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.
Ms. Simmons is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Odd Girl Out and The Curse of the Good Girl, and is the cofounder of Girls Leadership, a national nonprofit. She was the host of the PBS television special, “A Girl’s Life,” and her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Slate, the Washington Post, and the New York Times.
Event Sponsors
- Baker Demonstration School
- Chiaravalle Montessori School
- Chicago Waldorf School
- Counseling Center of the North Shore
- Countryside Day School
- Erika’s Lighthouse
- Family Service Center
- Family Service of Glencoe
- Glencoe D35
- Haven Youth and Family Services
- The Joseph Sears School
- New Trier Parents’ Association
- Wolcott School
Upcoming Events
Year of the Monkey: An Evening with Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Writer, performer, and visual artist
Evanston Township High School Auditorium
Live streaming video of this event will be available, beginning at 7:00 PM, on the ETHS Wildkits YouTube Live Stream channel.
Special thanks to DJ Jeff Pazen for pre- and post-event music!
The Power of Human: How Our Shared Humanity Can Help Us Create a Better World
Adam Waytz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
North Shore Country Day School Auditorium
The Great Juggling Act: Balancing Life as a Parent
Julie Morgenstern
Time-management and productivity specialist, and author of Organizing from the Inside Out, Never Check Email in the Morning, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life, and the brand-new Time to Parent: Organizing Your Life to Bring Out the Best in Your Child and You
New Trier High School, Northfield Campus, Cornog Auditorium