Speaker 1: I experienced some trauma as a child, and through Girl Scouting,
Speaker 1: I found my voice and I was given a space
Speaker 1: where I could be strong, I could be challenged to
Speaker 1: be more courageous. And that was a constant for me
Speaker 1: of the of the space that gave me, that that
Speaker 1: gut um and brit to be able to get through
Speaker 1: some of some of the most challenging parts of my life.
Speaker 1: That is Meredith Muscara, CEO of the Girl Scouts of
Speaker 1: Greater New York, an organization that serves more than thirty
Speaker 1: eight thousand girls. Meredith passionately believes that every girl deserves
Speaker 1: the benefits of Scouting, something that became obvious when she
Speaker 1: lost her program that brought international acclaim the creation of
Speaker 1: a troop specifically for homeless girls in New York City.
Speaker 1: I'm Kim as a Reli, and this is Santeca's one
Speaker 1: hundred Women to Hear. We're bringing you one hundred of
Speaker 1: the world's most inspiring and history making women. You need
Speaker 1: to hear. Mareth Me Scarrett is living proof of the
Speaker 1: saying that once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout.
Speaker 1: She's a third generation Scout who went on to become
Speaker 1: a Troop leader in Queens, New York. Meredith also had
Speaker 1: a successful career in the entertainment industry, but Scouting pulled
Speaker 1: her back. Under her leadership, Girl Scouts of Gritter, New
Speaker 1: York created one of the most inspiring programs to date,
Speaker 1: Troops six thousand, the first troop for homeless girls in
Speaker 1: New York City. What started in two thousand seventeen as
Speaker 1: a single troop of eight girls has now grown to
Speaker 1: twenty homeless shelters throughout the city. The girls of Troops
Speaker 1: six thousand do all the things regular Scouts do, including
Speaker 1: camping and cookie sales, and they get the lessons in
Speaker 1: confidence and competence they need to become the leaders of
Speaker 1: our future. But Troops six thousand is just one of
Speaker 1: the many innovative program is Meredith overseas today We hear
Speaker 1: about her vision for Scouting and her moving personal story.
Speaker 1: And by the way, Meredith is mother to five daughters.
Speaker 1: When we talked to Meredith, all five girls are being
Speaker 1: schooled from home. Listen and learn why Meredith Muscara is
Speaker 1: what of Seneca's want hundred women to hear. Meredith is
Speaker 1: so great to be with you again. Thank you for
Speaker 1: having me tell our listeners, What does the CEO of
Speaker 1: the Girl Scouts of Greater New York do? As CEO
Speaker 1: of Girl Scouts of Greater New York, I wish you
Speaker 1: could see the smile on my face because at the
Speaker 1: end of the day, it entails delivering probably one of
Speaker 1: the most powerful missions and visions two girls and women
Speaker 1: across New York City. Our mission in New York is
Speaker 1: to is to create a New York City in which
Speaker 1: every girl feels empowered to lead in her community, the workplace,
Speaker 1: and the world. And we build girls of courage, confidence
Speaker 1: and character who make the world a better place. Of course,
Speaker 1: as CEO, I work with an incredibly engaged, powerful board
Speaker 1: of directors UM. The main part of my role is
Speaker 1: to UH is to make sure that the business operations
Speaker 1: run smoothly UH and that we have a balanced budget
Speaker 1: and that we raise as much money as we can
Speaker 1: to support our mission and vision. But at the core
Speaker 1: of it, I work with and support UH over six
Speaker 1: thousand volunteers in New York City and more than thirty
Speaker 1: eight thousand girls who I get to see as the
Speaker 1: leaders not only of today UM, but the definite leaders
Speaker 1: of tomorrow. It brings inspiration and power and impact to
Speaker 1: the city. I see change happening within the communities. I
Speaker 1: see a generation that gets to UH expands how other
Speaker 1: generations have seen the world. They get to challenge us
Speaker 1: and hold us accountable. So at the end of the day,
Speaker 1: the most rewarding part of my job is listening to
Speaker 1: girls in New York City and volunteers to make sure
Speaker 1: that the programs we deliver resonate with them, that they're relevant,
Speaker 1: that they are what they need in their toolkit to
Speaker 1: become the leaders not only of today but of tomorrow.
