Keynotes & workshops on the thinking tool that changes how people focus, decide, and perform.

Science‑backed micro‑writing protocols that help high‑pressure teams reset cognitive overload, restore focus, and make better decisions — in minutes.

About Áine

Áine Kmen (pronounced Awnya) is the founder of JournalingFix and a San Diego-based speaker and workshop facilitator. Before building JournalingFix, she spent a decade leading marketing and growth for early-stage startups across three continents - giving her firsthand fluency in the pressure, rapid decision cycles, and cognitive demands she now helps teams navigate. Her early career work with the Jane Goodall Institute and other national non-profits included speaking to audiences from intimate rooms to thousands.

Signature Talks & Workshops

  • Your Lowest-Tech Tool. Your Highest-Impact Day.

  • Stuck, Spinning, Scattered — How to Reset in Minutes

  • Unshakeable Under Pressure

The feedback from our members was overwhelmingly positive. Many were genuinely surprised by how this journaling style could help them have a more productive workday. Several members even asked if we could bring Aine back for another session.

If you’re looking for a valuable event, I highly recommend inviting Aine to host this workshop at your location. It’s practical, engaging, and clearly resonated with our members.
— Candace V., Manager, Downtown Works - Mission Valley

The Method: brain science + structured micro-writing

A few minutes of guided writing can change how people process information, regulate stress, and take action—because it reduces ambiguity, clears mental residue, and creates a clean next step. These sessions translate that science into repeatable micro-protocols attendees can use immediately.

I loved this workshop so much. It struck such a beautiful balance between deep introspection and simple, practical steps you can actually use right away. Each part built on the last in a way that naturally supported mental, emotional, and even physical regulation—it felt like a full reset.

What stood out most was how it helped clear the feeling of overwhelm and mental fatigue. It gently broke things down into manageable pieces, making it easier to process what’s in front of you and then shift into your next task with clarity and ease. It’s the kind of practice that doesn’t just feel good in the moment—it actually changes how you move through your day.
— Nova R., Founder and Creative Director, Bossity

Additional Sample Topics

  • Learn how a few minutes a day of science-based structured journaling can create outsized shifts in clarity, emotional regulation, and follow-through, and how to leverage it in real life.

    Writing helps: 

    • Move projects forward faster by providing tools for us to manage context switching, close open loops, and eliminate the mental drain of ambiguity.

    • Keep our days from being hijacked by rumination and overthinking, by changing where a problem lives and getting us out of autopilot. 

    • Clear us from being stuck by reducing threat bias in our amygdala, retraining memories that hold us in limiting patterns, and strengthening our internal motivation.

    Participants leave with a clear understanding of the mechanisms, and a set of simple micro-writing protocols they can use immediately to regain focus, reduce reactivity, and move forward with more agency.

  • Quick, repeatable micro-writing fixes for the moments that derail attention: after meetings, between tasks, and when you need to get back into focus fast. Attendees learn simple protocols that clear mental residue and restore a clean “next step.”

  • When a task feels heavy, unclear, or emotionally loaded, the brain treats it as costly, and resistance takes over. This session teaches micro-writing protocols that lower friction, interrupt avoidance loops, and rebuild momentum and discipline through clear structure.

  • Short powerful journaling routines that help you reset patterns, reduce rumination, and get unstuck. Attendees learn simple prompts that stabilize the day ahead and clear the mental clutter that builds up over time.

  • Science-based micro-writing protocols that protect original thinking and strengthen how you generate, refine, and evaluate ideas. Attendees learn practical ways to use writing to protect originality and judgment, and understand how to use AI tools without defaulting to generic outputs.

I’ve used JournalingFix on two projects. It’s helped me put aside demanding tasks when I need to focus on other things, and they’ve helped me get started on tasks I resist doing. The journal entries are fast. I usually spend about five minutes. They don’t feel like extra work. They’re each structured for one goal, so they’re easy to apply.
— Adam B, Software Engineering

Why event planners + L&D book Áine

- Practical tools attendees use right away (no fluffy inspiration)

- Perfect for high-output professionals, leadership teams, technical audiences, and entrepreneurial groups

- Live protocol demos create immediate “aha” moments in the room

- Proven with professional development programs, tech communities, and entrepreneurial networks

In-person and remote options

Clear session timing provided, simple setup needs, copy and paste marketing descriptions, and optional digital takeaways shared via QR code or your event app. Easy to run, whether you’re programming a ballroom keynote or a breakout track.

As a developer, my brain is juggling 15 threads at once by noon. AI tools make me faster, but they also add a whole new layer - more decisions, more context-switching, more information flying at me constantly. The micro-journaling techniques in Áine’s seminar gave me a way to dump the noise, quiet the mental chatter, and reconnect with my own voice and creativity. That clarity is everything.
— Jenny H., Full-Stack Developer

Flexible formats

These are starting points. As an experienced speaker and facilitator, I work with you to shape the right session for your event - whether that means adjusting format, length, content focus, or all three.

Keynote (45–60 min)

Best placement: opening session, post-lunch re-engagement, end-of-day “make this actionable” slot

Audience size: general session (from mid-size rooms to large audiences)

Attendees leave with: an easy-to-understand framework + 2–3 practical micro-tools they can use immediately (and a digital takeaway you can share in your event app).

Workshop (45 min–2+ hours)

Best placement: breakout block, leadership track, team offsite track, skills lab

Audience size: works well for small groups and large rooms (format scales with light, optional participation)

Attendees leave with: protocol cards + a simple toolkit they can keep using after the conference (easy to distribute digitally via QR / event app)

Brief / Spotlight Session (20–30 min) (Add-on / breakout-friendly)

Best placement: breakout track, morning energizer, late-afternoon slump slot, sponsored session

A fast, high-impact intervention to reset attention and reduce friction; great when you want something tactical without reworking your agenda.

Audience size: flexible

Attendees leave with: one core protocol + a one-page digital cheat sheet

I came to Áine’s workshop stuck on procrastination and avoidance of hard tasks, and left with simple techniques that work. I use it every day now and am excited to see what else JournalingFix has in store.
— Feargal W., Founder, San Diego Startup Club

Want to add JournalingFix to your agenda?

Download the speaker one-pager above for talk formats, testimonials, and session details - or reach out directly to discuss fit for your event. Speaker fees available upon inquiry.

hello@journalingfix.com

Based in San Diego, CA · Available for travel