Michelle Icard (pronounced IKE-urd) has degrees in English and Education and has worked with parents, children, and teachers for more than 20 years, creating curriculum, books, and programs that help them better understand and navigate early adolescence.

Michelle is the author of three books on this subject:

8 Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success: What to Do and What to Say to Turn “Failures’ into Character-Building Moments (2023)  is an invaluable playbook for anxious parents everywhere, ensuring that a child’s mistakes or rebellions don’t become the headline of their childhood, but instead become a launch pad to a better future.

Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School (2021) helps parents prepare kids for the emotional, physical, and social challenges ahead, including scripts and advice to keep the communication going and stay connected during this critical developmental window.

Middle School Makeover: Improving the Way You and Your Child Experience the Middle School Years (2014) is a primer for the social and emotional changes parents and kids navigate when mid-life meets middle school under one roof.

Michelle has been a writer for the TODAY Show parenting team, NBC News Learn, CNN Science and Wellness, and the Washington Post. Michelle’s work has also been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Redbook, Time, and People. Her leadership curriculum for middle schoolers, Athena’s Path and Hero’s Pursuit, have been implemented at schools and summer camps across the United States. She lives in Charlotte with her husband and two dogs. She enjoys keeping up with her two young adult children and planning next year’s Halloween costume.