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 College Prep
Upcoming Events
Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child’s Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods
Michaeleen Doucleff, Ph.D.
Bestselling author, biochemist, and award-winning NPR reporter
Heidi Stevens
Chicago-based writer and Director of External Affairs for the University of Chicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health
ON ZOOM
The Creativity Choice: The Science of Making Decisions to Turn Ideas into Action
Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Marc Brackett, Ph.D.
Founding director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and professor, Child Study Center, Yale University
ON ZOOM
Everybody’s Fly: Art, Music, and Changing the Culture
Fab 5 Freddy
Artist, Filmmaker, and Architect of Hip-Hop Culture
Theaster Gates
Artist, archivist, curator, and professor and Special Advisor to the President at the University of Chicago
Evanston Township High School Auditorium
Note: Event start time is Central Time (CT).
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.


