🖇️💌 Does the question “How was your day?” elicit a one-word reply? Do you find it difficult to connect with a girl you care about? For expert guidance we turn to Ann Muno, a girls’ rights advocate and acclaimed author of Powerful Girls: Raising Strong, Just and Compassionate Young Women. In this easy-to-digest episode, she shares how adults can build trust, model vulnerability, and ask questions that invite dialogue with the girls and young women in their lives. National Coalition of Girls' Schools

🪞💅 Research tells us that up to 80% of girls will struggle with body confidence. But this is about much more than just looks. It’s a belief in what their bodies can say, do, and be, as they move through the world. What do the experts say we should do about this crisis? Join us as we explore nuggets from our podcast and further afield and learn strategies on how to talk to the girl in your life about her body – and yours. 🙋‍♀️ National Coalition of Girls' Schools

🤳Nearly half of U.S. teens say they are online almost constantly. Compulsively tapping, scrolling, swiping. What is the appropriate response for adults to this reality – or is it a crisis? Banning devices at school or social media completely seems the simplest approach, but experts argue it might not be the best. So what do we do instead? Join us as we explore nuggets from our podcast to hear how to talk to your child about their phone and social media – so that you can really listen. Their lives may depend on it. 💌

Read the Social Institute’s 7 standards for students here: https://thesocialinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/Seven-Social-Standards-1-Pager.pdf Social Institute’s 7 standards for students

“For a girl, spiritual life is even more important as the mooring, the deep embedded compass through which she guides and governs her life.”

- Dr. Lisa Miller

Spirituality is often misunderstood and ill-defined. Yet those who have studied it through the lens of brain research and understand the scientific truth behind its role in our lives offer compelling data of the power of developing our “spiritual brain.” Especially for girls, a spiritual core—which is separate and distinct from the practice of religion—shapes a sense of meaning, purpose, calling and connection. In fact, a girl’s relationship to her spiritual core is a substantial tool in her arsenal of well-being strategies.

Skeptics may find the evidence supporting this claim too compelling to ignore.

In "Building Resilience through Spirituality," learn about the game-changing role spirituality can play in a girl’s life from Dr. Lisa Miller, founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Columbia University. A foremost scientist on spirituality across the lifespan, her research has focused on the quantifiable effects of spirituality on our lives, and she has evidence that “children who are raised with a robust and well-developed spiritual life are happier, more optimistic, more flexible and better equipped to deal with life’s ordinary (and even extraordinary) traumas than those who are not.” She urges us to engage on this journey with the girls in our lives. International Coalition for Girls Schools · Dr. Lisa Miller · Spirituality Mind Body Institute · Spiritual Child · National Coalition of Girls' Schools

“What we know from the research is that up to 80% of girls will struggle with body confidence.”

- Dr. Phillippa Diedrichs

It is estimated that young girls are exposed to nearly 600 media images per day, unable to escape the barrage of messages about the perfect look, the perfect weight, the perfect size, the perfect skin tone. Research tells us they are internalizing these images, likely to start believing their body image defines who they are. Far too many girls are held hostage by their own negative body image issues and need powerful counter messaging that reminds them they are so much more than their weight on the scale.

In this episode, Dr. Phillippa Diedrichs, a professor of Psychology at the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England, in Bristol, England, shares research-based strategies to build body confidence in girls. Dr. Diedrichs, who delights in smashing beauty stereotypes, is the Founder of Everybody Consulting, a global consulting group of thought leaders and social scientist experts in body image, appearance diversity and mental health. She believes we all play a role in helping girls become “body confident” and offers an abundance of resources to empower us. International Coalition for Girls Schools · Dr. Phillippa Diedrichs · The Body Confidence Book: Respect, accept and empower yourself, Phillippa Diedrichs · Centre for Appearance Research · National Coalition of Girls' Schools

“Two things are true: girls need a voice and need to have that voice celebrated….and they also need to be able to create space for other people, their peers, to be able to listen to them.”

-Rosalind Wiseman

Perhaps, emotional intelligence (EQ)—the critical skills used to get along in a world full of others who don’t think or feel like we do—should get more attention. The reality is that as we manage our lives, it is our EQ that helps us navigate relationships and express our feelings productively. The good news? Emotional intelligence can be strengthened through reflection, practice, and experience. The further good news? This is important work that we can do in partnership with the girls in our lives; we can and should help them be smart about being emotionally smart as it will matter to their ability to get along in the world.

