Helping Families Navigate the First Six Weeks of Post-Secondary
with Dr. Robyne, Dr. Deena and Cat & Nat
Facilitated by Natalie Davison
Wednesday, August 19
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Live on Zoom
$97 per household
Because orientation prepares students... but who prepares parents?
You’ve taught them their ABCs, how to tie their shoes, make friends, and become great humans.
Now comes the part no one prepares you for:
The transition to post-secondary is one of the biggest milestones in your student’s life. It is also one of the biggest transitions in yours.
As they begin this next chapter, they are discovering greater independence. You are learning a whole new role, one where the rules are not written down anywhere.
The first six weeks of post-secondary are some of the most important. Students are adjusting to a faster pace of learning, higher academic expectations, unfamiliar routines, new relationships, and greater independence. Families are adjusting too.
This is where confidence is built. Habits are formed. Belonging begins. Small conversations can make a big difference.
A 90-minute live online event for parents, caregivers, grandparents, family members, and supporters who want to navigate this transition with greater confidence, stronger connection, and practical strategies that actually help.
This is the conversation families wish someone had invited them to.
You will leave with practical, research-informed strategies you can use immediately, especially during those critical first six weeks when everything feels new.
Wednesday, August 19
7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Live on Zoom
$97 per household
MEET THE PANEL
Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer
Award-winning learning strategist, researcher, and author, Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer has spent decades helping students, families, and educators understand what truly drives confidence, motivation, learning, and academic success. She brings hands-on strategies for navigating heavy course loads, effective studying, procrastination, prioritization, exam preparation, academic overwhelm, and the habits that help students succeed from day one.
Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe
Educational behaviourist, bestselling author, researcher, and internationally recognized resiliency expert, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe helps people understand stress, build resiliency, and navigate life’s biggest transitions with confidence, compassion, and practical strategies grounded in science. She shares practical tools to help families support independence, strengthen communication, navigate uncertainty, and care for themselves while supporting someone they love.
Cat & Nat
Between the two of them, Cat & Nat have seven kids, zero down time, and an unshakable belief that motherhood shouldn’t feel like solitary confinement. What started as a mission to escape the house (and the chaos) turned into legendary dinner parties and no-kids-allowed events that had Toronto moms lining up — and. talking about it everywhere. Then they took their show online — literally. Because moms everywhere deserve more laughs, more honesty, and way more conversations that start with, “Is it just me, or…?” Now, they’re knee-deep in teenage drama and perimenopause, tackling everything from periods to hot flashes—so you don’t have to Google it all alone at 3 a.m. Cat & Nat are here to make sure you feel a little more prepared and a lot less alone through it all. Their viral #MOMTRUTHS videos, their hilariously honest Cat & Nat Unfiltered podcast, bestselling books, and sold-out live shows across North America have built a massive community of moms who are so over the “perfect mom” myth.
Facilitated by Natalie Davison
Natalie has spent her career helping people navigate life’s biggest transitions. Known for asking the questions that others don’t want to say out loud, Natalie guides discussions with warmth, curiosity, and authenticity.
Together, Dr. Deena, Dr. Robyne, Cat & Nat as well as Natalie will help families support not only grades, but also confidence, belonging, wellbeing, and healthy independence.
IN THIS 90-MINUTE LIVE SESSION, WE WILL EXPLORE
- Understanding the pace, workload, and expectations of post-secondary learning
- Demanding course loads, exam preparation, and adjusting to a new academic standard
- Practical strategies for overcoming procrastination, prioritizing effectively, studying, note-taking, and learning with confidence.
- Recognizing academic distress before it becomes academic crisis
- How to stay connected without hovering
- Knowing when to step in and when to step back
- Communication that builds trust instead of tension
- What students wish their families understood about this transition
- Mental health, stress, and resiliency during the first year
- Why belonging is one of the strongest predictors of student success
- The overlooked importance of sleep, routines, and recovery
- Helping students navigate setbacks without losing confidence
- Navigating homesickness, difficult phone calls, and changing family dynamics
- Supporting siblings while your family adjusts
- Common mistakes that well-intentioned families make, and what to do instead
Have a Question That Is Keeping You Up at Night?
Submit your question in advance, and we will bring it to our live round-table discussion.
If one family is wondering about it, chances are many others are too.
Orientation prepares students.
First Year, For Real prepares the
families
who love them.
YOU WILL GAIN
- A toolkit for navigating the first six weeks of post-secondary
- Better ways to respond to homesickness, overwhelm, and academic stress
- Conversation starters that strengthen connection instead of creating conflict
- Concrete ways to support motivation, confidence, belonging, and healthy independence
- Greater clarity about what is normal, what deserves attention, and how to respond with confidence
- Research-informed strategies that help everyone navigate this season with greater ease
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- One household ticket to the live online event
- Interactive audience questions and discussion
- Opportunity to submit your questions in advance
- Honest conversations, expert insight, and reassuring reminders that you are not alone
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Parents, caregivers, and supporters of students beginning any post-secondary journey, whether they are attending college, university, an apprenticeship, or another post-secondary pathway.
Whether your student is moving away, commuting from home, or somewhere in between, you will leave feeling more informed, more connected, and better prepared for the months ahead.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT
The first year of post-secondary changes students. It changes families too.
Join us for an evening of honest conversation, practical insight, laughter, reassurance, and evidence-based strategies designed to help both students and the people who love them navigate this transition with confidence.
It is built on confidence, belonging, healthy habits, meaningful connection, and knowing you are not navigating this season alone.
Orientation prepares students. First Year, For Real prepares the families who love them.