I experienced some trauma as a child, and through Girl Scouting, I found my voice and I was given a space where I could be strong, I could be challenged to be more courageous. And that was a constant for me of the of the space that gave me, that that gut um and brit to be able to get through some of some of the most challenging parts of my life. That is Meredith Muscara, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, an organization that serves more than thirty
eight thousand girls. Meredith passionately believes that every girl deserves the benefits of Scouting, something that became obvious when she lost her program that brought international acclaim the creation of a troop specifically for homeless girls in New York City. I'm Kim as a Reli, and this is Santeca's one hundred Women to Hear. We're bringing you one hundred of the world's most inspiring and history making women. You need
to hear. Mareth Me Scarrett is living proof of the saying that once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout. She's a third generation Scout who went on to become a Troop leader in Queens, New York. Meredith also had a successful career in the entertainment industry, but Scouting pulled her back. Under her leadership, Girl Scouts of Gritter, New York created one of the most inspiring programs to date, Troops six thousand, the first troop for homeless girls in
New York City. What started in two thousand seventeen as a single troop of eight girls has now grown to twenty homeless shelters throughout the city. The girls of Troops six thousand do all the things regular Scouts do, including camping and cookie sales, and they get the lessons in confidence and competence they need to become the leaders of
our future. But Troops six thousand is just one of the many innovative program is Meredith overseas today We hear about her vision for Scouting and her moving personal story. And by the way, Meredith is mother to five daughters. When we talked to Meredith, all five girls are being schooled from home. Listen and learn why Meredith Muscara is what of Seneca's want hundred women to hear. Meredith is so great to be with you again. Thank you for having me tell our listeners, What does the CEO of
the Girl Scouts of Greater New York do? As CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater New York, I wish you could see the smile on my face because at the end of the day, it entails delivering probably one of the most powerful missions and visions two girls and women across New York City. Our mission in New York is to is to create a New York City in which every girl feels empowered to lead in her community, the workplace, and the world. And we build girls of courage, confidence
and character who make the world a better place. Of course, as CEO, I work with an incredibly engaged, powerful board of directors UM. The main part of my role is to UH is to make sure that the business operations run smoothly UH and that we have a balanced budget and that we raise as much money as we can
to support our mission and vision. But at the core of it, I work with and support UH over six thousand volunteers in New York City and more than thirty eight thousand girls who I get to see as the leaders not only of today UM, but the definite leaders of tomorrow. It brings inspiration and power and impact to the city. I see change happening within the communities. I see a generation that gets to UH expands how other generations have seen the world. They get to challenge us
and hold us accountable. So at the end of the day, the most rewarding part of my job is listening to girls in New York City and volunteers to make sure that the programs we deliver resonate with them, that they're relevant, that they are what they need in their toolkit to become the leaders not only of today but of tomorrow. And it's an incredibly inspirational and humbling job to be
able to serve and support UH women and girls. UH. You know when we look at our mission and vision, and we're looking at social justice issues right now, diversity, equity and inclusion and pay equity. As the oldest and largest organization that serves women and girls, we have a strong responsibility to deliver our programs and our impact the best way we can. You've been with the Girl Scouts since childhood. What was it in your background that made
you into the leader that you are today. It's been a continuous journey. I grew up the youngest of seven in a small coastal town in Maine. I was. I am a third generation Girl Scouts, so it was in grains UH, in my lifestyle that Girl Scouting was was part of what I saw. My mother, my grandmother had been a volunteer. My sister's ahead of me were involved in the program. So it was a natural progression for me too, for me to become part of the Girl
Scouting family. UM. I I experienced some trauma as a as a child UM and I am a survivor of sexual abuse UH and learned very early on where priorities of equity and discussion of of those issues was not something at the forefront and not where I was validated or had a voice to be able to stand up
for myself. And through Girl Scouting, I found my voice and I was given a space where I could I could be strong, I could be challenged to be more courageous, I could become more confident in a space supported by women and supported by sister Girl Scouts. And that was a constant for me of a of a space that gave me that that gut, um and grit to be able to get through some of some of the most
challenging parts of my life. I think that that was incredibly formative, and by feeling the power of a network of women and sisters UH certainly led me down the path of becoming UH an advocate and activist in my community for women and girls. And of course, the biggest change in my life that brought me back to Girl Scouts as an adult was the birth of my fifth daughter.
So looking through the eyes of raising five young women UH really made me reprioritize of what I was, what I was wanted to make an impact for in my own life, and it connected me immediately back to the roots of where I found my voice, and that was through Girl Scouting. So those those things all tied together
over a number of years. UM had led me to switching careers UH about five years ago and intentionally going after a position a leadership role within Girl Scouts so that I could help other girls find their voice in the most impactful way as Girl Scouting did for me. We're all so glad that you did. You're helping so many girls for your work, it's really incredible. So, as a Girl Scout, what were some of your proudest moments as my Girl Scout career as a young woman evolved.
