Bio and Press Kit
There’s nothing more inspiring to me than watching someone discover they are braver than they thought — and nothing that moves me more than helping someone realize they are not alone in their struggle.
I wrote Odd Girl Out to heal myself after being targeted as a child, but in the process came to terms with my own behavior as a bully—a story I have told all over the world to girls and boys alike. After co-founding the national nonprofit Girls Leadership, I spent nearly a decade teaching leadership skills to girls and interviewing them about the pressure to be perfect. I wrote The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Girls with Courage and Confidence, also a national bestseller. As I grew up, so did my students, and I now work with universities and corporations on leadership development. Today I am a parent to a girl myself, and I am passionate about coaching parents to model self-compassion and courage to their girls; that’s the message of my latest book, Enough As She Is.
Rachel’s Bio
Looking for Rachel’s bio for a student audience? Click here!
Rachel Simmons is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Odd Girl Out, The Curse of the Good Girl, and Enough As She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy and Fulfilling Lives.
A master facilitator and executive coach, she works for the world’s most innovative companies to design and deliver programs for women’s leadership development and gender equity. She is renowned for translating social science research into accessible strategies with authenticity and humor, while creating a safe space to explore uncomfortable topics.
Rachel serves on the faculty of the Google School for Leaders and is an associate with the firm Cultivating Leadership. After co-founding the national nonprofit Girls Leadership, she led the Phoebe Lewis Leadership Program at Smith College. Her writing has appeared in the The New York Times and Harvard Business Review, among many other publications.
An ABC News Contributor for Good Morning America, Rachel is a recognized thought leader in the national media. She is a proud gay parent and lives in Western Massachusetts with her daughter and two rescue dogs.
Even More About Rachel
Rachel and her daughter live with Charlie and Mabel, two rescue dogs from Texas. Rachel loves mountain biking and taking her dogs to run in the woods. As a lifelong learner, Rachel loves trying new things, partly because it helps keep her “failure muscle” strong. One of her favorite things to do is make people laugh. Rachel loves karaoke, dance parties, and chocolate chip cookies. She considers herself a New Yorker at heart, even if her zip code doesn’t match.
