Stef Vachon is an LGBTQ+ keynote speaker, podcast host, former international professional figure skater, husband, and father whose work is rooted in one powerful message: it is possible to move from survival to self-love. Stef grew up experiencing homophobia, bullying, abuse, shame, and profound isolation. As a young person, he learned to hide, become invisible, and adapt himself to survive. The impact followed him for decades, affecting his relationships, confidence, identity, and ability to respect himself. In his 30s, Stef reached a breaking point and began a long and deeply transformative healing journey through therapy, support, self-reflection, and community. He began reconnecting with the person he had been before shame and fear had shaped his life. Slowly, he learned to trust himself, establish healthy boundaries, forgive himself, and understand that his identity was never the problem. His journey eventually led him to reclaim passions he had abandoned, including figure skating. After nearly 15 years away from the ice, Stef returned to skating at 55 — not simply as an athlete, but as a way of reconnecting with the joyful child he had once been. Today, Stef is a proud queer man, husband, and father. He is also the creator and host of the Together Moving Forward podcast, where he explores LGBTQ+ identity, self-love, self-respect, boundaries, healing, resilience, community, and pride. His keynote, From Survival to Self-Love: How I Finally Learned to Embrace My LGBTQ Identity With Pride — And How You Can Too, combines vulnerable storytelling with practical tools audiences can use in their own lives. His signature framework guides participants through five steps: reclaiming who they are, healing their relationship with themselves, finding community, turning pain into purpose, and learning to live in the present moment. Stef also shares his signature Reclaiming Letter experience — a powerful exercise designed to help people stop seeking validation from others and begin honoring their own truth. Stef speaks with warmth, honesty, vulnerability, courage, and deep humanity. His message is simple but powerful: you are not broken, your identity is not something to fix, and you are stronger than you ever believed you could be. Together, we are moving forward.