I became an activist in in speaking up and speaking out and you know, working on badges of public speaking and debate. Uh. Those those were ones that I was exceptionally proud of because it led me on a on a path to being asked to speak at the main State Senate um on the Senate floor in defense of a of a bill that would affect nonprofits. So I was in high school when I had the first opportunity
to do that. I had the opportunity to be a youth representative at the Girl Scout National Convention, which only happens every three years, and to be able to meet women like Maya Angelou uh and the current Girl Scout CEO at the time, and to put myself in a very adult, mature situations where my voice and my actions and my decisions were validated and heard and listened to by other adults in the room. I think there's always there's always a great question. Was I was I a
good cookie seller? Um? I was very, very shy uh, And my mother recognized that early on in my life, which I think is what Girl Scouting really helped me with. You can't guess that I was ever shy now but selling cookies was like a gut wrenching experience of knocking on a stranger's door and asking them for something and asking them to buy cookies, and even people and neighbors that I knew well, like I get that feeling in
my stomach. But what it did was year over year over year, build up that resistance to that feeling and giving you the confidence of don't take no for an answer. Here's how do you upsell your product? And it put me in an incredible uh position to become a businesswoman, which is what that program is all about. I was a very good cookie seller. I have a large family, um, and my you know, house was constantly full of cases of cookies uh, and did and did well selling them.
Senecas one hundred women to hear will be back after this short break. Are there any other lessons that you took away from scouting the importance of relationships and networking and who you have blanked by your side and how important it is to to keep those people there with you. Uh. Some of my absolute dearest friendships and relationships today um are the same girls that were with me and my troop from years ago. We haven't lived in the same
state for thirty years. But those are the closest people because they've seen We've seen each other's growth, We've seen each other fail at things and lifted each other up during those times. We've applauded when we were successful. And those relationships that are built through a network like Girl Scouting, um,
you don't have the opportunity to have everywhere. So when you mature throughout those years and now as an adult in Girl Scouting, the relationships that were I was able to form with other volunteers, now with my staff and team, and of course in the broader network throughout the Girl Scouting network of my sister CEO s that this these are these are the people you need around you and to to surround yourself with other people. We don't do
this alone. And when it comes to the work of serving UH and fighting for equality and equity, we all need to blink arms and be together. It taught me about diversity. It taught me about the one thing if
you all have in common. The color of your skin may not be the same, your religion may not be the same, your housing situation may not be the same, your socio economic status may not be the same, But you know what is the same the insignia that you wear on your uniform, the promise and the law that you commit to, and the values that you that you
uphold each other too. And that is probably one of the most powerful things that girl scouting has done for me, is just understanding that we are all connected and we can break through those, uh, those is ms that are out there, um, because at the end of the day, we are all girl scouts. How has girl scouts changed since you were a girl? And after what's the biggest
need you believe it serves for girls today? This is always a two prompt answer, because the core values, the promise in the law um that that girl scouting has has stayed the same because it's so good and it's so solid, and it's so important and it anchors us in the right choices and how to make the right choices. The technical aspects of girl scouting around that, and one wouldn't think for an organization that's a hundred and eight years old that we could be as flexible as we are.
But the magic of girl scouting is that it's by girls, four girls, So it changes as the generation it serves to change. So the needs that will progress from one generation to the next. Have have flexed and and bent and stretched over the over the over the years and over the decades um. You know, so from from the types of badges that were offered during the eighties and
nineties too. Now looking at the next million jobs that are going to be made don't even exist yet in the in the stem industry right, these are brand new jobs that don't even exist. So how do we how do we prepare girls for jobs that haven't been created yet? What can we do to to introduce girls to these new careers in tech and in stem um And that's that's the exciting part of this work is to be able to look forward and to look ahead. Uh. But the biggest need that it does for girls today is
it gives them the platform. It gives them the tools that they need. It gives them the confidence to be able to tackle any any career that they want. It exposes girls to educational opportunities and to workplace opportunities. Um. But the change has been in the devil is in the details. The changes in where our focus are is to make sure that it's relevant for what the girls need. Working with the girls must be so inspiring every day. What makes you optimistic for the future. It gives me
so much hope, inspiration and actually strength. UM. I find myself even throughout the hardest weeks, even in these past nine months, making sure that I schedule in time to be involved in in girl activities, to hear their conversations and discuss discussions. UM. What gives me hope for the future is that this generation of gen Z girls is like no other. There is a fierceness, there is an unapologetic um passion. There is the ability and the skill
these are. This is a generation that was born into technology. They're not just uh, they're just not casual users. They are. They control it, they code it, they own it. They are They demand us to be accountable for the mistakes that have been made in previous generations. And they demand a workplace that represents them, that represents a fluid, diverse generation.
And it gives me hope that the switch gets flipped when this generation starts stepping into the into the workforce, UM, and into the voting booths and into political leadership roles. Because they don't want to wait. They are driven UM, and they're right talking to Meredith mascara makes me so proud to say that I too, am a former Girl Scout. Here are three things that I took from the conversation. First, trends may come and go, but Girl Scouts are forever.
Girl Scouting remains an essential resource for girls development. Led by visionaries like Meredith, the Scouts help girls deal with today's challenges like the tech revolution, social inequality, and a changing workplace. Second, the lessons of scouting are profound and permanent. Girls learn there that they have value, that their voice matters, that they can make a difference in the world. Finally, the Girl Scouts are building a generation of young women
who will lead us into tomorrow. As Meredith says, these girls have a few pousness and an unapologetic passion, and we know that they'll help bring about a better, more equal future. Tune in next Tuesday to hear about our next featured woman and discover why she's one of Seneca's one hundred Women to Hear. Seneca's one hundred Women to Hear is a collaboration between the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio, with support from founding partner PNG. Have a Great Day,