Post-Bridges Training Recap: Monica in Mississippi, Herb Stranded in DC
Edited from Herb Geraghty’s original email sent on Sunday, June 29.
Earlier this week, SPL hosted our first ever day-long in-person training based on Monica’s hit “Building Bridges” presentation.
The event went great and I’ll update you more soon – but that’s not what this email is about! I first wanted to tell you about what happened after our training: we both had to battle multiple travel issues, and we’re pleased with how we made the most of the time.
Monica perseveres to Mississippi
Monica was supposed to fly from DC to Jackson Thursday night. Weather disruptions instead meant she flew late Friday morning from DC to Dallas to New Orleans, and then rented a car and drove from New Orleans to Jackson (through a pretty crazy thunderstorm, no less). We are grateful to the organizers of the Mississippi Life Summit for being able to move her “Bridges” presentation from Friday to Saturday.
The trek was absolutely worth it. The audience laughed, teared up, nodded enthusiastically, and took pictures of slides. Attendees chose to go to lunch late in order to stay for extended Q&A. One attendee told Monica “Bridges” was specifically the reason he came to the Summit. Another said she’s going to ask the Summit organizers to have Monica back next year to present the extended version. Another praised her “excellent presentation skills” as an atheist who is “disarming in a group of Christians.”
I make the most of extra time in DC
I am actually writing this email from Washington, DC after being stranded by delayed and cancelled flights two days in a row. I’m hoping I can actually go home on my flight scheduled for this evening (wish me luck!), but for now, I am making the most of my extra time in the nation’s capital.
Friday night, I attended a pre-gala mixer hosted by a local pro-life leader. I didn’t have a ticket or an appropriate outfit for the Celebrate Life Gala itself, but I was happy to be able to spend time networking. I was able to introduce Secular Pro-Life to several national pro-life leaders and grassroots organizers from around the country for the first time.
Saturday, I put together a last-minute sign and attended the Defund Planned Parenthood Rally in DC, where I was able to represent and connect with other nontraditional pro-lifers. SPL even got a shout-out from the stage!
The best part
While at the rally, I ran into one of our attendees from Thursday’s Bridges Intensive, and the first thing he said to me was, “I was able to use some of the skills you taught us in a conversation I had last night!”
He had been at the Celebrate Life gala and decided to engage one of the pro-choice counterprotesters outside. Because SPL’s training was fresh in his mind, he was able to have a respectful dialogue where he:
asked why the person was pro-choice,
listened with genuine curiousity when they told their story (a personal story related to a loved one), and
found common ground by affirming their concerns.
The protester likely didn’t leave the conversation converted into a pro-life activist; like we explain in “Bridges,” full conversion can take months or years. However the protester did agree to look up a pro-life organization our attendee recommended with more information. It was a calm, respectful, useful conversation, because our attendee utilized “Bridges” strategies. And we are thrilled to see the effects so immediately!
We want to train far, far more pro-lifers to do the same.
If you want us to do that too:
And though it has been frustrating (and a little exhausting) to have so many travel issues, I have been really pleased with how we were able to turn these delays and cancellations into opportunities for connection.
We have been able to get so much more out of this trip than originally planned. However, these delays have also incurred a lot of unplanned expenses for SPL.
Would you be willing to help cover extra costs?
We did not budget for these extra expenses – so really any amount helps.
Visit secularprolife.org/donate or click the link above.
If you want to help our team on a more consistent basis – so that we’re always ready to turn setbacks into opportunities – become a monthly donor.
Peace!
Herb Geraghty
This article was originally published on July 2, 2025 at secularprolife.org.