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Robyn  Silverman

Robyn Silverman

Body Image, Bullying Expert & Leadership, Success Coach

Biography

Dr. Robyn Silverman is known for her big-hearted yet direct way of inspiring greatness in professionals, families, teens and children. She has spent more than 15 years researching, writing and working in a variety of key areas: Leadership development, character education, body image, developmental psychology, social-emotional learning and most recently, grit, “strength-finding” and success. Now, as the go-to person to advise entrepreneurs, teachers, families, parents and young people on how to “set and get” goals, she helps audience members develop their gifts, break through barriers and achieve their dreams. Read More >

A frequently featured expert in the national media, Dr. Silverman is often seen on The Today Show andGood Morning America as well as on many of the daytime shows (check out her most recent reel) and other national media such as U.S. News & World ReportYahoo and the New York Times. She is best known for being able to explain the scope of a problem while simultaneously providing applicable stories, hands-on tips and creative take-aways that can be put into use immediately.

From Capital One to the Office of the District Attorney to entire school districts, parenting groups, corporate mentoring programs, nonprofits and Jewish Women’s Foundations, Dr. Robyn Silverman is versatile and accessible. She travels the nation delivering keynotes that are memorable and that leave a lasting impact. She’s been called “the best speaker our conference has ever had” (GenAustin Board Chair), “brilliant and engaging” (Girl Scouts of the USA), “amazing and interactive” (Goryeb Children’s Hospital) and “phenomenal” (Capital One Financial Corp). Dr. Robyn enjoys meeting personally with her clients prior to all speaking engagements in order to create a presentation that meets everyone’s needs according to the audience’s interest and the program’s intended results. If you would like a customized keynote or program, Dr. Robyn is right for you.

As a sought-out expert in her field, Dr. Silverman contributed to or has been the content consultant for 18 books on varied topics such as leadership, relationships, bullying, child/teen development, parenting and body image. Her 2010 book, Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls & How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It, expanded upon her groundbreaking research at Tufts University on girls, women and body image as a barrier to success and acceptance. She has recently written a chapter for the Weinstein Corporation’s book, Bully, the companion guide to the acclaimed film of the same name. Dr. Robyn is currently taking on a new challenge-- writing a fiction book for young adults with strong female characters and an action-packed story line.

Dr. Silverman is the creator of Powerful Words Character Development, a character education & leadership development program for children, teens and adults that runs in 10 countries. She believes that people are assets to be developed, not deficits to be managed and you will see that positive outlook in the motivational, knowledgeable and inspirational way she delivers every presentation.

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Speaker Videos

Speaking Reel

Keynote Documentary

Understanding and Improving Body Image in Girls

Shaping the Women of Tomorrow

An Analysis on Bullying

Speech Topics

Creating a Community of Character: Cultivating Responsible, Respectful Role Models among Our Young People

In this dynamic presentation on character, leadership and social-emotional development, Dr. Robyn Silverman appeals to educators, parents, law enforcement, legislators and youth workers as the foundational builders of this generation's future leaders. Anchoring her solutions to her personal mantra, "We must regard young people as assets to be developed, not deficits to be managed," she describes how we can create a community of character by cultivating role models in our young people. Specifically, she talks about how we can work with young people to: Read More >

 

  • Identify their unique gifts and ways to overcome their specific challenges.
  • Mentor, support and flesh out their individual and communal goals.
  • Collaborate on designing and devising a community of character that is safe, fair, and advantageous for everyone.

 

Tailored to your timeframe and needs, Dr. Robyn uses video, activities, stories and audience participation to create an engaging exchange with the participants. Everyone leaves with specific hands-on strategies for creating respectful communities and responsible leaders.

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Mindful Kids: The Science & Practice of Instilling Social-Emotional Learning Skills in Children & Teens

We have all heard the buzz about social-emotional development. At the heart of social-emotional learning is the development of life skills and emotional intelligence — both of which allow children and teens to effectively manage themselves, others and their relationships. The skills and awareness are profoundly important because it affects both the individual and those in their social groups. In this presentation, Dr. Robyn Silverman discusses, how, as adults, we can help young people: Read More >

 

  • Name, understand and manage emotions.
  • Set, envision and achieve positive goals.
  • Recognize the strengths in oneself and others.
  • Feel and express empathy for others.
  • Establish and maintain positive relationships while cutting out negative ones.
  • Make and follow through with positive choices and actions.

 

All of these skills help to create a culture based on respect and dignity. Participants will leave with an action plan and specific ways to help children develop socially, emotionally and positively. Read Less ^

Victim or Victorious? Combating Bullying From a Place of Strength

The impact of bullying is pervasive and great. In Bully: An Action Plan for Teachers, Parents, and Communities to Combat the Bullying Crisis, the companion book to the acclaimed documentary of same name, Dr. Robyn Silverman explains, "Bullying doesn't just have legs - it has teeth. The memories hold on tightly even as we leave our childhood behind." We all know that bullying is a complicated and ongoing problem. It necessitates prevention of negative social behavior and promotion of positive social behavior to reduce interpersonal aggression. Read More >

 

In this frank, multi-media-filled presentation, Dr. Robyn explains:

 

  • Her ABCDs of what bullying is and what bullying is not.
  • The main issues that make bullying a more complex problem today than it ever was in the past.
  • The tell tale signs that a child is being bullied.
  • The effective solutions that promote positive youth development and combat aggressive social interactions among our young people.
  • What to do and what not to do when a child is being bullied.
  • How we can all be accountable for making positive change and reduce bullying in our communities.

