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
- Chiaravalle Montessori School
- Chicago Waldorf School
- Counseling Center of the North Shore
- Countryside Montessori 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
- Regina Dominican College Preparatory High School
- Wolcott College Prep
Upcoming Events
Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best
Angela Duckworth, Ph.D.
Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania
Nicholas Epley, Ph.D.
John Templeton Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavior Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
ON ZOOM
Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines
Sherry Turkle, Ph.D.
Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology, MIT
Alison Flowers
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist in Chicago and the founder of Spiralbound
Latin School of Chicago, Wrigley Theatre
Note: Event start time is Central Time (CT).
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

