That's exactly where things start to unravel.
The Game Plan is your insider view into how post-secondary really works - before you ever step foot on campus.
This is not a generic "college/uni tips" course. It's an accessible 19-module deep dive into how post-secondary actually works- academically, socially, and strategically. The stuff no one explains... until you're already overwhelmed, behind, and questioning everything.
Inside The Game Plan, students don't just "get ready"- they walk in already knowing the playbook:
- how to study at a university level (before the first assignment hits)
- what professors expect (and what they don't say out loud)
- where to go for help-and how to ask for help effectively
- how to manage time, pressure, and independence without spiralling
- what their days, weeks, and semesters will really look like
- how to think in a way that drives better decisions, behaviours and outcomes
You don't need to struggle..you need to think about what you WANT
Because what you think, you become.
If you walk in thinking "I'm already behind", "I don't know if I can do this"...
your behaviour follows - hesitation, avoidance, second-guessing.
And those behaviours shape your results.
But shift the thinking – "I know how this works". "I know what to do next". -and everything changes.
Confidence becomes action.
Action becomes momentum.
Momentum becomes success.
The Game Plan builds that thinking on purpose.
It replaces uncertainty with clarity.
It replaces panic with strategy.
It replaces "I hope I can handle this" with "I know exactly what to do".
This is the difference between reacting... and arriving ready.
Because the students who succeed aren't always the smartest in the room.
They're the ones who understand the game they're walking into.
And if you don't have a plan? You're guessing.
If you do? You're in control.
The Game Plan isn't optional if success matters. It's foundational.
Get The Game Plan
The Game Plan
Here's the truth no one puts on the brochure..
Students don't struggle because they aren't capable..
They struggle because they're unprepared for a system they don't understand.
Strong Start
Included Tools and Supports:
• Executive Functions Guide
• First Week at School Checklist
• Parent-Student Reflection Exercises
• Check-In Templates
• Communication Tips for Maintaining Connection Without Control
Get Strong start
A guide that was designed for that quiet moment in a household when everything is about to change...
When a student is heading off to college or university, it's not just their transition - it's the family's too. And for many parents, especially moms who have spent years being the steady centre of their child's world, this moment carries a lot more weight than anyone says out loud.
There's pride, of course. But there's also worry.
Will they be OK on their own?
Did we choose the right program, the right place?
Will they find their people?
Will they be able to manage everything without us right there beside them?
Strong Start with created with this reality in mind.
This is a 7-module transition guide for students and their families designed to be completed at a comfortable pace.. be it a week or stretched over a month..
It brings calm to the uncertainty,
and replaces guesswork with practical strategies, shared language, and clear, grounded guidance for what actually happens in this next chapter.
It gently walks families through what matters most:
From getting organized and staying connected, to mental and physical well-being, to financial readiness, independence, and decision making, each module helps both parent and student feel more prepared and less alone in the process.
There's also a strong focus on what parents worry about most but don't always have the words for - belonging, safety, resilience, and emotional well-being once the student is away from home. Because thriving in post secondary isn't only about academics...it's about connection, confidence, and the ability to navigate moments of loneliness and uncertainty when they inevitably show up.
By the end, families are just "sending someone off". They're sharing a sense of readiness. A sense of we've thought this through, we've prepared for this, and we know how to support each other through it – even from a distance.
Strong Start doesn't just prepare students for college or university.
It helps parents feel steady letting them go.
Strong Start at a Glance:
• Module 1: Getting Ready – Safety, Logistics & Communication
• Module 2: Well-Being – Mental & Physical Health
• Module 3: Managing Money – Building Financial Responsibility
• Module 4: Executive Function in Action – Building Independence
• Module 5: Building Belonging – Social Connections & Community
• Module 6: Coping with Loneliness & Anxiety – Building Resilience
• Module 7: The First-Year Success Plan
Rescue Me
Get Rescue Me
Somewhere between the missed assignment, the unopened emails, the panic scroll through the syllabus, and the sentence "I think I've completely screwed this up", students start to believe the story is over. It's not.
Rescue Me is the recovery guide for college and university students who feel like everything is slipping through their fingers. Grades are dropping. Deadlines are piling up like an avalanche in slow motion. Everyone else looks like they have it together while you're quietly wondering why you're still there. You're overwhelmed, behind, exhausted, and thinking maybe the only option left is to quit, drop courses, or start over. Before you do that, read this.
This guide is for the student who feels buried under late assignments, missed classes, academic warnings, anxiety, confusion, and the crushing feeling of being an imposter in a room full of people who "seem fine". Because the truth is, a lot more students are struggling than you think. They're just hiding it behind their iced coffees, AirPods, and "I'm good".
Rescue Me is not about toxic positivity or pretending everything is okay. It's about getting honest, getting calm, and getting strategic. Starting today.
Inside this guide, students learn how to stop the spiral before it turns into a full academic collapse. They'll clear the mental fog, figure out what's actually happening, and learn exactly what to do first, second, and third instead of freezing in panic. From how to email professors without shame, to understanding what's salvageable and what's not, this guide gives students a practical roadmap back to stability.
It walks them through:
how to breathe long enough to think clearly again
how to get real about what's happening without catastrophizing
what to say in emails to professors, advisers, and support staff
what can still be saved academically and what needs to be let go
how to build a simple five-day recovery plan instead of drowning in the whole semester
why cleaning up physical and digital clutter can quiet mental chaos
the non-negotiables of sleep, food, movement, and self-care during academic stress
how to stop the brutal self-talk that makes everything heavier
how to reconnect with their reasons for being there in the first place
how to create accountability, momentum, and small wins that rebuild confidence one step at a time
This is the guide students read when they're sitting on their bed at 2:13 am convinced they've ruined everything. It reminds them they haven't.
Because failing at school is not failing at life. Falling behind is not the same as being incapable. And one terrible semester does not get to decide someone's future.
Before students waste more time, money, confidence, or potential by walking away from school in panic, Rescue Me helps them regroup, reset, and recover with clarity, compassion and a real plan.
Sometimes the comeback starts with one sentence: "Maybe I'm not done yet".
The guide for the "I wanna quitters", the lost, and the ones in the middle of a panic episode..
Your Launch Year Membership
A monthly Membership for Grade 12 students and their families
That's where this membership changes everything.
As a professor with decades of experience working directly with students, I've seen what helps students succeed, and what quietly causes them to spiral, fall behind, burn out, or leave school all together. This is not recycled advice from a guidance office pamphlet or generic "study tips" pulled from the internet. This is real, current, front-line guidance about what students and their families actually need to know before that first day of class arrives.
This monthly membership is designed for Grade 12 students and their families who want to feel informed, confident, and prepared instead of overwhelmed, panicked, and reactive. Every month we tackle one critical topic in the order that makes the most sense, so families can prepare step-by-step instead of trying to figure everything out during a meltdown in October.
And let's be honest.
Your teenager probably isn't listening to you the same way they used to.
That's normal.
Parents carry the emotional weight.
Students tune it out.
Sometimes they need to hear the facts from someone who lives inside the post-secondary world every day, and knows exactly what's waiting for them on the other side of graduation.
Each month includes:
- a live virtual session
- practical guidance students and their families can actually use
- honest conversations about what university and college life are really like
- Q&A time for students and parents with ME. Ask me anything.. advice, suggestions, problem solving? I'm here for it
- strategies to reduce stress, confusion, and emotional overload
- tools to help students stay afloat academically, socially, emotionally and financially
This membership is about preparation with purpose. Not fear. Not pressure. Preparation. Because students who understand what's coming are far more likely to succeed once they get there.
Here are just SOME of the topics we'll cover:
Month 1: The Truth About Postsecondary Life
What college and university are really liked beyond brochures. Academic pressure, independence, loneliness, expectations, workload, freedom and the emotional adjustment nobody talks about.
Month 2: Choosing the Right School, Program, and Fit
How to choose based on learning style, personality, support systems, finances, goals, and mental health instead of prestige, pressure, or panic.
Month 3: The High School to Post-Secondary Academic Shock:
Why good students suddenly struggle. Understanding workload, self-directed learning, deadlines, lecture-style teaching, and the reality of managing multiple courses at once.
Month 4: Time Management and Executive Functioning
How students actually keep up with classes, readings, assignments, schedules, appointments, and life without drowning in procrastination and chaos.
Month 5: Study Skills that Actually Work
What successful students do differently. Notetaking, exam prep, reading strategies, concentration, memory, studying smarter, and avoiding last-minute academic disasters.
Month 6: Mental Health, Stress, and Burnout Prevention
How to recognize overwhelm before it becomes collapse. Anxiety, isolation, perfectionism, impostor syndrome, emotional regulation, and building resilience before crisis hits.
Month 7: Independence, Responsibility, and Real Life Skills
Laundry, groceries, sleep, routines, budgeting, communication, appointments, conflict, boundaries, and how to function without a parent managing everything behind the scenes.
Month 8: Friends, Roommates, Parties, and Social Pressure
Navigating relationships, peer pressure, dating, social media, alcohol/drug culture, loneliness, roommate conflict, and learning how to find "your " people.
Month 9: Communication and Self-Advocacy
How to email professors, ask for help, use supports, talk to advisors, handle conflict, and advocate for themselves instead of shutting down or disappearing.
Month 10: Financial Stress and Student Survival
Budgeting, spending traps, OSAP/student loans, balancing work and school, financial anxiety, how money stress quietly impacts academic success.
Month 11: When Things Start Falling Apart
What to do if grades drop, motivation disappears, anxiety spikes, or students feel like quitting. Recovery strategies before one bad semester turns into dropping out.
Month 12: Launch Ready
How students and parents prepare emotionally for move-in day, the first six weeks of school, home sickness, identity shifs, letting go, and starting strong instead of scrambling.
This is more than a membership. It's a roadmap through one of the most emotionally and academically intense transitions of a young person's life.
Students do not fail because simply because they are lazy or incapable. More often, students struggle because no one prepared them for what was coming.
This isn't high school anymore, and this membership changes everything.
New people. New routines. New pressure. New freedom.
And for many students, it can feel like being dropped into a city with no map and being told "Good Luck".
That's where I come in.
Sometimes students need someone who isn't their parent, roommate, or bestie. Someone who understands the system, listens without judgement, gives honest, accurate guidance, practical strategies, helps them be accountable, and stay grounded when things get overwhelming. With more than 20 years as a university professor, I know this world inside and out, so I know how to help.
I offer one-on-one remote coaching for college and university students who could use some extra support...
- settling in,
- staying organized,
- finding their people,
- meeting deadlines,
- navigating challenges,
- managing stress,
- and figuring out how to enjoy the post-secondary experience, both academically and personally..
Because success at school is never just about school. It's about having a growth mindset, normalizing challenges, building confidence day-by-day, seeking connections with the like-minded, understanding the importance of balance, building resilience, and creating an authentic life they are excited to step into.
Your student doesn't need to figure this out alone.
If you are thinking this kind of support could make a difference to help your student settle in, feel confident, and start strong, I encourage you to reach out...
I work with a limited number of students each term so that each one reserve receives personalized attention, care, and guidance.
Together we can create a plan that helps your student feel supported, and experience success both in the classroom and in life.
Reach out using the email address you see here!! Let's talk!
1:1 Coaching
Personalized Support You Need, When You Need It
Say Hello
Email: dr.deannabehnkecook@gmail.com
Speaking & Events
So let‘s talk about what you think about…let’s talk about what you want for your life. And about what steps you need to take to get there. Because only YOU can do it for yourself. And if that’s scary, I suggest you think about it in a different way; it’s POWERFUL. And you are stepping into your own. Finally.
Also.. before you start thinking it’s all TOO MUCH.. please remember…you can only think one thought at a time and take one step at a time. Easy does it.
I love bringing all of this hope and inspiration to interactive talks with students, parents, educators, coaches, athletes, and folks in the corporate world who could use some deconstructing of limiting mindsets imposed on them by others.
Let’s exchange those with something that fits for you.
With what’s possible.
With where you want to go.
Because you have to believe you can.
And that all starts with “hmmm, what if…”
Reach Out
Mindset. Motivation. Mentality
Have you ever heard the saying “What you think, you become, what you feel, you attract and what you imagine, you create?”
Yep, that was Buddha.
Pretty spot-on, and the research on mindset, action and outcomes says this tracks.
If I’ve learned anything over my 20-plus years as an academic, speaker, and student success strategist, it is that mindset matters. If you think, “Nah, I can’t do that”….you probably won’t, because you have already decided whatever “that” is, is not for you.
Same goes for who YOU believe you are.
And this is a biggie..
If you’ve been told over and over that you’re not smart enough, or you’re lazy, or your dreams are not realistic.. be careful. Those words, or thoughts, which BTW came from SOMEONE ELSE, can have a hold over you if you give them oxygen.
Given I’m a social scientist, I can assure you that how you have been socialized by parents, school, peers, and social media (and sometimes in the most well-meaning way) can have a massive impact on how you BEHAVE, which has consequences.. right?
So back to Buddha.. our thoughts matter.
“You know you are a game changer. Before you came to our school in Milton and talked about being ready for post secondary, I was really worried. But you made us all feel so much better and that we could do whatever we put our minds to. For that, I am so grateful. I know I’’m going to be just fine, and thank you for coming and speaking to us.”
— MALCOM
Former student of Milton District High School, and current undergraduate student Ontario, Canada
“Professor Deanna is probably one of the only professors whose lectures I can recall when I was in her university classes because they all had a dose of inspiration. When I was assigned to have a guest speaker come to the Ontario Veterinary College, I immediately knew that she was the one I had to get in contact with. She taught (us) how to use every single day as a way to build ourselves from the ground up, and work our way to the top using the concept of resilience. She taught us that without hardships, we would likely not be able to learn all the necessary skills of overcoming adversities which are highly indicative of a person’s character and paves the way to the greatest moments of one’s life. She taught us that it is important to embrace the negatives in order to achieve the positives, which is a concept not usually discussed. She also supports the development of resiliency, and that it is a skill that one can develop over time. With mental health and well-being at the forefront of today’s society, her message is of utmost importance.”
— Harleen Taggar
Graduate & research program service attendant, Ontario Veterinary College
