From Survival to Self-Love
How I Finally Learned to Embrace My LGBTQ Identity With Pride — And How You Can Too
Stef Vachon
LGBTQ Keynote Speaker • Trauma Survivor • Podcast Host
Creator of Together Moving Forward Podcast
A powerful and deeply human keynote experience about healing, identity, and learning to love yourself after years of shame, silence, fear, and emotional pain. Stef shares his jo
urney from surviving abuse, bullying, and internalized shame to reclaiming his worth, embracing self-love, and standing proudly as a queer man, husband, father, and voice for healing in the LGBTQ community. Stef brings language, compassion, emotion, and strength to that lived experience, and shows audiences how to move from survival to self-respect, and eventually to self-love and pride. This keynote helps audiences feel seen, validated, understood, empowered, and deeply inspired. WHAT THIS KEYNOTE IS REALLY ABOUT
Too many LGBTQ people grow up carrying:
• shame that was planted in them
• guilt that never belonged to them
• fear of not being enough or not being lovable
• the silent loneliness of not feeling safe to exist
AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS
After this keynote, audiences walk away with:
• Permission to exist fully and proudly as themselves
• A deeper understanding of trauma, shame, healing, and resilience
• A renewed sense of dignity and self-worth
• Tools to rebuild the relationship with themselves
• Hope — real, grounded, powerful hope
• A reminder that they are stronger than they ever believed they could be
WHO THIS KEYNOTE IS FOR
• LGBTQ organizations & community events
• Mental health & wellness conferences
• Universities / Colleges / Student groups
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion events
• Pride programming
• Corporate ERGs & workplaces
• Trauma recovery & healing-focused spaces
KEY THEMES
• LGBTQ identity, pride & belonging
• Trauma, bullying & emotional resilience
• Healing, therapy & self-reclamation
• Self-love, self-respect & dignity
• Community, storytelling & hope
• Turning pain into purpose
• Living authentically and proudly
ABOUT STEF VACHON
Stef Vachon is a proud queer man, husband, father, keynote speaker, former international professional figure skater with over 30 years of experience around the world, and the creator and host of the Together Moving Forward podcast — a platform dedicated to healing, resilience, identity, and empowerment for the LGBTQ community. After surviving years of homophobia, bullying, and abuse, Stef spent decades in survival mode before beginning a powerful healing journey that changed his life. Today, he stands in truth, pride, and self-love — and dedicates his voice to helping others feel less alone and more supported in their own journeys. He speaks with warmth, honesty, vulnerability, courage, and deep humanity — reminding audiences that healing is possible, identity is beautiful, and we are stronger than we think. AVAILABLE FOR BOOKINGS
📧 [email protected]
🌐 togethermovingforwardpodcast.com
📍 Montréal, Québec, Canada
