Kimberly Miller, J.D.

I would definitely say my faith has really helped me to survive in politics, because I've been in politics over 26 years, and in the great state of Florida, which is not for the weak of heart. I think that really helped me to succeed and to be present where I am, right? Because often we're like, okay, you can achieve more, you can do more, you can go more places, but at the end of the day, what I found, even after I worked in DC and passed bills, it was very hard to come back home and see no progress had been made. So that's kind of when, like, maybe 2014, 2015, I was like, maybe the right next step is for me to go home and be able to affect my own community. So I think evaluating where you are and where you want to be, professionally and personally, is important. Like, I do mentor a lot of students as they're going through the process - do you want to go to law school? Do you not? Do you want to stay in politics? Do you not? But, like I was just telling a young man, I'm like, you want to have a family, and you want to be married, but you also want to run for council in Jacksonville, Florida - unless you live in Jacksonville, it's not practical. Sometimes we kind of envision what our life would look like without actually thinking about the steps that it takes to get there. I would definitely say mentors and having people that you can talk things through with is definitely a reason, is part of my success.

The best career advice came from my mom, actually. I was the first lady to go to college, clearly first in my family to go to law school, and her motto was always, let them tell you no. Don't talk yourself out of it, right? Like, apply, they take you, they take you. If they say no, you accept it, but at least you can say you tried. It's served me very well, and I try to encourage other women who are at a crossroads. You know, my disability became more evident in the last five years or so, and I had to step back from lobbying, and that's when I came to Girl Scouts. Because lobbying is very physical - you're walking like 20,000 steps a day, trying to pass your legislation, and you do that, at least in the state of Florida, for 60 days straight. I think that kind of helped me, because if I had just said, okay, this is all I can do, I would not have explored this opportunity with Girl Scouts.

I would say to set your standards high, and not to bend, if that makes sense. You know, because in the world of politics, many will try to lower your standards for their convenience, if that makes sense. Or you have to advocate for things that you don't believe in. And I think that's where we, as women, in the process, we have to say, this is my line, and I can't deviate from that.

I think the mental health of girls is far and away the largest challenge that we in youth development face. Because the social media, access to the phone, really impacts girls' mental health at a time when they're already feeling very vulnerable, right? You want to be perfect because that's what you see on TV. You don't realize that this person is airbrushed and nipped and tucked and all these other things, right? Because you're in 7th grade, and you think they just came out like that. Oh, no, girl, they was dorky in 7th grade, just like you are, right? But they don't know that. I think that's one of the large challenges for women in youth development right now - girls being able to realize their worth. Now, I'm thankful for the explosion of women's sports, and I'm very supportive of women's sports, because it really allows girls to realize that you are more than a pretty face. You can be pretty and strong. Or, as we say often, strong is the new pretty, right? Because you can use your body, you can be an athlete, you can do dance, you can do acting, but you know, you're more than your looks, if that makes sense. So I think that's the greatest challenge. And that's what I would encourage other women to really try to pour into the girls that are around them, because they have pressures that we would have never experienced. Like, I was bullied as a child, but the minute I left school, it was over. It wasn't like the person, my personal bully was in my pocket every week. Girls are saying 65% of girls say I have been bullied or have bullied, and I have depression and symptoms that I'm probably not diagnosed and don't want to talk to my parents about.

The values most important to me are faith, mentorship, integrity, community service, and maintaining high personal and professional standards. I believe in serving others, especially young people, and helping create opportunities that strengthen communities while staying true to my principles.