Rosalind Wiseman

Bestselling Author, Speaker & Thought Leader

Rosalind Wiseman

Bestselling Author, Speaker & Thought Leader

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Biography

Rosalind Wiseman challenges us to understand the power of dignity to build courage, connection, and community. She is a speaker, writer, advisor, and thought leader on leadership, culture, conflict, and young people. Currently, she serves as a senior leadership consultant at the US State Department’s Office for Overseas Schools which serves over 195 schools throughout the world and is supporting Professor David Yeager at the University of Texas on a forthcoming book on young people and motivation.

She is the author of nine books including the multiple New York Times Best Sellers: Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World—the groundbreaking book that was the basis for the movie and Broadway Musical Mean Girls, and Masterminds & Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World, which was awarded Best Parenting Book by Books for a Better Life. Her ninth book, published by Chronicle Books in the fall of 2022 with co-author Shanterra McBride, is Courageous Discomfort: How to Have Brave, Life Changing Conversations about Race and Racism. She is currently revising Queen Bees & Wannabes for a 4th edition to be published in 2024 in time for the 20th anniversary of Mean Girls.

Rosalind also co-founded Cultures of Dignity, an organization that partners with communities to reimagine how to bring dignity and social and emotional learning to all.

National media regularly depends on Wiseman’s expertise on principled leadership, conflict, youth culture, parenting, and bullying prevention. She has been profiled in or written for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and USA Today, among others. Wiseman is a frequent guest on national media like the Today Show, CNN, Good Morning America, and NPR affiliates throughout the country. She has spoken to audiences throughout the United States and abroad including South by Southwest, Microsoft, UBS, The Royal Society for the Arts, the Association for the Advancement of International Education, the Game Developers Conference, the American Association of School Administrators, and at the White House many times across administrations.

Rosalind is a native of Washington DC and spent most of her life there. She now lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Speaker Videos

Respect is complicated

Rosalind's Principles

Creating a Culture of Dignity | #NEASCforum

You Raise Your Kids, I Teach Them French

Respectus et Dignitas

Masterminds and Wingmen: How to Talk To Your Teenage Boys About Bullying

Your Kids and Bullying

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Speech Topics

Leading a Principled & Powerful Life

We can be the people we aspire to be and have the relationships we want in our families, places of work, and communities. We can define and hold ourselves to high expectations and care for our emotional capacity and mental health.

Join Rosalind Wiseman as she shows us how to embrace the power of dignity to build courage, connection, and community. In this inspiring presentation filled with common sense and humor, Rosalind shares powerful insights to living a principled life. With this path to keep our thoughts and actions on course, we maintain a sense of purpose, meaning, and capacity no matter what comes our way.

Topics covered:

Defining the difference between respect and dignity and how it transforms relationships
Understanding emotional regulation
Recognizing the dangers of high expectations
Creating and maintaining boundaries
Be easy on people, hard on ideas

Courageous Discomfort: Having Brave, Life-Changing Conversations

How can we have honest conversations about topics that silence most of us or in which only a few people dominate? How do we create and sustain an inclusive community where people feel a sense of belonging? How do we know when to advocate for each other or receive feedback when our intentions don't match our impact?

Based on our latest book, Courageous Discomfort, Rosalind Wiseman gives us the roadmap. Courageous Discomfort acknowledges the challenges of breaking through our hesitancy, frustration, and fear around issues of diversity and inclusion. Courageous discomfort grounds our thinking and actions in the principle of dignity—the belief that everyone has the right to be recognized for their inherent worth.

We live in a time where it can feel too hard, too frightening for some of us to step into these moments and make a difference. This presentation shows you how.

Topics covered:

Managing emotions in contentious interactions
Recognizing the difference between a curious question and a question that intensifies conflict
Transforming people’s discomfort into the capacity to build relationships and resilience
Realizing how the connection between emotional regulation, emotional hijacking, and boundaries is critical to understanding people’s reception to any diversity and inclusion efforts
Supporting anti-racist work when you can’t relate to people of color’s experience or you have little education on having these conversations
Analyzing relatable situations and dynamics around these topics and sharing skills to manage oneself with dignity and capacity

Raising Our Village: Creating a Culture of Dignity for & with Young People

As young people navigate a constantly changing educational environment and integrate their experiences of COVID, we know one thing is certain: Supportive relationships and social skills are critical to their emotional well-being. But these skills are not “soft skills.” They are essential for kids to engage in their education and support their emotional and mental health. From their friendships, anxiety, social media, conflicts with friends and family, and the constant pressure to “keep up,” this presentation will share insights and strategies to best connect—especially when they need us most.

