My guest this week is Betty LaMarr, founder and CEO of EmpowHer Institute. Betty’s nonprofit organization works to empower girls from 7th grade through high school by way of mentorship, training, and social/emotional support. With more than 100 mentors from a myriad of disciplines, EmpowHer Institute is helping these young women broaden their understanding of the opportunities available to them.

In this interview, Betty shares her inspiration for starting EmpoweHer in 2003, including a story about mentorship that altered the course of her own life. She also explains how the normally in-school program has pivoted in response to 2020’s social unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought about more opportunities and important conversations for the program’s 400 participants.

Finally, Betty and I discuss the joys of being a mentor, and how going virtual this year provides a platform for women outside of the Los Angeles area to speak into the lives of these young girls, empowering them to dream bigger dreams for themselves.