AEE Keynote Speaker

 Molly Barker, M.S.W.

Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run, provides a highly interactive, entertaining and inspirational presentation. Whether motivating business entrepreneur's to take a leap of faith, little girls to discover the real beauty inside or adult women and men to examine the boxes that limit our life's potential, Molly is sure to provide an experience that is profound, inspirational and very personal.

Molly is the founder of Girls on the Run (www.girlsontherun.org) the internationally acclaimed non-profit that helps young women examine their "girl box" issues. The "Girl Box" is the place many girls go reluctantly around the age of fifth grade--where appearance matters more than personality--where beauty is defined by a cosmetic and surgical industry gone haywire and feminine behavior is determined in large part by the media. In her presentation, she will tell her own story of overcoming alcoholism and other "Girl Box" issues to create what she now claims "is a lifestyle that allows me to be my authentic self." Her presentation will actively engage members of the audience and have each of them examining their own "Girl or Boy Box" issues. Molly will share many poignant and emotional stories about children and adults who have valiantly made their way out of the confinement of their personal "Boxes" and joyously found comfort in their own skin--each story serving as an example to us all of the importance of "being real." She will provide tangible tools-a unique checklist of sorts-- all of us can use to turn away from the never-ending quest for the unattainable imagined ideal our culture has defined for us and move toward a more authentic, genuine and mind-full way to live.