After nearly three years of work, the Global Co Lab Network, in conjunction with the Josh Anderson Foundation and Arlington Public Schools (APS) and a very active group of teen and adult Arlingtonians, brought motivational speaker Brie Mathers of Love the Skin You’re In to Arlington Public Schools for four powerful speaking engagements focused on teen body positivity.  Her talks touch upon the following:
* leaving unhealthy relationships
* resisting dieting
* feeling strong and powerful
* feeling a sense of hope
* resisting self harming behaviors
* feeling connective rather than competitive or alone
* feeling their value beyond being eye candy
* ready to adopt mindfulness practices
* LGBTQ resilience in the face of bigotry and hate
* turning the corner on body loathing and shaming
* seeing themselves as leaders
* feeling love for and loved by their school and peers
In the fall of 2016, she addressed 300 teens at H-B Woodlawn and came back to present at the March 2017 APS Whole Child Conference.  She then took her message of empowerment, self-love, and media critique to APS Thomas Jefferson Middle School where some 400 girls and some boys gave her a rousing response followed by another presentation to some 160 teens at Washington-Lee High School.  The Co Lab organized some five salons following these gatherings where teens talked about the multitude of issues Brie raised and helped organize a session with teens at Sun and Moon Yoga as well as a multitude of smaller meetings.  Brie will be back in the area June 1 and 2nd to spark two presentations reaching over 1000 teen females at McLean High School in Fairfax and will be open to other presentations in the region.  Contact info@globalcolab.net if interested in her coming to your school.  For a fabulous overview of Brie’s presentation at Thomas Jefferson, see this blog post by Arlington parent and APS School Health Advisory Board member Jessica Claire Haney, publisher of MindfulHealthyLife.com.  You can hear Brie on a radio show referencing the Arlington presentations! See just one of the 500 testimonials we have below from her various presentations to Arlington teens: