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Liz Funk  

Author of "Supergirls Speak Out", Marketing & Business Strategist, Youth & Gender Issues Expert

Liz Funk is the author of "Supergirls Speak Out," published by Simon and Schuster in 2009. The book examines the contemporary "ideal girl" stereotype in high schools and colleges where it has become socially advantageous for girls to be strong, smart, and well-rounded. Funk discusses how despite these positive changes, many young women feel pressured to appear effortlessly perfect and excel at everything they do. She argues that it's crucial for young women to develop a sense of intrinsic worth, beyond their accomplishments and others' perceptions, to foster a healthier relationship with their ambitions and self-image.

Funk has contributed to a range of prominent publications including USA Today, Newsday, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, AOL.com, The Albany Times Union, and CosmoGIRL!. She has been invited to speak at several prestigious universities such as Cornell University, Brown University, Duke University, Boston College, Boston University, Emerson College, NYU, the University of Virginia, the University of Iowa, Miami University of Ohio, Texas Christian University, Indiana University, and Northern Arizona University. Her speaking engagements focus on addressing the pressures and challenges faced by today's college women, particularly concerning the issues of being overscheduled and overcommitted.

Currently residing in New York City, Funk is actively involved in marketing and business development strategy with startups. Her professional and academic experiences make her a respected voice in discussions about the challenges facing contemporary young women in academia and beyond.

Speech Topics

Liz Funk, author of Supergirls Speak Out, helps college women become comfortable saying “no” to new opportunities when they’re already overscheduled, to try to “go offline” when they need some mental and physical rest, to manage their time more effectively (and with more affection for themselves), and to avoid comparing their productivity to that of others. Funk also addresses what college women can do when they try to relax and it feels physically or mentally uncomfortable after having been in constant motion for so many years.

If college women adopt some stress-reducing habits and make “me time” a practice, they’re more likely to build lives as healthy, happy, balanced women leaders. After all, any woman who has ever achieved greatness probably didn’t do so when she was running on fumes.

Supergirls: Today’s Overscheduled, Overcommitted College Woman

Many college women have a "work hard, play hard" mentality—they study constantly and are committed to maintaining their goal grade point average, they take on leadership roles in student organizations and may even have a little bit of “FOMO” (“fear of missing out”), whether that means never turning down an opportunity or invitation to an event, or making an appearance at more than one party on Saturday. Being active, social, and intellectually-curious are all important, but these activities aren’t necessarily relaxing; in fact, many young women report feeling pulled in all directions, even when it comes to their leisure time.

We don’t expect our laptops or iPods to work if they’re not charged, so why do we expect that of our bodies? Young women should try to take an hour (or an afternoon!) every weekend to do something fun or relaxing. But many college women say that taking a few hours for themselves is impossible. This brings up some curious issues:

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