People Behind BIO | Lindsey Huber
Lindsey Huber
Mentor, Aberdeen, SD
One morning a few weeks ago, our executive office was captivated watching an interview with the site director and mentors from Aberdeen, South Dakota. They (virtually) went on the morning show 1 Million Cups to share their impact stories from BIO Girls. If you watch the video, you can see why I reached out to Lindsey Huber for an interview. Her passion for BIO Girls bleeds out into her life, and we are so grateful to have her mentoring our BIO Girls in Aberdeen!
What is your connection to BIO Girls?
Mentor at the Aberdeen, SD.
How long have you been involved with BIO Girls?
Two years ago this week!
What drew you to become involved with BIO Girls?
I have always turned to running/exercise for every emotion. I use it as my escape from a long day. I use it as a reward for a successful day. I use it to help process complex decisions, the restorative power provides an opportunity for internal reflection. Over the years, running has become more about my mental state than a physical state.
So when I heard about this program, I naturally thought it was genius that you would pair a mental exercise/experience with an endorphin release. We challenge these girls to take what we have discussed and start to apply it in their own life. How perfect to go for a run afterward and let them slowly process everything we just covered while challenging their body at the same time. They start to associate the two; reflection and physical activity. Running can expose their inner reflection allowing them to process those difficult topics.
The BIO Girls mission is "to improve the self-esteem of adolescent girls through empowerment of self and service to others." How do you resonate with the mission?
The world is crying out for us right now, it is yelling at us that we all need to be better and do better. It has to start now and has to start with things like this. It is all about the mission, how do we grow people to be more compassionate, kinder, and more assertive. We can then empower ourselves and teach others to do so too. I can't stand behind this program any more than I already do.
Do you have an impact story from your involvement with BIO Girls?
You could tell every mentor got goosebumps when the girls were doing large group activities. Every single time, I got goosebumps or stinging behind my eyes because of how big those lessons were, and you could feel it was really clicking for the girls.
Did you have a favorite lesson that you found value in?
The topics are all so relevant. One of my favorites was "Be Yourself, Not your Selfie". I worry so much watching the girls go on Instagram with the pressure of feeling like everything has to be perfect. I think realizing what some of these girls are carrying, you are not aware of what they are really feeling.
What changes have you seen in the girls you have mentored?
I had one girl in my small group the second year, who I also had in my running group the first year. I watched her confidence grow from the first to the second year. I could tell she was using tools that we had talked about in the first year, during our second year. It was almost like she was a mini mentor for my new ones. I loved her because she was always one of those girls you wanted to be around and I wanted to spread her energy everywhere! Even looking around, I could see that the other girls wanted to do their best and were giving it their all. Every participant just wanted to be listened to and connect with others. We were able to have deep conversations with the girls. They probably have never had that opportunity before.
In one sentence, how do you summarize what BIO Girls provides participants?
A tool that provides our adolescent girls to learn life skills for a healthy mind and a healthy body.
Mentoring is a big commitment. Why is it worth it to you?
The first year I volunteered, I was anxious about all of the things on my plate. It didn't take me long to realize that I needed to go to those meetings just as much as those girls needed to go to those meetings. I needed to be there, and I needed those girls in my life just as much as they needed us. It became very therapeutic for me as well.
I would give anything to have had something like this while I was growing up. I was very fortunate to have had a great childhood and supportive family, however even with that support system, I would go back in a heartbeat and do so many things over again knowing what you know now as an adult. The kind of topics we cover each week, we just didn’t talk about 25 years ago. We didn’t talk about unhealthy competition and comparison, we didn’t talk about what true friendships look like, we didn’t talk about self-worth, and maybe if we had, some things would have looked different growing up. Obviously, I can’t go back in time but I would do whatever I needed to do to provide my two little girls (and all girls) with some of these tools and mentorship over these heavy topics/lessons.
BIO Girls is a safe space that we can love on them, guide them, and most importantly listen to them. We just need to listen more, you would be surprised at what people are willing to tell you!
If you could have one superpower what would it be?
To stop time… to catch up with things and to enjoy life more.
If you could have lunch with one person, who would it be?
Ellen DeGeneres because she is just one of those people you want to be around. She makes so many people laugh and feel good.
Thank you, Lindsey, for your mentorship at BIO Girls in Aberdeen! We are so grateful for your passion and dedication to the girls and the BIO Girls mission.
Learn more about how you can get involved!