Vanessa has a new book coming out, and we’re giving you the inside scoop on the new release!

Here’s what Vanessa has to say about her new book:

“When I was 16 I thought it was my Dad’s goal in life to make me miserable. I was convinced that he had a running list of all the ways he could embarrass me in front of my friends, trick me into doing more chores or make my curfew earlier.

Our relationship would have continued to devolve until one day I saw my Dad reading a parenting book. I flipped through it while my Dad was in the bathroom and realized a lot of the things he did that drove me crazy he was getting right out of this book! I looked at the other parenting books on our shelves and realized that they were all written by adults. I wondered—has anyone ever asked teens to write to their parents?

I decided to build a website where teens could answer questions and write to parents called RadicalParenting.com.  I couldn’t believe how quickly it grew and how happy both teens were to get their voices out and parents were to have a new outlet for connecting with their kids! We now have over 120 teen writers who give advice.

Teenagers, when given a neutral space LOVE talking to parents and often offer some of the best insight because they are going through it themselves. We have also be so excited to help parents who feel like they cannot reach their kids and teens.

I think teens and parents can work together to overcome their differences and learn to work best together. We have just come out with our book: Do I Get My Allowance Before or After I’m Grounded and it is a radical approach to parenting because it is written from the kid’s perspective! We would love for you to check it out—if you are brave enough to see what kids have to say!”

Visit Vanessa’s site and pick up a copy of the new book!

The Girl's Guide to Swagger

The Inspired Girls team always has our eyes peeled for resources that empower girls and women. This week’s featured resource is the Girl’s Guide to Swagger, a place for girls and women to share stories and get inspiration that will result in greater confidence.

The site was created by Cynthia Brown with the intention of helping girls and women overcome self-esteem challenges that keep them from contributing their gifts to the world.

Check out the Girl’s Guide to Swagger and tell them IG sent you!

Until next time, be inspired!

Image Courtest of Hary Travel

I believe that travel is the cure to a monotonous routine… and I would know best of all. I don’t think people realize that sometimes they feel stuck until they take a break from their life, or at least I didn’t. For me, daily routines become so automatic that sometimes the brain shuts off the spontaneity channel and leaves you a drone. Every now and then it’s healthy to take a day trip, weekend trip, or month long trip to relax and just be you. Seeing new places and doing new things helps you become a more diverse and cultured person. This brings new characteristics to how you handle your daily routine and can make it more interesting. These trips don’t have to extensive, planned out vacations, just something to get you out of your routine.

Not only are you experiencing new things, you also meet new people. These people could become good friends or lead you in the direction to something amazing that you would have never found otherwise. For example, for the past few summers I have been spending a week at Lake Shasta in California and we always hike to this natural waterslide. We found this waterslide because my boyfriend and his friend talked with another group that was camping and they spread the word. Without having talked to these other vacationers we could have missed out on our favorite part of the trip.

It’s also important to take up spontaneous opportunities if you can. You never know what you’ll miss out on if you don’t. When two of my friends were studying abroad in Italy, I was given the chance to go visit them while they were there. This was my first trip flying alone… and to a foreign country! Through this trip I was able to make it to Corfu in Greece and Florence and Rome in Italy. I met tons of people from all over the world, learned to speak a few foreign words, tried amazing new foods and figured out how to use a calling card. Now I thrive off of meeting new people and learning about where they are from and am open to trying new things more often. Living a well-travelled life is a good life!

So jump on a plane, hop in the car or ride that bike! See something new and exciting!

Safe travels!

Taylor J

Inspired Girls Intern

Credit: Schirach Report

The last time that the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team held a World Cup Championship title was in 1999. This year we have another chance to make our dreams of a championship title a reality. Before the 1999 Women’s World Cup, women’s soccer had been overshadowed by the success of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team. With the help of the ’99 team leaders Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy, women athletes were put on the map. The success of our 2011 women’s national team serves as a tool for national pride, as well as female pride.

The commercials for our U.S. women’s team focus on the need for a grand entrance and double exposure to declare that they are the “greatest team you’ve ever heard of”. The desired impact is to showcase that these women are real girls, with real bodies and real values, serving as role models for girls and women today. The U.S. team aims to take womankind three steps forward instead of three steps back.

