Duncan Kirkwood is a highly regarded global resilience speaker, author, and educator dedicated to inspiring individuals and communities worldwide.
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Duncan attended Alabama State University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Communications before completing his Master’s degree in Public Administration.
While in his last year of undergrad, Duncan enlisted in the Alabama Army National Guard and went on to become a Master Resilience Trainer, where he discovered his passion for helping others build resilience and overcome adversity. This experience inspired him to pursue motivational speaking and personal development.
Duncan holds an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) certificate, equipping him with the knowledge and skills to provide support and guidance to those in crisis.
He is the author of “Rerouting: Resilience Tools and Tactics,” a book that provides practical guidance and tools for building resilience and navigating life’s challenges. The book has been praised for its practical advice and inspirational message and has helped thousands of people worldwide build resilience and achieve their goals.
Duncan is the recipient of the National Policy Innovators in Education “Game Changers Award” for his exceptional work in education and personal development. In addition to his speaking and writing endeavors, he serves as the Director of the Center for Resiliency at Villa Maria College. He continues to help individuals and communities build resilience and achieve their goals.
SPEAKING TOPICS:
As an inner-city student, Duncan had to overcome wave after wave of setbacks to make it to graduation. With each cross current of challenge, Duncan learned new lessons that ultimately helped him thrive.
In this powerful, inspiring, and perception-shifting talk, Duncan shares his experience with failure and the critical lessons he learned along the way. Students today are dealing with challenges we couldn’t have imagined, and practical resilience skills are needed now more than ever. Your audience will walk away with a shift in how they view setbacks, renewed purpose, and a newfound love for their journey.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Perseverance – a complete paradigm shift in how participants see failure in their lives, that setbacks are part of the journey.
- Passion – understanding the importance of getting involved on campus.
- Purpose – understanding the urgent need to discover one’s purpose in life.
- Overcoming fear of failure – understanding that even though you are afraid or uncertain, you must be bold enough to take the first step.
- Affirmation – participants will learn a powerful positive self-affirmation and mantra.
- Empowerment – participants will learn how to take power and control in their own lives.
Duncan trained soldiers to become more resilient, and now he equips students and educators with the same practical tools. As an expert in developing grit and unleashing human potential, Duncan’s presentation will create a series of “ah-ha” moments and a steady stream of engagement among your group.
Duncan combines military-tested training on resilience with science-backed tools to transform challenges into opportunities for growth.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Presence – Letting go of the past and focusing on bringing your best self into this moment.
- Grit – Developing the fortitude to overcome every challenge and stick to a goal no matter how long it takes.
- Resilience – Understanding that resilience is a crucial part of mental health and excelling in your job.
- Self Discovery – Participants will learn to dis-identify from things titles and roles and that our value comes from the inside.
- Joy – Discover how each day can bring joy and build your mental health.
- Gratitude – How using a simple exercise can build appreciation and overcome negativity bias.
Social media has become an integral part of our society, and it is as damaging to youth as it is useful.
- 88% of youth have seen someone be mean or cruel to another person on a social networking site.
- 41% of youth had a negative experience as a result of using a social networking site.
- 22% of youth lost their friendship with someone due to actions on social media sites.
In this talk, Duncan gives illuminating information about self-confidence. He helps students to understand that most social media is altered and that their value is not correlated to how many likes they get.
With the rise of social media, there is a massive rise in depression and suicide among teens at every socioeconomic level. Social media is causing young people to develop body image issues, self-esteem issues, very unhealthy habits in search of social media validation. Duncan destroys those self-confidence threats one by one in this funny, exciting and honest presentation.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- How It Works – participants will learn how social media works.
- Reality – participants will learn what is real and not real on social media.
- Ego – participants will learn that their value is not connected to anything on social media.
- Can’t Buy Joy – participants will learn the importance of finding joy internally and the effects of searching for it in external places.
- Opportunities – participants will learn some of the positive ways to use social media that can build self-confidence.
Instead of presenting a keynote, Duncan is available for an interactive Q&A session with your group.
With Duncan’s extensive background as the Director of the Center for Resiliency at Villa Maria College and his experience as an Army National Guard Master Resilience Trainer, you can expect practical insights and actionable strategies. He’s not just an expert; he’s an educational leader who inspires change.
Your team will gain new ideas, creative solutions, and fresh perspectives that will move the needle on the outcomes you are pursuing to achieve.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Concrete Resilience Tools: Acquire actionable strategies from a Master Resilience Trainer for immediate application.
- Cutting-Edge Education Insights: Understand the latest trends and challenges in education today.
- Personalized Solutions: Receive tailored recommendations for your organization’s specific needs.
- Impactful Student Outcomes: Explore practical steps to enhance student and family experiences.
- Interactive Innovation: Engage in dynamic Q&A to collaboratively solve challenges and foster creativity.