In this episode, "The EQ Advantage," Rosalind Wiseman focuses on why and how a girl’s EQ is critical to her meaningful engagement with the world around her. Rosalind, a bestselling author and thought leader, works on the global stage helping parents, educators and students understand the fascinating realm of EQ and its impact on our lives. Rosalind has a unique ability to capture challenging concepts in compelling, “sticky” phrases, and she is on a quest to help us do this important work in our lives and the lives of our girls. International Coalition for Girls Schools · Rosalind Wiseman · Rosalind Wiseman · National Coalition of Girls' Schools

“Neurodiversity doesn’t need fixing. It’s just your brain. It is your state of existing. There is nothing to fix. It is wonderful the way it is.”

-Emily Rushton

Neurodiversity manifests differently in girls, so may not be diagnosed as quickly as it is in boys. And research tells us that girls who are neurodiverse are even more at risk to suffer mental health issues. In fact, often the neurodiversity in girls masquerades as a mental health issue complicating the diagnostic process further. The journey for a neurodiverse girl is not only challenging for her; it is equally hard for the adults who love her and know her to be wonderful just as she is. How can they ensure that she will confidently turn her neurodiversity into her superpower?

In this episode, Emily Rushton, the go-to source on neurodiversity in girls for the Girls' Day School Trust, a family of 25 exceptional girls schools in the United Kingdom, shares insights. Emily couples the practical with the theoretical to ensure support for neurodiverse girls is both grounded in recent research and can be applied in real life.

This episode is especially compelling as Emily herself is neurodiverse, bringing her humor, common sense, and passion in equal amounts to this important conversation.

Resources:

International Coalition for Girls Schools

Girls Day School Trust

How to be you by Ellie Middleton

Explaining Humans by Camilla Pang

Small Talk by Richard and Roxanne Pink

Why Am I Like This by Gemma Styles International Coalition for Girls Schools · Girls Day School Trust · National Coalition of Girls' Schools

“I definitely feel concerned about how in the process of girls applying to college or looking for career paths that AI might displace or replace jobs in companies wanting to cut costs and automate processes.”

-High School Junior

Artificial Intelligence. Machines and systems that can imitate human cognitive function. It is both terrifying and exciting at once. Some happily exclaim it is the future; others warn it will change the world as we know it. AI, no longer confined to the realm of science fiction, is ubiquitous; embedded in nearly every facet of our daily lives. And that reality means AI is a new force to be reckoned with in the lives of the girls we know. Their knowledge of it matters in their lives today and far into their future. Yet, even as AI connects the girls in our lives to a world of unimagined possibilities, the adults responsible for helping them on the journey struggle to wrap their heads around this new kind of intelligence.

In this episode we learn from Tyler Gaspich, an educator at the frontlines of this technology tsunami. Tyler, Director of Information Resources and Technologies at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur near Philadelphia is personally and professionally steeped in the AI arena as a teacher, administrator, and task force member studying AI with other school technology professionals. Using concrete examples, Tyler demystifies the language of AI, providing guidelines and wisdom for parents raising daughters in a world in which AI plays an increasingly larger role—for both good and bad. International Coalition for Girls Schools · Academy of Notre Dame de Namur · Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World, Devorah Heitner: · National Coalition of Girls' Schools

“It is our job as humans to unlock each other’s magic.”

-Jennifer Wallace

Around the world, young people are grappling with unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression. The struggles we witness in the girls we know and love are part of a broader challenge. So the real question is: what can we do about it?

The good news is there is a lot we can do to tackle this epidemic head on. We can start by letting girls know they matter; that they are valued for who they are deep in their core. In the words of Jennifer Wallace, “We can help them unlock their magic.”

Jennifer Wallace, author of "Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It," an award-winning journalist and mother of three adolescents, brings deep research and real-world insights to the conversation. As she reminds us, we are the “first responders” in our children’s struggles. Her optimism is contagious as she offers practical ways to show up for the girls in our lives. Find out more about Jennifer Wallace · Buy Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic– and What We Can Do About It, by Jennifer Wallace · National Coalition of Girls' Schools

Season 2 of The Connected Girl is launching on 19 February 2025.

The Connected Girl is a podcast series curated by the International Coalition of Girls Schools to address issues that impact the lives of girls. Last season, we gathered expert guests to explore girls’ connections to themselves and the world around them. The episodes provided deeply researched guidance for girls on setting boundaries, handling heartbreak, navigating life online and using their voices.

The new season of The Connected Girl is a must-listen if you know, love and believe in empowering girls. Once again, we hear about the forces impacting connection and disconnection in girls. From navigating AI, neurodiversity and EQ to knowing you matter, being body confident and the science behind spirituality this season is one you don't want to miss! Subscribe now so that you don't miss any upcoming episodes. National Coalition of Girls' Schools