About
Do you remember the first time you heard Trystan Reese speak?
Maybe it was on The Moth Radio Hour, which aired on NPR stations across the globe. Maybe it was when his storytelling video went viral and over 2.5 million people watched it. Or perhaps you were at a conference when he gave a stirring keynote— Out & Equal, Postpartum Support International, the World Domination Summit, Columbia University… or any of his storytelling events around the country.
Or maybe you attended one of his engaging, transformative sessions on trans competency. Staff at the powerhouse law firm Lane Powell called his training “the best thing this firm has ever done.” Monmouth College hosted him and had this to say: “he had each participant at the edge of their seat, attentive, engaged and enraptured.”
Trystan has extensive experience developing curriculum for groups of all sizes and experience levels-- traditional corporations with no previous discussion of transgender issues, high school students eager to learn about identity, or radical nonprofits working to sharpen their analysis around trans justice. As a transgender man himself, he weaves his personal story into his sessions as he teaches basic vocabulary and terms, facilitates conversations around specific issues an organization is facing, and provides concrete tools designed to equip teams to grapple with an array of trans issues.
Trystan has worked with staff at prisons and homeless shelters, foster care volunteers and city employees, high school teachers and theatre companies. He can teach you how to successfully use gender-neutral pronouns, intervene in a moment of tension around trans identities, and handle a mistake with grace and ease. His trainings come in hour-long, 90-minute, and 3-hour sessions, and can be tailored to your organization's specific needs or pulled right out of the box for a more cost-effective partnership.
Take a moment to submit your request for a quick response on how Trystan can serve your organization!
Keynote speeches. Based on your audience, Trystan will curate elements of his own trans coming-out story, his adoptive parenting journey, his pregnancy adventure, and how he survived all of it. Whether you’re hoping to create an event that offers CME or CLE credits, want to sell tickets or raise money for your organization, Trystan will work with you to build an event that will keep your community on the edge of its seats. Suitable for conferences, universities, non-profits, or larger communities.
Trans 101: Beyond the basics. An intro to common terms and definitions used within the trans community. This session includes Trystan’s three-step process for learning gender-neutral pronouns, and is tailored for each organization’s specific needs. Suitable for any nonprofit, religious organization, small business, major corporation, or government entity.
Advanced Trans Justice: Transforming our Daily Lives. Dig deep into how you can integrate trans solidarity into your everyday life, infusing gender justice into everything you do. Suitable for organizations that have already gone through an education process around trans issues, such as a law firm specializing in trans cases, a nonprofit dedicated to social justice, or health professionals with past training.
Seahorses and Unicorns: Trans fertility for the people. As the trans community gains greater acceptance and moves from surviving to thriving, more and more providers want to support their efforts to build their own families. Trystan will cover his personal trans pregnancy story while weaving in data and practical tools for supporting trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming prospective parents. Suitable for health care providers such as nurses, doctors, midwives, social workers, health conferences, or other learning environments comprised of individuals or teams working to support family-building and reproductive justice.
Storytelling as Revolution. Hear the behind-the-scenes story behind "the pregnant man," as Trystan explains exactly how he secured trans-competent journalists from CNN to Buzzfeed who were willing to tell his story the way he wanted-- with fairness, integrity, and humor. Suitable for media trainings, LGBT organizations working on trans messaging, or communications conferences.
Sessions
Testimonials
“Both students and faculty were absolutely enthralled with Trystan’s Trans 201 presentation, and we have received nothing but glowing reviews from everyone in attendance. Not only was his presentation accessible for folks new to the issues, it was also engaging and refreshing for students and faculty who attended his event last year. In fact, faculty and staff were so impressed with the program that they immediately inquired as to the possibility of Trystan providing more trainings. We greatly look forward to the possibility of working with him again in the future!”
“I could not recommend Trystan more highly. Trystan went above and beyond to meet all of our students, spending time with them individually and being his true self, authentic, genuine, vulnerable, truthful and kind.
Trystan also spoke more formally in front of an audience of over 100 people. For over 90 minutes, he had each participant at the edge of their seat, attentive, engaged and enraptured. The audience laughed and cried and loved everything about Trystan and his story. The feedback forms were overwhelmingly favorable, several saying Trystan was the best speaker they had seen on campus.
I am so thankful to Trystan for coming and speaking with us at Monmouth. We are hoping he can come back again soon.”
“Trystan delivered one of the best conference keynotes I’ve ever heard — enlightening, smart, funny, poignant - and radically informative. He managed to teach and provoke new perspectives, without any tone of judgment for attendees who did not yet know the facts and insights he shared. We are all subject to the ignorance of our culture, and yet some, like Trystan, challenge and forge a new path. With love and creativity, Trystan shared with a crowd of 550+, the most compelling journey. And bonus points for arriving early for keynote and having a flawless PowerPoint to add the best mix of story and science. ”
“His presentations are full of positive energy, while still tackling the toughest subjects and addressing inequity and privilege. In addition to hiring him to train staff, I have used his services as a consultant to answer my advanced inquiries on trans employment and equity. I highly recommend this EDI professional!”
“Trystan’s training on trans issues got RAVE reviews from our attorneys and staff. The feedback was uniformly positive (which never happens in my office). Well prepared, non-judgmental and very eye-opening!”
”How can I say this? Trystan is incredible - amazing. I think his training was one of the absolute best we’ve ever had at the office. I was just walking down the street and I ran into an intern who told me the same thing. “That was the best brown bag I ever attended. He should do more….”
”Trystan is an incredible facilitator and presenter, made me feel safe and comfortable talking about sensitive issues, and came off as incredibly non-judgmental. Also, content was great, informative, and very important for the work we do with our clients. I loved that he weaved in real feedback from real clients and used their voices to educate us.”
