December 1, 2025 • 40 mins
Finding a community to join and explore our parks is a great entry into outdoor Adventures. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison started GirlTREK with the mission of increasing the life expectancy of black women by 10 years in 10 years. With more than 1 million members, GirlTREK is changing lives and building community.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
What do nature, movement andcommunity all have in common?
They improve overall health andwellbeing.
My guest today started anorganization using those three
things to motivate, move, andmobilize, saving lives all
around the world.
Join me as we learn more aboutGirl Trek.
I'm your host, Missy Rentz, andthis is the Parks podcast.
Missy (00:25):
I am joined, by Morgan Dixon.
And Vanessa.
Renee.
They are the co-founders of GirlTrek, Morgan, and Vanessa.
Welcome to the Parks podcast.
Morgan (00:34):
thank you for having me.
Missy (00:36):
I am so excited to chat with the both of you about Girl
Trek, but I'm gonna start withsome stats and some research I
did on Girl Trek, and then we'llget into who you.
Girl Trek was started by the twoof you in 2010.
It currently has 1,371,776members.
(00:58):
That is 7% of the population ofAfrican-American women.
The mission is to unleash a massmovement for health justice with
a goal of extending the lifeexpectancy of black women by 10
years.
In 10 years and some of thebenefits of the program, 61% of
the black women who are memberslost weight.
(01:19):
90% experienced fewer symptomsof depression.
28 percent were prescribed lessmedication that year than
previous years.
59% walked daily at life-savinglevels, which according to the
CDC, is five days per week for30 minutes, and 56% have
sustained a habit of dailywalking for more than a year.
(01:41):
I've talked to you all severaltimes in the past six months,
and I feel like I leave everyconversation with chills, with
some tears in my eyes and justgreat motivation for the work
that you guys are doing.
Tell me about Girl Trek.
What is Girl Trek?
Morgan (01:57):
GirlTrek is I think first and foremost, it's a
community of women who aretrying to practice self-care out
loud and who are holding oneanother accountable to doing the
same thing.
And that community just scaledit scaled from two friends who
were trying to do that and likebreak every single.
(02:17):
Statistic in our own families,every single mindset that had
made us want to work harderfaster and try to break that in
order to survive.
And we tried to do that in ajoyful way and we inspired other
people to join us.
And so now a million womenlater, we have a big, bold
community of women who are doingthat out loud.
So that's what GirlTrek is tome.
(02:38):
Vanessa, how would you describeit?
I was thinking about HarrietTubman.
And we often say that we are theHarriets of our communities, and
so I think about GirlTrek as amillion women who are walking
their way to freedom and healthand bringing their friends and
their families along with them.
Missy (02:56):
I was just scouring your Instagram.
I I'm usually quite motivated byit, and there was this wonderful
video about self-care and abouthow self-care started as in more
of a necessity in the civil,during the civil rights
movement.
And I thought that was, it wasso much great education for me
(03:16):
that it has become socommercialized and it does feel
like you all are peeling thatonion away and going back to the
core and reminding people of thenecessities of self-care.
Vanessa (03:27):
Yeah,
Morgan (03:28):
particular video came from Afro-Punk, and it's a good
point that we've been just likeworking in solidity.
Ready to create like a newnarrative and a new concept of
what it means to take care in aworld where we are worth our
labor.
And and that, that work didn'tbegin with us.
It didn't begin with ourpartners all across spectrums,
(03:50):
including folks that we admirelike Afro-Punk.
And it doesn't it.
It started generations ago withpeople like Audrey Lorde who
said, self-care is not likeindulgent, it's act of political
warfare.
And she understood what what itmeant to be someone who was
expected to be a laborer, andsomeone who decided to take rest
at all costs.
(04:11):
And so we're following in thatand we've spoken to all sorts of
powerful women from thatgeneration who continued to
inspire us.
I just read a book by AliceWalker just on my vacation two
weeks ago, and she spoke, she,she was speaking about it more
eloquently than I could everdare speak about it.
And so I don't think that we'vestarted this movement, but we
(04:33):
certainly have continued to bepioneers in self-care.
Missy (04:37):
I actually just was reading a little bit about her
she talked about the importanceof rest and taking time for the
recuperation, which was reallymotivating to me.
You have, you call your, I dunnoif it's your mission or your
structure, like this joy andjustice agenda, which is
incredibly inspiring.
And while I think when I wasfirst introduced to you, it was
about the community and walking.
(04:58):
There is a lot that you all areworking on.
Vanessa, maybe if you could justshare a little bit about the
different components and facetsthat are maybe trickle downs
from the original core message.
Vanessa (05:12):
Yeah the original message, which is still
fundamentally a core part of whowe are and what we say we are
doing was to not ask permissionto save our own lives, to start
walking in the direction oflife.
And we were a behavior.
Change organization focused ongetting women to take their
first steps off the couch and tostart walking.
(05:33):
And over 10 years we'vegalvanized over the million
women who are doing that.
And those women have started tolead in their communities.
And those women have alsostarted to tell us that, can't
out walk the systems that arekilling us and we have a
collective power in ourconstituency now.
And there is an opportunity forus to organize around things
(05:54):
that would not only increase ourlife expectancy, but improve our
quality of life.
And so the agenda is an outcomeof being in community with the
women who we've been workingwith and walking with.
And it is an agenda thataddresses the 10, I think, most
essential pain points for womenin the 10 opportunities for us
(06:15):
to create the families and theneighborhoods that we've
deserve.
Missy (06:20):
And maybe can we talk a little bit about some of those
10 points?
You can probably rattle them offthe top of your head.
But I know you do a great job oflisting them on the website
because it's like chronicdisease and food sovereignty and
things
Vanessa (06:34):
The first one is we want healthy bodies because we
wanna live and we want ourtemples to be cared for.
And so that's where the walkingcomes in.
And then we want healthy mindsbecause there is a mental health
crisis in this world and it isreally hard to stay in the
light.
We want healthy families becausewe need that unit, and that unit
was systematically destroyed inan intentional way in this
(06:56):
country.
We want land and power andeconomic freedom.
Things that, again, like we comefrom a long legacy, I think, of
freedom fighters who have beenasking for those things.
And so I don't think it'snecessarily that all of the
points are new.
But I think that it is a newlens by which we are asking for
the things.
I think there's also, we wanthere for our caregivers and we
(07:16):
want the next generation to leadyeah.
Missy (07:18):
Yeah, it's beautiful.
The whole mission of increasingthe life expectancy by 10 years,
in 10 years.
I think that was a little bitshocking to me that there was
such a discrepancy in the lifeexpectancy of black women.
What inspired you guys to startthe organization?
Morgan (07:35):
Whoa.
I think it's, I'm 47, I thinkit's 46 years of inspiration
every day I feel inspired tostart the organization.
It's a hard question.
It feels to me like what,inspires you to want to live, so
for me, I think about my AuntJoyce's home as she's washing
dishes.
I think about my Aunt Melvarolling down hills when I was a
(07:57):
kid.
I think about being the firstone to go to college in my
family and how proud I felt.
And how big of a responsibilitythat felt like.
And then just specifically theorganization.
I I come from a humble beginningand so I started studying
business in college and I workedfor an investment banking firm,
and I, that's where I metVanessa.
And then I immediately knew thatthat Making wealth was not my
(08:22):
calling necessarily, but Ineeded to do something else.
So I joined the Teaching Corps,teach for America, and I started
teaching.
And as I was teaching I was sosad to talk about, I was an
American history teacher.
I was so sad to be talking aboutlike manifest destiny and like
the American Revolution and allthese things when I saw like
(08:42):
calorie deficit in the eyes ofmy kids and deep exhaustion and
just.
The effects of environmentalpollution, the effects of sound
pollution.
I mean, It's just like I wasteaching in Newark, New Jersey
and there was just a lot goingon and it felt like, dang, we
just need to go outside for alittle bit.
We just need to take a walk.
And my friend Diana and Istarted taking our girls hiking
(09:07):
and it's why we're called GirlTrek actually, because it was a
club to take the girls outsideand to get them walking.
And there was a girl named Indiaand her mom one time came into
my office and was like.
What you been telling mydaughter?
She's trying to make me get newstuff at the grocery store.
She trying.
She was like, fussing.
And I was like, you're rightma'am.
(09:27):
I'm sorry.
That is disrespectful.
You should come on the walkswith us.
That's what I remember tellingIndia's mom and throughout all
of this was having conversationswith Vanessa, who's been my
friend for over 20 years andjust talking about this.
And Vanessa was working at CNNand she had an employee match
program and she used herdonation to support this new
(09:49):
idea called GirlTrek.
And several conversations,several years later, we were
applying for grants to try toget a million of India's moms
walking.
And so that is the.
That's the way that it startedand that was my inspiration for
it really.
I remember I heard a statisticthat half of black girls, this
was way back in 2000, probablyeight or nine.
(10:12):
I don't remember.
I was teaching though, and Iremember I read a statistic that
half of black girls would getdiabetes if diet and levels of
activity remain constant.
And I just couldn't fathom thathalf of the girls in my class
would get diabetes.
Nothing that I taught seemed asimportant as solving for that to
me.
Missy (10:30):
Yeah.
That's beautiful.
And Vanessa, what inspired you?
Vanessa (10:35):
There was a lot of personal inspiration for me
around having experienced a lotof early death, up close and
personal with the women in mylives and really understanding
what that loss meant and whatthe gap of their loss and them
not being there, what was leftbehind and how we had to pull it
together as a family.
(10:55):
And I wanted more years for mygrandmother who passed away and
for my aunties and I wanted morelife for myself.
