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Rachel Simmons

Best-Selling Author & Leadership Educator

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Biography

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. Read More >

As a leadership development expert and coach, Rachel helps people build their resilience, amplify their voices, and own their own courage. Rachel serves on the faculty of the Google School for Leaders and was until recently the Director of the Phoebe Lewis Leadership Program at Smith College. She is co-founder of the national nonprofit Girls Leadership, and her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Atlantic, Slate, and The New York Times.

An ABC News Contributor for Good Morning America, Rachel appears often in the national media. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her daughter. Read Less ^

Speaker Videos

Pandemic Parenting

How to Quit Overthinking

Enough as She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible | Talks at Google

How to Help Your Teen Daughter Find Balance | GMA

Remote Learning: What Parents Need to Know | GMA

The Damage Remote Learning Can Cause | GMA

See Fewer Videos

Speech Topics

Unlocking Resilience: Mental Strength for Challenging Times

Should I have said that in today’s meeting? Why haven’t they emailed me back? Overthinking, or rumination, depletes motivation, problem solving skills and wellness. In this smaller, interactive workshop, participation will be limited in order to allow for discussion and skill-building. Read More >

You’ll learn more about why we overthink, how it compromises performance, and strategies to manage the behavior.

You’ll also learn a three-step practice for self-compassion, or your ability to be understanding towards yourself when you face misfortune or feel inadequate. Women are somewhat more likely to lack self-compassion, and over 1,000 studies have found that self-compassion can increase resilience and wellness, reduce shame and alleviate chronic stress -- all while helping us maintain high levels of motivation.

Participants will learn: Read Less ^

Current research on women and overthinking
Cognitive and mindfulness strategies to reduce overthinking
A three-step practice to increase self-compassion

How to Set Healthy Boundaries & Why It Matters

We set boundaries when we say no, enough, or stop, and also when we delegate, seek feedback and ask for more resources. Boundary setting directly affects our wellness, relationships and growth potential; it’s a crucial part of how we define who we are and where we want to go. Yet many women struggle to claim their space in the face of pressure to please others. In this session, you’ll learn and practice skills for effective limit setting, including tools to overcome the discomfort saying “no” brings to so many of us.

How to Succeed Without Sacrificing Yourself

Teens have never been more anxious, stressed and depressed, and the crisis is most keenly felt in high achieving communities. In this workshop, Rachel calls out the toxic messages about achievement (“be amazing at everything you do”) students internalize and gives students tools to pursue distinction without losing their wellness in the process. When you can fail well, the world opens up to you. There’s no challenge you can’t pursue, no risk you can’t take, because you know how to get back up when you’re knocked down. Students learn tools to take healthy risks, bounce back after a setback, and redefine your beliefs about success and failure. *For single-sex and co-ed audiences.

Enough as She Is: Moving Beyond Impossible Standards

Today’s young women have never been more “successful.” They have also never been as unhappy. Between 2010 and 2015, girls’ depressive symptoms increased by 50%, more than double the rate of boys. Though outpacing male peers in GPAs and college enrollment, too many feel that, no matter how hard they try, they will never be smart enough, successful enough, pretty enough, thin enough, popular enough—the list goes on. Sound familiar? Rachel Simmons comes to the rescue. Backed by vivid case studies and two decades of research, Simmons offers a clear understanding of this devastating problem and provides practical, actionable advice for parents and educators. These include teaching girls self-compassion as an alternative to self-criticism, how to manage overthinking, resist the constant urge to compare themselves to peers, take healthy risks, navigate toxic elements of social media, prioritize self-care, and seek support when they need it. Simmons also draws parallels from her research to address the stress and self-criticism that many adult women experience navigating work and life, sharing valuable tactics to cultivate leadership skills. As Gloria Steinem said about the takeaways from Simmons book: “Enough As She Is may save millions of women from the idea that ‘having it all’ means ‘doing it all.’”

