Teen Girls Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Kathleen Hassan

Girls Can Rule the World

Hassan teaches the girls where their power comes from: positive thoughts. “There are girls in this room who feel like they’re not good enough,” Hassan began. “Some are starving themselves. Some would do anything to fit in.” At this event, Hassan inspired the audience, teaching them where their power comes from—not from putting others down to build yourself up, and not from the media, which sexualizes women and portrays an unattainable image of perfection. According to Hassan, 85 percent of women and girls have felt worse about themselves after looking at a fashion magazine and 86 percent of self-talk (thoughts) is negative. This happens because, to their detriment, many women and girls today tend to seek their worthiness and confidence from outside forces. As a healthier model, Hassan teaches girls to get their power from within, instead of from the media, by choosing love over fear. She said, “Thoughts become [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T13:41:03-05:00 February 27th, 2013|

The Newtown Tragedy

Certainly by now we have all heard the devastating news of the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in CT. A 20 year old male, dressed in a bullet-proof vest and armed with assault weapons took the lives of 26 people, 6 adults and 20 children under the age of 8 before killing himself. I first read about the incident on Facebook and like most people, have thought of little else since as we mourn the loss of such young lives cut short in such a senseless act of violence. With literally several hundred girls in my FB newsfeed, I have been observing the fallout and reaction – especially by those teen girls. With the exception of a handful of heartfelt posts by girls who are in touch with their feelings and emotions, the majority of girls’ posts since Friday showed little reaction, with the occasional “like” of a [...]

By Kathleen| 2013-02-15T04:11:41-05:00 February 15th, 2013|

Women In Film

Recently I attended an International Film Festival and I didn’t have to go to Sundance or Cannes! It was held right here in Naples (Florida - not Italy!) The Naples International Film Festival began with a red-carpet opening night extravaganza and continued for four days with parties, receptions and film screenings that included; Narrative Features, Documentary Features and Short Films. Although this was the 4th Annual NIFF, it was my very first time attending and what made it even more exciting was this year’s spotlight on women filmmakers and the opportunity to attend a panel discussion and hear from the most talented and creative women working in film today. The panel was held on Saturday, the 3rd day of the festival and was called Women Calling the Shots. Tickets to attend this discussion were a whopping $1.00. I thought this was a misprint and that surely the decimal point [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T13:48:01-05:00 February 11th, 2013|

The Love You Need

I can still remember the year my mother forgot to buy my Valentine’s cards for the class. I stayed up late to make my own out of pink and red construction paper and then attempted to decorate a Kleenex box with paper doilies. I walked into school with a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat knowing full well that my efforts at cutting and pasting would pale in comparison to everyone else’s store-bought heart-shaped cards with adorable sayings like “puppy love” and “hey cutie pie.” To this day I can remember those feelings of being less than and just wanting to be liked and noticed. Valentine’s Day, a day in February that is supposed to represent love, for many represents the exact opposite. It’s actually been dubbed “Singles Awareness Day” by those who have been made to feel less than because they don’t have “that special [...]

By Kathleen| 2013-02-11T11:06:19-05:00 February 11th, 2013|

Giving Girls

There are lots of organizations dedicated to Girl Power, but unfortunately many of them seem to focus more on what’s wrong instead of what’s right. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe we need to educate ourselves and be aware of the issues facing young women today and learn how to become media literate and savvy. But if we only focus on the problem, that is exactly what we can expect to get back. This is Universal Law and how the world works. Thoughts become things and our thoughts attract back more of the same. So in this magical season of giving, I thought it would be lovely to focus on the positive and to share the stories of two amazing young women who are generously giving their time and talents to make the world a better place. These two young women represent everything that’s right with girls today and [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T13:45:52-05:00 February 1st, 2013|

