Free to Be

Personal Growth for Girls, Boys and the Adults Who Love Them! Let's Grow Together!

06/01/2026

Happy Pride Month 🌈

At Free to Be, we believe every child deserves to feel safe, seen, accepted, and celebrated for exactly who they are. We believe love is love.
We are gender affirming. And this month and every month, we proudly support LGBTQ+ youth and families.

Because confidence grows when kids know they belong. When they don’t have to hide parts of themselves and when they’re surrounded by people who say:

🌈 You are welcome here.
🌈 You are loved here.
🌈 You get to be fully, beautifully yourself here.

This is the kind of world I want our girls growing up in.

Happy Pride Month. We’re glad you’re here. 💛

05/19/2026

Sometimes when kids get older, some think they’ve moved past the need for play. But teens still need places to be silly, to laugh until their stomach hurts, to feel safe enough to let their guard down. Because growing up is hard. Friendships get more complicated. Pressure to be someone you're not becomes bigger and self-doubt sneaks in.

But sometimes the best thing for a teen’s nervous system, confidence, and mental health… Is simply being with others who make them feel like themself. These moments matter more than people realize. 💛

05/12/2026

Some of our members took a field trip to the Museum of Art to tour their mask exhibit and it turned into one of those accidental life lessons. Girls learn young to wear masks.

The “I’m fine” mask.
The “I don’t care” mask.
The “I’ll just go along with everyone else” mask.

The mask that keeps them liked, accepted and "safe". Part of the work we do at Free to Be is helping girls slowly realize that they don't have to perform their way into being accepted. They don’t have to shrink, pretend, or become someone else to be worthy of connection. Confidence isn’t pretending to be someone you aren't. It’s simply learning to take the mask off.

05/08/2026

🙌🙌🙌

04/20/2026

Oh my heart! Sarah sent me photos from this past week and this moment right here… 🎶💛🥹

Sarah doesn't just “teach” a Free to Be group. She has made it hers. (And so has Brooke, both ladies are amazing!) Sarah brought her guitar, her love of music, her energy, and created something these girls will remember forever. They’re not just singing Taylor Swift. They’re building confidence, finding their voices and feeling what it’s like to belong.

And here’s what I want you to see: This isn’t about doing it my way. It’s about doing it your way. You don’t need to be a therapist. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need a heart for girls… and the willingness to show up. Because somewhere in your community, there are girls who need a space like this. And it might look completely different when you lead it. That’s the point.

04/15/2026

I love structure, activities, schedules and plans. And those things matter. But sometimes my girls, and my husband, will tell me to slow down... can we have a day off?!

Because just as important as structure is unstructured time. Figuring things out on their own. Navigating friendships without someone stepping in every second. Confidence isn’t built when everything is perfectly guided. It’s built in the in-between moments. The messy ones. The “we’ll figure it out” ones. It's in the learning that they can figure things out and the knowing that it will be ok.

12/17/2025

What happens when you give girls a space to be seen, heard, and celebrated?

You get THIS👇

These are real drawings from some of our Girl Squad members when they were asked to reflect on what they learned, what they felt, and how they’ve grown this semester.

Personal growth doesn’t come from a lecture, it comes from practice, community, and showing up for yourself (with some laughs & dance breaks along the way).

Proud doesn’t even begin to cover it. We are so lucky to get to share in these girls' lives.

12/06/2025

This week in my therapy office, I sat with several clients who are hurting. The kind of hurt that comes from bullying, from being excluded, targeted, talked about and from wondering why people can be so mean. And it’s heartbreaking. Because words do stick. And kids are carrying heavy things that most people never see.

That’s why at Free to Be, we talk about empathy. We literally have them walk in other’s shoes. Because it’s one thing to talk about kindness, and another to practice imagining what someone else is going through. We don’t just say “be nice.”

We teach girls how to:

🩰 Pause
👠 Reflect
👞 Consider someone else’s story
👟 And choose kindness anyway

Here’s the truth:
Empathy isn’t soft. It’s powerful. It’s what changes school hallways, group chats, lunch tables and lives. So here’s your reminder to be a good person and teach your kids to be good people. It starts with putting on someone else’s shoes and walking with compassion.

P.S. The pointe shoes were what everyone wanted first and the ones they immediately took off 😂

12/04/2025

This week in Girl Squad, we talked about community. What it means to be part of something where you feel seen, accepted, and supported.

The girls shared about their families, teams, friends and how this space feels like home too.

We made flower bouquets to give to others in our community. Because part of belonging… is giving back. These are the moments that stick. And this is why we keep showing up.

11/25/2025

We are so grateful for everyone who has come through our door! Past, present and future! Here are some of our older members with what they're grateful for when it comes to Girl Squad 💛

Address

507 Cowan Street
Fort Collins, CO
80524

Telephone

+19709887118

Website

http://www.freetobemovement.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Free to Be posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Free to Be:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Fort Collins?