Speaker 1: And it's an incredibly inspirational and humbling job to be
Speaker 1: able to serve and support UH women and girls. UH.
Speaker 1: You know when we look at our mission and vision,
Speaker 1: and we're looking at social justice issues right now, diversity,
Speaker 1: equity and inclusion and pay equity. As the oldest and
Speaker 1: largest organization that serves women and girls, we have a
Speaker 1: strong responsibility to deliver our programs and our impact the
Speaker 1: best way we can. You've been with the Girl Scouts
Speaker 1: since childhood. What was it in your background that made
Speaker 1: you into the leader that you are today. It's been
Speaker 1: a continuous journey. I grew up the youngest of seven
Speaker 1: in a small coastal town in Maine. I was. I
Speaker 1: am a third generation Girl Scouts, so it was in
Speaker 1: grains UH, in my lifestyle that Girl Scouting was was
Speaker 1: part of what I saw. My mother, my grandmother had
Speaker 1: been a volunteer. My sister's ahead of me were involved
Speaker 1: in the program. So it was a natural progression for
Speaker 1: me too, for me to become part of the Girl
Speaker 1: Scouting family. UM. I I experienced some trauma as a
Speaker 1: as a child UM and I am a survivor of
Speaker 1: sexual abuse UH and learned very early on where priorities
Speaker 1: of equity and discussion of of those issues was not
Speaker 1: something at the forefront and not where I was validated
Speaker 1: or had a voice to be able to stand up
Speaker 1: for myself. And through Girl Scouting, I found my voice
Speaker 1: and I was given a space where I could I
Speaker 1: could be strong, I could be challenged to be more courageous,
Speaker 1: I could become more confident in a space supported by
Speaker 1: women and supported by sister Girl Scouts. And that was
Speaker 1: a constant for me of a of a space that
Speaker 1: gave me that that gut, um and grit to be
Speaker 1: able to get through some of some of the most
Speaker 1: challenging parts of my life. I think that that was
Speaker 1: incredibly formative, and by feeling the power of a network
Speaker 1: of women and sisters UH certainly led me down the
Speaker 1: path of becoming UH an advocate and activist in my
Speaker 1: community for women and girls. And of course, the biggest
Speaker 1: change in my life that brought me back to Girl
Speaker 1: Scouts as an adult was the birth of my fifth daughter.
Speaker 1: So looking through the eyes of raising five young women
Speaker 1: UH really made me reprioritize of what I was, what
Speaker 1: I was wanted to make an impact for in my
Speaker 1: own life, and it connected me immediately back to the
Speaker 1: roots of where I found my voice, and that was
Speaker 1: through Girl Scouting. So those those things all tied together
Speaker 1: over a number of years. UM had led me to
Speaker 1: switching careers UH about five years ago and intentionally going
Speaker 1: after a position a leadership role within Girl Scouts so
Speaker 1: that I could help other girls find their voice in
Speaker 1: the most impactful way as Girl Scouting did for me.
Speaker 1: We're all so glad that you did. You're helping so
Speaker 1: many girls for your work, it's really incredible. So, as
Speaker 1: a Girl Scout, what were some of your proudest moments
Speaker 1: as my Girl Scout career as a young woman evolved.
Speaker 1: I became an activist in in speaking up and speaking
Speaker 1: out and you know, working on badges of public speaking
Speaker 1: and debate. Uh. Those those were ones that I was
Speaker 1: exceptionally proud of because it led me on a on
Speaker 1: a path to being asked to speak at the main
Speaker 1: State Senate um on the Senate floor in defense of
Speaker 1: a of a bill that would affect nonprofits. So I
Speaker 1: was in high school when I had the first opportunity
Speaker 1: to do that. I had the opportunity to be a
Speaker 1: youth representative at the Girl Scout National Convention, which only
Speaker 1: happens every three years, and to be able to meet
Speaker 1: women like Maya Angelou uh and the current Girl Scout
Speaker 1: CEO at the time, and to put myself in a
Speaker 1: very adult, mature situations where my voice and my actions
Speaker 1: and my decisions were validated and heard and listened to
Speaker 1: by other adults in the room. I think there's always
Speaker 1: there's always a great question. Was I was I a
Speaker 1: good cookie seller? Um? I was very, very shy uh,
Speaker 1: And my mother recognized that early on in my life,
Speaker 1: which I think is what Girl Scouting really helped me with.