Warning! Gratitude Will Change Your Life

I used to roll my eyes and scoff at all those self-help gurus who talked about gratitude being the key to transformation. Like a scratched record that skips and plays the same line over and over again, "yeah but" was the story I told myself for most of my life. "Yeah but" they didn't have the kind of traumatic childhood that I had... "Yeah but" it's easy to be grateful when you've already got it all. blah blah blah. That is, until I realized that it's absolutely true. Gratitude really is the key that unlocks our potential and unleashes the power that can move us from poor me to PROSPERITY! Who doesn't want that? We all say we want a fabulous life, but for some reason, very few have the courage and fortitude to really go for it. Why is that? Staying stuck in a rut of self-pity and "yeah [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T13:54:08-05:00 November 20th, 2012|

Bullied Teen Commits Suicide: A Cry for Help Goes Unheard

In September, Amanda Todd posted a video to YouTube entitled My Story: Struggling, bullying, suicide and self harm. Her last words in the very last frame of the video said "I have nobody... I need someone." Five weeks later, Amanda was found dead in her home in Vancouver, Canada and the coroner's investigation reports that the 15-year-old took her own life. There are no words to convey how sad and tragic this is. Ironically, October is Anti-Bullying Month and just yesterday was proclaimed "International Day of the Girl -- a date on the annual calendar set aside to advocate for girls' rights" and CNN ran an article "To my 15-year-old self': Things I wish I'd known" with beautiful and inspirational messages from highly prominent women to their 15-year-old self, offering advice that they wished someone had said to them when they were only fifteen. Sadly, none of that advice was [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T13:55:40-05:00 October 12th, 2012|

Teens and Social Anxiety

Let’s face it, hardly anyone enjoys walking into a roomful of strangers and many of us would rather isolate than deal with the dreaded small talk. Yet, ironically all of us are longing for a deeper connection to others, to find “our people” - the ones who like us for who we are and who share similar interests. You might think today’s teens, who were born wired and woven into the fabric of social networking would have no problem making those connections. Yet hiding behind a computer screen or a phone is vastly different than walking into that room and many teens have lost the knack or have never even been taught the art of small talk and breaking the ice. Add to that the epidemic of bullying and the fear of others’ opinions or becoming a target of others’ negative attention and many teens today have become paralyzed with [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T13:57:37-05:00 August 16th, 2012|

Who the Hell Do You Think You Are? How to Reclaim Your Power

Even the most successful people in the world, if they are truly honest, will admit to moments of self-doubt and insecurity. Just the other night, during an interview on Oprah’s Next Chapter, Lady Gaga admitted that there have been times - even now amidst all her fame, fortune and 21 million Twitter followers, that she has felt totally worthless. So who the hell does she think she is? On occasion - nobody. Recently my friend and colleague, Dr. Robyn Silverman wrote an outstanding blog post detailing the obstacles that prevent many women from becoming powerful leaders. Nestled smack dab in the middle of her list of seven self-sabotaging stumbling blocks that keep women playing small, #4 jumped out at me, grabbed me by the throat in a choke-hold and it wouldn’t let go until I stopped, looked at it and then wrote about it. 4. The ‘who the heck do [...]

By Kathleen| 2012-03-20T16:49:55-05:00 March 20th, 2012|

Princess Swagger: Empowered or Entitled?

Yesterday was International Women's Day and the social media sites were buzzing with posts and tweets celebrating and recognizing the "sheroes" who inspire and empower us and the role models and leaders who change our world. However, amidst all that woman-power, I can't help but wonder if the brave women who fought for our rights and who continuously strive for gender equality had Princess Swagger in mind as the end result for all of their determination and dedication. Little Sophia Grace Brownlee got the opportunity of a lifetime when she got to sing her own original song "Princess Swagger" on the Ellen Degeneres Show recently. in case you've been living under a rock, Sophia Grace and her little cousin Rosie have become overnight media sensations since their first appearance on Ellen last year. They were discovered on YouTube rapping to Nicki Minaj's song, Super Bass. The next thing you know, [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T14:00:04-05:00 March 8th, 2012|