Ahead of his "Dare to Dream BIG" school tour in Peterborough, ON, Chris Gray sat down with Scott Arnold of Oldies 96.7 & FREQ 90.5 and talked about his life as a traveling speaker and professional wrestler.

​You can read the entire article and here audio from the interview HERE

Chris Gray will be one of the keynote speakers for the Alberta Student Leadership Conference in Olds, Alberta in May 2026.

This year's theme is "Rooted in Leadership: Growing for Tomorrow."

"I'm humbled and honoured to be a part of this year's speaker line-up," Chris said. "ASLC has a long history of impacting student leaders in a very meaningful and powerful way. I'm grateful that this year I get to be a part of that positive impact."

Chris will also be touring schools around the province before and after the conference.

Any schools in Alberta interested in booking Chris from May 1st to May 8th, can reach out to him at ChrisGraySpeaks@gmail.com

Professional Canadian Speaker Chris Gray had the following to say on his social media about his upcoming tour of New Brunswick in March:

"Let’s go New Brunswick! 

JOIN THE TOUR
Monday March 9 - Friday March 13

I’m heading out for a full week speaking tour across the beautiful province of New Brunswick this March. I’ll be visiting some amazing schools in some beautiful towns like Grand Falls, Miramichi, Rexton, and Saint John.

ONE SPOT REMAINS!

If your school would like to snatch up the final spot on the tour, drop me a request at ChrisGraySpeaks@gmail.com

I’m looking to make an IMPACT in New Brunswick this March! 

The Creator Olympics is a program of Sun West School Division that encourages creative activity of all kinds and provides opportunities for students to acquire and enhance their creative skills.

Coming March 20!

DROP THE MIC: The Art and Science of Motivational Speaking

Introduction
Workshop Trainer: Motivational Speaker Extraordinaire Chris Gray
Drop the Mic: the Art and Science of Motivational Speaking is a one-day workshop taking place on March 20, 2026, at Rosetown Central High School (RCHS). Training at the workshop is provided by Chris Gray, a motivational speaker who has spoken to thousands of young people across North America.

Elements of the Workshop and Follow up
Participants must have developed a draft for an approximately ten-minute speech that they can deliver at the workshop to Chris Gray and the other participants.

All participants must be at RCHS prior to 8:55am, where there will go to the RCHS gym and watch an assembly presentation by Chris Gray to all RCHS students.

Following the assembly, participants will go to a RCHS classroom where they will spend the remainder of the day until about3:00 pm.

There will be ice-breaker session at the beginning that covers basis public speaking skills. The participants will receive feedback from Chris Gray and can get to know one another.

During the remainder of the day, each participant will have the opportunity to give their speech and receive feedback, ideas, and techniques from Chris Gray to help them improve their presentations and skills.

A complimentary lunch will be provided to participants at 12:00 noon. Lunch hour will only go to 12:30 pm

At the end of the day, the participants will select an evening date in May 2026 where the participants will present a polished version of their speeches in a Creator Olympics Showcase. This will be an open public event in Rosetown, in which participants are encouraged to invite their family and friends.

Who can Participate?
All Sun West Grades 8-12 students can apply to participate.

Applications require the student to complete an application, provide a teacher reference (who is not a parent or family member), and provide a brief description of their topic and an outline of the speech they would deliver at the workshop.

The deadline for applications is February 27, 2026.
Click here for the application form
Click here for the teacher reference form

Students selected to participate in the Workshop, must provide a draft copy of their speech to be delivered at the workshop by March 16, 2026. Students who do not provide a complete draft by March 16 will not be allowed to participate in the Workshop.

The number of spots for participants is limited. Deadlines will be strictly followed.

Sun West will be in contact with the parents and schools of each participant once they are selected to coordinate their travel to, and from, Rosetown on March 20.

Potential Speech Topics
Students can develop speeches on topics of their own choice but are encouraged to speak on subjects they are passionate about and that can inspire others. The following are a few ideas to help students develop speeches.

Tell a personal story about a barrier you have over come or a goal you have reached.

Speak about a cause you believe in and that you have worked for (cure for a disease, helping disadvantaged groups or victims of war, famine, or other tragedies).

Encouraging your audience to achieve their best, work towards their goals (perhaps by showing how you or others did this).

Speak about an issue that you feel is crucial to your community, Saskatchewan, Canada, education, the future or even the world; and explain why it is crucial (AI, social media, mental health, music, citizenship, the economy, agriculture, a sport, etc).

Speak about making a difference or making the world better by describing how it can be done or has been done (perhaps by yourself or others).

Questions
Contact Mike Fedyk at mike.fedyk@sunwestsd.ca

More about the Creator Olympics
​Creator Olympics is a program designed to encourage and recognize all creative activities within Sun West schools as well as on a division-wide level and several other new Creator Olympics projects are being examined. Be on the look out for annoucements about these activities on Sun West social media pages.
Past events included LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! Acting and Digital Storytelling Training. Learn about it here.

News Release
Monday, January 19, 2026
For Immediate Release:

Kiwanis Club of Peterborough to sponsor Chris Gray Speaking Tour

The Kiwanis Club of Peterborough is pleased to announce today their sponsorship of a sixth tour of local schools by professional speaker Chris Gray.

Gray, who performs as Cody Deaner with TNA Wrestling will speak at St. Theresa Catholic Elementary School and Kawartha Montessori School on February 2nd, and St. Catherine Catholic Elementary School and Keith Wightman Public School on February 3rd.

“We’re very excited to bring Chris back to Peterborough for another tour”, stated Kiwanis Club of Peterborough Past-President Jeff Westlake. “His previous tours have been tremendously popular with both students and staff. This will bring the number of schools we’ve visited to 20.”

“I’m delighted to be returning to Peterborough next month”, stated Gray. “The partnership with the Kiwanis Club of Peterborough has been outstanding these last few years, and I’m eager to inspire area kids with my stories and message of “Dare to Dream Big”.

Gray is a recommended speaker with the Canadian Student Leadership Association. Their mission statement is “to support and encourage student leadership in Canada.”
​
The Kiwanis Club of Peterborough is celebrating 105 years of service to the Peterborough community. It is part of a global membership of over 550,000 in 80 countries.

As a teacher, administrator, or student leader… ask yourself something:
 
“Do I want to have influence, or do I want to have authority?”
 
I’ve tackled this question from various viewpoints. I’m a certified teacher. A professional wrestler. And, a professional speaker. Interesting resume, eh?
 
With youth today… what’s more important… influence or authority?
 
As someone who has worked with youth in various forms over two decades, I can tell you that I’ve noticed a distinct shift in what students respond to nowadays.
 
Kids respond overwhelmingly greater to influence rather than authority.
 
I see it when I speak at schools. I’ll call upon an “expert,” or an “authority” on a particular subject and I see the eyes gloss over in the audience.
 
But, when I speak from my experience, and tell a story of someone who influenced me, or how I was able to positively influence someone else, I feel the opposite happen. Eyes are focused on me. Students lean forward. They’re invested and interested.
 
The question then becomes… why?