Speaker 1: You can't guess that I was ever shy now but
Speaker 1: selling cookies was like a gut wrenching experience of knocking
Speaker 1: on a stranger's door and asking them for something and
Speaker 1: asking them to buy cookies, and even people and neighbors
Speaker 1: that I knew well, like I get that feeling in
Speaker 1: my stomach. But what it did was year over year
Speaker 1: over year, build up that resistance to that feeling and
Speaker 1: giving you the confidence of don't take no for an answer.
Speaker 1: Here's how do you upsell your product? And it put
Speaker 1: me in an incredible uh position to become a businesswoman,
Speaker 1: which is what that program is all about. I was
Speaker 1: a very good cookie seller. I have a large family, um,
Speaker 1: and my you know, house was constantly full of cases
Speaker 1: of cookies uh, and did and did well selling them.
Speaker 1: Senecas one hundred women to hear will be back after
Speaker 1: this short break. Are there any other lessons that you
Speaker 1: took away from scouting the importance of relationships and networking
Speaker 1: and who you have blanked by your side and how
Speaker 1: important it is to to keep those people there with you. Uh.
Speaker 1: Some of my absolute dearest friendships and relationships today um
Speaker 1: are the same girls that were with me and my
Speaker 1: troop from years ago. We haven't lived in the same
Speaker 1: state for thirty years. But those are the closest people
Speaker 1: because they've seen We've seen each other's growth, We've seen
Speaker 1: each other fail at things and lifted each other up
Speaker 1: during those times. We've applauded when we were successful. And
Speaker 1: those relationships that are built through a network like Girl Scouting, um,
Speaker 1: you don't have the opportunity to have everywhere. So when
Speaker 1: you mature throughout those years and now as an adult
Speaker 1: in Girl Scouting, the relationships that were I was able
Speaker 1: to form with other volunteers, now with my staff and team,
Speaker 1: and of course in the broader network throughout the Girl
Speaker 1: Scouting network of my sister CEO s that this these
Speaker 1: are these are the people you need around you and
Speaker 1: to to surround yourself with other people. We don't do
Speaker 1: this alone. And when it comes to the work of
Speaker 1: serving UH and fighting for equality and equity, we all
Speaker 1: need to blink arms and be together. It taught me
Speaker 1: about diversity. It taught me about the one thing if
Speaker 1: you all have in common. The color of your skin
Speaker 1: may not be the same, your religion may not be
Speaker 1: the same, your housing situation may not be the same,
Speaker 1: your socio economic status may not be the same, But
Speaker 1: you know what is the same the insignia that you
Speaker 1: wear on your uniform, the promise and the law that
Speaker 1: you commit to, and the values that you that you
Speaker 1: uphold each other too. And that is probably one of
Speaker 1: the most powerful things that girl scouting has done for me,
Speaker 1: is just understanding that we are all connected and we
Speaker 1: can break through those, uh, those is ms that are
Speaker 1: out there, um, because at the end of the day,
Speaker 1: we are all girl scouts. How has girl scouts changed
Speaker 1: since you were a girl? And after what's the biggest
Speaker 1: need you believe it serves for girls today? This is
Speaker 1: always a two prompt answer, because the core values, the
Speaker 1: promise in the law um that that girl scouting has
Speaker 1: has stayed the same because it's so good and it's
Speaker 1: so solid, and it's so important and it anchors us
Speaker 1: in the right choices and how to make the right choices.
Speaker 1: The technical aspects of girl scouting around that, and one
Speaker 1: wouldn't think for an organization that's a hundred and eight
Speaker 1: years old that we could be as flexible as we are.
