William Deresiewicz

April 4, 2017

Excellent Sheep: Reframing College as a Time for Self-Discovery

William Deresiewicz will give his perspective on how college should be a time for self-discovery, when young people can establish their own values and measures of success in order to forge their own path. He will share his judgment that elite institutions should be, but are not, providing insight on leading, thinking, and living.

Victoria Dunckley, M.D.

February 7, 2017

Reset Your Childs Brain: Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen Time

While parents have become painfully aware that technology can be difficult to manage, what is less known is that exposure to even moderate but regular amounts of screen time by children and teens can impact how the brain functions which in turn impacts mood, focus, sleep, stress levels, and behavior. Addressing these hidden screen-related side-effects can provide dramatic improvements in emotional regulation, academic performance, and social interactions.

FILM SHOWING

January 31, 2017

SCREENAGERS: Growing Up in the Digital Age

Screenagers is a 68-minute film that probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including the directors, and depicts messy struggles over social media, video games, academics, and internet addiction. Through surprising insights from authors and brain scientists, solutions emerge as to how we can empower kids to best navigate the digital world.

Barbara Bradley Hagerty

November 9, 2016

Life Reimagined: Redrawing the Map for our Health, Relationships, and Future

As your children grow up and become increasingly independent, it may be time to renegotiate your purpose, refocus your relationships, and transform the way you think about the world and yourself. Drawing from emerging information in neurology, psychology, biology, genetics, and sociology, Ms. Hagerty plots a new course forward in our understanding of our health, our relationships, even our futures.

Susan Stiffelman

October 18, 2016

Parenting with Presence: Raising Confident and Caring Kids

Parenting expert Susan Stiffelman will talk about how the behaviors that push our buttons can help us build awareness, allowing us to raise our children with ease and enjoyment. With stories and practical advice, Susan will teach us how to become the parents we most want to be while raising confident, caring children and teens.

Lloyd Thacker

September 29, 2016

Turning the Tide: Reshaping the College Admissions Process

Lloyd Thacker will speak about his decades-long efforts to bring the college admissions process back into the hands of students and parents, and out of the control of college rankings, commercial guide-books, and expensive private consultants.

Kelly McGonigal

April 19, 2016

The New Science of Stress: How to Make Stress Your Friend

Dr. Kelly McGonigal delivers a startling message: stress isn’t all bad. Through science and stories, Dr. McGonigal teaches us how life’s challenges can be a catalyst for positive action, personal growth, and compassion. She gives us practical strategies for transforming anxiety into courage, isolation into connection, and adversity into meaning.

Frank Bruni

March 24, 2016

Where You Go is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania

Frank Bruni’s latest book, published in March 2015, is Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania. He explained why “where you go it not who you’ll be” by providing a new perspective on the deeply flawed competition college admissions has turned into and describing a path out of the anxiety that the competition provokes. He illuminated how large public universities and tiny hideaways in the hinterlands serve as ideal springboards. In addition, he spoke to his claim that ultimately what matters are a student’s efforts in and out of the classroom.

Julie Lythcott-Haims

November 3, 2015

How to Raise an Adult: Preparing Your Kid for Success

Ms. Lythcott-Haims draws on research and conversations with admissions officers, educators, and employers, as well as her own insights as a mother and former dean of students, to highlight ways in which over-parenting can harm children, parents, and society at large. While empathizing with parental hopes and fears, she offers practical alternative strategies that underline the importance of allowing children to make mistakes and develop resilience, resourcefulness, and inner determination.

Lawrence Cohen

October 20, 2015

The Opposite of Worry: How to Deal with Anxiety and Fears

Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph. D. is a licensed psychologist, author, speaker, and consultant. He is the author of the award-winning book Playful Parenting. In his talk, Dr. Cohen spoke on the following topics:

– Teaching the body’s “security system”.
– Finding the balance between avoiding and white-knuckling through a fear.
-Lighthearted and playful ways to release anxiety.
-Tools and strategies to help parents handle their child’s anxiety.

Lynn O’Shaughnessy

September 10, 2015

The College Solution: Looking for the Right College at the Right Price

Lynn O’Shaughnessy is a nationally recognized college expert who is a higher-education journalist, consultant, and speaker. Her chief goal is to help families with teenagers, as well as high school counselors and college and financial consultants, become smart college shoppers as they search for schools. Lynn is the author of an Amazon bestseller, The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price. She is the college columnist for CBS MoneyWatch and she writes regularly for her own blog, TheCollegeSolution.com, which attracts several thousand visitors a day. She also offers an online course “The College Cost Lab” that provides a blueprint for families on how to shrink the cost of a college degree.