Modern girls today are given images of long legged, ultra-thin women as role models. Through the U.S. women’s soccer team’s players, girls can now have “real” women to look up to. These strong women prove that dreams can be achieved without having to live up to the media’s idea of the perfect woman. The team is comprised of every body shape, size and ethnicity.  The driving force behind their success is due to the fact that they have drive and skill. By beating France on July 13, 2011 to go to the finals against Japan, the team’s inspirational reach is expanding even further. Show your support and watch the final match, tune in on Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 2pm EST! The confidence that you bestow on our Women’s National Soccer Team by cheering them on will be returned to you ten-fold. Win or lose, they have inspired us all by making it to the Women’s World Cup Finals!

Cheers!

Taylor 

Credit

All you females out there, LOVE WHO YOU ARE! Your unique individuality, your strength, your beauty makes you… well, YOU. We are ever too eager to make others happy before we, ourselves, are happy. As my mom always tells me, “You must love yourself before you can love others”. Although, I have discovered that most media tells exactly the opposite. Ever since I can remember I have been a consumer of female, gossip magazines. It was always a joy to pick up that new issue and read the latest trends, the next best fat busting workout, or how to be a better kisser. As I have gotten older and been exposed to more in life I have realized that most of these articles tell women and girls how to be better. There always seems to be room for improvement and in most cases the improvement is geared toward appealing to men. They leave behind the scent of “You’re not good enough, so here’s what you have to do”. In a way these magazines train you to believe that you are not quite adequate enough.

My question is, why do we have to change who we are? Why are men exempt to doing more? You can find thousands of articles on “How to keep your man”, “10  best ways to please him in bed”, “Sure fire ways to catch his eye”. In men’s magazines it is rare to find an article that suggests doing more the please their women. We claim that society has evolved, but I feel that we have reverted to the 50′s mentality. The men are given the notion that they must be strong, tough and dominant. For women, we are expected to be submissive, do what we can to make men happy and appeal to their desires to keep them around. These perceptions block women from their true identity.

Many girls find themselves lost in an entanglement of characteristics that they are told they should have. I believe that we should take note of strong women who pride themselves on sticking to their guns on being genuine. They aren’t afraid to be who they are and don’t accept anything less than greatness. I hope that this tempts you to think twice before believing everything you hear and see in the media.

Keep your voice heard, keep your identity and stay strong!

Taylor 

From the desk of Lisa Nicole Bell, CEO of Inspired Girls International

Greetings!

I’m SO excited about all of the amazing things Inspired Girls is doing this year. Our reach is extending beyond the U.S., and we’re creating strategic partnerships that will empower us to reach even more girls this fall.

You probably gathered that Inspired Girls is about more than self-esteem – we’re all about practical lifestyle solutions for emerging feminine leaders. We’re giving tomorrow’s successful woman her toolkit today, and we’re doing it in meaningful ways.

Here’s what’s cooking in the Inspired Girls kitchen:

Our AMAZING board members are working with us on our upcoming projects. They are a group of phenomenal women who truly understand servant leadership, and we’re happy to have them.

Our new site has finally launched! (Like it?) We’re excited about being able to reach people with more clarity as a result. We’re still making tweaks, but the structure is here. Huge shoutout to Shannon Dwyer at the Keen Machine for doing an awesome job.

Our group in West Covina, California will be done later this month. That pilot program had an emphasis on beauty, fashion, and leadership. The girls have evolved so beautifully.

A group of Inspired Girls doing a team building exercise

Here’s a photo I took with my phone of one of their groups (the total group is 50 girls) doing a team building exercise. (Video will come soon! )

We’re super excited to have Bellaboo as one of our official strategic partners! We’ll be creating all kinds of cool stuff with the natural beauty line for teen girls so keep your eyes peeled for updates.

We are preparing to launch InspiredGirls.com – our brand spanking new digital destination. If you’re interested in submitting content or partnering with us, we’d love to have you! Shoot me an email -LisaNicoleBell(at)inspiredgirlsonline.com and let’s discuss the possibilities!

