We're taking a little break here on the Troop Leader Experience podcast, but make sure to binge the 6.5 years of content we've already got here for ya in the meantime! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're all reeling from the results of the 2024 US federal election and although I'm not trying to get political in this podcast, Girl Scouts does have an interesting relationship with politics throughout its history. In this episode, I'm diving into the relationship between Girl Scouts & politics going all the way back to Juliette Gordon Low. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ESPECIALLY if you hang out on Pinterest or in Troop Leader facebook groups, it can start to feel like there is just way too much to realistically do as a Girl Scout troop. And as a troop leader who really wants to make this experience as high impact as possible, that can sometimes feel overwhelming. How do those super troops on Facebook (or sometimes even the guests on this podcast) seem to do EVERYTHING there is to do? If you have ever felt this overwhelm and pressure to do all the things, this episode is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter how old your girls are, you might have the same experience as one of my listeners who asked me how to handle the situation when it seems like the girls are always bickering and complaining, "That's not fair!" In today's episode, I'm sharing some of the foundational conflict resolution techniques and strategies I've used in my troop, learned in my educational background specializing in conflict resolution, and as the former mediator for my local council. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Giving back to our communities and making them better places is a fundamental part of the Girl Scout experience. Sometimes this looks like Take Action projects, or high awards, but just volunteering in general is something most troop leaders say is important to them when envisioning running a troop. But, especially when you have younger girls, what the heck kind of service projects can you even do with kids in K-12? Here's a great big episode full of ideas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a new Girl Scout year officially and I'm reflecting on some of my favorite traditions! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When recording last week's episode, I came up with the idea to do some activity suggestions - both indoor and outdoor, for all age levels - to build problem solving skills and conflict resolution skills. I hope you can use some of these ideas with your troop! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We hear people talk about "girl led" in Girl Scouts all the time -and although I've broken down what that term really means in this podcast a few times before, it's never too much and this week, I'm doing one better: I'm giving you 15+ examples of what it looks like to actually lead a girl-led troop and to foster leadership skills among your girls, no matter how old they are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, I'm sharing some tips for what to pack when you take an outdoor adventure with your troop. Now listen, this is not an exhaustive list, especially because that largely depends on what the heck you are doing. But in general, I learned from experience that there are some essentials you should just bring with you for any field trip or outdoor adventure with your troop no matter what you're doing or how old they are. Here are my essential items that you must have! + Some bonus items that will really pay off... trust me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter what age group you're working with, we've got ideas for you to spend time adventuring outdoors! Outdoor activities are a huge tradition in Girl Scouts and so valuable for mental health, leadership skills, and relationship building. Tune in for another ULTIMATE GIANT LIST episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After another occurrence of senseless violence in the USA, everyone is talking about safety at school... including kids. We're all having strong emotional responses from this horrific event... including kids. Should we address this at Girl Scouts? And if so, how can we do it with the kids' best interests at heart?   Resources: https://www.girlscouts.org/en/raising-girls/happy-and-healthy/happy/extreme-violence-and-children-parenting-advice.html https://www.girlscouts.org/en/raising-girls/happy-and-healthy/happy/kids-worried-about-war.html https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/talking-to-children-about-war.pdf https://www.schoolcrisiscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Guidelines-Talking-to-Kids-About-Attacks-Two-Sided-Onesheet-Format.pdf https://www.nctsn.org/resources/coping-after-mass-violence    Fake News Activity from Girl Scouts: https://www.girlscouts.org/en/raising-girls/leadership/life-skills/kids-and-fake-news-critical-thinking-skills.html Support Uvalde: https://www.girlscouts-swtx.org/en/our-council/girl-scout-strong-for-uvalde.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I am speed talking through 10 ideas for activities you can do at your back-to-school season troop meetings. I didn't mean to speed talk, but here we are. Don't listen to this one on 2x speed. I say this for your own safety. LOL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Primary election years are a big deal in the US! But they can also be exhausting, and frankly, divisive. In this episode, I'm sharing 3 of my best tips for how to engage your girls in discussion and action around the fact that it's an election year... without actually getting involved in divisive politics that will alienate troop families. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, my guest is Sheri Bowman-Gazitt. We are talking all about managing DRAMA - girl drama, mama drama, and more. Connect with Sheri here: http://teen-wise.com http://facebook.com/groups/theparentinglab Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, I wanted to share some tips for running a multi-level troop, including some insights into my own story and how my own multi-level troop started and grew. ALSO I'm so excited to announce that I'm nominated for a Women in Podcasting award! You can support me (it's totally free) by voting for the show here: https://womeninpodcasting.net/awards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back for SEASON 7 of this podcast! And it's back to school season, which around here is also known as Back to Troop! Here are three things you can (and should) do to prepare for back to troop season! ALSO I'm so excited to announce that I'm nominated for a Women in Podcasting award! You can support me (it's totally free) by voting for the show here: https://womeninpodcasting.net/awards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I know y'all love the easy-to-implement episodes, and this one is packed full of ideas you are going to love. My guest today is Laura Haver, and her book Play Together is going to be an incredible resource for your troop. She's sharing some of her favorite ways to play (while still learning and building skills and emotional resilience) and I can't wait for you to start getting some ideas from this episode to put on your troop calendar for this upcoming year. Get the book (this is an affiliate link): https://amzn.to/463QHpi Connect with Laura: https://laurahaver.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lauramhaver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I first heard about executive function a few years ago and to be honest, it helped me understand neurodiversity on a level that is so much more helpful and useful. I was so excited to connect with this week's guest, Carrie Bonnett, because she specializes in helping kids (and adults) with executive function. I hope you're ready to learn something this episode - it's a good one! Connect with Carrie: https://www.carriebonnett.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Amy from Spark Joy with Amy. We're talking about the benefits of play-based learning for children's engagement and resilience. Connect with Amy www.sparkjoywithamy.com www.instagram.com/sparkjoywithamy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems like these days everyone is always talking about STEM. Also, in an effort to close the gender gap in STEM careers, it seems like Girl Scouts has maybe 'overcorrected' with STEM activities ALL THE TIME. Do you feel this way? If so, this episode is for you. My guest this week is Alyse Johnson-Chilla, full time high school science teacher and a parent of a new Daisy. We're talking about why STEM programming is important and how we can make it fun and accessible for girls (and for us!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices