Rachel Simmons
The Cofounder of National Nonprofit, Girls Leadership and Leadership Development Specialist at the Wurtele Center for Leadership at Smith College
Enough As She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy, and Fulfilling Lives
For many girls today, the drive to achieve is fueled by brutal self- criticism and an acute fear of failure. Though young women have never been more “successful” – outpacing boys in GPAs and college enrollment – they have also never struggled more. On the surface, girls may seem exceptional, but in reality, they are anxious and overwhelmed, feeling that, no matter how hard they try, they will never be smart enough, successful enough, pretty enough, thin enough, popular enough, or sexy enough.
Rachel Simmons has been researching young women for two decades, and her research plainly shows that girl competence does not equal girl confidence – nor does it equal happiness, resilience, or self-worth. Ms. Simmons warns that we have raised a generation of young women so focused on achieving that they avoid healthy risks, overthink setbacks, and suffer from imposter syndrome, believing they are frauds. In her latest book, Enough as She Is, she argues that young women can do more than just survive adolescence – they can thrive.
Event Sponsors
- Baker Demonstration School
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- Chicago Waldorf School
- Counseling Center of the North Shore
- Countryside Montessori School
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- Family Service of Glencoe
- Glencoe D35
- Haven Youth and Family Services
- The Joseph Sears School
- New Trier Parents’ Association
- Regina Dominican College Preparatory High School
- Wolcott College Prep

Upcoming Events
Untethered: Creating Connected Families, Schools, and Communities to Raise a Resilient Generation
Doug Bolton, Ph.D.
Clinical psychologist and educational leader and consultant
Lisa Damour, Ph.D.
Psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and "Ask Lisa" podcast co-host
ON ZOOM
Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life
Maggie Smith
Award-winning author and poet
Glory Edim
Author and Founder of Well-Read Black Girl, an online platform and book club celebrating the works of Black women authors
ON ZOOM
What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice & Change
Emily Falk, Ph.D.
Professor of Communication, Psychology, Marketing, and Operations, Informatics, and Decisions (OID), University of Pennsylvania
Ethan Kross, Ph.D.
Professor, Management & Organizations, Ross School of Business, and Director of the Emotion and Self Control Lab, University of Michigan
ON ZOOM