And they were able to experiencebecause they were laboring
physically and they werelaboring emotionally and they
were laboring mentally.
And I believed.
Morgan when she said thatstatistic that half of black
(11:16):
girls may get diabetes, and Iwas living it and experiencing
it and really believed thatphysical activity and especially
physical activity outside.
I didn't know all of the kind ofscience behind it that I know
now, but I knew even for my ownself as a little girl, that
walking saved my life, thatgetting out of the house, that
(11:38):
when it was very chaotic andtaking a walk in my Seattle
neighborhood and looking at thehouses and dreaming of what was
happening in there and imaginingthat could be me and that I
could move myself out of thesituation I was in and into a
different situation.
Like walking had always been mysavior.
I grew up in a neighborhoodwhere I walked to school by
myself since I was likekindergarten through, I finished
high school.
(11:59):
And so I just was inspired bythat possibilities of what it
would mean if we could all beoutside walking.
Missy (12:07):
And you guys have been around for almost 15 years, I
think I have that date, right?
Yeah.
Almost 15 years.
And you've impacted so manylives.
So this is a two part question.
What was the original receptionto the concept in 2010?
And then how has it evolved?
I, because it's evolved a lot inthe six months that I've known
you.
Morgan (12:26):
I don't, I think the original reception is like,
depending on who was theaudience, right?
I think I can remember veryearly audiences being like, why
are you all building a movement?
What does Harriet Tubman have todo with it?
This feels so irrelevant and sodated and, and I think not spicy
and flashy enough.
I think this is at the advent ofboth social media and reality
television.
So I think some of the receptionwas probably like just skeptical
(12:51):
about who we were and what wewere saying.
And then on the flip side, thereception with.
Our target audience, which wasblack women.
It felt it still feels like thatif you, we, if we could just get
audience with the women, theyreally, they get it at a
cellular level.
It almost, I think the reactionto a lot of women felt like
(13:12):
relief that somebody was finallyspeaking to them speaking for
them, speaking about them,speaking with them and naming
things that hadn't been namedbefore.
And that the solution was soaccessible.
It wasn't something that waslike outside of their locus of
control to be able to grab ontoand gravitate to.
And so really the reception, Ithink amongst the women, is the
(13:34):
reason why we were able to grow,because more than anything, it's
been word, it's been a word ofmouth growth, movement.
It's been a, it's been a sisterto sister, cousin to cousin,
church member to church member.
This thing is really working forme and I have to tell somebody
else, or it's been a, I'm doingit myself and all the other
people around me see it andthey're like, whoa, what is
going on with you?
Because your light is so brightand they just gravitate towards
(13:56):
it.
Missy (13:57):
We connected because, I have this passion and desire to
introduce people to the outdoorsand being in parks for mental,
physical, and emotionalwellbeing.
And then somebody said, you needto talk to them.
They're doing it.
They do things in parks, theyspend time outside.
And for so many.
Trying something new is thehardest part and just that first
(14:20):
step.
Or Morgan, you talked aboutgetting off the couch, that's
hard for people to think about.
What do you tell women or how doyou inspire them?
What, What is that tipping pointthat you're finding gets people
to consider a new program andovercome whatever obstacles
prevent them?
Vanessa (14:40):
That's a good question.
Morgan (14:42):
Yeah, I think it's a really good question.
Early on we had a slogan, we hadshirts that said, let's talk
more walk.
Just that's all I used to say.
And it's this notion of ofshowing, not telling.
And, it's interesting we were,do you know Fannie Lou Hamer?
Do you know who
Missy (15:01):
No.
Morgan (15:01):
Yeah.
I'm so excited to talk abouther.
Fannie Tamer was outtaMississippi and she was one of
the civil rights leaders she wasresponsible for getting like
60,000 people registered to votein Mississippi, and she became,
just a showstopper in the CivilRights Movement.
When she gave a hearing at theDemocratic Convention, she gave
a or she gave not a hearing, shegave a recount of her activism
(15:25):
and she had been arrestedregistering people to vote and
had been beaten in a JA jailcell.
And when she came, she had suchlike tremoring authenticity in
her voice that she commanded theattention of the world.
And in fact the the president atthe time interrupted her
interview because it was socompelling with a fake press
conference.
So this is Fannie Lou Hamer, andshe to us, we, we've tried to
(15:48):
unearth these everyday womenwho've done extraordinary things
so that we can inspire women todo something extraordinary.
Which on some days all of us canaccount to as getting off the
couch.
It feels extraordinary.
And so we use these greatAmerican women to, to
demonstrate the capacity ofeveryday women.
And so we were um, honoringFannie Lou Ham Hamer on what
(16:11):
would've been her 100thbirthday.
So we gathered, a small group, Ithink it was probably like maybe
a hundred people in herhometown, this tiny little town
in Sunflower County.
And we wanted to lay ArethaFlowers at her grave site.
We paid the local uncle to comeand cut the grass because we
don't do a great job honoringour heroes in America.
And we wanted to make sure wedid that.
And as we were walking throughthe street a woman like saw us
(16:35):
from her window.
She leaned over to her motherand she said, oh my God, my
tribe is here.
She recognized our, what we callsuperhero blue shirts, we wear
every, that's how you recognizea girl Trekker on the street.
She's usually wearing asuperhero blue shirt.
And she said, oh my God, mytribe is here.
She had been walking with GirlTrek in solidarity with us and
(16:56):
Fannie Lou Hamer's, tiny littleMississippi hometown by herself
for years, and she didn't knowwe, she didn't read that
newsletter.
She didn't know we were coming,and she saw a sea of blue shirts
out.
She went and grabbed her shirtfrom her bottom drawer ran out.
I remember she had on thesereddish orange pants.
She ran out and joined us andwas telling us her story as
we're walking to Fannie LouHamer's grave.
(17:17):
I say that because that woman ishow we're getting people off the
couch, because if they see herenough times in her neighborhood
wearing this uniform, walking,transforming her own life, she
eventually will have two.
And we say two as a crew in GirlTrek.
And our core mission is toinspire as many crews as we can
(17:38):
where two or three are gatheredis what my mom says is a
scripture in the Bible is reallywhere love lives.
It's where God lives.
And so if we can have these kindof micro communities, these
support networks, the civicinfrastructure of.
Groups of women who walk intheir neighborhoods.
Not only do the neighborhoodsget safer, not only do you the
do the women feel like theybelong, but they are also adding
(17:58):
up to seven years of lifeexpectancy to their lives.
And so that is our changetheory, and that's how we get
people off the couch to having ahabit of daily walking.
I.
Missy (18:08):
I experienced Girl Trek unbeknownst to me until we met.
And I think the power and the ofthe motivating like community.
I was in Lake Mead in Nevada andI was on this.
A hike and I hurt, I, every partof my body hurt, my skin hurt on
this hike.
And I came across the blueshirts and I didn't realize it
(18:28):
until earlier.
You told me about the blueshirts.
And this woman in the group, sawme and just sorta put her arm
around me and just startedtalking to me.
And in a way that I was like, ohmy God, I can do this.
Like it, it was so empowering.
And there was something about,being on the periphery of the
group just for the hike up thehill, that, that motivated me.
(18:52):
And it was really special.
That was a connection that I, Imean, honestly, I've like never
felt something like that out ona trail, which is, which is a
really special motivating factorwhen you, when you meet someone.
Morgan (19:04):
Yeah, that peripheral effect is significant.
It's the effect that like, it'snot just the women who are
walking with us, but it's likewhat's happening with their
families and their children andtheir communities when they're
out.
And we have so many peoplewho've had experiences like
yours.
Some of them have been theproximate real, like somebody
(19:25):
really put their arm around me.
Some of it has been, I heard thelaughter coming down the street.
Some of it has been, I read thestory some, but it's like that
kind of like the proximity towhat has happened has been
almost as powerful as the directkind of recruitment and
connection and support of women.
And I think for me, that's what,when I think about what a
(19:47):
movement is, it's likefundamentally what makes Girl
Trek a movement.
Missy (19:51):
And you mentioned the light earlier and that resonates
with me because I do think thatgirl trekker have a light that
is really appealing.
And Girl Trek loves the parks.
You all have worked with theparks and you host walks in
parks.
What role do parks and publiclands and nature play in your
(20:12):
mission?
Morgan (20:14):
A big role.
I think they're really essentialin so many different ways.
First of all, so many of us livedisconnected from nature and
disconnected from the earth andin urban kind of centers that
are, noise polluted and hot.
And we don't have enoughopportunity to connect with
ourselves and connect withnature in that way.
(20:35):
And introducing women to theparks has always been a big part
of our mission.
And giving women, especiallywomen who've never had an
experience in the park, theirfirst experience, and I.
Often when we say like parks inthat regard, we're talking about
like national parks, but there'salso like the state parks and
the local parks.
And it's really giving women theunderstanding that they have
(20:58):
ownership over those spaces,that they have a right to be in
those spaces and that thosespaces are healing.
Like There is real scientifichealing that is happening in
those places.
So yeah, we've been partneringwith the National Park Service
for almost as long as I thinkwe've been around.
We've done many differentpartnerships with them.
We've held the largest gatheringof black women in a national
(21:19):
park multiple years at EstesPark.
We've held something called asummer trek series where we've
gone from Yosemite to Shenandoahto Great Smoky Mountains.
We've trained almost a hundredwomen to be with a partnership
with the Sierra Club to beoutdoor trip leaders.
And there's something called theAdventure Squad.
