Underestimated: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls

"If you have a teenage girl in your life, you need to read this." --Oprah Daily

In this "must-read for anyone who has a daughter, is a daughter, or knows a daughter" (Becky Lynch, WWE champion), this empowering guide--in the vein of Reviving Ophelia and Untangled--helps us better understand teenage girls, revealing how their insights can create heartfelt connections and impactful change.

Written with warmth and humor, Underestimated is the first book to invite us into the teenage girl's brain and heart, as told from the point of view of a beloved and trusted mentor. Chelsey Goodan was a highly sought-after academic tutor who worked with hundreds of girls from all different backgrounds, earning their trust, confidence, and friendship. They in turn shared with her their innermost concerns, doubts, and what they wish they could communicate to their parents and the world at large.

With "practical wisdom that belongs in the toolbox of every teenager" (Booklist) and featuring topics and language directly chosen by the girls, Goodan reveals how the solutions to a girl's well-being 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.

Covering a variety of topics, including sexuality, perfection, friendship, identity, the media, shame, power, and much more, Goodan invites us to self-reflect. She reveals how to heal your own inner teenage girl, in order to bring greater connection into your life.

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. "This book is exactly what we all need right now, for our families and for our future voices in the world" (Laura Dern).

Author: Chelsey Goodan
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 03/04/2025
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9781668032695

About the Author
Nationally bestselling author Chelsey Goodan worked as an academic tutor and mentor for sixteen years, with a particular emphasis on the empowerment of teenage girls. She speaks regularly to audiences about gender justice, conducts workshops, and coaches parents on how to better understand and connect with their daughters. As a keynote speaker, Goodan teaches communication strategies that create psychological safety for everyone from teenage girls to CEOs. She serves both on the board of the gender-based violence prevention organization, A Call to Men, and as the mentorship director of the nonprofit DemocraShe, which supports and guides girls from underserved communities into leadership positions. Featured on Today, NBC News, Oprah Daily, and Time, her thought leadership expands humanity's potential for authenticity, liberation, and empowerment. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Goodan lives in Los Angeles.