 

The layered answer to the bullying problem begins with specific systems of prevention and intervention and is personalized by her interviews with "high-risk" youth - those who could easily have been "victims" who nevertheless were victorious in school. Participants leave with a more concrete understanding of the problem, a new way to look at the young people who make up their communities, and solutions that they can implement immediately. Read Less ^

Raising Strong, Positive Leaders: How Parents Can Empower Their Children & Themselves

Presented by Dr. Robyn Silverman, this dynamic, interactive presentation will help participants discover effective methods of how to help children becomes strong, positive leaders among their peers. After mapping out the barriers to success and the challenges young people face today, Dr. Silverman relays specific methods on how to inspire, support and advise children to: Read More >

 

  • See themselves in terms of strengths rather than weaknesses.
  • Set goals and fully envision their path to success.
  • Take action on their goal and overcome barriers to achievement.
  • Seek out and surround themselves with reliable mentors and peers who see them in terms of strengths rather than weaknesses. 

 

We want our children to become “gift finders” rather than “fault-finders!” And, just as important, the participants will discover how they, themselves, can be positive, empowering mentors to their children so that they can realize their gifts, thrive despite challenges and ultimately reach their potential. Filled with stories, strategies and straight talk, participants will come away with a specific action plan that they can put into effect immediately. Read Less ^

Leadership Bootcamp: Launch Your Leadership Skills

In this exciting keynote or training program, Dr. Robyn provides powerful yet easy-to-implement leadership strategies that allow participants to emerge as leaders among their peers, colleagues, or workmates. Read More >

 

Participants will discover specific ways to:

 

  • Define leadership to motivate, organize and target success.
  • Create their future in advance through goal-setting and visioning.
  • Identify obstacles to success from procrastination to perfectionism.
  • "Forward" themselves and others who they lead into action with powerful coaching tools from “clearing” to perspective-taking, brainstorming and “character-connecting.”
  • Motivate and inspire others to take action without micro-managing and prodding.
  • Rewire the negative tape that may be running through their own brains or the brains of their employees.
  • Develop key relationships that move them forward while being a mentor for others.
  • Stay accountable for themselves and become a powerful example to others.

 

Often named "transformational,” participants come away with an action plan that they can put into effect immediately so that they can make a success of any partnership, group, team, or personal goal. Whether geared towards top executives or teens, those who attend this program will be able to apply these leadership skills in every area of their lives. Ideal for team building, group cohesion, and leadership training, it can also be used in a "train the trainers" format. Read Less ^

Girls, Guts, & Glory

Women, especially those who desire to take on leadership roles, walk a fine line when it comes to assertiveness. They don’t want to come across too meek or too pushy. They want to portray an air of confidence while commanding respect. Assertiveness skills for women in the lead can help you get your point across, inspire people to take necessary action and help you command respect at work…and in life. Read More >

 

Participants will discover specific ways to:

 

  • Recognize their strengths and their barriers to successful communication.
  • Name and cope with conflicts between women.
  • Practice and apply assertiveness skills in challenging circumstances.
  • Pinpoint communication pitfalls (verbal & nonverbal) that give away their assertive edge.
  • Use active listening skills that send the right signals.
  • Develop an action plan that utilizes assertiveness techniques.
  • Say no and survive to tell the story.
  • Overcome obstacles that interfere with work/life balance.
  • Negotiate and delegate with confidence and respect.
  • Stay accountable for applying assertiveness skills in everyday life.

 

This can be done in a keynote or training format. The program is for any aspiring or current woman-leader who feels she has something to say but doesn’t always feel like she knows how to say it in a way that will be heard in the way she intended. No longer riding the line between meek and pushy or the participant of this training leaves walking the line towards success. Read Less ^

Gift Finders: Discovering Your Strengths & the Strengths in Others

In this powerful presentation, Dr. Robyn provides powerful yet easy-to-implement leadership strategies that allow participants to emerge as leaders among their peers. Participants are encouraged to discover their own strengths while highlighting the gifts of others; thereby becoming “gift finders” rather than “fault finders.” Read More >

 

Participants will discover specific ways to:

 

  • Define the kind of leader they want to become.
  • Discover and accentuate their gifts and the gifts of others.
  • Sharpen their leadership skills from goal-setting to character-connecting.
  • Name, claim and control their own barriers to success.
  • Find key mentors while becoming a mentor to others.
  • Be accountable for themselves and become a powerful example.

 

Often named "transformational,” participants come away with an action plan that they can put into effect immediately so that they can make a success of any group, team or personal goal. Those who attend this program will be able to apply these positive leadership skills in every area of their lives; affecting their own outcomes while creating a community based on character and strength.

 

*This presentation can be modified and customized for any audience or age group. Read Less ^

True Grit: Uncovering the Secret of Success

What is the secret of success? Is it talent? Intelligence? Luck? We now know that the reason why certain people rise to the upper echelon of their class, field, team or organization is perseverance, determination, drive or what has been named, GRIT. In this informative and exciting presentation, Dr. Robyn Silverman discusses this secret of success and real-world strategies for how we can help to develop grit, rise above barriers and achieve goals without giving up. By the end of the presentation, participants will have a clear understanding and a strong action plan that will help them develop grit in themselves and in those with whom they work.

Distracted, Distraught or Disconnected: Understanding the Child’s Brain & How to Help Them Plug-In & Thrive

In this dynamic presentation, Dr. Robyn Silverman bridges brain science with her signature style of story-telling and strategies to reveal the best practices for working with children when they get unfocused, overwhelmed or disconnected. Audience members will come away with an understanding of what is happening in the brain during challenging learning moments and also with specific take-aways and systems for how to deal with (1) The Distracted Brain; (2) The Overwhelmed Brain and the (3) The Disengaged Brain. Ideal for parents, educators and businesses that work with children- participants with laugh, learn and leave with strategies they can employ the very same day.