Becky Kennedy
Rebecca Prince Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Born | ~1983-1984[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Duke University (BA) Teachers College, Columbia University (PhD) (2010) |
| Spouse | Colin Kennedy |
| Children | 3 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Clinical psychology |
| Institutions | Private practice, The Good Inside Company |
| Thesis | Implementing Evidence-Based Practices Into Psychotherapy Training in Clinical Psychology PhD Programs (2010) |
Rebecca Kennedy is an American clinical psychologist who is founder and chief executive officer of the Good Inside company, an online parenting advice service. She has been called the "millennial parent whisperer" by Time Magazine and is a number one New York Times bestseller for her book Good Inside.[2][3][4]
Early life and education
[edit]Kennedy grew up in Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York to a mother who was a social worker and a father who was a commodities trader.[5] She attributes her experience as a "people pleaser" growing up and anorexia as a teenager with having inspired her to become a psychologist.[3] Kennedy has said of how millennials were raised that "I think in my parents' generation, they raised us a lot through fear—their fear and then our fear."[2] Kennedy has a BA in psychology and human relationships from Duke University and a PhD in clinical psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.[2]
Career
[edit]In 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy started Good Inside Instagram account. In 2021, the Good Inside company was founded by Kennedy and another clinical psychologist, Erica Belsky. Good Inside raised $10.5 million in its "first round of venture-capital fundraising from Inspired Capital, an early-stage VC founded by millennial personal-finance guru Alexa von Tobel, G9 Ventures, and other undisclosed investors."[6] It is a privately held company that operates as a member-subscription service providing varying modes of parenting advice to over one million people across the world, of which some 94% are mothers.[3] As part of the Good Inside platform, Kennedy operates an Instagram account and podcast. The account became an online sensation two days after the first lockdown in New York when Kennedy posted about how children would feel the pandemic through the reactions of those around them.[3]
The basic ideas behind Kennedy's psychological approach is to assume that everyone is "good inside" and that children are complicated emotional beings like adults.[7] Kennedy is opposed to "cry it out" sleep training unless it is unavoidable.[8] The psychological theories underpinning Good Inside are stated to be: Attachment theory, mindfulness, emotional regulation and Internal Family Systems Model. Kennedy has popularised, developed or repurposed psychological concepts, including "Deeply Feeling Kids (DFKs)" (which has been trademarked), dysregulation and reparenting. Good Inside Chatbot is powered by Generative artificial intelligence.
Kennedy maintains a private practice in New York and is one the paid speaking circuit, receiving as much as $100,000 per speech.[9]
Reviews of Good Inside
[edit]The Financial Times accused Kennedy of being an "expert profiting from today’s desperate parents", "the confluence of social media and for-profit parenting advice".[8] The Cut and New York magazine interviewed Kennedy and attended an event in New York, observing:
The audience felt like an impromptu gathering of an elite corps of highly effective school fundraisers. One group of four attendees I met all have children at the same elite private school where Kennedy sends her children.[10]
The article suggested that rising anxiety among middle-class mothers explained the popularity of Good Inside. In the The Guardian, Kennedy has been described as "seizing" a movement already in motion, providing millennial parents with the means to access mainstream psychology.[11] The Week acknowledged criticisms of the gentle parenting approach but believes Good Inside offers "support and reinforcement" to millennial parents attempting to be emotionally-mindful parents.[12]
Personal life
[edit]Kennedy is married to Colin Kennedy, who is presently the Chief Business Officer of Ramp and has been a senior leader in Fortune 500 fintech companies, including Amex and Stripe, Inc., and Goldman Sachs.[13][14] They have three children and live on the Upper West Side.
Kennedy's home office is her children's playroom.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "How Dr. Becky Professionalized Parenting". 13 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "How Dr. Becky Became the Millennial Parenting Whisperer". Time. June 26, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Jonze, Tim (February 20, 2022). "How Dr Becky Kennedy became Instagram's favourite 'parent whisperer'". The Guardian.
- ^ Gorce, Tammy La (September 17, 2022). "How Dr. Becky Spends Her Sundays". The New York Times.
- ^ "How Dr. Becky Professionalized Parenting". 13 March 2024.
- ^ "How Dr. Becky Professionalized Parenting". 13 March 2024.
- ^ DuLong, Jessica (November 4, 2022). "Psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy offers new hope for parents of kids who 'just won't listen'". CNN.
- ^ a b Weaver, Courtney (16 June 2022). "Inside 'gentle parenting': No punishments. No timeouts. No bribery. | Financial Times". www.ft.com.
- ^ "The unparalleled leader of the gentle parenting movement". The Week. 13 May 2024.
- ^ "How Dr. Becky Professionalized Parenting". 13 March 2024.
- ^ Jonze, Tim (20 February 2022). "How Dr Becky Kennedy became Instagram's favourite 'parent whisperer'". The Guardian.
- ^ "The unparalleled leader of the gentle parenting movement". The Week. 13 May 2024.
- ^ "How Dr. Becky Professionalized Parenting". 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Colin Kennedy, Chief Business Officer, Ramp".
- ^ Marchese, David (November 15, 2021). "Dr. Becky Doesn't Think the Goal of Parenting Is to Make Your Kid Happy". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
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