And then we've just, personally,I think both of us have uplifted
the parks in our own journeysand had so many other women
(21:41):
who've uplifted the parks intheir own journeys and stories.
Missy I was so moved by yourstory of coming in contact with
a group of girl checkers andthem stopping to make sure you
were okay and hugging you and Ifeel so grateful for that story
because we our founding corevalue is one of what we call
(22:03):
radical welcome.
Missy (22:04):
Hmm.
Morgan (22:05):
want people to feel radically welcomed into our
community.
And I wanna just speak aboutwhat, like an elephant in the
room.
Like why would we try and rallya million African American
women?
And in this world where we'retalking a lot about inclusion
and we're talking a lot aboutdiversity, and we're talking a
lot about equity.
Why would that be a mission?
And you started off with thissegment of talking about some of
(22:28):
the outcomes of Girl Trek, howwe've reversed chronic disease,
the issue that that we areconfronted with.
And it has something to do withthe parks issue that you were
talking about is that blackwomen are dying faster and at
higher rates than any othergroup of people in America from
preventable diseases, fromstress that leads to chronic
disease, that leads to thenumber one killer, which is
(22:49):
heart disease.
And so most black women aredying from broken hearts, from
actual heart disease, and thatcomes from chronic generational
and stress and labor and intenselabor.
And so here we are onegeneration later, not only
getting back into the outdoors,but going to the highest peaks
(23:10):
is something we should celebrateas a nation.
Healing, it's something weshould celebrate as a nation.
We don't ask for permission tosave our lives.
So we're inspiring one anotherto take up space and to go into
the parks and to treat them as asanctuaries that we know they
are because we've always beenconnected to nature.
And like Vanessa worked reallyhard to get policy passed so
(23:32):
that even the registration feeto the park was not prohibitive
for children public schoolchildren across America.
We not only trained outdoor tripleaders in the certification of
the Sierra Club, but we alsomade it culturally relevant.
We, We said, oh black people aresuffering disproportionately
from asthma because ofenvironmental toxins.
So if there's an asthma attackon the trail as well as a bear
(23:52):
attack, then let's make surethat our leaders are prepared
for both.
So there's some kind ofstructural things that we've
been doing to make sure thatwe're prepared.
Those are a few.
Vanessa, did you have others?
Vanessa (24:02):
Yeah, I actually, so much of what you said Morgan
resonated I think that we haveto diversify that community of
people so that other people cansee themselves feel safe feel
welcomed in in the ways thatgirl GirlTrek radically welcomes
people.
Missy (24:17):
It's so important, and I think, it's always been.
And yet it's super important nowas, as well for us to, to all be
working together to do this.
How can people get involved inGirl Trek?
Vanessa (24:29):
The best thing about Girl Trick is that you can get
involved by lacing up yoursneakers, walking outside of
your front door, taking a walkfor 30 minutes and experiencing
what it feels like.
We definitely wanna know thatyou've done it.
And so we ask every woman to becounted, every person to be
counted and take the actualpledge so that we can know that
(24:49):
they're a part of the community.
We ask them to be in solidaritywith us and wear superhero
blues.
So that we can spot each otherout there in the communities.
And then we ask women toorganize their own friends and
family so that they can come onthe journey with them.
It's it's really simple.
Yeah.
What do you say, Morgan?
Morgan (25:09):
Yeah, I would say everyone listening to this, if
you feel inspired or you havequestions to share this podcast
and start conversations is oneway.
'cause I think we just have totalk.
More.
I think if there's a black womanwho you love and you want to
live long, as long as women ofother races in this country to
send this to them and and letthem know that they're invited.
You, anyone listening to this isradically welcome to support us
Vanessa (25:31):
um,
Morgan (25:32):
both financially, particularly at this time where
it is we are defining ourselvesas Americans and what the
American dream is, and we haveto really support what we
believe in and really do that inconcert together and on one
accord.
And then I think, I think as wesee each other in the streets
one of the things we do, we havesomething called the Trek Code,
which is like seven rules.
(25:52):
If you're a girl trekker, thisis what we do.
And one of them is called singlefile and smile.
And so you see a big group ofgirl reers and they collapse in
a single file line.
They wave and they say, hi,neighbor.
There's something so powerfulabout greeting one another.
And so certainly if you see agirl checker in the street,
please say hello, and I promiseyou, you will get the same warm
welcome that Missy got.
Back as we walk to healourselves and reduce what I
(26:16):
think is the clearest measure ofjustice, which is life
expectancy and make sure that wecan all live and our daughters
can all live.
What what I want to talk aboutmore in this country, the
American dream, which is to liveour healthiest, most fulfilled
life.
Life, liberty and the pursuit ofhappiness.
There's that American historyteacher coming back.
Missy (26:32):
Morgan, you're such a teacher to me, so you can't get
out of that.
So do you have to be a blackwoman to participate as a
trekker?
Morgan (26:41):
You have to be a black woman to help us achieve our
mission, which is to increasethe life expectancy of black
women by 10 years and 10 years.
You definitely don't have to bea black woman to support our
mission.
And so we need all of thesupport we can in the ways that
I described.
Missy (26:54):
You can go to girl trek.com or girl trek.org to
learn more.
Or I'll also list it on theepisode notes on the parks
podcast.com.
What's next for Girl Trek?
Morgan (27:05):
Oh, we're all taking a Sister's keeper pledge.
Missy (27:07):
What
Morgan (27:07):
We have three.
I, so we have th we, for 10years we've been serving our
community and we've gottenreally clear about what the
problem is we're solving, and wecall them the three, i's the
letter I, right?
Three i's it's inactivity.
We're not moving enough.
It's isolation that so manypeople are suffering from
chronic loneliness.
And loneliness is deadlier thancigarette smoking.
(27:27):
And then there's injustice, allthe systems around us that are
making us sick and make GirlTrek necessary in the first
place.
And so we're solving forisolation.
We're asking people to take theMy Sister's Keeper pledge, which
is to ask one woman in yourlife.
Every month to go for a walk.
And we have a 10 month season.
So if you do that over the 10month season, you will have
invited 10 women to walk withyou over the course of the year.
(27:49):
So anyone can do that anywhere.
You can go to girl trek.org,take the Sisters Keeper pledge.
And that is, and we will trustyou.
Pink.
I'm a Girl Scout girl.
Scouter two.
We do like all my honor girlScouts and Girl Trek believe in
trusting women.
so we trust you.
You take the commitment and thenyou just, it's easy.
You just invite someone to gofor a walk.
That's it.
(28:10):
So that's our initiative for thesummer.
Vanessa (28:12):
We have very cool sisters, keepers, bracelets just
like friendship bracelets, butthey're very cool for women who
take the pledge.
Missy (28:20):
And they can just find that on the website.
Vanessa (28:23):
Yes,
Missy (28:23):
Wonderful.
And then the other thing that Ihave seen through your socials
is the self-care school.
What is that program?
Vanessa (28:33):
it's wow.
It's so much more than aprogram.
It's.
It is a curriculum, it's a bodyof knowledge.
It is instructional.
So it's an, it's weeklyinstruction for people based on
the 10 point agenda.
It is an audio recording fivedays a week, 30 minutes a day,
so five audio recordings eachweek that people can download
(28:54):
and listen to while they walk,and they can learn 50 essential
skills to save their own lives.
Missy (29:01):
And where can people find more information about that?
Or how do they sign up for it?
How does that work?
Vanessa (29:07):
They can sign up for it@myselfcareschool.com.
They can preview all of thecurriculum and all of the
different weeks.
There's thousands of women whoare starting the journey right
now thousands who've alreadycompleted it.
Every single week that youcomplete a week, you earn a four
mother badge because everysingle week is dedicated to a
different for mother and adifferent point in the agenda.
And so you can collect all ofyour badges and you can collect
(29:30):
digital ones and you can collectreal ones.
Missy (29:33):
That's super cool.
It, that's your Girl Scoutscoming in.
When I saw it, that'simmediately what I thought was
collecting my Girl Scoutbatches.
Morgan (29:40):
It is.
I had a dream.
I'm gonna tell a long time agothat we had some badges, girl
Scouts of America reached out tous a long time ago and said,
could we do a Girl Trek badgefor their scouts?
We should.
And we were, we at the time werenot, we were focused on mothers
and so didn't follow throughwith that opportunity, but
that's a dream.
So definitely inspired byscouting days for sure.
(30:03):
So wherever you find your tooyou can also find self-care
school.
It's a 10 week walking classroomso you can learn all the skills
you need to take care ofyourself.
Missy (30:12):
Amazing.
And I wanna go back to like howto get involved in Girl Trek.
If I am listening to this or seeany posts and I wanna join is a
c does a community already existnear me that I would join in?
Am I starting a new one?
Do I just go on the website andyou'll take care of me from
there?
What?
What's that?
Back to basic step.
Morgan (30:32):
Love that question.
You go onto girl trek.org, yousign up, you take the pledge.
And the pledge is that you willwalk out of your front door 30
minutes a day, five days a week,and take a walk wherever you
are, and we help you to do that.
So that's the simplest way todescribe what Girl Trek is, know
that you don't have to join agroup, but how we help you to do
that becomes very robust supportsystems, right?
(30:54):
So everything from our 10 weekpodcast, Self-Care School to the
ability to go on social media,Facebook, find groups in your
community to, we're launching amobile app later on this year
that will allow you to findpeople like close to you in
proximity to you to our fieldguide, which teaches you how to
organize your community, yourchurch, your sorority, your
(31:14):
civic group, your neighborhood,your family to different
campaigns that we do month overmonth to keep people inspired,
like the Sisters Keeper Pledgethat we were talking about.
