Willows Academy is excited to welcome Julie Larkin and Monica Hinderer of GirlTalk. Their talk, titled “Building Healthy Self-Confidence in Girls,” will take place on Friday, February 7th at 7 PM as part of our Raising Great Girls series.
GirlTalk hosts programs for women of all ages and life stages–middle and high school girls, college students, mothers, and professionals. GirlTalk offers a range of resources and programming to build a community of confident women who radiate their true value. The website provides a brief history of GirlTalk’s founding and history:
“In 2012, Julie Larkin came face-to-face with a crisis of self-worth in the form of shame, insecurity, and self-harm amongst her female college residents. In response, she created Girl Talk, committed to combating the crisis of self-worth in every woman. In this sisterhood of self-worth, women discovered that they were not alone in their struggle, as they encountered friendship, hope, and healing. Girl Talk….[aspires] for every woman to know that she is enough, worthy, and loved.”
The organization’s mission aligned with needs and interests of the Willows community and the challenge of raising teenage girls today.
“Willows attends to the whole person–body, mind, and soul,” the speakers observed. “The faculty and staff are interested in forming integrated women of character, and Girl Talk supports this vision wholeheartedly!”
In today’s world in particular, there is a quicksand of identity issues facing girls that attack girls’ self-confidence and inner peace. Mentors and parents face the challenge of helping girls ground their identity on the foundation of being a beloved daughter of God and recognize their own strengths and talents are meant to be multiplied and shared for the good of their families, friends and the larger society.
“The advantage of GirlTalk is that they are experienced in reaching both the teenage girls and parents, who have very different needs,” explains Angela Fortunato, Assistant Head of School.
GirlTalk leads sessions with Willows students focused on discovering one’s inherent worth as daughters of God and not in the opinion of others.
The parent workshop is open to any and all parents and will focus on strengthening communication between parents and their teenage daughters.
“The greatest predictor of a teenager’s mental well-being is the quality of the relationship with his or her parents,” Larkin emphasizes. GirlTalk hopes to provide parents with confidence and practical tools to build a relationship with their daughters.
Raising Great Girls: Lost in Translation featuring Julie Larkin, Ana Yrausquin, and Monica Hinderer will be taking place on February 2nd at 7PM. Reserve your spot below.
Julie Larkin
Julie Larkin is the founder and executive director of Girl Talk, a 501(c)3 organization combating the crisis of self-worth through sisterhood and self-discovery. Julie received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Catholic University of America and her masters in business from The Busch School of Business. After working as a therapist-in-training at Vita Optimum Counseling & Consulting, she attained her masters in clinical mental health counseling from Wake Forest University. She hosts the Love, Girl Talk podcast, was featured on EWTN News Nightly and in Verily Magazine, and speaks regularly on self-worth and mental health. Julie has spent the past decade encountering women of all ages and stages, learning their stories, and walking with them to deepen their understanding of self-worth. Her dream is for every person to discover their inherent value and to live by it.
Monica Hinderer
Monica is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) who truly believes in the healing and restorative nature of therapy. With a client centered approach, she provides evidence based interventions such as CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing to help clients reach their goals. Her specialties include anxiety related disorders, OCD/Scrupulosity, faith/spirituality, motivation/resilience, gender/sex, and addiction. Monica works with adolescents 8-18, adults 18+, families, parents, and schools/churches. Her consulting and coaching are designed to help parents and organizations troubleshoot mental , emotional, and behavioral concerns that may arise.