Teresa Bell McLain started GirlSpire in the summer of 1999 in Boulder, Colorado. When asked how GirlSpire came to be, the tale actually begins in her own childhood. “I grew up in a very dysfunctional and abusive family environment. High self esteem, confidence, and respect were simply not a part of my life. In fact, I think it was because I lacked those things when I was a girl that they became such huge issues for me later on.”Teresa not only survived her abusive upbringing, she managed to come out whole and healthy. She attributes her personal triumph over adversity to a unique journey, which began in a martial arts dojo at the age of 8. “I don’t think I can overstate how important being involved in karate has been to my life. For 25 years, it has literally seen me through the toughest of times.” And for Teresa, it paved the way to self-understanding and empowerment.
Teresa’s training in the martial arts continued through high school and she eventually taught karate as a means to put herself through college. At Boulder Martial Arts she was hired on as the children’s program director and quickly expanded their curriculum to encompass broad-ranging issues in health, safety, and personal well-being. “I don’t think I realized the hidden gifts of the martial arts until later. It was empowering for me to guide these emerging young minds through some of the same struggles I knew so well – to find a source of confidence, a positive sense of self and accomplishment. I had to do some major soul-searching to overcome the ghosts of my own past, and teaching these kids was a big part of that process.”
Post-college, Teresa ventured out into the new challenges of the male-dominated business and marketing world. But she did not lose sight of her passion for inspiring and teaching young people – In 1998, she co-founded a high-end personal safety program for college women. This endeavor involved her collaboration with psychologists, violence prevention experts, and education professionals in the development and presentation of safety seminars to thousands of college students. The program was eventually expanded into corporate violence prevention and workplace safety.
After 12 years of international marketing and documentary work, Teresa maintained her interest in working with kids. The idea for GirlSpire was sparked when she encountered a shocking statistic: 50% of 3rd grade girls and boys can readily identify several things they are good at, but by 5th grade that number shrinks to below 20% for girls. “Compare those figures with boys, whose numbers remain at 50%, and a clear picture begins to take shape! A few days later, after teaching a kickboxing class at a popular fitness center, I spotted a girl about 9 years old weighing herself on a scale. She muttered to a friend ‘I must have had too much birthday cake at the party yesterday,’ and then jumped off the scale, all 60 pounds of her! I felt compelled to do something. Society’s pressure on girls is so tremendous; I wanted to balance it with something positive.”
GirlSpire was born out of the confluence of Teresa’s unique journey and perspective, and the urgent need every girl faces as they pass through one of life’s most difficult stages. It is an experiential integration of self-empowering life skills and attitudes into an exciting and thrilling personal journey for girls 8 to 11 years old. It provides a forum for girls to express themselves and to bond with each other. It provides the time, place, and opportunity for adventures of the body, mind, and spirit.