So there's a lot of layers ofsupport to events that we do all
across the country.
So we have a newsletter that wesend right to your inbox after
you sign up@girltrek.org thatlists and curates the member
(31:35):
experience for you so that youstay inspired.
Missy (31:39):
Love it.
Super motivating Vanessa andMorgan.
To end each episode, we do aspeed round of questions.
I would love to go through thesewith both of you, if you don't
mind.
Morgan, we'll start with you.
What is your earliest parkmemory?
Morgan (31:54):
Ah, my earliest park memory is not a memory.
My earliest park memory is beingat the basketball court with my
brother Kevin, and recently agirl tracker told me that she
remembers me as a baby in thepark in Wichita, Kansas, is with
my big brother Kevin, which Ithink is illegal for him to have
me propped up at the park as ababy.
But that's
Vanessa (32:12):
my,
Morgan (32:13):
first experience in the park.
My, one of my most formativememories is being a camp
counselor at Sly Park with GirlScouts.
Missy (32:19):
Vanessa, what's your earliest park memory?
Vanessa (32:23):
I grew up in Seattle, in the central district on 24th
and Mercer, and at the end ofthe block is a park that has
been there for at least 70years.
It's the tiniest littleneighborhood park with the tire
swing.
And literally I spent 80% of mychildhood playing in that park,
meeting the kids at that park.
And so it's really the littleneighborhood park in my
(32:44):
neighborhood.
I think it's called FrazierPark.
And it's literally this, likethe plot size of one house.
The community decided we weregonna make that into a park, and
so every time I even go backhome, now I drive down the
street.
It's there, and I'm just like,wow.
My mom played at that park whenshe was little.
I played at that park and thepark is still there.
Missy (33:01):
Morgan, what made you love the parks,
Morgan (33:04):
The sound of swing sets.
Missy (33:07):
Vanessa?
What made you love the parks?
Vanessa (33:10):
I love a good summit.
Like I love, once I startedreally getting into good hikes
and then being able to like hikeup to a summit and see a really
beautiful view, it really justenthralled me
Missy (33:20):
Morgan, what's your favorite thing about parks?
Morgan (33:24):
That it feels like church feels like a sanctuary.
Missy (33:28):
Vanessa, what is your favorite thing about Parks
Vanessa (33:32):
Something about wearing hiking boots.
Like I like what you wear whenyou go to the park.
There's something about theequipment in and all of the fun
stuff that I love.
Missy (33:42):
Morgan, what's your favorite thing to do at a park?
Morgan (33:46):
Recently I learned how to fish with a net in the
traditional West African Way,and I learned how to do it in
South Carolina.
And so I really love fishing andcrabbing and shrimping to feed
myself at the parks.
I.
Missy (33:59):
Vanessa, what's your favorite thing to do at a park?
Vanessa (34:02):
I rode my bike through Glacier National Park and
although I love hiking, ridingyour bike through a national
park and getting and throughBanff, and to be able to see so
much of it on in slow motion, upclose and personal in that way
is probably my favorite.
Missy (34:17):
Morgan, what park have you yet to visit, but it's on
your bucket list.
And why?
Morgan (34:22):
This is hard because with Girl Trek, we've been to
almost every single park, but Ihave not been to Acadia.
And then internationally Ireally wanna see the gorillas in
Uganda or Rwanda.
So those are my two answers.
But Maine, yeah.
Missy (34:37):
Vanessa, what park have you yet to visit?
But it's on your bucket list.
And why?
Vanessa (34:42):
I haven't visited Olympic National Park in my home
state of Washington, so I wouldlove to visit there.
Missy (34:48):
Morgan, what are three must-haves you pack for a park
visit?
Morgan (34:52):
First of all, a car with a sunroof because parks are huge
and I hate when I have to lookout of the window to look at the
top of the mountain.
So that's the first thing.
Hiking sandals because I like toground and I like my toes to be
free, but I like stability.
I climbed all the way up avolcano in sandals one time, so
I really love that.
And then any snack that's peanutbutter, I really love like
(35:13):
having some protein in mybackpack so I don't get weary
and hangry.
So that's, those are my threethings.
Missy (35:21):
Vanessa, what are three must-haves you pack for a park
visit?
Vanessa (35:24):
Definitely snacks and good snacks.
Like I like a big meaty sandwichor something like that in pack
my leftover dinner from thenight before.
I like to bring music.
I'm one of those people on thetrail.
I love having music that I canlisten to.
And then, um.
my girl truck shirt usually likeI just, I don't like to go
anywhere without it.
Missy (35:43):
Morgan, what's your favorite campfire activity?
Morgan (35:46):
Singing.
I'm a Girl Scout.
I love to sing.
I like to eat apples andbananas.
I like to sing all the GirlScout songs.
Missy (35:53):
I've, the one I love is I've got something in my pocket.
It belongs across my face.
Missy Rentz (35:59):
I love it too.
I love it too.
I hate my, my, my least favoriteis ghost stories.
And this just happened like lastyear.
Some adult, like mentors weretelling ghost stories at a
campfire.
I was like, this is so deeplyinappropriate.
I hate it.
Yeah.
Missy (36:13):
Vanessa, what's your favorite campfire activity?
Vanessa (36:16):
definitely roasting marshmallows.
Missy (36:19):
Morgan.
Are you going in a tent, camper,or cabin?
Morgan (36:24):
It used to be a tent until I tented in Serengeti and
there's a lion outside my tent.
So now it's definitely a cabin.
It's definitely a cabin.
I'm a cabin kind of girl.
Missy (36:35):
Vanessa?
Tent camper or Cabin
Vanessa (36:38):
I haven't done a camper yet, which would be dreamy for
me.
So I'm gonna say camper, so Ican call that in
Missy (36:44):
Morgan?
Are you hiking with or withouttrucking poles?
Morgan (36:48):
Without, without.
Missy (36:50):
Vanessa, are you hiking with or without trucking poles?
Vanessa (36:53):
without.
Missy (36:55):
Morgan, what's your favorite trail snack?
Morgan (36:59):
Electrolytes and peanut butter.
I need all the energy.
I can't get, I'm so outta shape.
It's so hard.
I love, I just did an 11 k hike.
I felt like the whole thing wasuphill on Saturday and I was
like, my God, I get out here.
But when you're out I have neverregretted a hike.
But boy, in the middle of it,you're like, man, this, I'm
(37:20):
really pushing myself to thelimit.
So electrolytes.
Missy (37:23):
Vanessa, what's your favorite trail snack?
Vanessa (37:26):
I love candy, like a blow pop, lollipop, or some
licorice.
Missy (37:32):
Morgan, what's your favorite?
Sorry, Tootsie.
Tootsie wants to weigh in onthis.
Morgan, what's your favoriteanimal sighting?
Morgan (37:42):
It's so funny because Tootsie is an animal, is this is
my question.
And I told you about thisearlier before we started
recording.
It was seen buffalo inYellowstone National Park and my
cockapoo was trying to protectus from the buffalo.
And we were like, this is not agood size match up here, dear.
So we had to put an end to thatreally quickly.
But the buffalo, I neverimagined they were that big and
(38:04):
we even saw grizzly that time.
But the buffalo were just somajestic and beautiful and
spiritual.
Missy (38:10):
Vanessa, what's your favorite animal sighting.
Vanessa (38:14):
I wanna say they're moose.
Those are moose at the YMCA,right?
Morgan at the in, when we firstdrive in.
Elk.
Morgan (38:19):
They're elk.
Yes.
So every time we drive intoEstes Park with a group of
women, there's elk that arearound the campus.
And there's something aboutseeing a woman who's not seeing
a wild animal like that outsideand watching her see it for the
first time and how close theycome up.
So elk,
Missy (38:36):
Morgan, what's your favorite sound in the park?
Morgan (38:39):
Oh, this is so cliche and so true.
A babbling brook
Missy (38:44):
Vanessa, what's your favorite sound in the park?
Vanessa (38:47):
you know how like often the distance you can hear when
some of the birds take flight,it's and then the we the leaves
ruffle or something like that,and you're not sure if it's the
wind or it's the bird.
It's like that kind of distancesound.
Missy (38:59):
Morgan?
What's the greatest gift thatthe parks give to us?
Morgan (39:03):
timelessness.
I think the ability to just loseyourself to take the deepest
pause, the deepest inhale thedeepest exhales to just be lost
for a little bit
Missy (39:15):
Vanessa, what's the greatest gift that the parks
give to us?
Vanessa (39:20):
I feel like they get us up close and personal with God
and like with the most naturalof natural wonders, which for me
in this way, take away any doubtthat I have, that there's like
something so much bigger than mein the universe has had their
hand on all of the things thatI'm looking at.
Missy (39:37):
Morgan and Vanessa, thank you so much for being part of
the episode for teaching usabout Girl Trek, for inspiring
me and educating me on so manythings in life.
And for your girl Trekker, forwrapping their arms around me
and letting me know I could doit in a really difficult time.
Vanessa (40:00):
Yeah.
Thank you so much for having me.
I've really appreciated you andalways your questions your
passion for the parks and yourintention to detail and learning
about Girl Trek and followingand your passion for just
staying connected.
So thank you.
I
Morgan (40:16):
agree.
Thank you so much, Missy.
Missy (40:18):
Thank you.
That's it for today's episode.
Until next time, we'll see youin the parks.
Thanks for listening.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please be sure to like and share
on your favorite podcastplatform.
Music for the parks podcast isperformed and produced by Porter
Hardy.
