Stephanie Gray Connors wowed the Catholic world when she gave a pro-life presentation on abortion at Google headquarters in 2017, a talk that went viral on Google’s own Youtube channel, making it part of their most popular “Talks at Google” presentations. No stranger to “the lion’s den,” Stephanie has spent two decades formally debating the topic of abortion on college campuses across North America, going head to head with abortion doctors and philosophy professors while demonstrating wisdom and grace. She not only gives pro-life talks but also tells her personal story of finding joy after a broken engagement.
Stephanie graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Political Science and has since obtained a Certification, with distinction, in Health Care Ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center. Formerly based in Vancouver, Canada, she has travelled to 9 countries and is an expert in using the Socratic method and the power of story-telling to provoke deep thought and civil discussion on the contentious issues of abortion and assisted suicide. Her message is about ideas—and how to communicate them. She often draws on the philosophy of psychiatrist and Holocaust-survivor Viktor Frankl as well as human rights doctrines to outline a pro-life perspective that is inviting to all sides of the debate.
Stephanie has a wealth of experience speaking to secular audiences as well as specifically Catholic ones, whether at Catholic schools, churches, or conferences. She has spoken at the priest convocation for the Archdiocese of Miami and at Catholic schools and conferences in the dioceses of Venice, Bismarck, Phoenix, Fort Worth, and Sacramento, to name a few. She was also a presenter at the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL) conference and has spoken at events for Legatus. Stephanie has a Lighthouse CD with the Augustine Institute entitled, “The New Conversation: Changing Hearts and Minds on Abortion,” which is also featured in the video series, Formed. In 2019 Stephanie spoke at SEEK, a conference presented by FOCUS. Stephanie has done hundreds of secular and religious media appearances and has been a regular on EWTN and Catholic Answers.
Testimonials:
Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix wrote, “Just a note to say how much I appreciated your witness to Christ, your moving presentation on how to journey with people to the light out of the darkness of a culture of death. Your love for persons lost in the darkness was deeply moving to behold. Thank you for that badly needed witness to Christ.”
Joe Vogel of National Evangelization Team (NET) Ministries said, “Stephanie's presentations, lectures, debates and campus work are encouraging. The pro-life debate is a tough one, but Stephanie’s engagement in public forums is courageous, necessary, and nothing less than brilliant….I have personally become a bigger advocate in the pro-life movement from Stephanie’s informative presentations [and] debates.”
Fr. Steve Wlusek, rector of St. Peter’s Seminary, wrote, “THANK YOU IMMENSELY for your tremendous presentation and dialogue with our seminary community. I was the one who wrote at the bottom of my evaluation sheet that I thought you were the most effective teacher/presenter I've ever encountered! Your method, style, engagement with your audience, relevance, use of media were all excellent! …You conveyed a very serious and difficult topic with a great sense of zeal, positivity, respect for all present, and a joyful demeanor.”
Speaking Topics:
Stephanie primarily speaks on abortion, assisted suicide, and her personal story, although she can develop new presentations as requested:
Love Unleashes Life: Abortion and the Art of Communicating Truth
How does one speak about the controversial topic of abortion with wisdom and grace? Stephanie Gray Connors delivers a masterful presentation where she balances communicating to the head and the heart. She tackles the common arguments in favor of abortion with an appeal to science, philosophy, psychology, and human rights. Using the power of questions and stories, she both informs and inspires the audience to protect pre-born humans while loving born humans too.
Note: This topic can be packaged in many different ways while the core message remains the same; therefore, different titles can be used when the talk is tailored for a specific audience:
- Heroes & Role Models: What They Teach Us About Life and Abortion
- Abortion: The Great Debate
- From Presentation to Conversation: How to Dialogue About Abortion Without Getting Tongue-Tied
- From Child Sacrifice to Christ’s Sacrifice: Justice & Mercy on Abortion
- Being Today’s Good Samaritan
Talking about Assisted Suicide with Clarity and Compassion
With growing acceptance for assisted suicide and euthanasia around the world, this talk proposes that people pause to reflect on important questions such as, How do we alleviate suffering without eliminating sufferers? How can we get creative in the face of physical pain and emotional anguish? Are all human desires ordered and worth acting on? Using the art of storytelling and question asking, Stephanie takes a heavy topic and leaves the audience uplifted and inspired.
Finding Joy: Healing from a Broken Engagement
Fairytales inspire a little girl to dream of the day when her prince will come. What happens when he does but then leaves? Stephanie shares her story of a dream almost coming true when she got engaged only to have “happily ever after” seem to disappear before making it to the altar. What should we do when plans don’t work out as we expect? Where is God in suffering? Stephanie tells her tale and tips for finding joy after a broken heart.
