Below are some of the presentations, trainings, and workshops Dr. Kirby has done to help teenagers and college students thrive in school and adjust to the working environment and adulthood. The following in broken into four categories: (1) academic success; (2) personal and adulting; (3) career readiness and professionalism; and (4) social skills and wellbeing.

School (Academic Success)

1. Learning Mindset & Metacognition – Understand how you learn, reflect on what works, and adjust strategies for continuous improvement.
2. Semester Planning & Time Management – Map syllabi to a calendar and build a weekly rhythm that protects focus time and rest.
3. Note-Taking Systems – Practice Cornell, outline, and mapping methods to capture ideas and cues efficiently.
4. Active Reading Strategies – Use SQ3R, annotation, and questioning to turn reading into durable understanding.
5. Memory Techniques – Apply spaced repetition and retrieval practice to make facts stick long-term.
6. Test-Taking Tactics – Learn approaches for multiple-choice, essays, open-book exams, and practicals.
7. Presentation & Public Speaking – Structure talks, design simple visuals, and deliver with voice, posture, and pacing.
8. Quantitative Reasoning & Data Basics – Read charts, interpret statistics, and spot common data fallacies.
9. Critical & Creative Thinking – Challenge assumptions, reason logically, and generate original alternatives.
10. Study Groups & Peer Learning – Run purposeful sessions with roles, agendas, and teach-back for deep learning.
11. Focus & Distraction Management – Set up a study environment and use techniques like Pomodoro and task batching.
12. Office Hours & Faculty Relationships – Prepare questions, build rapport, and ask for feedback or mentorship effectively.

Life (Personal & Adulting)

1. Habits & Self-Management – Build keystone habits with cue–routine–reward loops and friction control.
2. Emotional Intelligence – Recognize emotions, regulate responses, and read social cues with empathy.
3. Stress & Resilience – Use coping plans, reframing, and micro-recovery to rebound from setbacks.
4. Mindfulness & Mental Health Basics – Practice grounding, recognize when to seek help, and know campus/community resources.
5. Sleep, Nutrition & Energy – Set sleep windows, fuel smart on a budget, and stack tiny behaviors for vitality.
6. Physical Activity You’ll Stick With – Choose sustainable movement routines and track consistency, not perfection.
7. Digital Wellbeing – Set boundaries for screens, curate feeds, and avoid doomscroll traps.
8. Housing & Roommate Skills – Read leases, split bills, set house norms, and resolve living-space friction.
9. Cooking & Meal Prep – Master batch-cooking, pantry staples, and food safety on a student budget.
10. Personal Organization & Decluttering – Keep a simple system for documents, tasks, and spaces you can maintain.
11. Personal Safety & Situational Awareness – Trust instincts, plan safe routes, and know emergency options.
12. Legal Essentials – Read contracts, understand consent and privacy, and know tenant/consumer rights.
13. Healthcare Navigation – Use insurance, schedule appointments, and advocate for your needs.
14. Civic Literacy & Community Engagement – Understand local issues, volunteer meaningfully, and participate constructively.

Work (Career Readiness & Professionalism)

1. Career Exploration & Self-Assessment – Identify strengths, interests, and values to shape major and career choices.
2. Personal Brand & Storytelling – Articulate your “why,” signature strengths, and impact through crisp narratives.
3. Résumé & CV Essentials – Quantify achievements, tailor bullets, and align keywords to roles.
4. LinkedIn & Portfolio Basics – Build a credible profile, showcase projects, and engage professionally online.
5. Networking & Informational Interviews – Reach out respectfully, ask good questions, and follow up with gratitude.
6. Job/Internship Search Strategy – Combine targeted applications, referrals, and project showcases to stand out.
7. Interview Skills (Behavioral & Technical) – Use STAR stories, practice whiteboard/case formats, and manage nerves.
8. Offer Evaluation & Negotiation – Compare compensation, benefits, and growth—and negotiate with data and grace.
9. Workplace Professionalism – Show reliability, manage up, and deliver on time in hybrid or in-person settings.
10. Email, Chat & Meeting Etiquette – Write concise messages, run agendas, and capture decisions and owners.
11. Onboarding & First 90 Days – Build relationships, learn systems, and deliver quick wins with a plan.
12. Project Management at Work – Scope tasks, manage risks, and communicate status with clarity.
13. Team Dynamics & Inclusion – Collaborate across differences and practice everyday allyship.
14. Research & Lab Etiquette – Handle data, safety, and authorship norms with professionalism.
15. Entrepreneurship Basics – Validate problems, prototype scrappily, and understand business models.
16. Professional Writing – Draft memos, briefs, and one-pagers that drive decisions.
17. Career Maintenance & Upskilling – Build a learning plan, seek feedback, and track achievements over time.

Friends & Relationships (Social Skills & Wellbeing)

1. Making Friends & Social Confidence – Start conversations, follow up, and grow weak ties into strong ones.
2. Communication Styles & Active Listening – Match tone to context, reflect back, and check for understanding.
3. Giving & Receiving Feedback – Use kind, clear, and specific feedback—and receive it without defensiveness.
4. Conflict Resolution & Difficult Conversations – Separate people from problems, name needs, and co-create solutions.
5. Boundaries, Consent & Respect – Know your limits, express them early, and honor others’ limits consistently.
6. Healthy Dating & Relationships – Build trust, pace intimacy wisely, and address red flags promptly.
7. Bystander Intervention & Safe Socializing – Notice risks, choose safe actions, and enlist help effectively.
8. Peer Pressure & Decision-Making – Pre-commit to values and rehearse graceful “no” scripts.
9. Inclusion, Allyship & Cultural Humility – Stay curious, avoid assumptions, and support peers from all backgrounds.
10. Group Dynamics & Roles – Recognize roles (facilitator, driver, skeptic) and rotate them fairly.
11. Student Orgs & Leadership – Lead meetings, manage budgets, and build engaged, mission-aligned teams.
12. Event Planning & Community Building – Design inclusive events with purpose, logistics, and follow-through.
13. Social Anxiety Tools – Use exposure ladders, self-compassion, and practical coping strategies.
14. Online Etiquette & Reputation – Post thoughtfully, manage group chats, and avoid screenshot drama.
15. Apologies, Repair & Forgiveness – Own impact, make amends, and rebuild trust with actions.
16. Navigating Breakups & Friendship Changes – Communicate closure, grieve well, and reset routines.
17. Mentorship & Being Mentored – Find mentors, set goals, and maintain mutually beneficial relationships.
18. Volunteering & Service Learning – Translate service into skills, stories, and lasting community ties.
19. Gratitude & Prosocial Habits – Practice appreciation rituals that strengthen bonds and wellbeing.
20. Celebration & Traditions – Create simple rituals that mark progress and build belonging.