Confident Writing & speaking Starts Here
Personalized mentorship can transform procrastination and self-doubt into lasting skills and confidence.
Whether you’re staring at a blank page, unsure if your essay is “good enough,” or just ready to maximize your potential as a communicator, let Dockside Academics support you. Our remote one-on-one sessions can help with any stage of the writing or speaking process, for any discipline. With 15+ years of teaching and real-world communication experience, I help students build the writing, speaking, and presentation skills that carry them through college and beyond. Together, we can turn anxiety into clarity and create results you will be proud of.
Knowledge is power but not if you can’t communicate it! Master the skills that last a lifetime
- It feels like your teacher may not have enough time to help you, or doesn’t understand you.
- You’re unsure if your cover letter will allow you to stand out from other job application candidates.
- You feel awkward and nervous speaking in front of others.
- Family dinnertime turns into a nightly argument about your homework and grades.
- Or, maybe you love school and want to make sure you’re maximizing your academic potential.
I’m not a “once-in-a-while” test prep tutor. I’m a skill-building mentor. Together, we focus on long-term growth so you can tackle any written assignment, speaking presentation, or big academic moment with real confidence.
Here’s what sets my approach apart:
15+ Years Communication and Teaching Experience: I have taught in college classrooms, a dozen different nature parks, and a private high school. In between these roles, I have led communication-heavy tasks outside of academia for the wellness industry, restaurant industry, regional environmental non profits, volunteer municipal boards, and government organizations. I bring both traditional teaching expertise and “real world” know-how from a wide array of professionals and audiences.
College professor perspective: I know firsthand that many freshmen enter college unprepared for the level of writing expected. Professors rarely have time for true one-on-one support. I bridge that gap.
Personal Struggle: I have wrestled with procrastination and processing challenges myself. I know that pit-in-your-stomach feeling when facing a challenging written or spoken task, and I have a list of strategies that actually work in the real world.
Stephanie Kealy
Meet your mentor
Each live 1-on-1 mentoring session takes place on Zoom and is 60 minutes long. Sessions focus on the mentee’s existing writing or speaking assignment. If we finish up before the 60 minutes have ended, we can move on to a new assignment.
$55 - single session
$220 - 5 sessions (1 free session)
$715 - 15 sessions (2 free sessions- meet about once per week for half the school year)
$1,705 - 35 sessions (4 free sessions- meet about once per week for the whole school year)
Live Mentoring
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This option is for Hampton Roads locals only. We meet up in person at a community space like a library. Sessions are 60 minutes long and focus on the mentee’s existing writing or speaking assignment.
$65 per hour-long session
$260 - 5 sessions (1 free session)
$845 - 15 sessions (2 free sessions- meet about once per week for half the school year)
$2,015 - 35 sessions (4 free sessions- meet about once per week for the whole school year)
In-person Mentoring
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This option is for mentees I’ve already met with in at least three Live Mentoring sessions. We collaborate by exchanging comments asynchronously on a shared Google doc. I return my comments to you within 48 hours. Sessions focus on the mentee’s existing writing or speaking assignment. For documents less than 10 pages long, or speaking presentations less than 20 minutes long.
$40 - single session, one document per session
$180 - 5 sessions, one document per session
Asynchronous Mentoring
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Ideal for homeschool communities! So many ways to cultivate communication skills among high school aged learners: stage a debate, write a formal research paper using academic research skills, create a capstone project like a speech or slides presentation, build your first resume and college application essay, explore the peer feedback process, etc.
Pricing depends on group size, length of course, course content, course format (asynchronous, live, or in-person)
Group Courses
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Client notes
Kind words
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tools to help you excel
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my favorite resources
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Every person’s challenges look a little different. You may struggle turning your outline of ideas into clear paragraphs. Your college application essay might be complete but lacks a unique twist that sets you apart from others. Maybe your test scores shine, but writing and presentations pull you down. Wherever you’re starting, I meet you there. Together, we’ll break down assignments, build strategies that work in real life, and create a system that feels doable—not daunting. My role isn’t just to help you pass, it’s to help you grow into a confident communicator who’s ready for whatever comes next.
SUPPORT THAT HELPS YOU BUILD CONFIDENCE, IMPROVE PERFORMANCE, AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
You should work with me because I don’t grade you/evaluate you, I’m a neutral third party.
Absolutely. Many of my clients are adult professionals who want to strengthen their writing, presentation, or communication skills for work. I can support you with resume writing, professional documents, and workplace communication—along with building confidence for presentations or big projects. Whether you’re making a career move or just want to polish your skills, I’ve got you covered.
Can you help if I’m not currently in school?
Nope! I don’t pile on extra work. Instead, we focus on your existing assignments, projects, and personal goals. That way, everything we do feels relevant and directly improves what you’re already working on.
Do you give assignments?
I primarily work with high school students—especially those who are homeschooled—college students, and adult professionals. Whether you’re preparing for college-level writing, navigating essays and presentations, or wanting to strengthen communication skills for your career, I provide tailored support that meets you where you are.
What ages do you work with?
Frequently asked questions
Research shows that when you write prose and craft speaking presentations, you enhance your learning capacity. Writing forces you to actively process, organize, and synthesize information. When you use ChatGPT, you eliminate part of the learning process, and your brain does not reach its full potential.
Can’t I just use ChatGPT?
This isn’t about cramming for the next deadline. It’s about building confidence in your ability to think, write, and present—skills that carry you through college essays, job applications, and career milestones. When you stop second-guessing yourself and start trusting your process, you unlock opportunities you didn’t even know were possible.