Our NYC event will happen on September 10 at St. John’s College in Queens. We’re really excited about the event and are busy planning the day to be full of inspiration and education for the girls who attend. Stay tuned for registration deets!

As you can see, we’ve been busy working to change the lives of girls here in the U.S. and abroad. I consider it my honor and privilege to lead an incredible team of game changers and influencers.

Before you go, be sure to join our mailing list (to the right) and use the Share button (below) to tell your friends & colleagues about us.

Here’s to a sunny and successful summer!

xoxo,

Lisa Nicole Bell

New York, New York

The Inspired Girls Success Summit in New York was a success! On October 23, dozens of girls and their parents gathered at the Women’s Academy of Excellence in the Bronx for a day of inspiration and empowerment. I opened the day with a keynote on developing a mindset that supports success and 11 other presenters followed with interactive workshops that received rave reviews.

We were honored to be sponsored by Luna, and all participants received copies of Soluv magazine, and Body Central supplied goodie bags.

Our presenters did an awesome job, and we received incredible feedback from the girls and parents. Take a look at what they had to say about the event:

“I really enjoyed and took a lot from the conference. I was truly inspired by you, you helped me realize that it’s okay to say no no matter where you are in your life, and when certain guys react a certain way you put them in that ‘No Way No How’ box.” –Knya

“I’m going to do less lecturing and more listening.” –A mom

“I needed this. Now I really understand that I can do anything I decide to do. I’m owning my power.” -Ashley

I’m happy that Inspired Girls was able to inspire excellence in the girls there. We’re already planning our next event for New York City so stay tuned for more. Want to bring Inspired Girls to your city? Check our calendar of upcoming events here or send us an email to request more information about hosting an event.

Xoxo,
Lisa

Some of today’s teens tend to be prominently less careful than others. Too many teens are dying each day from car accidents and it seems that we are influenced easily by others. This certain accusation results from a recent loss of a friend. She was only 17 years old. Her accident was not planned of course, but it totally could have been prevented. The hearts of many were crushed and to this day, we all still can’t get over the fact that she’s gone. It hurts ans I’m sure your family will be hurt as well had it been you. We, as teens, are looked upon as careless and ignorant in the eyes of many and we need to show “those people” that they’re wrong.

We care about ourselves and others around us as well. We need to stand together and be more cautious when driving on the road. Pay attention to road signs, speed limits and keep our music down. Loud music is against the law in the state of Alabama and we can be fined.

Drive Safe!

Brihanna, 16
Huntsville, Alabama

From Lisa’s Desk: The End of Self-Esteem Overload

Well-meaning women, big companies, and non-profit organizations alike have joined virtual hands in an effort to eradicate so called low self-esteem in girls once and for all. As the founder of a company that serves girls, parents, and organizations, I obviously have a passion for seeing girls be happy, healthy, and well-adjusted. However, I’m totally over the self-esteem movement. I get that self-esteem is important for girls and women, but it’s one page in a big book.

I realize that it’s almost blasphemous to say that with pro-woman companies and girl movement leaders forever creating books, blogs, and viral campaigns intended to increase self-esteem.

Here’s my beef: Words don’t increase self-esteem.

If you ask most successful girls and women how they developed their confidence and self-esteem, they’ll point to something like participation in sports, academic achievement, or personal growth. I’ve yet to hear a single girl say, “I feel better about myself and my life because of a Dove commercial.” And I’m not picking on Dove – other companies have jumped on the self-esteem bandwagon because it just looks and feels so good. But the problem is that these campaigns address symptoms instead of causes.

In my research and experience, girls feel better about themselves and make better choices when they are inspired to work toward specific goals, educated on how to achieve them, and given specific tools to carry them out.

It’s time for girl orgs to stop with the lofty, fluffy ideals and start getting down to the nitty gritty of addressing the modern girl. I say this as a leader who insists on creating actionable content for girls in the form of products, workshops, and programs. Results are created when a girl has a blueprint for succeeding.

The idea of self-esteem is great so let’s create it instead of affirming it, shall we?

xoxo,
Lisa