Recap: Samaritan Summit

I spent the first half of this week in Florida at the Samaritan Summit, a conference for PRC staff and volunteers. It was great. For those of you who couldn’t join, here’s a quick recap.

The Storytelling Symposium helps pro-lifers find their voice.

Earlier this year, SPL partnered with Abortion Survivors Network and Leadership Institute to launch the Storytelling Symposium, a free webinar series training pro-lifers to share their stories and empower others to do the same. The Symposium got amazing feedback from attendees, and we were invited to co-lead a one-day version for the Summit’s pre-conference training.

I gave the opening and closing sessions:

• The Power of Storytelling: Comparing how the pro-choice and pro-life movements use storytelling to shape culture, and equipping pro-lifers to share authentic experiences that resonate beyond debate.
• What To Do If Your Story Goes Viral: Assessing storytellers’ readiness to share personal testimony online, and preparing them to handle trolls with humor and to connect with the silent readers who matter most.

It was great to meet some of you there in person for the first time. And I was flattered that some conference attendees who hadn’t originally registered for the Storytelling track switched to it to catch my closing session.

A lot of people filled out our presentation feedback cards. Here’s just a sampling of the enthusiastic responses:

Monica has a very down-to-earth and conversational presentation style, yet very professional.

So informative and helpful. It’s hard to watch people be awful on the internet. Your perspective is encouraging!

Love how real and balanced you are! Good, practical examples.

Very very well taught and compelling. I appreciate your open-minded and informative views.

The real tips for storytelling were AMAZING.

One of my themes is that everyone has a story to tell. It isn’t only those with personal abortion experiences who have powerful pro-life perspectives. To help pro-lifers develop their advocacy stories, I provided a Storyteller Self-Assessment and invited people to share their ideas for metaphors and sensory details. It was essentially creative writing for activism, and attendees were fully engaged.

I also talked to them about how to manage the (sometimes kind of crazy) environment of online discussion. If you know what you’re doing, arguing online can be useful.

The Summit offers valuable networking, training, and opportunities.

Leading the pre-conference training already made the Summit worthwhile. Then the trip proved even more valuable in so many ways:

1. Hallway networking. This is my term for inspiring conversations and bonding moments outside of scheduled meetings. I had plenty of them, not least of all when I realized that Dr. Christina Francis (Executive Director of AAPLOG) was sitting 50 feet from me in the lobby, so we went and got breakfast together. (We brainstormed for my presentation at AAPLOG’s conference next year. If you’re going to be near Seattle on February 28, 2026, mark your calendar.)

2. Free training. I came to the Summit to lead training, but I was able to receive training too, including input from experts on staff management and fundraising. As SPL’s Executive Director, part of my job is continuing professional development in these areas. It was great to get solid advice that should improve our efficiency behind the scenes.

3. Prospective Projects. Quite a few attendees recognized me from either SPL’s social media or from when I keynoted the Samaritan Summit two years ago. Many introduced themselves and explained why they love our work. That was already gratifying, and then those convos often lead to ideas for new collaborations. I got multiple podcast invitations, and interest in future SPL presentations and in-depth dialogue training.

Thank you so much for supporting these trips.

If you know other conferences, organizations, or groups who would benefit from SPL presentations or training, consider recommending our speakers page to them.

Whether you’ve supported us with donations, volunteer time, or referrals, thanks for your help. We wouldn’t be able to build these bridges without you.

You can help me keep giving pro-lifers both the tools and the courage to speak up by sponsoring trips like this one. Travel expenses (flights, hotel, ground transportation, and print materials) totaled $1,496. If you’re able to help with these kinds of expenses, please donate here: