In his new book, The Essential Eight: balancing Childhood and Academics, Dr. Tony Di Giacomo reimagines how we prepare young people for life with insights from decades in education, he shows parents and students how to build confidence, curiosity, and adaptability – cultivating growth and well-being alongside achievement.
The Book that Defines a Framework for Lifelong Success
The Essential Eight™: The Defining 8 Hours of Student Life
The Next Evolution in Educational Thinking
Books like Atomic Habits, The Power of Habit, Mindset, Grit, and The Anxious Generation have reshaped how we think about growth, behavior, and resilience. This book takes the next step – offering a practical guide for applying those ideas to childhood, learning, and lifelong success.
The Essential Eight: Balancing Childhood and Academics, by Dr. Tony Di Giacomo, translates the science of habits, mindset, and motivation into a clear, actionable framework that parents and educators can use to help students flourish – not only in school, but in life.
From the Book
“In the pursuit of success, we must focus on helping the child sample the world, make sense of it, and learn how to navigate it, replete with the tools they need. This means that tertiary education, whether in the form of trade school, training, or college, is not a destination but rather a significant chapter on their path.”
Why This Book Matters
- Guidance for every stage: A clear, actionable approach to navigating education from elementary school through college and beyond.
- A holistic vision of success: Balances academic rigor with emotional health, adaptability, and authentic confidence.
- Focus on human capability: Emphasizes the traits that never go out of date: critical thinking, communication, and adaptability.
- Future-ready mindset: Equips students to handle uncertainty, think deeply about purpose, and contribute meaningfully to the world.
What Readers Will Gain
- A framework for balancing achievement with well-being
- Practical strategies for developing habits of curiosity and confidence
- A clear lens for understanding how to raise capable, adaptable learners
- Tools to help students navigate transitions, challenges, and choices
- A grounded sense of purpose in how education connects to life beyond school
The reviews are in
“The Essential Eight provides parents with a practical framework for defining and transforming the eight critical hours between the end of the school day and bedtime into a structured routine that reduces stress and builds executive functioning skills. This is essential reading for parents seeking to support their child’s success while protecting their well-being!”
– Amazon reviewer
“This was the perfect how-to on addressing critical but often missed skill sets for my child. Dr. Di Giacomo clearly has extensive experience in this area and I love the mindset of reshaping how we think about student success – thinking beyond grades and focusing on the holistic success of our children. He gives real-world ways to help your student today and I know it will make a huge difference for my child.”
– Amazon reviewer