For more information, pleasefollow us on Instagram at the
(40:39):
parks podcast.
Or visit ourwebsite@theparkspodcast.com.
What do nature, movement andcommunity all have in common?
They improve overall health andwellbeing.
My guest today started anorganization using those three
things to motivate, move, andmobilize, saving lives all
around the world.
Join me as we learn more aboutGirl Trek.
I'm your host, Missy Rentz, andthis is the Parks podcast.
Missy (00:25):
I am joined, by Morgan Dixon.
And Vanessa.
Renee.
They are the co-founders of GirlTrek, Morgan, and Vanessa.
Welcome to the Parks podcast.
Morgan (00:34):
thank you for having me.
Missy (00:36):
I am so excited to chat with the both of you about Girl
Trek, but I'm gonna start withsome stats and some research I
did on Girl Trek, and then we'llget into who you.
Girl Trek was started by the twoof you in 2010.
It currently has 1,371,776members.
(00:58):
That is 7% of the population ofAfrican-American women.
The mission is to unleash a massmovement for health justice with
a goal of extending the lifeexpectancy of black women by 10
years.
In 10 years and some of thebenefits of the program, 61% of
the black women who are memberslost weight.
(01:19):
90% experienced fewer symptomsof depression.
28 percent were prescribed lessmedication that year than
previous years.
59% walked daily at life-savinglevels, which according to the
CDC, is five days per week for30 minutes, and 56% have
sustained a habit of dailywalking for more than a year.
(01:41):
I've talked to you all severaltimes in the past six months,
and I feel like I leave everyconversation with chills, with
some tears in my eyes and justgreat motivation for the work
that you guys are doing.
Tell me about Girl Trek.
What is Girl Trek?
Morgan (01:57):
GirlTrek is I think first and foremost, it's a
community of women who aretrying to practice self-care out
loud and who are holding oneanother accountable to doing the
same thing.
And that community just scaledit scaled from two friends who
were trying to do that and likebreak every single.
(02:17):
Statistic in our own families,every single mindset that had
made us want to work harderfaster and try to break that in
order to survive.
And we tried to do that in ajoyful way and we inspired other
people to join us.
And so now a million womenlater, we have a big, bold
community of women who are doingthat out loud.
So that's what GirlTrek is tome.
(02:38):
Vanessa, how would you describeit?
I was thinking about HarrietTubman.
And we often say that we are theHarriets of our communities, and
so I think about GirlTrek as amillion women who are walking
their way to freedom and healthand bringing their friends and
their families along with them.
Missy (02:56):
I was just scouring your Instagram.
I I'm usually quite motivated byit, and there was this wonderful
video about self-care and abouthow self-care started as in more
of a necessity in the civil,during the civil rights
movement.
And I thought that was, it wasso much great education for me
(03:16):
that it has become socommercialized and it does feel
like you all are peeling thatonion away and going back to the
core and reminding people of thenecessities of self-care.
Vanessa (03:27):
Yeah,
Morgan (03:28):
particular video came from Afro-Punk, and it's a good
point that we've been just likeworking in solidity.
Ready to create like a newnarrative and a new concept of
what it means to take care in aworld where we are worth our
labor.
And and that, that work didn'tbegin with us.
It didn't begin with ourpartners all across spectrums,
(03:50):
including folks that we admirelike Afro-Punk.
And it doesn't it.
It started generations ago withpeople like Audrey Lorde who
said, self-care is not likeindulgent, it's act of political
warfare.
And she understood what what itmeant to be someone who was
expected to be a laborer, andsomeone who decided to take rest
at all costs.
(04:11):
And so we're following in thatand we've spoken to all sorts of
powerful women from thatgeneration who continued to
inspire us.
I just read a book by AliceWalker just on my vacation two
weeks ago, and she spoke, she,she was speaking about it more
eloquently than I could everdare speak about it.
And so I don't think that we'vestarted this movement, but we
(04:33):
certainly have continued to bepioneers in self-care.
Missy (04:37):
I actually just was reading a little bit about her
she talked about the importanceof rest and taking time for the
recuperation, which was reallymotivating to me.
You have, you call your, I dunnoif it's your mission or your
structure, like this joy andjustice agenda, which is
incredibly inspiring.
And while I think when I wasfirst introduced to you, it was
about the community and walking.
(04:58):
There is a lot that you all areworking on.
Vanessa, maybe if you could justshare a little bit about the
different components and facetsthat are maybe trickle downs
from the original core message.
Vanessa (05:12):
Yeah the original message, which is still
fundamentally a core part of whowe are and what we say we are
doing was to not ask permissionto save our own lives, to start
walking in the direction oflife.
And we were a behavior.
Change organization focused ongetting women to take their
first steps off the couch and tostart walking.
(05:33):
And over 10 years we'vegalvanized over the million
women who are doing that.
And those women have started tolead in their communities.
And those women have alsostarted to tell us that, can't
out walk the systems that arekilling us and we have a
collective power in ourconstituency now.
And there is an opportunity forus to organize around things
(05:54):
that would not only increase ourlife expectancy, but improve our
quality of life.
And so the agenda is an outcomeof being in community with the
women who we've been workingwith and walking with.
And it is an agenda thataddresses the 10, I think, most
essential pain points for womenin the 10 opportunities for us
(06:15):
to create the families and theneighborhoods that we've
deserve.
Missy (06:20):
And maybe can we talk a little bit about some of those
10 points?
You can probably rattle them offthe top of your head.
But I know you do a great job oflisting them on the website
because it's like chronicdisease and food sovereignty and
things
Vanessa (06:34):
The first one is we want healthy bodies because we
wanna live and we want ourtemples to be cared for.
And so that's where the walkingcomes in.
And then we want healthy mindsbecause there is a mental health
crisis in this world and it isreally hard to stay in the
light.
We want healthy families becausewe need that unit, and that unit
was systematically destroyed inan intentional way in this
(06:56):
country.
We want land and power andeconomic freedom.
Things that, again, like we comefrom a long legacy, I think, of
freedom fighters who have beenasking for those things.
And so I don't think it'snecessarily that all of the
points are new.
But I think that it is a newlens by which we are asking for
the things.
I think there's also, we wanthere for our caregivers and we
(07:16):
want the next generation to leadyeah.
Missy (07:18):
Yeah, it's beautiful.
The whole mission of increasingthe life expectancy by 10 years,
in 10 years.
I think that was a little bitshocking to me that there was
such a discrepancy in the lifeexpectancy of black women.
What inspired you guys to startthe organization?
Morgan (07:35):
Whoa.
I think it's, I'm 47, I thinkit's 46 years of inspiration
every day I feel inspired tostart the organization.
It's a hard question.
It feels to me like what,inspires you to want to live, so
for me, I think about my AuntJoyce's home as she's washing
dishes.
I think about my Aunt Melvarolling down hills when I was a
(07:57):
kid.
I think about being the firstone to go to college in my
family and how proud I felt.
And how big of a responsibilitythat felt like.
And then just specifically theorganization.
I I come from a humble beginningand so I started studying
business in college and I workedfor an investment banking firm,
and I, that's where I metVanessa.
And then I immediately knew thatthat Making wealth was not my
(08:22):
calling necessarily, but Ineeded to do something else.
So I joined the Teaching Corps,teach for America, and I started
teaching.
And as I was teaching I was sosad to talk about, I was an
American history teacher.
I was so sad to be talking aboutlike manifest destiny and like
the American Revolution and allthese things when I saw like
(08:42):
calorie deficit in the eyes ofmy kids and deep exhaustion and
just.
The effects of environmentalpollution, the effects of sound
pollution.
I mean, It's just like I wasteaching in Newark, New Jersey
and there was just a lot goingon and it felt like, dang, we
just need to go outside for alittle bit.
We just need to take a walk.
And my friend Diana and Istarted taking our girls hiking
(09:07):
and it's why we're called GirlTrek actually, because it was a
club to take the girls outsideand to get them walking.
And there was a girl named Indiaand her mom one time came into
my office and was like.
What you been telling mydaughter?
She's trying to make me get newstuff at the grocery store.
She trying.
She was like, fussing.
And I was like, you're rightma'am.
(09:27):
I'm sorry.
That is disrespectful.
You should come on the walkswith us.
That's what I remember tellingIndia's mom and throughout all
of this was having conversationswith Vanessa, who's been my
friend for over 20 years andjust talking about this.
And Vanessa was working at CNNand she had an employee match
program and she used herdonation to support this new
(09:49):
idea called GirlTrek.
And several conversations,several years later, we were
applying for grants to try toget a million of India's moms
walking.
And so that is the.
That's the way that it startedand that was my inspiration for
it really.
I remember I heard a statisticthat half of black girls, this
was way back in 2000, probablyeight or nine.
(10:12):
I don't remember.
I was teaching though, and Iremember I read a statistic that
half of black girls would getdiabetes if diet and levels of
activity remain constant.
And I just couldn't fathom thathalf of the girls in my class
would get diabetes.
Nothing that I taught seemed asimportant as solving for that to
me.
Missy (10:30):
Yeah.
That's beautiful.
And Vanessa, what inspired you?
Vanessa (10:35):
There was a lot of personal inspiration for me
around having experienced a lotof early death, up close and
personal with the women in mylives and really understanding
what that loss meant and whatthe gap of their loss and them
not being there, what was leftbehind and how we had to pull it
together as a family.
(10:55):
And I wanted more years for mygrandmother who passed away and
for my aunties and I wanted morelife for myself.
And they were able to experiencebecause they were laboring
physically and they werelaboring emotionally and they
were laboring mentally.
