Free to Be Experience
Our group experiences are focused on building confidence and empowerment centered around topics that are important to teen girls.
**Limited spots available. These are IN PERSON!!! So, we have to keep the groups small.
Change needs to happen at a young age
Often, low self-esteem and a lack of confidence gets mislabeled as a "phase" or parents think, "She will grow out of it, this is just how teen girls are." The reality is though, in many cases, it’s not a phase and she may carry these issues with her for the rest of her life. Our goal is to change this. We give young women the tools and support they need to change the statistics. Our programs address many of the obstacles young women face everyday including how to make and keep positive friendships, learning to accept and love your body, how to deal with and overcome bullying, stress management, self-care plus many more. We are here to help the teen girl in your life become Free to Be happy, confident and herself.
Hi, I’m Jaime
I’m the founder of Free to Be and a Licensed Professional Counselor who has been working to help people live their best lives for 25 years. I have specialized in working with children and adolescents for the majority of my career and noticed consistent themes occurring with the teen girls I saw in my practice. Young women are getting caught, just as so many women before them, in the comparison game, feeling like they are not enough or don’t measure up and like they don’t belong. Through my own personal development work, I realized how wonderful it would be for girls to start working on themselves at a younger age rather than waiting till they were in their 30’s or 40’s. When girls are able to realize they can be themselves, they will be more confident to find their people, the ones who accept them for who they are. Free to Be is all about teaching girls how to love and accept themselves and to be strong in their voices. I believe that when we are accepting of ourselves, we are able to be more accepting of others which leads to making those meaningful connections we all need in our lives.
What to Expect
All our experiences are specific for middle and high school girls with personal growth experiences being separated into middle and high school groups. Elementary age, after school group also available. Each experience centers around a specific topic and may include experiential activities, learning, discussion and/or guest speakers and all come with support from leaders and the group.
Fitness classes, yoga and workshops are for girls of all ages. Parents are welcome if accompanied by their daughter!
Testimonials
Its an amazing feeling knowing we have made positive change in someone's life. We love to share successes stories to help inspire others while on their Free to Be journey.
From Brookelle
When I had discovered Free to Be, I was in a dark place. It was my Junior year, and academically I was being pushed hard. I wasn’t sleeping as I tried to balance my homework and commitments into the early morning of the next day. And, I wasn’t the only one struggling. I soon found my friendships were falling apart as everyone tried to cope with stress in their own ways. While the relationships around me crumbled, I was at a loss for what to do. It was then that my mom suggested that I go to a free event for teenage girls that focused on body positivity. Little did I know that I would become engaged with the Free to Be program. I was excited; I loved the event. For the first time in months, I felt happy not only with my body, but I was excited to share the experience with all my friends. Free to Be was the exact thing that we all needed at the moment. So I dragged a group along with me, and we’ve slowly been able to patch our relationships with one another.
Later, when I learned about the Free to Be ambassador program, I knew that this was something that I had to try, because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. Even though not every “week” applied to me, it was enlightening to have a community of girls--who barely knew each other--come together and support each other. Free to Be helped us to break down the stigmas associated with opening up, and provided a space that allows for vulnerability. Through our vulnerability we built strength.
I am so grateful for what I have learned through Free to Be. In a society full of Instagram “stories” displaying these lives that we’ve fabricated, having a setting that allows for girls to be true to who they are is more important now than ever. This organization allows everyone to truly be themselves. I have discovered new strengths. It’s given me the insight and tactics to not only navigate relationships with my friends, but it’s also given me more appreciation for myself. Everyone deserves a place where they are allowed to be, truly, 100%, unequivocally, Free to Be.
From Madeline
I like Free to Be because it helped me grow into a better person. It taught me how to handle certain situations in a good way. I also like the activities we do. We do activities that make people feel included and worthy and it helped me look on the bright side of things. It helped me make changes to get rid of the toxic people and change for the better.
From Kinz
I like Free to Be because it’s helping me learn how to love myself just the way I am. It’s also helping me to not care want others think of me. I also liked meeting new people. I like the events that we had over the course of the months of 2019.
From Tehya
Though I didn’t have a lot of time to participate in events with free to be this summer, it was still an eye opening program. The worksheets were amazing ways to learn and the events that I did go to were fun and a good way to challenge the way I thought about myself and others. Thanks for creating Free to Be Jamie!