Katty Kay - The confidence code for girls: taking risks, messing up, & becoming your amazingly imperfect, totally powerful self

Girl power depends on self-confidence, but many girls struggle to see how awesome they really are. The good news is there are steps girls can take to build their confidencenot by twisting themselves into knots, but by gaining new mental tools and embracing their authentic selves. I wish I had this book when I was a girland Im really glad todays girls have it now.

SHERYL SANDBERG, COO of Facebook and founder of Lean In and Option B

This is the book every girl needs to make her dreams come true.

LAURIE HERNANDEZ, US Olympic gold medalist and bestselling author of I Got This: To Gold and Beyond

An essential read for every girl in her tween years. This book encourages girls to take action despite unhelpful thinking patterns, to be unafraid of failure, and to challenge the worries that hold so many girls back. Presented in a relatable and engaging manner, it also provides excellent guidance on navigating the often judgmental and provoking world of social media. Girls will develop a much deeper understanding of what it means to be themselves and express that confidently. I am inspired by what the authors have done in offering such a tremendous guidebook that girls will reference time and time again in their journey to forming a solid, confident self.

DR. BONNIE ZUCKER, licensed psychologist and author of Anxiety-Free Kids: An Interactive Guide for Parents and Children

If youve ever wished you had the courage to say what you really think, or do the thing that scares you, this is the book for you! Confidence is crucial for girls today, and Katty and Claire have figured out the recipe. Their advice is realistic and practical. Reading this book will help you change your lifeand the world!

RACHEL SIMMONS, New York Times bestselling author of Enough As She Is, Odd Girl Out, and The Curse of the Good Girl and leadership expert at Smith College

Girls should know its cool to be different. I learned that lesson on the ice, playing hockey. I didnt always fit in, but I came to embrace that, and it gave me confidence. This book can help every girl flip that switch in her head, so she can feel the awesomeness and confidence that come from being unique.

HILARY KNIGHT, Olympic silver medalist and member of the US womens national ice hockey team

Wow!!! I love love love this book for girls. Every single day I work with girls who suffer so much because they dont have the tools The Confidence Code for Girls provides. It gives tweens tips and tools to manage everything from stress to self-doubt to sticky social situations. Adults will appreciate the books focus on empowerment and concrete action steps, and girls will love the humor, stories, and fun activities. Whether youre a parent or an educator, this is an invaluable resource.

PHYLLIS L. FAGELL, school counselor, author, and contributor to the Washington Posts On Parenting column

For my mum,

the fabulously impressive,

amazingly inspiring,

totally awesome

Shirley Kay

K.K.

For my female confidence gurus:

my mother, Christie Shipman,

who broke rules with regular, joyful abandon;

my mother-in-law, Linda Dryden,

who was always game for any leap;

and my daughter, Della Carney,

whose bravery and clarity

I work to emulate every single day

C.S.

Contents

Y ou know that feeling you get when you do something brave? That incredible energy when you find your courage and try something thats not easy? Thats...

CONFIDENCE.

Confidence gives you the power, the lift, the oomph to be yourself and do what you wanteven when its scary.

Whats it like to have confidence? We talked to dozens of girls of all ages for this book, and heres how confidence makes them feel:

A few years ago, we wrote a book about women and confidence. When it became a bestseller, we realized that tons of women wanted to know more about this incredible energy source, to live bolder, braver, more confident lives. We learned so many fascinating things doing the researchwe found out that even rats have confidence, for example, and that scientists can measure it! But the most important thing we did was crack the code for confidencein other words, we learned how to make it.

Now were excited to pass the Confidence Code on to you. Researchers have found that the tween and teen years are the best time for confidence creation. Weve packed this book with stories, quizzes, illustrations, and other fun stuff. And you should also know that everything here is based on what the smartest scientists and experts in the world know about confidence and where it comes from.

Remember Imani, Kayla, and Alexthe three characters you met earlier in the hallway of their school? They could all use a confidence boost. You might have noticed that they sound worried, afraid to try new things, and unable to be fully themselves. Youll see the three of them in action throughout the book. We want them, and you, to say Why not? instead of No way! whenever you see a challenge.

We should warn youconfidence gets addictive. Once you have a taste, youll want more. And more. So lets get going. Before you know it, youll have learned to build your own Confidence Code, and youll be doing things you never even imagined.

Girls of Action:

Real girls whove unleashed their confidence and done some amazing things

Confidence Close-ups:

Real stories from girls in the midst of the ugly, scary process of confidence creation. We changed their names.

Confidence Warm-ups:

Activities we want you to try when you put the book down to pump up your confidence

Confidence Quizzes:

Based on real stuff girls and experts told us about, these teasers train your brain to be more confident.

Confidence Conundrums:

Broad, puzzling questions for you to tackle that dont always have obvious answers