And I believed.
Morgan when she said thatstatistic that half of black
(11:16):
girls may get diabetes, and Iwas living it and experiencing
it and really believed thatphysical activity and especially
physical activity outside.
I didn't know all of the kind ofscience behind it that I know
now, but I knew even for my ownself as a little girl, that
walking saved my life, thatgetting out of the house, that
(11:38):
when it was very chaotic andtaking a walk in my Seattle
neighborhood and looking at thehouses and dreaming of what was
happening in there and imaginingthat could be me and that I
could move myself out of thesituation I was in and into a
different situation.
Like walking had always been mysavior.
I grew up in a neighborhoodwhere I walked to school by
myself since I was likekindergarten through, I finished
high school.
(11:59):
And so I just was inspired bythat possibilities of what it
would mean if we could all beoutside walking.
Missy (12:07):
And you guys have been around for almost 15 years, I
think I have that date, right?
Yeah.
Almost 15 years.
And you've impacted so manylives.
So this is a two part question.
What was the original receptionto the concept in 2010?
And then how has it evolved?
I, because it's evolved a lot inthe six months that I've known
you.
Morgan (12:26):
I don't, I think the original reception is like,
depending on who was theaudience, right?
I think I can remember veryearly audiences being like, why
are you all building a movement?
What does Harriet Tubman have todo with it?
This feels so irrelevant and sodated and, and I think not spicy
and flashy enough.
I think this is at the advent ofboth social media and reality
television.
So I think some of the receptionwas probably like just skeptical
(12:51):
about who we were and what wewere saying.
And then on the flip side, thereception with.
Our target audience, which wasblack women.
It felt it still feels like thatif you, we, if we could just get
audience with the women, theyreally, they get it at a
cellular level.
It almost, I think the reactionto a lot of women felt like
(13:12):
relief that somebody was finallyspeaking to them speaking for
them, speaking about them,speaking with them and naming
things that hadn't been namedbefore.
And that the solution was soaccessible.
It wasn't something that waslike outside of their locus of
control to be able to grab ontoand gravitate to.
And so really the reception, Ithink amongst the women, is the
(13:34):
reason why we were able to grow,because more than anything, it's
been word, it's been a word ofmouth growth, movement.
It's been a, it's been a sisterto sister, cousin to cousin,
church member to church member.
This thing is really working forme and I have to tell somebody
else, or it's been a, I'm doingit myself and all the other
people around me see it andthey're like, whoa, what is
going on with you?
Because your light is so brightand they just gravitate towards
(13:56):
it.
Missy (13:57):
We connected because, I have this passion and desire to
introduce people to the outdoorsand being in parks for mental,
physical, and emotionalwellbeing.
And then somebody said, you needto talk to them.
They're doing it.
They do things in parks, theyspend time outside.
And for so many.
Trying something new is thehardest part and just that first
(14:20):
step.
Or Morgan, you talked aboutgetting off the couch, that's
hard for people to think about.
What do you tell women or how doyou inspire them?
What, What is that tipping pointthat you're finding gets people
to consider a new program andovercome whatever obstacles
prevent them?
Vanessa (14:40):
That's a good question.
Morgan (14:42):
Yeah, I think it's a really good question.
Early on we had a slogan, we hadshirts that said, let's talk
more walk.
Just that's all I used to say.
And it's this notion of ofshowing, not telling.
And, it's interesting we were,do you know Fannie Lou Hamer?
Do you know who
Missy (15:01):
No.
Morgan (15:01):
Yeah.
I'm so excited to talk abouther.
Fannie Tamer was outtaMississippi and she was one of
the civil rights leaders she wasresponsible for getting like
60,000 people registered to votein Mississippi, and she became,
just a showstopper in the CivilRights Movement.
When she gave a hearing at theDemocratic Convention, she gave
a or she gave not a hearing, shegave a recount of her activism
(15:25):
and she had been arrestedregistering people to vote and
had been beaten in a JA jailcell.
And when she came, she had suchlike tremoring authenticity in
her voice that she commanded theattention of the world.
And in fact the the president atthe time interrupted her
interview because it was socompelling with a fake press
conference.
So this is Fannie Lou Hamer, andshe to us, we, we've tried to
(15:48):
unearth these everyday womenwho've done extraordinary things
so that we can inspire women todo something extraordinary.
Which on some days all of us canaccount to as getting off the
couch.
It feels extraordinary.
And so we use these greatAmerican women to, to
demonstrate the capacity ofeveryday women.
And so we were um, honoringFannie Lou Ham Hamer on what
(16:11):
would've been her 100thbirthday.
So we gathered, a small group, Ithink it was probably like maybe
a hundred people in herhometown, this tiny little town
in Sunflower County.
And we wanted to lay ArethaFlowers at her grave site.
We paid the local uncle to comeand cut the grass because we
don't do a great job honoringour heroes in America.
And we wanted to make sure wedid that.
And as we were walking throughthe street a woman like saw us
(16:35):
from her window.
She leaned over to her motherand she said, oh my God, my
tribe is here.
She recognized our, what we callsuperhero blue shirts, we wear
every, that's how you recognizea girl Trekker on the street.
She's usually wearing asuperhero blue shirt.
And she said, oh my God, mytribe is here.
She had been walking with GirlTrek in solidarity with us and
(16:56):
Fannie Lou Hamer's, tiny littleMississippi hometown by herself
for years, and she didn't knowwe, she didn't read that
newsletter.
She didn't know we were coming,and she saw a sea of blue shirts
out.
She went and grabbed her shirtfrom her bottom drawer ran out.
I remember she had on thesereddish orange pants.
She ran out and joined us andwas telling us her story as
we're walking to Fannie LouHamer's grave.
(17:17):
I say that because that woman ishow we're getting people off the
couch, because if they see herenough times in her neighborhood
wearing this uniform, walking,transforming her own life, she
eventually will have two.
And we say two as a crew in GirlTrek.
And our core mission is toinspire as many crews as we can
(17:38):
where two or three are gatheredis what my mom says is a
scripture in the Bible is reallywhere love lives.
It's where God lives.
And so if we can have these kindof micro communities, these
support networks, the civicinfrastructure of.
Groups of women who walk intheir neighborhoods.
Not only do the neighborhoodsget safer, not only do you the
do the women feel like theybelong, but they are also adding
(17:58):
up to seven years of lifeexpectancy to their lives.
And so that is our changetheory, and that's how we get
people off the couch to having ahabit of daily walking.
I.
Missy (18:08):
I experienced Girl Trek unbeknownst to me until we met.
And I think the power and the ofthe motivating like community.
I was in Lake Mead in Nevada andI was on this.
A hike and I hurt, I, every partof my body hurt, my skin hurt on
this hike.
And I came across the blueshirts and I didn't realize it
(18:28):
until earlier.
You told me about the blueshirts.
And this woman in the group, sawme and just sorta put her arm
around me and just startedtalking to me.
And in a way that I was like, ohmy God, I can do this.
Like it, it was so empowering.
And there was something about,being on the periphery of the
group just for the hike up thehill, that, that motivated me.
(18:52):
And it was really special.
That was a connection that I, Imean, honestly, I've like never
felt something like that out ona trail, which is, which is a
really special motivating factorwhen you, when you meet someone.
Morgan (19:04):
Yeah, that peripheral effect is significant.
It's the effect that like, it'snot just the women who are
walking with us, but it's likewhat's happening with their
families and their children andtheir communities when they're
out.
And we have so many peoplewho've had experiences like
yours.
Some of them have been theproximate real, like somebody
(19:25):
really put their arm around me.
Some of it has been, I heard thelaughter coming down the street.
Some of it has been, I read thestory some, but it's like that
kind of like the proximity towhat has happened has been
almost as powerful as the directkind of recruitment and
connection and support of women.
And I think for me, that's what,when I think about what a
(19:47):
movement is, it's likefundamentally what makes Girl
Trek a movement.
Missy (19:51):
And you mentioned the light earlier and that resonates
with me because I do think thatgirl trekker have a light that
is really appealing.
And Girl Trek loves the parks.
You all have worked with theparks and you host walks in
parks.
What role do parks and publiclands and nature play in your
(20:12):
mission?
Morgan (20:14):
A big role.
I think they're really essentialin so many different ways.
First of all, so many of us livedisconnected from nature and
disconnected from the earth andin urban kind of centers that
are, noise polluted and hot.
And we don't have enoughopportunity to connect with
ourselves and connect withnature in that way.
(20:35):
And introducing women to theparks has always been a big part
of our mission.
And giving women, especiallywomen who've never had an
experience in the park, theirfirst experience, and I.
Often when we say like parks inthat regard, we're talking about
like national parks, but there'salso like the state parks and
the local parks.
And it's really giving women theunderstanding that they have
(20:58):
ownership over those spaces,that they have a right to be in
those spaces and that thosespaces are healing.
Like There is real scientifichealing that is happening in
those places.
So yeah, we've been partneringwith the National Park Service
for almost as long as I thinkwe've been around.
We've done many differentpartnerships with them.
We've held the largest gatheringof black women in a national
(21:19):
park multiple years at EstesPark.
We've held something called asummer trek series where we've
gone from Yosemite to Shenandoahto Great Smoky Mountains.
We've trained almost a hundredwomen to be with a partnership
with the Sierra Club to beoutdoor trip leaders.
And there's something called theAdventure Squad.
And then we've just, personally,I think both of us have uplifted
the parks in our own journeysand had so many other women
(21:41):
who've uplifted the parks intheir own journeys and stories.
