Praise
5
It's honestly scary how relevant that was to my life. Rachel knew exactly what I’m dealing with and what I know a lot of my friends are dealing with as well. She also didn’t give us a bunch of statistics and facts listed out, she presented in a way that made her relatable and funny and also compassionate. She seemed to genuinely care about helping us and getting through to us, and I think this is the best speaker that [our school] has ever had.
5
“I realized a lot of people, including me, can be a bully.”
5
"Since entering college, I have experienced an unexpected amount of self-doubt and confidence struggles. As a junior, I have learned to change the negative self-talk in several of Rachel's workshops. Thanks to Rachel, I have completely changed the way I think about failure, making my relationship with myself far more healthy."
5
"I always leave Rachel’s talks feeling inspired and better able to tackle conflicts that may arise in my personal or professional life. She teaches the tools necessary to communicate effectively in a format that is fun and effective. I now counter the biggest qualms of my daily life with, 'what is the worst that could happen?' Her workshops have honestly been some of my most meaningful experiences in college."
5
I saw you speak last night at Regina - and I kind of want you to be my best friend! Seriously, you were amazing. I have 4 kids - three are girls. I have a full time job, much of it focused on leadership coaching for women - so this spoke to me in so many ways - as a parent, coach, and to my personal psyche. I brought my 12 year old, and she was so engaged - she rarely pays attention to these things, and I saw her write on the comment card, "Amazing! Thanks so much! This changes everything for me!" We promptly named our versions of "Lester" and are integrating your messages into our lives and to our other kids. Thank you. So much.
5
Wow! What a compelling speaker you are! I have been talking about it all day! And my daughter talked to us about it last night for at least a couple hours. Really amazing.
5
I am the mother of a 7th grade girl and really appreciated your talk this morning. More than anything, I really appreciate you talking to our girls today. I look forward to having an open talk with my daughter when she comes home from school about self-compassion, mindfulness and what success means. Keep up the great work! It's very important.
5
My daughter, aged 12 and a half, has been through two years of complex, baffling, painful experiences with her girlfriends and I purchased your book during one of the episodes. We read it together and talked about it. I shared my own experiences of female bullying. [...] Thank you for enabling her to have some understanding and armor to face this difficult age. It is fascinating to see how frustration is displayed through freezing people out or two-faced behavior because girls are forced to be 'nice' and are silenced, they can't shout, can't be direct, or fist fight. It helps to feel empathy for the cruel behavior, rather than just think these girls are 'mean girls' so thank you.
5
I have been reading The Curse of the Good Girl For a little while now and find it fascinating and terrifying at the same time (mainly because I see so much of myself/my daughter in its pages). Your response to my query about how to encourage my child to stand up for herself was spot on...I cannot expect my daughter to do it if I cannot. Thank you for your insight and helping me to realize that the answer to many of my frustrations/struggles with both of my children lies within (something the "problem-fixer" in me could never see!). Please continue to share your wisdom/insight with the world-we parents have so much to gain from it.
5
It was a love fest. You exceeded every expectation. You made real connections with the students, staff and parents. Speaking your truth sparked conversations in our classrooms and around our dinner tables. But even more impressive, is your striking personality that fills the room and immediately puts everyone at ease. Your confidence and honesty is infectious. Thank you for spending the day in our schools. It was a special day and you made a lasting impression on me and everyone who was fortunate enough to hear you speak.
5
So many kids said you were the best speaker we ever had. I also had faculty coming up to me for the past few days thanking me for having a program where they could think about nurturing themselves rather than always focusing on how to take care of the girls. And that parent turnout was the largest we had in years.
5
My administration and others in our district leadership were blown away with the turnout. We’ve heard nothing but positive feedback. Rachel did a masterful job of providing takeaways for both parents and kids. She had the kids on the edge of their seats, completely engaged and eager to participate.
5
"This is the second time Rachel visited our district. There was a reason we brought her back for a second time and once again we were not disappointed! She did a great job presenting to our students doing different presentations for different grade levels. Her messaging was on point to our students about the challenges they face each day with social media as well as the pressure to be perfect. She provided our parents with many different strategies on how to manage their child’s social media including open communication while setting boundaries. What impresses me the most is the connection she makes with students. Several have told me personally over the last few days how much they enjoyed the time she spent with us."
5
"Your presentation was riveting to both girls and boys. We struggle with so many of the issues you touched upon, such as relational aggression, when joking goes too far, the fact that no one has perfect friendships. Your style of presentation was highly engaging and active. The boys and girls have been a buzz with discussion. This topic was highly relevant to both genders.”
5
"I cannot say enough about what Rachel has added to our Residence Life Program at Smith College. She has been an outstanding resource to our students and staff through her creation and facilitation of workshops that address the needs of students and house communities."
5
You’ve helped me grow as a leader and a person more than I could have ever imagined.
5
I feel very privileged to have had Rachel work with one of my team members in a coaching capacity for 9 months. Her gentle-yet-firm guidance has made a big difference in this employee's life, and even though she has a challenging road ahead of her, I can see that she is much better equipped to handle it now having worked with Rachel.
5
Rachel was able to elicit vulnerability that led to learning and growth with a large audience in a virtual setting - a feat I didn't think possible.
5
Rachel has the unique gift of being able to walk into a room (physical or virtual) and immediately put the group at ease, coming away from her workshops both laughing and completely transformed and empowered.
