Ideas worth spreading

To raise brave girls, encourage adventure

2,137,441 views |

Caroline Paul |

TEDWomen 2016

• October 2016

Gutsy girls skateboard, climb trees, clamber around, fall down, scrape their knees, get right back up -- and grow up to be brave women. Learn how to spark a little productive risk-taking and raise confident girls with stories and advice from firefighter, paraglider and all-around adventurer Caroline Paul.

Gutsy girls skateboard, climb trees, clamber around, fall down, scrape their knees, get right back up -- and grow up to be brave women. Learn how to spark a little productive risk-taking and raise confident girls with stories and advice from firefighter, paraglider and all-around adventurer Caroline Paul.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Caroline Paul

See speaker profile

Brimming with insights gained on her picaresque journey from firefighter to best-selling author, Caroline Paul’s "The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure" is a revolutionary guide for raising brave young women.

| Explore

Girls Leadership

Girls Leadership is a national organization whose vision is "a society where girls and women engage authentically and assertively at every level of decision-making in all areas of their lives." Their site is chock full of research and relatable anecdotes that offer valuable insight into raising courageous, confident girls. You can find their advice on microbravery, used in my talk, here

Peruse their website but, even better, enroll your girl, participate in their workshops, and donate.

Deborah Tannen | William Morrow, 2001 | Book

Talking 9-5: Men and Women at Work

Want to understand the subtle ways that our language restricts us? Tannen is a sociolinguist who shows how gender and social status are defined by rituals ingrained in everyday speech. A must read for anyone who wants to clearly see all the unconscious factors that guide our daily life.

Kate Schatz, Illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl | Ten Speed Press, 2016 | Book

Rad Women Worldwide, Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries who Shaped History

This book highlights a wide range of inspiring women who have lived lives of bravery and resilience. Written especially for middle graders, but enlightening for all of us.

Gever Tulley with Julie Spiegler | Berkley, 2011 | Book

50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)

When a child learns to build a fire, use a knife, or throw a spear (!), she learns responsibility, confidence, and bravery. This book is a manifesto to the benefits of risky play!

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.