Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 7:00 PM, Eight Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success, Gorton Center, 400
E. Illinois Rd., Lake Forest, IL 60045. Interviewer: Heidi Stevens. BONUS BOOK GIVEAWAY of Eight Setbacks
at the event, while supplies last. Books sale and signing, too. No registration required.

Every child messes up, sometimes in ways that seem sure to wreck their futures: a bad report card, poor
sportsmanship, underaged drinking. These are tough moments for parent and child alike, often complicated by
the fear that the misstep is also an indictment of our parenting. But what each of these “fails” has in common for
our kids is the precious silver lining of a chance for character building and developing more grit—if we help them
process their mistake well.

An invaluable playbook for anxious parents everywhere, Eight Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success by
parenting expert Michelle Icard (FAN ’22), offers specific and unexpected advice about what to say, what not to
say, and what to do to help children in eight categories of tense situations. Distilled from Icard’s decades of
experience working with tweens, teenagers, and families, she underscores that there is always a chance for a
child gain new and stronger decision-making skills, and for the parent-child relationship to strengthen.

Icard is the author of Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen (2021) and Middle School Makeover (2014). She has a
degree in education and has worked with parents, children, and teachers for more than 20 years. A writer for
the Today show parenting team, NBC News Learn, CNN Science and Wellness, and the Washington Post, Icard’s
work has also been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Redbook, Time, and People.

Icard will be in conversation with Heidi Stevens, Director of External Affairs for the University of Chicago’s TMW
Center for Early Learning + Public Health. Prior to joining TMW, Stevens worked at the Chicago Tribune for 23
years, where she wrote a daily column called “Balancing Act.” She maintains a weekly nationally syndicated
column. Stevens also serves as a FAN board member.

This event is suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded but not live streamed and will be available on FAN’s website
and YouTube channel.