Speaker 1: But the magic of girl scouting is that it's by girls,
Speaker 1: four girls, So it changes as the generation it serves
Speaker 1: to change. So the needs that will progress from one
Speaker 1: generation to the next. Have have flexed and and bent
Speaker 1: and stretched over the over the over the years and
Speaker 1: over the decades um. You know, so from from the
Speaker 1: types of badges that were offered during the eighties and
Speaker 1: nineties too. Now looking at the next million jobs that
Speaker 1: are going to be made don't even exist yet in
Speaker 1: the in the stem industry right, these are brand new
Speaker 1: jobs that don't even exist. So how do we how
Speaker 1: do we prepare girls for jobs that haven't been created yet?
Speaker 1: What can we do to to introduce girls to these
Speaker 1: new careers in tech and in stem um And that's
Speaker 1: that's the exciting part of this work is to be
Speaker 1: able to look forward and to look ahead. Uh. But
Speaker 1: the biggest need that it does for girls today is
Speaker 1: it gives them the platform. It gives them the tools
Speaker 1: that they need. It gives them the confidence to be
Speaker 1: able to tackle any any career that they want. It
Speaker 1: exposes girls to educational opportunities and to workplace opportunities. Um.
Speaker 1: But the change has been in the devil is in
Speaker 1: the details. The changes in where our focus are is
Speaker 1: to make sure that it's relevant for what the girls need.
Speaker 1: Working with the girls must be so inspiring every day.
Speaker 1: What makes you optimistic for the future. It gives me
Speaker 1: so much hope, inspiration and actually strength. UM. I find
Speaker 1: myself even throughout the hardest weeks, even in these past
Speaker 1: nine months, making sure that I schedule in time to
Speaker 1: be involved in in girl activities, to hear their conversations
Speaker 1: and discuss discussions. UM. What gives me hope for the
Speaker 1: future is that this generation of gen Z girls is
Speaker 1: like no other. There is a fierceness, there is an
Speaker 1: unapologetic um passion. There is the ability and the skill
Speaker 1: these are. This is a generation that was born into technology.
Speaker 1: They're not just uh, they're just not casual users. They are.
Speaker 1: They control it, they code it, they own it. They
Speaker 1: are They demand us to be accountable for the mistakes
Speaker 1: that have been made in previous generations. And they demand
Speaker 1: a workplace that represents them, that represents a fluid, diverse generation.
Speaker 1: And it gives me hope that the switch gets flipped
Speaker 1: when this generation starts stepping into the into the workforce, UM,
Speaker 1: and into the voting booths and into political leadership roles.
Speaker 1: Because they don't want to wait. They are driven UM,
Speaker 1: and they're right talking to Meredith mascara makes me so
Speaker 1: proud to say that I too, am a former Girl Scout.
Speaker 1: Here are three things that I took from the conversation. First,
Speaker 1: trends may come and go, but Girl Scouts are forever.
Speaker 1: Girl Scouting remains an essential resource for girls development. Led
Speaker 1: by visionaries like Meredith, the Scouts help girls deal with
Speaker 1: today's challenges like the tech revolution, social inequality, and a
Speaker 1: changing workplace. Second, the lessons of scouting are profound and permanent.
Speaker 1: Girls learn there that they have value, that their voice matters,
Speaker 1: that they can make a difference in the world. Finally,
Speaker 1: the Girl Scouts are building a generation of young women
Speaker 1: who will lead us into tomorrow. As Meredith says, these
Speaker 1: girls have a few pousness and an unapologetic passion, and
Speaker 1: we know that they'll help bring about a better, more
Speaker 1: equal future. Tune in next Tuesday to hear about our
Speaker 1: next featured woman and discover why she's one of Seneca's
Speaker 1: one hundred Women to Hear. Seneca's one hundred Women to
Speaker 1: Hear is a collaboration between the Seneca Women Podcast Network
Speaker 1: and I Heart Radio, with support from founding partner PNG.
Speaker 1: Have a Great Day,