give more to people around them.

    Yes, Molly–you and I have met….Michele Batz from Illinois. Yes, we are joing GOTR again this spring!! The girls are so excited. Plus, we’ll have the kids running program for both boys and girls…

    But I would like to develop a program for women who are moms….what do you say?

    Kind Regards,

    Michele Batz, Ph.D.
    Physical Education Teacher

  2. Sara Humphrey says:

    Hi Molly,

    I was a coach for Girls on the Run in 2009 at Charlotte Country Day, and your program inspired me to do something “out of the box”.

    My business partner and I have an idea, it’s an exercise program for pregnant women. We call ourselves Mommas In Motion™. The goal of the program is to use consistent exercise to reduce excess weight gained during pregnancy, reduce the risk of gestastional diabetes and preeclampsia, and get women into a regular exercise routine so they can maintain a healthy lifestyle after pregnancy. The program combines weekly sessions for the participants to walk, strength train, and stretch in a group setting, and a course/curriculum in health and fitness. The curriculum is the area we could use some help with! What do you think?

    We did meet briefly at the GOTR home office. :) No worries if you do not remember me!

    Sara Humphrey

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