Tenacious Women: Tools for Psychological Flexibility

In this lecture, learn how gender can shape our response to stress and explore strategies to stay flexible and resilient. Read More >

This session will introduce you to psychological flexibility, or your ability to adapt to fluctuating demands, reconfigure your mental resources, and shift perspective when the situation demands. We’ll also explore imposter phenomenon, or the belief that one is a fraud, even when evidence exists to the contrary. Often occurring among high achievers, or people working in fields where they are breaking barriers, imposter phenomenon can limit your confidence, risk taking and voice.

Participants will: Read Less ^

Learn how early socialization -- the messages we heard growing up -- can shape women’s experience in the workplace
Explore how stress mindsets, or the degree to which you view stress as harmful, directly affects your ability to manage it
Why women struggle with imposter phenomenon and tools to manage it

Pandemic Parenting

When our kids look back on this time, they will most remember how they felt. In this popular talk, Rachel weaves practical advice, research and humor into a talk that leaves parents recharged and inspired. Rachel teaches parents practical strategies to manage family stress so they can support their children with confidence and compassion. “During this uncertain time,” one parent wrote, “I am grateful to Rachel for providing such valuable tips to regulate and create sanity in our household.”

Pandemic Parenting: The Road Back

As parents prepare to send their children back to some version of school, students are understandably anxious about the coming transitions. How can we best support kids who are worried about leaving home and adjusting to an uncertain future? In this talk, Rachel will answer parents’ questions and teach strategies to support your family’s transition into the next chapter of pandemic parenting.

Failing Well: Strategies for Resilience & Courage

When you can fail well, the world opens up to you. There’s no challenge you can’t pursue, no risk you can’t take, because you know how to get back up when you’re knocked down. In this workshop, learn tools to take healthy risks, manage overthinking, confront imposter phenomenon, bounce back after a setback, and redefine your beliefs about success and failure.

Own Your Voice: Amplify Your Strengths & Expand Your Network

Your ability to develop high quality connections with others, and share strengths and accomplishments with colleagues, are increasingly critical to success. Research finds that networking and self-promotion can make the difference in promotions and career progress, yet they can be more challenging than ever during WFH. Read More >

In this smaller, interactive workshop, participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussion and skill building. Expect to: Read Less ^

Learn why some women struggle with self-promotion and networking
Practice creative strategies to help you share the highlights of your work
Learn and practice tools to develop high quality connections with others

How Self-Compassion Makes You Braver, Happier & More Successful

Research shows that self-criticism heightens anxiety and lowers motivation, yet most people believe it’s the key to success. In this workshop, learn a researched, three-step practice to deal with setbacks, manage difficult feelings, and quiet the voice of a destructive inner critic.

Testimonials

"I was really impressed with how you tailored your message today. Your introduction was engaging and spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation which helped me to remember the material so much better. A great experience that I feel I will be able to apply in my own parenting practice."

- WeCare

"Rachel comes to Flint Hill School regularly to build the students’ self-esteem and prevent bullying behavior. She focuses on empowering strategies and she has been very successful with both genders. Her presentation had a significant impact on our entire population of both male and female students. This was even more evident from the number of male students who stayed after the assembly to talk with her personally."

- Flint Hill School

"Rachel was wonderful! Our audience loved her presentation and style and I personally found her to be delightful."

- Renfrew Center Foundation

"RACHEL ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh….she was everything I hoped for and MORE. EVERYONE raved and raved about her presentation. She was down to earth, funny, SO knowledgeable, friendly, approachable…I can’t say enough good things. My daughter (who worked at the book table with Rachel) had stars in her eyes for the entire conference. The room was packed…and they STAYED until she finished!!! We drew bigger numbers than ever before (1400+), and I firmly believe it was because of Rachel. This morning, I sent out an email to all of the school counselor state presidents recommending Rachel for their conferences."

- Missouri School Counselors Association

"The Rachel Simmons visit was the single most successful school assembly event we have ever hosted. The girls loved her. She was concerned about working with the Lower School girls, but she did great with them! The Middle School and Upper School girls could have spent a week with her. We did follow up activities in all divisions and we are using the language she used in her talks. The parents were equally impressed and moved by her talks. Thank you so much for making the arrangements for us."