Topics covered:

The current landscape for young people
The impact of social isolation on young people’s mental health
Defining the difference between dignity and respect and its essential role in relationships with young people
Concrete, relatable strategies to support young people’s development and resilience
Effective communication between adults and young people to avoid power struggles

Behind the Screens: Understanding Social Media in Young People’s Lives

As social media is integrated into all aspects of our lives, it is essential to understand its influence on young people’s goals, emotions, and relationships. But that’s not enough. Adults need greater insight into how social media is defined by their kids or students and how it influences their self-esteem, friendships, self-identity, and conflicts with other people—especially within the context of young people’s experience with social isolation and COVID. In this highly important and informative keynote, Rosalind Wiseman will help you navigate this new normal. You’ll learn what are reasonable expectations for adults to have about young people’s social media use and how you can talk and listen to young people about online communication that strengthens our relationships with each other instead of turning into power struggles and disconnection.

Topics covered:

Supporting young people and adults to have reasonable expectations about social media usage
Defining privacy in realistic ways for young people
Understanding the impact of social isolation, going viral, or being canceled
Aligning personal boundaries online with personal boundaries overall
Developing skills to navigate relationships online and in person when using social media
Identifying how to communicate with young people so they will reach out to adults when they need support and guidance

Queen Bees & Masterminds: Helping Young People Navigate Friendships, Social Conflicts & Popularity

Over 20 years ago, the book Queen Bees & Wannabes profoundly changed the way we see girls' friendships. Three editions later, along with the publication of Masterminds & Wingmen, Rosalind Wiseman has continued to pull back the curtain on what’s going on in young people’s culture—from gender to canceling, their friendships, and social hierarchies. In this presentation, she will share how young people's social group dynamics influence their interactions and offers step-by-step advice on how to teach them how to navigate these common yet complex situations, such as why young people can be reluctant to ask for help. She’ll also give common-sense suggestions that adults can use to break through communication barriers. This presentation can be tailored for both student and adult audiences and will be customized to reflect any specifics that should be addressed in your community.

Leadership & Young People

Young people are asking for, and sometimes demanding, leadership roles in new and innovative ways. But in most cases, they just don’t know how to be leaders in moments when it matters most. In this workshop designed for educators and young people, Rosalind Wiseman shares how students can bring dignity into their understanding of leadership and learn effective strategies to manage groups, inspire and listen to others.

Topics covered:

Defining leadership outside of formal roles
Showing the difference between being bossy and leadership
Understanding how young people’s experiences with those in authority influence their leadership styles
Creating a feeling of belonging in the group so people feel their contribution is valued
Managing conflict as a leader
Learning to advocate and work with adults

Relationships Are Everything

Adolescents have always needed friends and meaningful social lives. Both are essential to young people’s mental and emotional health now and as they develop into adults. But with this generation, who must integrate the experience of COVID into their social development, the social road is often filled with challenges. Meanwhile, the worry of falling behind and keeping up academically is real. The consequence is often confusion and anxiety about how to support young people as they navigate their social lives, develop academic resilience, and maintain their mental health.

Topics covered:

An overview of understanding young people’s emotions and their social dynamics
Defining loyalty in friendships and other relationships
Establishing and maintaining boundaries as an invaluable part of any healthy relationship
Strategies to strengthen communication between adults and young people about relationships

Bridging the Generational Divide

Many young people feel that the world is so different now that it is impossible for adults to relate to their experiences and challenges. At the same time, many adults feel that it is increasingly difficult and frustrating to reach young people. We want to do our best by them, we believe we do our best for them, but our attempts to understand their world are rebuffed and communicating with them can escalate into misunderstandings and disconnection.

We have to figure out another way to be in relationship with each other. For our children, for their education, for the foundation of our communities and our collective welfare, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

So how do we support young people to pursue their academic and creative purpose, develop emotional and intellectual resilience, and support their mental health? What are the communication strategies that bridge the gap between generations? What truly motivates young people, and what makes them turn away from us? If they do turn away, how do we create opportunities to reconnect and build back our relationships?

Combining the latest adolescent brain and behavioral research with over twenty-five years of work with young people, Rosalind will answer these questions. She will show how to get beyond the stereotypes and expectations young people and adults have of each other and transform our interactions into meaningful exchanges where adults are credible, powerful mentors.

Testimonials

"Your impressive remarks and nuggets of wisdom were laced with gentle humor...in other words, you were awesome and gained many new followers and fans! I want to thank you for sharing your expertise in adolescent culture that can be so confusing and challenging to parents and educators...the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. Again, I thank you for a most memorable evening!"

