Chris Gray

In this keynote presentation, Chris will tell stories of his humble beginnings in a very small rural town where he had the dream to one day be like his hero – Hulk Hogan. He will tell them a lesson he learned as a youth aspiring to achieve this dream … the saying “You Can Be Whatever You Want To Be” is a lie. Chris learned that the truth is “You can be whatever you want to be … if you’re willing to put in the work.”

Chris tells the story of his grueling initiation into professional wrestling and the day he finally realized his dream… the day he wrestled in the same ring as his childhood hero.

He goes on to explain that you don’t have to be in the “big time” to make a “big difference.” He tells stories of achieving his dreams of wrestling with his heroes as he tells stories of rubbing shoulders with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and Rey Mysterio.

Viewers take away the realization that the size of their dreams should not be limited to the size of their town or other people’s expectations.

Areas of Focus: Put in the work, Focus on the positive, Never give up, Positive motion creates positive emotion.

In this keynote presentation, Chris focuses on the power of persevering through hardship. He tells stories of his childhood, which was riddled with alcohol abuse and psychological disorders. Despite these hardships, Chris dared to dream big.

Chris was told by his high school guidance counselor that he shouldn’t pursue his big dream of being a professional wrestler because he was too small and it would be too hard to achieve this goal. Chris quickly learned that it would be very hard work, but that adults aren’t experts. Chris went on to achieve his goals despite the forces working against him.

Chris tells the dramatic story of the day he almost died in the ring and the day his dream job almost came to an end from the most unlikely of people.

Viewers take away the realization that their circumstances don’t have to dictate their actions. We all have the power to persevere if we put enough passion and drive into achieving our dreams.

Areas of focus: Overcoming obstacles, Attitude is everything, Positive motion creates positive emotion, Avoiding the victim mentality.

In this keynote presentation, Chris talks about the cycle of influence. Whether we are influenced by positive or negative forces, we can choose to continue that cycle or change it.

Chris tells stories of the negative influences on his life at a very young age and a chance meeting in the 9th grade that changed the trajectory of his life forever.

He tells engaging tales from his wrestling career that have influenced his life as a father and a man. Chris tells personal stories of special connections he’s made with his wrestling fans and his decision to be a positive influence in his community through his charity campaign – “Giv’er for Charity.”

Viewers take away the realization that they all have the power to influence those around them. It’s up to them whether they want to be a positive or negative influence in the world. Chris encourages all youth to choose the power of positive influence.

Areas of focus: Focus on the positive, Finding your passion, Choose your friends wisely, Power of a positive mindset.

In this keynote presentation, Chris encourages youth to not only accept their unique differences, but to embrace them and use them for good.

Since a very young age, Chris knew he was different because of his unique goals and dreams. And since a young age, he was always encouraged to change his dreams and goals because he was too small, too skinny, and very different looking compared to the professional wrestlers Chris dreamed of being like. Despite his dreams of a career that required him to take center stage… later in life, Chris learned he was actually an introvert. With this knowledge, he learned how to become a true leader based on the unique skills he developed as an introvert in an entertainment world full of extroverts.

Chris focuses on teaching youth lessons about overcoming their fears, branching out, and getting involved. He teaches kids that the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is true… and that he knows this because he almost died in the wrestling ring! He tells the intense and engaging tale of the day he almost died in the ring, and how that experience led to him learning how to overcome his fears, embrace his unique character traits (which he previously perceived as weaknesses), and be a positive force in his community through his charity work.

Viewers take away the realization that they are a special & unique person of value. We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of telling the world who we are. Viewers will learn how to embrace these gifts and share them with the world to help make this world a better place.

Areas of Focus:

– Equality & Equity

– Inclusion

– Embracing Our Differences

– Overcoming Fears

Ideal for:

– Junior High & Secondary Assemblies

– At-risk students

​- Anti-Bullying

​- Mental Health Awareness

– Student Conferences

Recent studies show that young people spend up to 9 hours a day on their cell phones. That’s 63 hours a week! That’s well over the hours of a full-time job. Studies also show that not only are students distracted by their devices, but that young people are reporting the highest rates of poor mental health in human history.

Many schools are fighting the “cell phone vs. no cell phone” fight in school. Many are losing. Others are starting to implement strict policies against cell phone use in school.

In this keynote presentation, Chris encourages students to keep their heads up and put their phones down. He will discuss what it means to be a TRUE influencer. All youth have the power to be a positive influence in their communities if they keep their heads up and focus on the quality of their one-on-one human interactions rather than keeping their heads down and focusing on the quantity of their digital interactions. Chris will share stories of how he has been able to make a positive impact in his community through keeping his head up and his eyes on those in need in the community around him. And doing so, all while working in a job where cell phones are a necessity for social networking and marketing.

Viewers take away the realization that their quality of life increases when less time is spent on their phone and more time is spent being conscious of the world around them.

Areas of focus:

– Healthy cell phone use

– Using social media for good

– Mental Health Awareness

– Being a Positive Influence

In this keynote presentation, Chris tells stories about the power of positivity, and how a positive mindset can help with breakthrough on both a personal level, and team-level.

A negative attitude and mentality can quickly spread through a workplace without proper care and attention. Chris uses the power of storytelling to teach lessons on how to both maintain and create a positive mindset within the workplace.

Viewers will take away that we all have the power to be a positive influence on those around us, if we simply make that decision. Viewers will feel inspired and motivated to spread positivity in their workplace.

This workshop expands on lessons and take-aways from Chris’s “Dare to Dream BIG” keynote and narrows in on a concept many people need help with… goal setting.

Areas of Focus:

– Overcoming fear

– finding your passion

​- accountability partners

Ideal for:

– Leadership groups

– student council / clubs

– at-risk students

– students lacking direction

– students about to graduate

This workshop expands on lessons and take-aways from Chris’s “Power of Perseverance” keynote and narrows in on overcoming hardship through positivity.

Areas of Focus:

– Goal Setting

– Overcoming Fears

​- Accountability Partners

Ideal for:

– Leadership groups

– sports teams / banquets

– student council

– at-risk students

This workshop expands on lessons and take-aways from Chris’s “Power of Influence” keynote and narrows in on finding your passion to help you choose positivity over negativity.

Areas of Focus:

– You become who you surround yourself with

– avoiding the victim mentality

– the power of choice

Ideal for:

– at-risk youth

– youth in need of direction

​- leadership groups / clubs

This workshop expands on lessons and take-aways from Chris’ “Be Different” keynote and narrows in on how to find our unique and special character traits to use as our superpower to help the world.

Areas of Focus:

– Rethinking Leadership Strategies

– Overcoming Fears

​- Accountability Partners

​- Self-Care

Ideal for:

– Leadership groups

– student council

– at-risk students