- Wichita Collegiate School

"You were a hit with the participants who appreciated your availability and willingness to spend time with them for a few minutes after the session. Engaging with them gives you and your message credibility and actually promotes the belief that opportunity is for the taking."

- Michigan High School Athletic Association

"Rachel was wonderful. It is not often you find a speaker who can so poignantly reach such a broad age range, ours being from 12 to 60, but Rachel absolutely came through in her truly unique style taking full command of the stage and captivating her audience. The members of my NCL chapter who attended as well as members from several other chapters have been signing her praise all day. I am deeply touched at the way my daughter responded; she enjoyed Rachel tremendously and it was a special day for both of us.

I would like to thank you personally for handling the event so thoroughly and professionally from negotiation through execution. Working with you has been a most pleasant experience. Please extend our sincere thanks to Rachel, she was delightful and an absolute jewel."

- National Charity League, Saratoga Los Gatos Chapter

"I saw both talks and I thought she was fantastic. Our past WeCare president said she was her favorite speaker of all the speakers we've had. She was very funny and got her message across very effectively. I think my favorite thing about her was her ability to listen to parents' questions during the Q & A. She would ask them follow-up questions until she felt she really understood their situation and then give them extremely thoughtful, honest responses."

- WeCare

"We had a WONDERFUL event with Rachel on Saturday! She was/is delightful, and extremely entertaining and informative. She completely engaged both mothers and daughters in our audience—our entire audience! The time went by way too quickly. We could have listened to her much longer! Thanks for all your help coordinating the event!"

- National Charity League - East Valley Chapter

"Rave reviews across campus and from the community. We had a great response; the hall in which she spoke had students sitting on the floor to fit in. We had great student, faculty, and community response, with several parents bringing their daughters, daycare and education professionals, etc. Her appeal was broad based. She was also very accommodating and helpful to our Rhodes candidate; they spent an hour or so together and Rachel was great help."

- USD

"We sold over 900 tickets and had to put chairs on the stage to accommodate the overflow of people. She is a delightful, dynamic young woman. We were all so impressed with the ease in which she handled the crowds of anxious parents and the time she invested in hearing their personal experiences. I can't wait to listen to her speak again!

There must have been at least 40 little girls waiting in line to ask Rachel a question and she was gracious and articulate in her responses to each and every one of them. It was particularly an impact that so many children were willing to get up and express their feelings; share their personal experiences. It certainly speaks to the degree that we are all affected by “AG” and how eager the kids were to talk about it.

I want her to know that she reached our community, opening a much needed dialogue to address this issue. And, now she has a cult following of adolescent girls who think she HUNG THE MOON, my daughters included."

- Connecticut Public Schools

"The Head and I attended all four presentations--grades 8-12, grades 4-7, parents and alums, faculty and staff. Rachel varied the content and the delivery model for each of these target groups with some similar messages for each. We had spoken beforehand about possible focus topics for each of the four different groups and this was a great opportunity for us to work with Rachel, her content and her delivery. Our event is complex in that we need a speaker with Rachel's nimbleness and experience to reach varied audiences. Kudos to her, her energy was positive the whole way through. We are really happy to have worked with APB. Logistics from start to finish went well. We would recommend Rachel and APB to other schools."

- Client

"We are so pleased, she was absolutely fabulous! Our theater was packed for all of the presentations to our parents, faculty, and students and she engaged them all."

- Convent of the Sacred Heart

"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. A young woman from our London office (20 something, no kids) emailed me to say anyone who is human would benefit from some of your tips. I have 10 new book orders from others who wanted a copy. Bottom line: Huge impact.

So thank YOU so much. And thank you for being so easy to work with as well. We look forward to having you back."

- Wellington Management Company LLP

"So many kids said Rachel was 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."

- Westover School

"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."

- High School