5
You did an absolutely superb job of moderating, leading and imparting wisdom in such a natural and authentic way. It was an incredibly enjoyable, emotionally enriching and useful two hours where I walked away with some genuinely new thoughts, tips and actionable insights that I want to explore further.
5
Rachel is very relatable, entertaining and delivered the content in a way that encouraged sharing and made me feel heard and supported. She is one of the best presenters I have ever seen, so full of expert knowledge and so well-prepared. Would love to attend more events with her.
5
Wow! I’m not even sure where to start, but that was amazing. We were receiving so many messages throughout Rachel's presentation about how impactful it was and how these team members were relating to the challenges she spoke about. They couldn’t even wait until it was over to share the feedback, and we truly felt the same. Thank you for spending time with us today and we can’t wait to get the recording up for the rest of our team members to watch. I know there will be a number of attendees watching again based on their messages. This highly surpassed our expectation – JOB WELL DONE!
5
I have women stopping me in the hallway to tell me how much they loved you. Everyone enjoyed your energy, humor, and authenticity. Thank you for such an engaging session.
5
"People are constantly telling me how much they love your work. Everyone enjoys your insights, strategies and down to earth presentation. Thank you for making the workplace more open and successful for all employees."
5
I can’t tell you how many people stopped by my office to say how valuable your training was to them as parents and even to them as individuals. Thank you for being so easy to work with and for the practical parenting ideas you provided to our diversity and inclusion network.
5
Rachel Simmons is the expert on helping girls become leaders. In a world that too often tells our girls to be quiet, not assertive; deferential, not opinionated; meek, not bold; and insecure, not confident, Rachel says otherwise – and she has the advice and research to back it up. This book is a must read for girls who want to lead – and for the parents, teachers, and coaches who want to help them get there.
5
"A brilliant and passionate call to action that reveals how girls and young women are suffering in our toxic culture of constant comparison and competition. This is the book parents need to change girls’ lives and guide them to truly become happy, healthy, and powerful adults."
5
Is it wrong that I wanted to underline every single word in this book? Simmons brilliantly crystallizes contemporary girls’ dilemma: the way old expectations and new imperatives collide; how a narrow, virtually unattainable vision of “success” comes at the expense of self-worth and well-being. Enough As She is a must-read, not only for its diagnosis of the issues but for its insightful, useful strategies on how to address them."
5
"Enough As She Is may save millions of women from the idea that 'having it all' means 'doing it all.' Women as well as men have the right to make choices that suit us uniquely, yet girls and women are more subject to external standards that we had nothing to do with creating. Rachel Simmons has given us the next step in our peaceful revolution: not only changing women to fit the world, but changing the world to fit women."
5
"This book is a rare find for any parent or mentor of a girl child. It exposes the abject harm of today’s perfect-at-any-price childhood, and illustrates how a girl’s anxious, busy, self-deprecating performance strategy is entirely normal yet further harm-inducing. Packed with conversational specifics you can deploy with the teen girls in your life, this book is your chance to be (who/whom) she needs you to be. Buy it. Read it. Live it. Help the girl you love realize the most important of all certainties: that she truly is enough as she is."
5
"Cathartic to any teen or parent trying to find company."
5
"Passionate and beautifully written. A significant contribution to our understanding of the psychology of girls."
5
"Required reading for young girls and their mothers."
5
"Peels away the smiley surfaces of adolescent female society to expose one of girlhood’s dark secrets: the vicious psychological warfare waged every day in the halls of our middle schools and high schools."
5
"Young adults 'will find support, direction, and even a community in their peers' words.'"
5
“Passionate and beautifully written. A significant contribution to our understanding of the psychology of girls.”
5
"Required reading for young girls and their mothers."
5
"If you care about girls, you will want them to be influenced by the ideas and practices in this outstanding book."
5
"An amazing array of clear practical strategies for all adults dedicated to raising savvy assertive girls. A must read- again and again- for everyone who cares about girls."
5
"Rachel Simmons has perceptively laid out the current state of teenage girls in American society. As exciting as their futures can be, some of the same challenges that have held back women’s success are still to be found in this newest generation of young achievers. The question is: who will reverse the trend, permanently so young women can not only aspire to the same goals as their male counterparts, but will not get shut down along the way by either girls or boys."
5
"Simmons' trenchant cultural critique becomes an essential primer for raising and nurturing healthy resilient girls. An indispensable read for parents, educators—indeed, anyone who cares about young girls!"
5
"Simmons is at her best when she helps girls understand that until they know and risk what they really feel and think, they cannot be true leaders."
5
"Every mother who wants to raise an authentic, courageous girl will be grateful for the clear-headed guidance that Ms. Simmons provides. When parents ask me for a great book about girl psychology, I am going to recommend The Curse of the Good Girl."
5
"If you are a parent or an educator and want to know what stops girls from reaching their full potential and what you can do to make sure she does, please read The Curse of the Good Girl. My deepest hope is that girls realize the importance of what Rachel is saying to them and incorporate it into all of their relationships."
5
"The Curse of the Good Girl is an invaluable guide to girls and those who want to help them. Simmons’ cogent thinking, excellent writing and and compelling stories help readers understand the difference between compliant and authentic. She offers sophisticated and practical advice to parents, teachers, therapists and all others who work to help girls keep their true selves. This wonderful book will revive many Ophelias."