A fresh, surprising, and empowering guide to better understanding teenage girls.
Written with warmth and humour, Underestimated is the first book to invite us into a teenage girl’s brain and heart, as told from the point of view of a beloved and trusted mentor. Chelsey Goodan is a highly sought-after academic tutor who has worked with hundreds of girls from all different backgrounds, earning their trust, confidence, and friendship. They in turn have shared with her their innermost concerns, doubts, and what they wish they could communicate to their parents and the world at large.
With topics and language directly chosen by the girls, Goodan reveals how the solutions to a girl’s wellbeing lie within her. She offers parents the exact words they can use to help her discover these solutions and demonstrates how adults can better support a teenage girl’s voice to create positive change.
Rather than dismissing teenage girls based on our own fears or treating them as problems that need to be solved, Goodan encourages us as parents, and as a society, to help girls unleash their power and celebrate their intrinsic wisdom, creating more healing and connection for everyone. With inspiring ease, Underestimated shows us how to do this with accessible advice, entertaining narratives, and profound wisdom.
‘To create a world that welcomes girls’ and women’s powerful voices and fosters their agency, we need this book. Underestimated masterfully teaches us how to empower teenage girls by simplifying solutions to challenging topics like self-doubt, shame, the beauty myth, and power, offering effective tools for parents, educators, and trusted adults in girls’ lives.’
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, filmmaker and founder of The Representation Project
‘Sometimes we wish our children came with an operating manual. Fortunately, that operating manual now exists. If you are a parent, caregiver, or educator who cares in any way about understanding this crucial period in a teenager’s development, in a way that supports thriving rather than walling off, Underestimated is essential reading. The powerful wisdom will help you not just as a parent, but in every relationship.’
Neil Strauss, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Truth: an uncomfortable book about relationships
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‘Underestimated provides a critical blueprint for the kinds of conversations that parents and their children are afraid to have, but deeply need. It’s an accessible yet poignant exploration of how parents and teenage girls can grow together rather than further apart. And I can’t think of someone more equipped to help us understand and uplift teenage girls than Chelsey Goodan.’
Liz Plank, award-winning journalist and author of For the Love of Men: from toxic to a more mindful masculinity
‘Chelsey is a godsend. This book is a godsend … I’ve seen her work firsthand and trust me, WE ALL NEED THESE TOOLS. Badly. She brings sensitivity to her work and a “just removed enough” perspective that is impossible for parents to have from close up.’
Jenni Konner, writer, director, and executive producer of HBO’s Girls
‘Chelsey expertly reveals the power of teenage girls. She welcomes us into their minds with curiosity and fun, rather than fear. Underestimated gives insight into ways to create a fairer and more empowering world where girls and women can thrive.’
Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space
‘Chelsey is a total on-it, walk-the-talk, money-where-your-mouth-is, first responder vibe. She is attuned to my child’s needs, as a true role model with life-changing tools and hardwired goodness. This book teaches us not only how to bring out the best in teenage girls, but in everyone.’
Moon Zappa, actress, artist, and author of Earth to Moon
‘THIS is the book I wish I (and my parents!) had when I was growing up. Filled with clear, compassionate guidance that debunks the myths around adolescent girls as ‘mean’, Underestimated gives us the tools to support, embrace, and even learn from our teenage girls, who have so much more wisdom than we may realise.’
Sarah Jones, Tony Award-winning writer, actor, and filmmaker
‘What makes this book stand out is the way Goodan allows girls to share their truths openly and without judgement … empower[ing] young women by showing readers what they have to teach adults about the power of (inter)personal authenticity.’
Kirkus Reviews
‘A wise, well-articulated handbook to help adults listen to and hold space for teens … practical wisdom that belongs in the toolbox of every teenager.’
Booklist
‘If you have a teenage girl in your life, you need to read this.’
Oprah Daily
‘Reading this book made me feel as though I had stumbled upon a pot of gold. Suddenly I had a better understanding of my own often misunderstood mind, and as my daughter grows, I'm hoping I can apply the same compassion and understanding that Chelsey teaches. Underestimated is a must read for anyone who has a daughter, is a daughter, or knows a daughter.’
Becky Lynch, WWE champion wrestler
‘Underestimated is a course correction offering practical advice, actual scripts, and exact questions and comments that will help open up conversations with daughters.’
Hello Sunshine
