Idelle Erickson

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In this episode we’re talking with Eaden, who is a high school senior. We had a great conversation about her experience with social media and the huge role it plays in her friend group and school.

We talked with Eaden about how social media is a big part of a lot of girls’ lives when it comes to connecting with friends, keeping up with news, and showing the world who you are. It ties into things like self-esteem, identity, and being accepted by your peers. You might hear some of your own experience in Eaden’s story, or maybe yours is totally different.

Eaden shared her perspective on what it would be like to opt out of social media, including some of the potential social consequences and benefits like feeling more present with her friend group. She talks about doing things like putting her phone on “do not disturb” when she’s out with friends to be in the moment, and how she tries to give herself a little break when she’s feeling drained.

Think about your social media use – how do posts, likes, and followers make you feel? Do you feel good when you’re interacting with people on social media, or does it sometimes feel bad? And if it feels bad, are there ways you can limit yourself and stay away from some of the unhealthy aspects? Are there times you don’t really show your true self? Think about it!

As always, stay tuned at the end for Would You Rather and a special Girls Pick with our girl guest.

Want to connect with our team or find out how you can be featured on Girls Pick? Go to girltalk.girlscoutsrv.org/contact. Don’t forget to subscribe and share with friends!

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In this episode we had a lot of fun getting into one of Hannah and Shanna’s favorite subjects – video games! We know there are a lot of podcasts out there about gaming, but we hope you’ll get a little something different from our conversation. We’ll talk about what we love about gaming, how we got started, and what we look for in a game. We’ll also share our thoughts about female characters and discuss how we take up space as women in the mostly male-dominated gaming culture.

This is the sister to episode 2: “Girl, Get Outside!” which is all about how great it is to get a dose of nature for your self-care. On the flip side of that, sometimes you just want to stay inside and solve a complex puzzle, chase zombies, score a few touchdowns, build a civilization from the virtual ground up, or save a beautifully crafted alternate universe from impending doom, all from the comfort of your couch. We find gaming helps us recharge and take a sometimes-necessary break from thinking about school, work, and life, while still keeping our mind active. It can also be a great way to socialize in online communities (make sure you’re being safe!) or spend time with friends and family playing multi-player games.

Hannah and Shanna describe why they’ve always loved gaming and the important part it has played in their lives for relaxation, alone time, family time, and even development of critical thinking skills. We know there are girls out there who can relate! Even if you don’t relate, it’s fun to hear personal perspectives on a subject that most of us have probably had at least a little bit of experience with. And if this is all brand new to you, maybe give it a try!

Our takeaways: You don’t have to be perfect to call yourself a gamer, and there’s no one way or right way to play. Video games can be more than just a way to pass the time— they can be meaningful experiences that transport you to another world, and can be a great way to connect with others or spend needed time alone to recharge.

As always, stay tuned at the end for our segments Would You Rather and Girls Pick!

Have an idea for an episode or wondering how you can be featured in Girls Pick? Connect with our podcast team at girltalk.girlscoutsrv.org/contact.

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In this episode we’re talking about mental health with our friend Maddie Phelps. Maddie is a Development Associate at Girl Scouts River Valleys writing grant applications that fundraise for the Girl Scout mission. Outside of work they spend their time writing, weightlifting, and hanging out with friends.

We had a great conversation with Maddie about experiences we had with mental health as teenagers and now as adults. Like what it felt like to deal with things like depression and anxiety, what made things hard, and what helped. We also talk about how it got better as we got older, but that some things are still hard.

We’ll get into our own experiences with depression, anxiety, autism, and bipolar disorder, and how hard it sometimes was as kids and teens to live up to other peoples’ standards while dealing with really hard stuff internally. We’ll also talk about how it feels to be in different states of mental health and how exhausting it can be, or on the flip side feeling like a speeding bullet train or volcano and being able to take on anything, with not-so-great consequences later.

We’ve all got some personal things we’ve found that help us get through challenges— like using humor to cope, making our own accommodations that help make school and work settings easier to deal with, and finding people that get it and have our backs. We discuss our own experiences with things like medication and therapy and how they can be really helpful for some people, but that there are also other ways to cope and help yourself if there are barriers to accessing these options or if they just aren’t right for you.

Our takeaway— The most important thing for us is encouraging sustainable, healthy balance in our lives. If you’re dealing with some of these challenges yourself, find things that help you promote your own success, and people who you can be honest with and rely on.

