Leading Change

Spontaneity Can Reveal Opportunity

In my early teens, we moved to San Diego after many years in Newport Beach, CA. This move forced me to leave the only friends I had known and start a new life. Once in San Diego, I was...

Empowerment for All

I first learned about Girls on the Run through a healthy living blog back in 2011 and remember thinking “this is a cool program”. Fast forward to 2017, and I am at the helm of our local...

Girl You Be Trippin’

What obstacles are you facing? Seems like a simple question to ask a group of young teens. During our Overcoming Obstacles lesson at the Heart & Sole team I coach, I asked that very...

The Power of Your Voice

The narrative of a woman’s value being in her vagina, ability to do homely chores and care to the family is one that has lingered for a long time. As a girl-child, I believed this and...

Thinking big and not giving up!

I am a mom that truly loves GOTR and what it stands for. My daughter absolutely loves this program. I am lucky enough to be able to participate in this program through our school and we...

Nisha Varghese: Unbreakable Spirit

You see the girl in the wheelchair, and you think, “Oh, poor thing. She’s disabled. Life must be so hard for her.” You walk right up to her, and then turn around and ask the person...

Madame Secretary General From the Slum

A few days ago, I was asked again a question I receive quite often, “How did you grow up so differently from the ghettos where you were raised?” My answer has always been simple, the...

You are the change

As a girl growing up in Kenya, a patriarchal society with a strong cultural heritage, I knew from the onset that achieving my goals was not going to be a walk in the park. Most of the time...