“I have not heard a better talk at BB&N, which has top speakers! With reassuring humor, Michelle offered great tips grounded on clear explanations of tween/teen changes in body, mind, and identity.”
— Roger Fussa, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (BB&N), Cambridge, MA.
With a background in education and over fifteen-years of experience working directly with middle schoolers and their parents, Michelle believes early adolescence gets a bad rap and isn’t as daunting as it first seems. Parents come to Michelle’s events unsettled, nervous, uncertain how to proceed through all the changes brought on by changing family dynamics, new social circumstances, communication rifts, and pressure to make the right decisions. Parents leave her talks feeling less stressed, more confident, and excited to apply her techniques with their kids.
Michelle talks to parents, teachers, and community organizations.
Most Popular Keynotes
The Essential Parenting Conversations – and How to Have Them: Based on her most recent book, Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen, Michelle will guide parents of tweens and teens past their fears and challenges around covering “the important stuff” with their kids and into a confident enough position to have meaningful conversations where their kids will actually engage. In addition to learning general Dos and Don’ts for communicating successfully with increasingly resistant adolescents, Michelle will get into the specifics of what parents need to know on certain hot topics. While the book covers fourteen topics, this talk includes these five from the book: Becoming Independent, Keeping Creativity Alive, Taking Care of Yourself, Living with Technology, and Helping Others. This talk is most appropriate for parents and educators with children or students in 4th -9th grade.
A Middle School Makeover: Based on her first book, Michelle reframes how we think about middle school. She offers simple explanations of the complicated factors that go into making middle school one of the most awkward, exciting, and important times in the lives of both kids and parents, with practical advice on how to make these years better for both. This talk is most appropriate for parents and educators with children or students in 3rd -8th grade.
Michelle also speaks to students about Navigating Middle School Friendships, Media Messages that Consume Us, and Being a Problem Solver.
Michelle hosted a popular online Ask Me Anything series with schools during quarantine of Spring 2020. Watch clips of her speaking here:
“Michelle took the mic and started explaining what happens to kids — physically, socially, emotionally and even technologically — when they reach the middle school years. I rummaged in my purse for paper and pen and started taking notes. Insight! So much insight! Michelle has studied middle-schoolers the way Madame Curie studied radium.”
– Lenore Skenazy, author Free Range Kids
Read what schools and organizations who’ve hired Michelle have to say.
To inquire about a speaking event, please contact us through this form so we can learn a little about your event.