Note: We’ll mention the terms mental illness and neurodivergence. So we’re all on the same page, mental illness refers to health conditions that affect thinking, mood, emotion, or behavior, and neurodivergence means having a brain that functions in a way that’s different from the usual norms in society.

 

Helpful resources:

Face to Face https://face2face.org/support/mental-health/

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

 

Want to connect with our team about thoughts and ideas, or to find out how you can be featured on Girls Pick? Contact us at girltalk.girlscoutsrv.org/contact

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Hey GIRL Talk listeners! We’re hard at work putting together season two, coming soon! We’ve got all new topics and some great guests lined up for our next round of episodes. Make sure you subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast app so you’ll know when they’re released, and if you’re listening in Apple Podcasts please rate the show and submit a review. It’ll help us reach more listeners!

Do you have a favorite episode you’d like to tell us about, or a topic you’d like us to dig into? Or maybe you’re wondering how you can be featured on our segment Girls Pick? We’d love to hear from you!

Email GIRLTalk@girlscoutsrv.org or visit our website at GIRLTalk.GirlScoutsRV.org.

Thanks for listening!

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In this episode we talk with Khadra Mohamed about her experience growing up Somali in America. Khadra is a friend of ours and a young professional woman who works as a program coordinator for Girl Scouts ConnectZ bringing programming to girls in underrepresented communities. She has a degree in child psychology from the University of Minnesota and has worked with youth in lots of different ways.

Outside of her work with girls Khadra loves going to concerts, sewing, journaling, and hanging out with her siblings. We had a great conversation about her experience growing up in the Somali-Muslim community in central New York, Ohio, and Minnesota, and some of the challenges she and her family have faced. Khadra and her parents and siblings moved to Minnesota to be closer to extended family and found a thriving community where she was able to connect with other Somalis and learn more about her culture and religion. But while the Somali community in the Twin Cities is strong, there are still lots of barriers and misconceptions. Our conversation got deep, and we learned so much from Khadra, but we still had our fun and funny moments 🙂

We learned from Khadra that on top of all the other hard things girls go through in middle and high school, Somali girls are navigating other identities that can make things tough and cause them to be targeted— like being black, Muslim, women, and wearing the hijab, a headscarf many Muslim women wear to connect to their religion.

Khadra talks about how Somalis are storytellers and poets, how important it is to have the support of family and community and always have each other’s backs, and the significance and deep love of good food!

Our takeaways— Somali girls are smart, cool, and creative, and are a thriving, incredible force. We can support Somali girls in our own communities by reaching out with resources and opportunities. Girls can reach across cultures and learn about their peers and neighbors, breaking down the barriers that can keep us from making friends and supporting other girls.

Not sure where to start? Do some research, learn about Somali culture, educate yourself! We all have things that make us unique, but also things in common. Reach out and find out what those things are! Check out this great blog post Khadra wrote on supporting Muslim girls to learn more.

Stay tuned at the end for Would You Rather, then we’ll feature a girl from one of Khadra’s Girl Scout troops in Girls Pick!

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The idea of bravery: you might think of courage, selflessness, or just not being afraid. We know bravery is not necessarily equal to not being afraid, but it can seem that way. Bravery can be navigating your own anxiety and insecurity, or fears of judgment and criticism, and putting yourself out there to try something new or stand up for yourself.

Feeling scared or intimidated can keep us from trying new things. Don’t beat yourself up, we’ve all been there. It’s hard not to have expectations for ourselves that are too high and that keep us from taking risks or trusting that we’ll figure things out along the way, especially when it comes to big things like applying for colleges, internships, and jobs, or joining student government and taking AP courses.

In this episode we’ll talk about times we felt like we were brave, when we weren’t, and when we maybe wish we had been but let fear or misconceptions get the best of us. You’ll also find out how much Shanna loves baseball and why she really wishes she had joined softball, and which sports make Hannah faint…

We’ll recount our high school prom experiences and how we were influenced by other kids and social expectations— How do you figure out how to make experiences like prom your own and feel comfortable? We’re still not sure, but we have some ideas.

Experiences that don’t turn out great can end up being positive— they teach us what we do and don’t like! We also recognize that being able to say “no” can be powerful and brave, especially if you feel overwhelmed or like you’re too easily pulled into things you might not want to do. Shanna uses daily reflections and affirmations to keep herself grounded and find energy to be brave and make choices that are good for her. We’ll be trying it out, and maybe you’d like to try it too.

Go forth and be brave 🙂

Stay tuned at the end for our segments Would You Rather and Girls Pick!