- Women and Girls' Fund Talbot County

"Rosalind was terrific - I have received a lot of wonderful feedback from the folks who attended. A few people told me that they are tough critics who are not easily impressed, and they were impressed by her. We're very grateful! And on a personal level, Rosalind was warm, easy, and delightful. Truly, just a delight."

- Ensworth School

"Rosalind’s presentation was a huge success! She really is a masterful speaker and really connected with our audience. I was there in the front row the whole time and I was enthralled. I really appreciated how she took the time to know our membership and tailor her remarks specifically to them.

We sold out of her books and she took time after her session to sign every one and engage with our members.

Thank you for making her appearance happen – she really helped make our event special."

- Arizona School Boards Association

"Rosalind was amazing, and her keynote/concurrent sessions were certainly highlights of our convention. We have heard that so many of the educators and parents in attendance found her information relevant and extremely applicable. Not only that, but she was very willing to spend time with our attendees one-on-one to provide insight and feedback to their personal questions and was so fun to work with onsite. I really can’t say enough positive things about our experience with her. Many thanks for your help throughout our convention preparations!"

- Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

"It was really a privilege and an honor to meet you. It was an awesome day today, truly, and you were the one who made it magic. Thanks for your wisdom and good humor. Hope you had as much fun as we did."

- Education Consultant, Connecticut State Department of Education

"What Rosalind Wiseman shared was very beneficial to those in the audience. The content was relevant and she was able to effectively engage teachers ranging from pre-kindergarten to those teaching AP high school courses. We had additional professional development planned for staff around bullying prevention and Ms. Wiseman’s presentation was clearly aligned with our work to help students and families feel comfortable and safe in our schools. Bottom line: her presentation resonated with all staff and she did a great job sharing the information in an engaging and relevant manner. I heard only positive feedback about her presentations. Thank you!"

- Associate Superintendent of Human Resources, West Des Moines Community Schools

"The presentation far exceeded any reasonable expectations. There were 1300 kids or so and you commanded the room with power, expertise, authenticity, and intimacy—no mean feat. I spent the latter part of the week asking kids what they thought of your presentation. As expected, universally positive. The key, as it is the key to effective 21st century education as a whole, is your no-nonsense authenticity. The most common comment was individual kids thinking you were talking directly to them. You were able to establish a measure of intimacy. The concern, which you went to great lengths to point out at the faculty session, is that messages are effective when delivered faithfully over a long time period. A single banner, slogan, or even assembly doth not a culture of dignity make. We shall do our best to incorporate your messages into daily academic life—and our own. Keep up the good work…you are making a difference."

- Teacher, New Albany (Ohio) High School

"The Rosalind Wiseman event in Gainesville was a success. We had over 100 guests in attendance for our community event and when you figure that our town only has a population of about 700, that's a really good turnout! The teacher in-service the next day was very well received. I think the teachers really enjoyed the small group discussions and I know for a fact that our school administrators are making efforts to incorporate Rosalind's message into our school climate. We are actually in the process of redoing our front lobby as we speak."

- Gainesville High School

"It was wonderful. Rosalind was compelling and profound….and so easy to deal with. The feedback from participants was uniformly positive. Parents really appreciated her clarity and concrete strategies. And the professional audience understood that she really knows schools and kids and was able to offer teachers and administrators real answers to their issues and questions. It was an honor and privilege to work with her and learn from her. Please extend our thanks to her."

- Ometz

"EVERYONE had nothing but GREAT things to say about Rosalind’s workshops. They only wish they could have stayed longer!! Each of us who had staff there or overheard others talking only had positives to say about her as well. We were impressed with the “take-aways” she gave to the youth workers in the audience and her frankness. We are glad we invited her to come! Thank you for all you did to help facilitate this and hopefully we can work together in the future."

- Girls on the Run of Northeast, FL

"We were so pleased with Rosalind’s presentations and the positive feedback we received from attendees. She was interviewed by Channel 13 news in Orlando and was fabulous. She was an excellent speaker and also took time with people to offer suggestions and helpful advice."

- 2nd Annual National Mean Girls Conference

"Rosalind was wonderful! She was friendly, easy to work with, personable, and flexible. She connected with us ahead of time, talked with us about our needs, and followed through on everything. This was really refreshing. Our survey results from the conference were positive in regard to her keynote. We enjoyed having her at the conference. Thank you so much."

- Client

"We had a very successful event yesterday and Rosalind was an integral part of making that happen. She was wonderful, rolled with the punches, and made everyone feel welcomed. From everything I heard and saw, she was a Rockstar!"

- Denver Public Health