Speaker Talk: The Golden Ticket Is Not What You Think: What I Learned from Counseling Students Struggling to Get Into Stanford and Raising Children Who Were Just Struggling

During her 18 years as an independent college admissions counselor, Irena worked with some of the most accomplished, tightly-wound students in the world while her own children struggled with developmental delays, learning differences, severe depression, and anxiety. She kept her double life—successful college counselor at work, anxious mom at home—tightly under wraps for years, until a stunning realization: she was exactly like the anxious parents of the students she worked with, all of whom were equally terrified about *their* children’s future. Her memoir, which candidly explores her personal as well as professional life, was published in 2023, and she has since devoted her time to speaking out about hard things: the heavy burden of generational expectations, teen and young adult mental health, and the importance of embracing a broader, more generous vision of what it means to succeed.