Missy I was so moved by yourstory of coming in contact with
a group of girl checkers andthem stopping to make sure you
were okay and hugging you and Ifeel so grateful for that story
because we our founding corevalue is one of what we call
(22:03):
radical welcome.
Missy (22:04):
Hmm.
Morgan (22:05):
want people to feel radically welcomed into our
community.
And I wanna just speak aboutwhat, like an elephant in the
room.
Like why would we try and rallya million African American
women?
And in this world where we'retalking a lot about inclusion
and we're talking a lot aboutdiversity, and we're talking a
lot about equity.
Why would that be a mission?
And you started off with thissegment of talking about some of
(22:28):
the outcomes of Girl Trek, howwe've reversed chronic disease,
the issue that that we areconfronted with.
And it has something to do withthe parks issue that you were
talking about is that blackwomen are dying faster and at
higher rates than any othergroup of people in America from
preventable diseases, fromstress that leads to chronic
disease, that leads to thenumber one killer, which is
(22:49):
heart disease.
And so most black women aredying from broken hearts, from
actual heart disease, and thatcomes from chronic generational
and stress and labor and intenselabor.
And so here we are onegeneration later, not only
getting back into the outdoors,but going to the highest peaks
(23:10):
is something we should celebrateas a nation.
Healing, it's something weshould celebrate as a nation.
We don't ask for permission tosave our lives.
So we're inspiring one anotherto take up space and to go into
the parks and to treat them as asanctuaries that we know they
are because we've always beenconnected to nature.
And like Vanessa worked reallyhard to get policy passed so
(23:32):
that even the registration feeto the park was not prohibitive
for children public schoolchildren across America.
We not only trained outdoor tripleaders in the certification of
the Sierra Club, but we alsomade it culturally relevant.
We, We said, oh black people aresuffering disproportionately
from asthma because ofenvironmental toxins.
So if there's an asthma attackon the trail as well as a bear
(23:52):
attack, then let's make surethat our leaders are prepared
for both.
So there's some kind ofstructural things that we've
been doing to make sure thatwe're prepared.
Those are a few.
Vanessa, did you have others?
Vanessa (24:02):
Yeah, I actually, so much of what you said Morgan
resonated I think that we haveto diversify that community of
people so that other people cansee themselves feel safe feel
welcomed in in the ways thatgirl GirlTrek radically welcomes
people.
Missy (24:17):
It's so important, and I think, it's always been.
And yet it's super important nowas, as well for us to, to all be
working together to do this.
How can people get involved inGirl Trek?
Vanessa (24:29):
The best thing about Girl Trick is that you can get
involved by lacing up yoursneakers, walking outside of
your front door, taking a walkfor 30 minutes and experiencing
what it feels like.
We definitely wanna know thatyou've done it.
And so we ask every woman to becounted, every person to be
counted and take the actualpledge so that we can know that
(24:49):
they're a part of the community.
We ask them to be in solidaritywith us and wear superhero
blues.
So that we can spot each otherout there in the communities.
And then we ask women toorganize their own friends and
family so that they can come onthe journey with them.
It's it's really simple.
Yeah.
What do you say, Morgan?
Morgan (25:09):
Yeah, I would say everyone listening to this, if
you feel inspired or you havequestions to share this podcast
and start conversations is oneway.
'cause I think we just have totalk.
More.
I think if there's a black womanwho you love and you want to
live long, as long as women ofother races in this country to
send this to them and and letthem know that they're invited.
You, anyone listening to this isradically welcome to support us
Vanessa (25:31):
um,
Morgan (25:32):
both financially, particularly at this time where
it is we are defining ourselvesas Americans and what the
American dream is, and we haveto really support what we
believe in and really do that inconcert together and on one
accord.
And then I think, I think as wesee each other in the streets
one of the things we do, we havesomething called the Trek Code,
which is like seven rules.
(25:52):
If you're a girl trekker, thisis what we do.
And one of them is called singlefile and smile.
And so you see a big group ofgirl reers and they collapse in
a single file line.
They wave and they say, hi,neighbor.
There's something so powerfulabout greeting one another.
And so certainly if you see agirl checker in the street,
please say hello, and I promiseyou, you will get the same warm
welcome that Missy got.
Back as we walk to healourselves and reduce what I
(26:16):
think is the clearest measure ofjustice, which is life
expectancy and make sure that wecan all live and our daughters
can all live.
What what I want to talk aboutmore in this country, the
American dream, which is to liveour healthiest, most fulfilled
life.
Life, liberty and the pursuit ofhappiness.
There's that American historyteacher coming back.
Missy (26:32):
Morgan, you're such a teacher to me, so you can't get
out of that.
So do you have to be a blackwoman to participate as a
trekker?
Morgan (26:41):
You have to be a black woman to help us achieve our
mission, which is to increasethe life expectancy of black
women by 10 years and 10 years.
You definitely don't have to bea black woman to support our
mission.
And so we need all of thesupport we can in the ways that
I described.
Missy (26:54):
You can go to girl trek.com or girl trek.org to
learn more.
Or I'll also list it on theepisode notes on the parks
podcast.com.
What's next for Girl Trek?
Morgan (27:05):
Oh, we're all taking a Sister's keeper pledge.
Missy (27:07):
What
Morgan (27:07):
We have three.
I, so we have th we, for 10years we've been serving our
community and we've gottenreally clear about what the
problem is we're solving, and wecall them the three, i's the
letter I, right?
Three i's it's inactivity.
We're not moving enough.
It's isolation that so manypeople are suffering from
chronic loneliness.
And loneliness is deadlier thancigarette smoking.
(27:27):
And then there's injustice, allthe systems around us that are
making us sick and make GirlTrek necessary in the first
place.
And so we're solving forisolation.
We're asking people to take theMy Sister's Keeper pledge, which
is to ask one woman in yourlife.
Every month to go for a walk.
And we have a 10 month season.
So if you do that over the 10month season, you will have
invited 10 women to walk withyou over the course of the year.
(27:49):
So anyone can do that anywhere.
You can go to girl trek.org,take the Sisters Keeper pledge.
And that is, and we will trustyou.
Pink.
I'm a Girl Scout girl.
Scouter two.
We do like all my honor girlScouts and Girl Trek believe in
trusting women.
so we trust you.
You take the commitment and thenyou just, it's easy.
You just invite someone to gofor a walk.
That's it.
(28:10):
So that's our initiative for thesummer.
Vanessa (28:12):
We have very cool sisters, keepers, bracelets just
like friendship bracelets, butthey're very cool for women who
take the pledge.
Missy (28:20):
And they can just find that on the website.
Vanessa (28:23):
Yes,
Missy (28:23):
Wonderful.
And then the other thing that Ihave seen through your socials
is the self-care school.
What is that program?
Vanessa (28:33):
it's wow.
It's so much more than aprogram.
It's.
It is a curriculum, it's a bodyof knowledge.
It is instructional.
So it's an, it's weeklyinstruction for people based on
the 10 point agenda.
It is an audio recording fivedays a week, 30 minutes a day,
so five audio recordings eachweek that people can download
(28:54):
and listen to while they walk,and they can learn 50 essential
skills to save their own lives.
Missy (29:01):
And where can people find more information about that?
Or how do they sign up for it?
How does that work?
Vanessa (29:07):
They can sign up for it@myselfcareschool.com.
They can preview all of thecurriculum and all of the
different weeks.
There's thousands of women whoare starting the journey right
now thousands who've alreadycompleted it.
Every single week that youcomplete a week, you earn a four
mother badge because everysingle week is dedicated to a
different for mother and adifferent point in the agenda.
And so you can collect all ofyour badges and you can collect
(29:30):
digital ones and you can collectreal ones.
Missy (29:33):
That's super cool.
It, that's your Girl Scoutscoming in.
When I saw it, that'simmediately what I thought was
collecting my Girl Scoutbatches.
Morgan (29:40):
It is.
I had a dream.
I'm gonna tell a long time agothat we had some badges, girl
Scouts of America reached out tous a long time ago and said,
could we do a Girl Trek badgefor their scouts?
We should.
And we were, we at the time werenot, we were focused on mothers
and so didn't follow throughwith that opportunity, but
that's a dream.
So definitely inspired byscouting days for sure.
(30:03):
So wherever you find your tooyou can also find self-care
school.
It's a 10 week walking classroomso you can learn all the skills
you need to take care ofyourself.
Missy (30:12):
Amazing.
And I wanna go back to like howto get involved in Girl Trek.
If I am listening to this or seeany posts and I wanna join is a
c does a community already existnear me that I would join in?
Am I starting a new one?
Do I just go on the website andyou'll take care of me from
there?
What?
What's that?
Back to basic step.
Morgan (30:32):
Love that question.
You go onto girl trek.org, yousign up, you take the pledge.
And the pledge is that you willwalk out of your front door 30
minutes a day, five days a week,and take a walk wherever you
are, and we help you to do that.
So that's the simplest way todescribe what Girl Trek is, know
that you don't have to join agroup, but how we help you to do
that becomes very robust supportsystems, right?
(30:54):
So everything from our 10 weekpodcast, Self-Care School to the
ability to go on social media,Facebook, find groups in your
community to, we're launching amobile app later on this year
that will allow you to findpeople like close to you in
proximity to you to our fieldguide, which teaches you how to
organize your community, yourchurch, your sorority, your
(31:14):
civic group, your neighborhood,your family to different
campaigns that we do month overmonth to keep people inspired,
like the Sisters Keeper Pledgethat we were talking about.
So there's a lot of layers ofsupport to events that we do all
across the country.
So we have a newsletter that wesend right to your inbox after
you sign up@girltrek.org thatlists and curates the member
(31:35):
experience for you so that youstay inspired.
Missy (31:39):
Love it.
Super motivating Vanessa andMorgan.
To end each episode, we do aspeed round of questions.
I would love to go through thesewith both of you, if you don't
mind.
Morgan, we'll start with you.
What is your earliest parkmemory?
Morgan (31:54):
Ah, my earliest park memory is not a memory.
My earliest park memory is beingat the basketball court with my
brother Kevin, and recently agirl tracker told me that she
remembers me as a baby in thepark in Wichita, Kansas, is with
my big brother Kevin, which Ithink is illegal for him to have
me propped up at the park as ababy.
But that's
Vanessa (32:12):
my,
Morgan (32:13):
first experience in the park.
My, one of my most formativememories is being a camp
counselor at Sly Park with GirlScouts.
Missy (32:19):
Vanessa, what's your earliest park memory?
Vanessa (32:23):
I grew up in Seattle, in the central district on 24th
and Mercer, and at the end ofthe block is a park that has
been there for at least 70years.
It's the tiniest littleneighborhood park with the tire
swing.
And literally I spent 80% of mychildhood playing in that park,
meeting the kids at that park.
And so it's really the littleneighborhood park in my
(32:44):
neighborhood.
I think it's called FrazierPark.
And it's literally this, likethe plot size of one house.
The community decided we weregonna make that into a park, and
so every time I even go backhome, now I drive down the
street.
It's there, and I'm just like,wow.
My mom played at that park whenshe was little.
I played at that park and thepark is still there.
Missy (33:01):
Morgan, what made you love the parks,
Morgan (33:04):
The sound of swing sets.
Missy (33:07):
Vanessa?
What made you love the parks?
Vanessa (33:10):
I love a good summit.
Like I love, once I startedreally getting into good hikes
and then being able to like hikeup to a summit and see a really
beautiful view, it really justenthralled me
Missy (33:20):
Morgan, what's your favorite thing about parks?
Morgan (33:24):
That it feels like church feels like a sanctuary.
Missy (33:28):
Vanessa, what is your favorite thing about Parks
Vanessa (33:32):
Something about wearing hiking boots.
Like I like what you wear whenyou go to the park.
There's something about theequipment in and all of the fun
stuff that I love.
Missy (33:42):
Morgan, what's your favorite thing to do at a park?
Morgan (33:46):
Recently I learned how to fish with a net in the
traditional West African Way,and I learned how to do it in
South Carolina.
And so I really love fishing andcrabbing and shrimping to feed
myself at the parks.
I.
Missy (33:59):
Vanessa, what's your favorite thing to do at a park?
Vanessa (34:02):
I rode my bike through Glacier National Park and
although I love hiking, ridingyour bike through a national
park and getting and throughBanff, and to be able to see so
much of it on in slow motion, upclose and personal in that way
is probably my favorite.
Missy (34:17):
Morgan, what park have you yet to visit, but it's on
your bucket list.
And why?
Morgan (34:22):
This is hard because with Girl Trek, we've been to
almost every single park, but Ihave not been to Acadia.
And then internationally Ireally wanna see the gorillas in
Uganda or Rwanda.
So those are my two answers.
But Maine, yeah.
Missy (34:37):
Vanessa, what park have you yet to visit?
But it's on your bucket list.
And why?
Vanessa (34:42):
I haven't visited Olympic National Park in my home
state of Washington, so I wouldlove to visit there.
Missy (34:48):
Morgan, what are three must-haves you pack for a park
visit?
Morgan (34:52):
First of all, a car with a sunroof because parks are huge
and I hate when I have to lookout of the window to look at the
top of the mountain.
So that's the first thing.
Hiking sandals because I like toground and I like my toes to be
free, but I like stability.
I climbed all the way up avolcano in sandals one time, so
I really love that.
And then any snack that's peanutbutter, I really love like
(35:13):
having some protein in mybackpack so I don't get weary
and hangry.
So that's, those are my threethings.
Missy (35:21):
Vanessa, what are three must-haves you pack for a park
visit?
Vanessa (35:24):
Definitely snacks and good snacks.
Like I like a big meaty sandwichor something like that in pack
my leftover dinner from thenight before.
I like to bring music.
I'm one of those people on thetrail.
I love having music that I canlisten to.
And then, um.
my girl truck shirt usually likeI just, I don't like to go
anywhere without it.
Missy (35:43):
Morgan, what's your favorite campfire activity?
Morgan (35:46):
Singing.
I'm a Girl Scout.
I love to sing.
I like to eat apples andbananas.
I like to sing all the GirlScout songs.
Missy (35:53):
I've, the one I love is I've got something in my pocket.
It belongs across my face.
Missy Rentz (35:59):
I love it too.
I love it too.
I hate my, my, my least favoriteis ghost stories.
And this just happened like lastyear.
Some adult, like mentors weretelling ghost stories at a
campfire.
I was like, this is so deeplyinappropriate.
I hate it.
Yeah.
Missy (36:13):
Vanessa, what's your favorite campfire activity?
Vanessa (36:16):
definitely roasting marshmallows.
Missy (36:19):
Morgan.
Are you going in a tent, camper,or cabin?
Morgan (36:24):
It used to be a tent until I tented in Serengeti and
there's a lion outside my tent.
So now it's definitely a cabin.
It's definitely a cabin.
I'm a cabin kind of girl.
Missy (36:35):
Vanessa?
Tent camper or Cabin
Vanessa (36:38):
I haven't done a camper yet, which would be dreamy for
me.
So I'm gonna say camper, so Ican call that in
Missy (36:44):
Morgan?
Are you hiking with or withouttrucking poles?
Morgan (36:48):
Without, without.
Missy (36:50):
Vanessa, are you hiking with or without trucking poles?
Vanessa (36:53):
without.
Missy (36:55):
Morgan, what's your favorite trail snack?
Morgan (36:59):
Electrolytes and peanut butter.
I need all the energy.
I can't get, I'm so outta shape.
It's so hard.
I love, I just did an 11 k hike.
I felt like the whole thing wasuphill on Saturday and I was
like, my God, I get out here.
But when you're out I have neverregretted a hike.
But boy, in the middle of it,you're like, man, this, I'm
(37:20):
really pushing myself to thelimit.
So electrolytes.
Missy (37:23):
Vanessa, what's your favorite trail snack?
Vanessa (37:26):
I love candy, like a blow pop, lollipop, or some
licorice.
Missy (37:32):
Morgan, what's your favorite?
Sorry, Tootsie.
Tootsie wants to weigh in onthis.
Morgan, what's your favoriteanimal sighting?
Morgan (37:42):
It's so funny because Tootsie is an animal, is this is
my question.
And I told you about thisearlier before we started
recording.
It was seen buffalo inYellowstone National Park and my
cockapoo was trying to protectus from the buffalo.
And we were like, this is not agood size match up here, dear.
So we had to put an end to thatreally quickly.
But the buffalo, I neverimagined they were that big and
(38:04):
we even saw grizzly that time.
But the buffalo were just somajestic and beautiful and
spiritual.
Missy (38:10):
Vanessa, what's your favorite animal sighting.
Vanessa (38:14):
I wanna say they're moose.
Those are moose at the YMCA,right?
Morgan at the in, when we firstdrive in.
Elk.
Morgan (38:19):
They're elk.
Yes.
So every time we drive intoEstes Park with a group of
women, there's elk that arearound the campus.
And there's something aboutseeing a woman who's not seeing
a wild animal like that outsideand watching her see it for the
first time and how close theycome up.
So elk,
Missy (38:36):
Morgan, what's your favorite sound in the park?
Morgan (38:39):
Oh, this is so cliche and so true.
A babbling brook
Missy (38:44):
Vanessa, what's your favorite sound in the park?
Vanessa (38:47):
you know how like often the distance you can hear when
some of the birds take flight,it's and then the we the leaves
ruffle or something like that,and you're not sure if it's the
wind or it's the bird.
It's like that kind of distancesound.
Missy (38:59):
Morgan?
What's the greatest gift thatthe parks give to us?
Morgan (39:03):
timelessness.
I think the ability to just loseyourself to take the deepest
pause, the deepest inhale thedeepest exhales to just be lost
for a little bit
Missy (39:15):
Vanessa, what's the greatest gift that the parks
give to us?
Vanessa (39:20):
I feel like they get us up close and personal with God
and like with the most naturalof natural wonders, which for me
in this way, take away any doubtthat I have, that there's like
something so much bigger than mein the universe has had their
hand on all of the things thatI'm looking at.
Missy (39:37):
Morgan and Vanessa, thank you so much for being part of
the episode for teaching usabout Girl Trek, for inspiring
me and educating me on so manythings in life.
And for your girl Trekker, forwrapping their arms around me
and letting me know I could doit in a really difficult time.
Vanessa (40:00):
Yeah.
Thank you so much for having me.
I've really appreciated you andalways your questions your
passion for the parks and yourintention to detail and learning
about Girl Trek and followingand your passion for just
staying connected.
So thank you.
I
Morgan (40:16):
agree.
Thank you so much, Missy.
Missy (40:18):
Thank you.
That's it for today's episode.
Until next time, we'll see youin the parks.
Thanks for listening.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please be sure to like and share
on your favorite podcastplatform.
Music for the parks podcast isperformed and produced by Porter
Hardy.
For more information, pleasefollow us on Instagram at the
(40:39):
parks podcast.
Or visit ourwebsite@theparkspodcast.com.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com